The Rightful Queen

Twenty-four

 I took a deep breath and knocked on Zain's office door. My chest was burdened with a heavy load I could never get rid of, but I had no choice but to continue what I was doing.

Surprise coated his face the moment his eyes landed on me. It was like he didn't believe that I finally got out of my chambers.

"I'm... sorry," I looked down. "I know I should not have disappeared like that, but what happened triggered a bad memory," I mumbled, looking down. There was a hint of truth in what I said, but the majority of my words held lies.

"Come here," he said, pulling me into his arms. It was my turn to be surprised, I did not expect him to react in this way. I thought he would be mad at me, but he wasn't. His hold on me was gentle that I found myself wishing he wouldn't let go of me. I needed him to hold me for a while.

"I apologise for disappearing like that," I repeated my apology.

As he kissed my forehead, I couldn't help but smile at his sweet gestures. "Are you all right now?" he asked me and I slowly nodded. I was far from being all right, but I had to lie. "Then that's all that I care about," he offered me a beautiful smile that made my heart melt.

"Let's get inside," he said, pulling me inside his office.

"Do you happen to know where Feras is? I want to apologise to him. I was very rude and he certainly did not deserve to be treated like that," I told him as the two of us sat down on the couch.

"I promise, he is not upset with you and you did apologise the moment you snapped at him," he reminded me.

"I just want to make sure that there are no ill feelings between the two of us," I explained.

"Why do you care so much about your relationship with him?" Zain frowned and there was a hint of... jealousy?

"Are you jealous?" I smirked as I kept my eyes on him. He said nothing, but I could swear that I saw him blushing for a moment. "Just to let you know, there's nothing to worry about or be jealous of. My eyes are only on one man," I whispered the last part.

"May I know the name of that man?" He brought himself closer to me as he spoke in a low tone. I loved how raspy his voice got whenever he whispered.

"I can't tell you his name, but I can surely describe him to you," I grinned.

"Please do. Maybe I can set you up with him if I am on good terms with him," he smirked, making me chuckle.

"Well, he is tall and his skin is a bit tanned. He has a... pretty handsome face. I have never told him that before, but I love how sharp his jawline is. He also has pretty eyes. No, scratch that. They're marvellous. I have never seen something this blue in my whole life. They're vibrant blue that they make the sea look dull compared to them." Not a single word I said was a lie. I didn't even believe that I allowed myself to speak like that in front of him.

"Tell me more." He placed one hand on the small of my back and held one of my hands with his other hand.

"He has a gorgeous smile that I absolutely adore and... he is quite strong. We went out together once and he defended me against a thief. Do you happen to know him?" I wondered, tilting my head to the side as I leaned my body back and supported myself with the hand he was not holding.

"I think I know him, but if I am not wrong, you're giving him too much credit. I don't think he looks as good as you describe him," he told me. "I heard him talking about you once. Would you like to know what he thinks?"

"I would love to," I murmured with a stupid smile on my face.

"He told me once you're the most beautiful girl he has ever met. He also said that when he threw the ball, he did not think that he would find a woman that would catch his attention, but then you came out of nowhere and you took control over him. He thinks that you have the most mesmerizing smile, and dazzling eyes he could get lost in. I heard him praising your mentality and the way you spoke. He said you were very smart and any man would be absolutely lucky if you took him as your husband."

I was certain he could easily hear how my heart was thumping in my chest. Was that how he really saw me? My chest tightened at the thought and I did my best to seem composed in front of him. Not once had I heard somebody talk about me in that way.

I had been trying to deny this, but there was no use. I was not just falling for Zain. I loved him. I loved everything about him. I loved how he treated everybody with respect and how he worked hard to give the people the life they deserved. He was a fair king who wanted his people to be happy. He regretted his father's mistakes and was doing whatever he could to right the wrongs.

A knock on the door made us sit properly. He managed to improve my mood a lot. I didn't want to leave him, but I was aware of the responsibilities he needed to meet and I was not going to hold him back.

Feras walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"Nuriya, good to see you," he greeted me, and I gave him a polite smile.

"Good to see you, too. I'm so sorry about my rude behaviour last time," I apologized.

"It is absolutely fine. You weren't rude at all, You panicked. There's a difference," he said, making relief wash over me. I cared about Feras because he was Zain's best friend. I knew how important he was to Zain, so I wanted to be on good terms with him.

"I think I need to go now. I'm sure you have a lot of work to do," I said, standing up.

"You can stay if you want," Zain offered, standing up too.

"I think if I stay, you won't get anything done," I said, making him laugh a little.

"As you like, but there's something I want you to think about," he told me, spiking my curiosity. "I'm leaving for Carbilia in three days, and I will stay there for ten days. I want you to come with me."

I wasn't aware that we reached that level in our relationship.

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You better buckle up for this trip! A lot is about to happen!

Published on August 7th, 2022

Sara