Desert Heat

CHAPTER ELEVEN: CEREMONY

The entire ceremony was a blur to her, and before she knew it, their union was now blessed, and they were now officially man and wife. So many things were revealed to Lily, and it blew her mind away. It turns out that her new family extends further than just the king and his stepmother.

Her late father-in-law had been a polygamist who had married twelve wives in total; he had many children, and Prince Aziz was not the first son of the late king. All the cheering from the family members drowned out all her thoughts. She turned her head, and her eyes caught her husband's eyes.

Lily did not know what their future held for them, but what she did know was that from today on, her status would change and responsibilities would pile up on her like a pile of bricks. Prince Aziz reached for his newlywed bride's hand, and as soon as he entwined his hand in hers, he felt the warmth of her hand as they both walked out of the throne room.

Lily was lost for words, mainly because there was no interpreter to interpret what was being said to her throughout the entire ceremony. The entire time she walked next to her husband and held his hand, her heart pounded against her ribcage. She had no idea where the two of them were headed, but Lily knew that she had never been to this part of the palace; the guards had long left the two of them alone.

They both came to a standstill in front of a door. Prince Aziz let go of his wife's hand and unlocked the door, revealing his room. He turned to his wife and smiled at her.

"Welcome to my chambers, habibata." The prince welcomed her into his chambers, but Lily stood frozen on the same spot, afraid to enter his chambers.

"What does habibata mean?" Lily asked her husband, and she patiently awaited his answer. To her surprise, her stern husband, who almost never smiles, actually smiled at her.

"It means my love." The prince answered her question, and the heat ran throughout Lily's body. She was embarrassed that the prince could even call her that.

"I ask that you do not call me that."

"Why not? After all, you are my wife, aren't you?" The prince teased her, and Lily did not find it funny, not in the least bit.

"I am your wife on paper, and we both know that this marriage was forced upon me," Lily exclaimed.

"Might I remind you, my love, that you were not forced into this marriage? I believe I gave you the option of marrying me."

"Or be sent to death; that is not really much of a choice if you consider the circumstances," Lily spat out. Prince Aziz knew that his wife was right, and there was no doubt about that, but he would never admit it—not in front of Lily, that is. He flashed a smile at her, an action that he has been trying to avoid ever since they became husband and wife.

He tried to open his mouth and argue, but he quickly shut it. He looked into her eyes, and he realized that his wife had lighter brown eyes than he initially thought, and her lips were full, and he wished he could press his lips on them.

"Are you going to look at me like that the entire day?" Lily asked him, and Prince Aziz was thankful for this; otherwise, he would have pressed his lips on hers, but even he knew that their marriage was not as simple as everyone else thought it to be.

"No, I would not be staring at you the entire day; now I do want you to enter my chambers so that we could get done with things," Prince Aziz informed his wife, and her eyes grew wider, and soon Prince Aziz caught up to what his wife was thinking.

"I am—"

"I am not inviting you into my chambers to sleep with you; we have to change and prepare ourselves for the reception, and you have to meet your people," Prince Aziz explained to his wife, who still seemed confused.