The Sultan and I

Chapter 44

The Sultan and I
Chapter 44

"These are the poisonous tea leaves that I found added to the tea served to his majesty, my Sultana." Emel informed me before handing over the dried tea leaves.

Napatingin ako sa maliit na panyo na hawak niya at mula doon ay nakita ko ang mga maliliit na piraso ng dahon.

Kasalukuyan kaming nag-uusap sa loob ng infirmary dahil sinadya ko siyang puntahan dito matapos ang kaguluhan kagabi.

Walang-imik ko itong kinuha mula sa kamay niya at tinitigan ng maayos ang mga ito.

At habang nakatingin dito ay may iisa lang akong suspetsa kung sino ang naglagay ng nakakalason na tea leaves sa inumin ng aking asawa.

There was only one person who was with me while I was preparing the tea.

It was the female servant.

Nagtaas ako ng mukha at binigyan ng isang tango ang matandang doktor.

"You did a great job of attending to his majesty. Do everything in your knowledge to help him regain consciousness, Emel. I and the Sultan's people will rely on you from now on." I spoke.

Yumuko naman siya.

"I am only a humble servant, and I will do my best to cure his majesty's illness." He replied.

Matapos kaming mag-usap ni Emel ay kaagad na akong umalis. Kailangan ko pang bisitahin si Zahir sa bagong kwarto na pinagdalhan sa kanya.

Katulad ng sinabi ni Emel ay hindi parin namin alam kung kailan ba siya magigising.

We can only pray that he will regain his consciousness sooner.

Ngunit malayo palang ako ay natanaw ko na si Jalil na nakatayo sa harapan ng pintuan ng kwarto ng Sultan. Mula sa likuran niya ay nakatayo pa ang dalawang sundalo na parehong nakahawak ng espada.

Nang makarating ako sa harapan nila ay kaagad naman silang yumuko ng bahagya sa akin bilang pagbigay ng galang.

But I can see from his face that he has no intention of allowing me to enter this room and to see my husband.

"This room is offlimits, Sultana." His voice is harsh and his eyes show me no sympathy. "No one is allowed to see the Sultan other than his personal doctor, Emel. Please forgive me, but I'm doing this to ensure the safety of his majesty, the Sultan."

I was taken a back.

Naluluha akong nagtaas ng mukha at hindi makapaniwalang napatingin sa kanya.

"How could you do this to me, Jalil? I am the Sultan's wife." My voice cracked a bit while I was trying to suppress my tears from falling down. "P-please, allow me to see him, even just for a while. I just want to see his face."

Ngunit tinignan lang ako ng walang emosyon niyang mga mata at buong tapang na nagsalita.

"I trust no one, Sultana. From now on, no one will enter this room as long as the Sultan does not regain consciousness. Please don't take it to your heart. This is for his majesty's safety."

Isang nang-hihinang tingin ang naibigay ko sa kanya.

"You still suspect me of poisoning the Sultan." I could not even hide the hurt in my voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that a female servant was with me when I prepared the tea for the Sultan? You must find her, Jalil, instead of reprimanding me for something I clearly did not do."

But Jalil is a hard one.

I know that he is someone I could not easily persuade with my words.

"I could not find the female servant you're talking about, Sultana. It appears that the shytan is hiding somewhere. Or maybe you're hiding her as we speak. " He did not even bat an eye when accusing me. "As long as the evidence is not clear on sight, I will not allow you to see the Sultan."