Zaynah ✓

xxxvi

~ Z a y n a h ~

Peace.

Tranquility.

These were the emotions that swirled within me as soon as he left.

I no longer felt suffocated because I didn't have to keep up the good wife façade anymore.

I genuinely smiled after a long time.

The first thing I did after his departure was meet my parents.

Contradicting my initial fears and doubts, I didn't crumble and break down when I met them. Instead, I felt contend and blessed.

After having a conversation, we sat down for breakfast like the old times.

We pretended that nothing was changed and that everything was normal but deep down, we were aware that this was far from the bitter reality.

Thankfully, Laevinn didn't join us for breakfast and dissuaded his parents as well to give us some privacy and quality time together.

Desmond seemed like the only mentally unstable person in this castle. In most cases, people like Desmond have a pitiful backstory and abusive parents but he was a rare case.

It seemed as if that human was born like this.

I shook my head. I had achieved a temporary state of freedom and I was not going to ruin it by thinking about him.

I finally persuaded my parents to go outside and enjoy, as I knew that they were deprived of worldly contact for such a long time. I won't let them live like this anymore.

Even after Desmond's arrival, I would make sure that my parents got basic human rights and nonetheless.

Right now, my parents were in the town of Laxoire with the security of guards, of course.

Security for them and also to keep them away from escaping.

They were Desmond's guards after all.

Escaping was futile and foolish.

My parents won't do it without me and I won't do the same without them.

And even if we did escape together, still it would be just a piece of cake for Desmond to trace us.

It was because we belonged nowhere.

Neither we had our kingdom nor our people.

He snatched everything away from us. He made sure that we had nothing and no one to rely on except him.

Enough with self-pity.

I decided to make complete use of the limited freedom and power I possessed.

Walking to Desmond's courtroom, I found his golden throne laying vacant.

The guards there resembled a statue with their immobile stances but I knew that they were sly and skilled.

I ran my finger along the cold metal of the throne. On a closer look, I noticed that it was furnished with precious jewels.

My nose burnt and my throat constricted.

I missed my throne.

My despair just added to my rage against Desmond.

"Do you wish to occupy this one day?"

It was Laevinn's voice.

I mentally scoffed, "What if I do?"

I was just playing around, I honestly had no interest in taking over this throne.

He strode closer to me so that the guards won't hear our conversation.

"You can," he smiled, "I don't consider myself worthy of this anyway."

"I don't want this throne," my gaze burned with determination, "I only need mine back."

He nodded as if he understood, "That's something you'll have to win back. I can be of only some help."

I raised my eyebrow, "What kind of help?"

He smiled confidently, "Someday you'll know."

I smiled back, "Why do you think that you're incapable to be a king?"

He shifted uncomfortably, "People always tell me that I'm too soft-hearted to deal with a kingdom and that I'll perish on the battlefield."

"Do you think that way?"

"I don't know."

"That means you do have some interest in becoming the ruler."

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

The brothers shared the same gesture during intense times.

"Maybe I do." He finally confessed.

I smiled proudly. I knew that he had it in him, "You can."

"Huh?"

"Get ready for the throne," I whispered to him.

"Are you serious right now?" He looked at me as if I had gone crazy.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

"This kingdom will be yours soon."