In the winding streets of the Persian Empire, a poor girl is chosen to become the third prince's concubine.
Aliya Farhad has no interest in the lofty ideas of the palace, the staff, or her lover. Prince Cairo has all the interest in his blue-eyed A...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
DEAR ALIYA,
I received your letter! To be honest, I was really starting to get worried that my own letter had somehow gotten lost in the messengermens' hands. I was ready to run to Archaem, horse or no horse, stall or no stall, and give them a good beating. But I can't tell you how relieved I was when I read your message.
It's so good to know that you are doing well, Aliya. So good! And even more so to know that you've made a friend — I was so worried that you'd hole yourself up in your room at the Palace and never come out. But even more than the friend, I cant tell you how happy I am to know that you have a good impression of the Prince!
I know you were against it in the beginning, but you know that I would never do anything that would harm you. I'm so glad to know you're finally starting to see that. You must give me more details about the Prince. Is he smart? Is he kind? Have you had time to get to know each other? Are you now referring to each other by names? Do tell your Khale; I'm exceedingly anxious!
Again, there hasn't been much of a change here in Babylon. However, I do have to admit that I have really been trying to hold myself back from boasting to everyone that my goddaughter is in the Palace! She might be a concubine! Sometimes, I think that the weight of this secret is so heavy that I might just burst.
But don't worry — I have enough self control to know that this isn't something that you would want publicized, though I have to admit that I still don't know why. Any other person would be so proud and boastful to be in your shoes, Aliya. I can only blame it on your parents' good upbringing of you.
Speaking of your parents, recently, I've found a few more things that belonged to your mother scattered under the floorboards at your house when I went back to clean. I think she must have placed those there way back when. I didn't open anything in fear that it was private, but I also didn't know if you already knew about these things. If you would like them, I could certainly send you the things. I know you must miss your parents dearly.
Remember that I love you, Aliya, and that I'm so, so, so proud of you. I hope you write me another letter soon.
Your Khale.
I put down the letter and pressed a finger to the side of my head.
It had now been a few months since I entered the Palace — the exact timeframe, I wasn't too sure, but it must've been at least a little more than six to eight months.
It wasn't even that long of a period, and to be honest, it hadn't felt like that long of a time period until I received Khale's letter.
Over the past few months, we'd only managed to exchange, at most, six letters, and it was only now that the feeling of loneliness really started to make itself known.
I dearly missed Khale. I dearly missed home.
I dearly missed Babylon, even if there was nothing there that could compare to Archaem.
