The Rightful Queen

Nineteen

Upon learning the reason behind the invitation, my uncle was ecstatic. He actually commended my skills once he saw me and told me I was going to make my parents proud once I did what we originally came here to do. In front of him, I smiled and faked happiness, but once I was alone, I found myself drowning in guilt.

It had been two days since Zain asked to court me and I barely saw him. He seemed busy. He was nowhere to be seen in the gardens and I didn't even know if he was in the palace or not. I cursed myself for longing for his company. Getting attached to him would not help me out. It would make everything worse for me.

I walked out of my chambers, making my way to the music room. I had to keep myself occupied. As I walked to the room, I found Feras in the hallway. He was his best friend and his army General. Indeed, he knew where he was.

"Good afternoon General Feras," I greeted him with a polite smile as I did a small curtsey. He was also a duke, so his title was higher than my father's. "I know you are a duke and I apologise if I happen to address you with an inappropriate title. I do not know which one you prefer more."

"Good morning, Lady Nuriya." He bowed his head in respect. "Feel free to address me however you like. I go with both titles," he told me.

"Do you happen to know where his Majesty is? I have not seen him in two days and I'm getting a little worried. Is he all right?" I was genuinely worried about him.

"I can assure you that he is all right. He is just incredibly busy, but if you'd like, I can tell him that you want to see him. I am about to meet him now. He is in his office," he offered, and I hated how my face broke into a huge smile when he said that.

"That would be so generous of you, General Feras. I will be in the music room. If His Majesty agrees, please send somebody to escort me to his office. I do not know where it is," I told him.

"It is settled then," he nodded. "And Lady Nuriya, I don't think you call him 'his Majesty', so you do not need to do that before me. I am certain you are now on a first name basis. Good day, Lady Nuriya." My cheeks turned into different shades of pink when he said that. He was aware that Zain was courting me then.

I went to the music room and played on the piano for a while, but my mind was elsewhere. I was waiting for him to send anybody to fetch me. It had been a while and I hadn't heard a word from him. Perhaps he was so busy that he didn't have time to see me. Disappointment filled me, but I had to be more understanding if I wanted to win his heart. I sighed and got up from my place, ready to leave the music room. There was no point in waiting.

Once I opened the door, I gasped in surprise when I saw a guard who was about to knock on the door.

"Apologies, my lady." He bowed his head. "I was sent to escort you to his Majesty's office." Joy found its way to my heart when I heard that. I was finally going to see him!

"All right," I nodded and walked with the guard to Zain's office.

It took us a while to get there. It was a long walk from the music room to his office, which meant that he must have sent for me earlier, but the guard took time because of the obvious distance between the two places.

After the guard announced my arrival, I walked inside and curtsied. I still was not sure how I was supposed to act in front of him now, so I insisted on keeping the formalities until he decided otherwise.

"Good afternoon," he smiled at me as he got up. I was taken aback when he kissed my cheek in front of his best friend, but I did not mind that. "You should really drop those formalities when we are alone or when Feras is around," he told me.

"I will do my best to remember that," I told him, smiling a little. My smile fell when I looked into his eyes. They were so red, which meant he had been working for so long. "Don't you think you need a break? You look tired." I frowned.

"He has been working for hours and he hasn't been sleeping well. Perhaps you can help me out to convince him to rest," Feras told me.

"What's keeping you restless? I know some matters may be confidential, but I can help if you'd allow me," I offered.

"Would you really like to bore yourself with governmental matters?"

"Yes, I don't have anything else to do." I shrugged.

"As you wish, my lady," he nodded. I watched as he walked to his office and brought some papers, then he walked to the round table placed on the right side of the room. "Join me," he said to me and Feras.

I could not believe that he was actually going to take my opinion into consideration. This was incredibly important to me. He was starting to trust me a lot.

Sooner or later, I was going to betray this trust.

Part of me was starting to hate myself for what I was eventually going to do, but... was there even a choice? 

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I hope I'm doing well with describing and showcasing Nuriya's inner conflict! 

Published on July 29th, 2022

Sara