The Rightful Queen

Thirty-one

    I should have been furious because he ruined my plans. I should have hated him for the fact that I had to face Laith's wrath. I should have been angry at him for toying with my feelings. Instead of all of that, I was hurt. I was in pain. He tossed me aside like a child who got bored of an old toy. I didn't do anything to deserve being treated in that way. I didn't hurt him. I saved him!

    I felt something was off since the night of the attack, but I didn't expect that reaction from him. I wasn't aware of what I had done to provoke such a reaction from him.

    Two days to leave. Hell! I was going to leave tomorrow morning or tonight if I could.

    I didn't know what to do with Laith. I was petrified of his reaction. I hadn't told Mayan yet. I needed to tell her. I was going to miss her so much.

    "We have a huge problem," I said, trying to seem confident before Laith.

    "What is it?" he wondered.

    "Zain asked me to leave. I don't know what happened. One moment we were fine, then everything suddenly changed. He has been different since I saved him," I informed Laith. His facial expressions were the same. He didn't seem angry. Was that the calm before the storm? Was he going to kill me for failing?

    "When did he tell you?" Laith wondered.

    "About ten minutes ago. I have been trying to talk to him since the attack, but he shut me out. Everything was perfect. I don't know what triggered him to do that," I defended myself.

    "We need to pack then," he calmly told me and I frowned.

    "Aren't you mad or angry at me?" I couldn't help but ask. I was scared that he was going to make me fight for my own life.

    "I have been watching you, Nuriya. You've done nothing wrong. Luckily, I have another plan," he announced and for some unknown reason, my blood ran cold.

    "What is it?" I asked in a quiet voice.

    "You'll know when it's time," he said before making his way to his chamber. "We're leaving tonight. Start packing," he told me before closing his door and I just nodded.

    After informing my maid that she needed to start packing, I walked out of the chambers. I needed to visit Mayan and tell her the news.

    As I made my way to her chambers, I saw Feras in the hallway. He gave me a wide smile as he approached me. I didn't think he was aware of the changes.

    "Welcome back! I was just about to visit Zain. Would you like to accompany me?" he offered. He definitely hadn't heard the news yet.

    "Haven't you heard? His Majesty is no longer courting me." I could see surprise taking over him.

    "What? Why? What happened to your wrist, by the way?" he threw his questions at me.

    "Long story short, we were on a date, I noticed a servant putting something in his food. I told him and he caught the perpetrators. I got hurt in the process, but I'm fine now and I was told less than half an hour ago that he was not the right man for me and I needed to leave in two days," I gave him a quick update. He seemed at a shock and for a moment, I felt that he didn't know what to say.

    "Okay, let's not make impulsive decisions," he told me. "Don't go anywhere. I will talk to him and understand what's going on. Surely, there's something that you're missing."

    "I'm not staying. I have been royally kicked out, Feras. I don't want to hear anything from him. I have had enough," I said, walking away from the army general.

    I spent a couple of hours with Mayan and once I dropped the unwanted news on her, she broke down and so did I. The two of us had basically planned our lives together. She didn't think I would go back to Elendra and neither did I, but things didn't go as planned.

    "Listen, you can visit me in Elendra, okay? Once I arrive there, I will send you an invitation and you can stay with me for as long as you want," I said as the two of us held onto each other tightly.

    "And you can visit me here, too," she whimpers as she tightened her embrace on me.

    "As I taught you, Mayan. Talk back, stand up to yourself and tell your father about what they do to you," I reminded her and felt her nod. Over the past few weeks, I did my best to teach her how to talk back to her stepmother and step-sister. I was already leaving her behind, so I didn't want her to get mistreated ever again.

    She kissed my cheek and we both pulled apart. I gave the palace one last look before getting into the coach.

    Laith was still calm and he refused to tell me anything about his other plan. I didn't want to press it. I needed time for myself. I needed to let all that I went through sink in. I came to that palace with a plan. I wanted to marry him, then kill him, but I wasn't ready for falling for him and eventually having him kill me in some way.

    I closed my eyes and rested my head on the side of the coach. Maybe I could sleep away my feelings. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't sleep. My thoughts were in control of me and they were so loud in my head that they did not allow me to sleep. Was this how it felt like to be heartbroken? Did I manage to fall for the man I was supposed to kill in a matter of weeks?

    "Stop the coach!" I heard a loud shout as the heavy thuds of a horse rocked the ground. I placed my hand on the dagger strapped to my leg that I kept hidden under my dress and got into position to fight.

    "You may need to keep your knife hidden," Laith told me as he looked out of the window. "It's Zain." My eyes went wide.

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What do you think will happen next? What does Zain want?😯😯
Published on August 23rd, 2022
Sara