The Rightful Queen

Twenty-eight

It took us three days to reach Carbilia, but the travel wasn't exhausting. I, in fact, enjoyed the whole journey with Mayan by my side and certainly, Zain. We had fun on the road, especially when we stayed the night at a motel.

Laith definitely accompanied us and I honestly was anxious whenever Zain was away from me. I always had a feeling that Laith would do anything to hurt him and that was the last thing I wanted. I didn't want him to get hurt and I was more than ready to protect him.

I hated how Feras did not come with us, because I noticed that Feras was always alert whenever he was with Zain, making sure that his best friend was safe and protected.

We reached the Carbilian Palace and I had to admit, it was marvelous. It was coloured in a rich creamy shade and the windows were maroon. Maybe if this was not the land of my enemies I would have loved where I was, but those people killed my parents. They stole my Kingdom and displaced me. They deserved a slow and painful death, yet whenever I looked at their king, my heart softened.

How could a great man like him be from the royal Carbilian bloodline? He didn't have a single bad bone in him. He wasn't like my parents' killers.

"What do you think of the palace?" Zain asked me as we entered.

"I love it," I smiled at him.

"I hope you don't mind, but I didn't give you a suite that you could share with your father," Zain told me and I wished I could show him how happy I was to hear that, yet I was also worried. I wanted Laith to be under my eyes. "I gave you your own chamber and it is close to mine, so if you need anything, you can simply knock on my door."

"I think meeting your Kingdom's needs is better than meeting my needs," I said, making him chuckle.

"Oh, Nuriya, they're just as important as my Kingdom's needs." I blushed when I heard him say that.

"Do you think we can have a night here like the one we spent in Vinadra?" I whispered.

"Unfortunately, my time here is tight and there are no tunnels here like the ones in the Viandrian Palace," he replied, making me frown. No tunnels? That wasn't a good thing. "Did you want to spend a night like that again that bad?"

"I did, but that's not why I am frowning. You said no tunnels, which means no escape. Let's say somebody attacked the palace, how would your safety be ensured?" This was a serious issue that he needed to address.

"We have hidden places here and I love the concerned version of you. Do you care about me that much?" he smirked, making me roll my eyes, which made him laugh.

"Of course, I care about you! Aren't you like a best friend to me?" I teased him and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I wasn't aware that people in Elendra call courting ladies a friendship," he replied, making me laugh. I loved how sassy he would get sometimes.

"We certainly don't call it a friendship in Elendra," I said. I watched him as he looked around, probably making sure that nobody was around. Taking me by complete surprise, he pushed me against the wall and I gasped. I did not expect that, but I quite liked how he trapped me as he placed each hand on the wall, having me in the middle. He was so close that I could feel his breath on mine.

"If I kiss you right now, will that prove to you that I am not looking for a friendship?" he rasped. My heart was beating so fast.

"Maybe," I murmured, placing my hands on his chest. He smelled so good. The closer he got, the more nervous I became, yet I didn't want him to move away. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to know how it felt like to have his lips on mine.

"You're gorgeous..." he said in a low voice, making me blush and look down. "No," He held my chin between his thumb and his index finger, making me look at him again, "you should never look down." Staring at his magnificent blue eyes made me nervous.

I closed my eyes, waiting for his lips to meet mine. I could feel him getting so close, but it seemed like we were never destined to kiss. For the second time, just when his lips were about to touch mine, a loud voice startled us, making us pull away.

"Tell you what? You kill Feras and I will kill Mayan," I huffed, making him laugh.

"Did I interrupt something?" she sounded and looked apologetic.

"No, Lady Mayan," Zain answered on my behalf. He was so polite. I couldn't even be mad at her when she looked that apologetic.

"I was just excited because I have a beautiful view from my chamber and I wanted to show it to you," she told me.

"Sure," I said, excusing myself from Zain and making my way to my friend.

"Hey." Zain stopped me as he held my hand, causing me to look at him. "Would you dine with me tonight?" he wondered.

"I would love to," I beamed, leaning to kiss his cheek. I didn't care if Mayan saw us or not.

I spent a few hours with Mayan in her chamber. She had every right to be excited about the beautiful view she had from her balcony. It overlooked a beautiful lake with stunning trees surrounding it. There was also a deck on the lake and I imagined Zain and me spending our night on it. The idea sounded perfect in my head.

After a while, I had to leave Mayan as I needed to take a bath and change my clothes. I wanted to look good on my dinner date with Zain. I put on a yellow dress and put on a silver hairpiece on the crown of my head. Making sure one last time that I looked good, I exited my chambers and made my way to his chambers. It was right next to mine. I liked that.

I knocked on the door and waited for him to open it for me. I was a little early, but I hoped that he wouldn't mind. I was met by an unfamiliar face. His servant opened the door for me instead. Silly me! A king would never open his own door.

"Lady Nuriya, please come inside." The woman in front of me stepped aside, allowing me to walk in.

She guided me to the couch and I sat there, waiting for Zain to come out of his room. My eyes landed on a small mirror on the wall and my eyes went wide upon noticing what was going on. The servant had put something in the food. What the hell was that?

I acted like I was interested in the vase in front of me, doing my best not to make her know that I did notice what she did.

Something wasn't right. Somebody was trying to hurt Zain and I had to warn him. If we were in Viandra, I would have thought that Laith had something to do with it, but we were in Carbilia. Did Laith send spies here without letting me know? I was starting to doubt everything. This wasn't the right time to think about such matters. I just needed to warn him first. This was an assassination attempt. Somebody wanted him dead.

He walked out of the room and a wide smile appeared on his face once he saw me. I got up from my place and curtsied since we weren't alone. He walked over to me and placed one hand on the small of my back, then he kissed my cheek.

"You look as lovely as always," he complimented me, making me smile.

"Thank you," I said. "May we please be completely alone? With no servants around?" I requested in a very quiet voice, not wanting anybody to hear us.

"If that's what you want," he said. He politely dismissed the servant and told her that we did not want any company.

"Zain, you have to trust me on this, but I think somebody is trying to hurt you or kill you," I tell him quickly, making sure to keep my voice down.

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Published on August 17th, 2022

Sara