The Rightful Queen

Thirty-three

What was he doing here? Why did he run after me? What did he want? Didn't he cause enough damage? Was he here to add more salt to my cuts? There was no logical explanation for him to chase me.

    "You talk to him," I told Laith.

    "He's not here for me," Laith replied, without even knowing the reason why Zain had chased us. For a moment, I forgot why I was actually in Vinadra. I became nothing but a girl in love.

    "Yes, I know. I need to give him a hard time," I lied, letting Sedra take over Nuriya.

    "All right," he agreed, getting out of the coach. I didn't want to see Zain. I couldn't handle seeing him.

    "Your Majesty, it's quite a surprise to see you here," Laith spoke. I was thankful that he didn't completely shut the coach's door. I wanted to hear their conversation.

    "I sincerely apologize for disturbing your peaceful journey and I certainly apologize for my poor manners. I wasn't in my right state of mind and I did not mean to kick you out of the royal palace," he did sound sincere, but I was still hurt. An apology wouldn't just do.

    "I accept your apology, your Majesty. I'm sure what happened at Carbilia is affecting your judgement and that's fine. If you'll excuse us though, we have a long journey," Laith told him politely.

    "No, you don't get it. I want you and Lady Nuriya back at the palace. I still want to court her. I deeply care about your daughter. I made a mistake and I am here to fix it," he explained himself.

    "Oh... I believe I cannot make a decision on behalf of my daughter. If she decides she wants to stay, we will stay, but if she's too hurt to stay, then you'll have to forgive me. I can't force her to stay." Laith was playing the role of the good father perfectly.

    "May I speak with her?" Zain asked him politely.

    "Certainly," Laith told him and I took a deep breath. Am I ready to speak to him? I didn't have the luxury to play the role of the hurt girl for long. I had to go back, but I still wanted to make it hard for him. "I will give you some privacy with her," Laith told him before I heard the sound of his feet moving away.

    Zain completely opened the door of the coach and he looked at me. His face was a bit flushed and his hair was slightly messy, but he still looked handsome.

    "Nuriya, may you please get out of the coach? I want to talk to you," he said.

    "Is that a royal order, your Majesty?" My voice was bitter.

    "It's a... royal plea," he sighed, looking at me. "Let me explain everything to you. I'm not a bad person, Nuriya. I did that for your sake."

    "For my sake?" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "You hurt me for my sake? How does that even make sense?" My voice cracked.

    "I'm begging you. Please, get out of the coach so we can talk," he pleaded. I took a shaky breath and nodded. He offered me his hand to help me out of the coach and I reluctantly took it. "How's your hand?" he mumbled, eyeing my wrapped wrist.

    "I believe we have a more important matter to discuss, your Majesty," I reminded him, as we walked away from the coach.

    "Please stop," he breathed out and I frowned, not sure what he meant. "Stop calling me 'your Majesty'. It's Zain to you. It'll always be Zain to you."

    "That depends on the outcome of this conversation," I pointed out, folding my arms over my chest. I looked around me and frowned when I didn't notice any of the royal guards. Did he come here on his own? He was a fucking idiot. This was dangerous. "I think we should talk inside the coach." I caught him off guard.

    "Why?"

    "I'm cold," I lied, rubbing my arms. I was not going to tell him that I wanted that for his own safety.

    "As you like," he nodded and guided me back to the coach. Once we both sat inside, I looked at him and waited for him to talk. "I freaked out when I got attacked and you got hurt. I realized that by being with me, you'd always be in danger. I don't want that for you. This would never be the life I want for you, but I'm selfish because I can't let you go.

    "I'm scared that anybody may hurt you because you're my weakness, Nuriya. I don't want to imagine a world where you'd end up getting hurt because of me, so I let you go, but... I'm a child that cannot make up his own mind. Yes, I want to let you go for your safety, but... I love you." I gasped upon hearing him say that. This was his first time telling me he loved me.

    "W-what?"

    "I love you and I want you to be my queen. No, this isn't the proposal where you get to say yes or no. I want to give you enough time to think, but here I am laying all cards before you. I'm petrified that you may get hurt because you're my queen, but I'm also petrified of ruling this kingdom without having you with me."

    I was speechless. I didn't know what I was supposed to tell him.

    He allowed himself to be vulnerable before me, the girl who originally came here to kill him.

    Laith would be so proud. I achieved the goal he raised me to achieve.

    It was a goal I could no longer achieve...

    "Nuriya, say something. Please..." Zain's voice snapped me back to reality. My eyes met his and I swore, I could see fear in them. "If you can't make up your mind about forgiving me, come back and I will give you all the space you need. The palace is too big, you won't see me there."

    He didn't understand. This wasn't about what happened. I couldn't tell him the real reason, though. I couldn't tell him who I truly was. How was I supposed to tell him that I was Sedra Orman, the daughter of the king and queen his father killed? How was I supposed to tell him that I was here for revenge?

    "Okay, I will get back and stay for four more days and by the end of those days, you'll know my final decision," I told him. My mind was already made, but I still felt the need to test how honest he was.

    "Thank you," he smiled at me and brought my hand to his lips.

    I wanted him to take me in his arms instead.

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And here we have Zain admitting his love for Nuriya!

I hope you're enjoying the plot!

Published on August 28th, 2022

Sara