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Chapter 1
Queen Amira and Lady Tiana stared at Saja as she sat uncomfortably across from them at dinner. While they had met her in the reception line at her wedding, they had yet to spend any time with her and both women were curious about the foreigner who managed to ensnare the heart of the King’s younger brother, Prince Basil Al-Qadir. This past month had been challenging for both women, as the King was insistent that they leave her alone while she recuperated from her kidnapping by her father’s family. Not women to be denied, both were relentless in their demands to see Saja and the King finally gave in when he agreed to a family dinner.
Saja smiled awkwardly at both women as they scrutinized her. Squeezing her husband’s arm painfully, she attempted to shrug off mentally the feeling that she was under a microscope, as both women continued to stare at her. Basil, clearing his throat loudly as he attempted to shake off his wife’s grip, broke the tension as Saja reached for her wine glass. Looking at both women, you could tell which one was the queen and which the mistress. Amira was visibly older but beautiful with a stern face. She carried herself with grace and elegance. Tiana was very beautiful as well, younger than the queen by at least ten years, and appeared less serious.
“Are you feeling alright now, dear?” Amira; the queen asked Saja. “You have been through a lot, poor thing.”
“I am doing well,” Saja replied with a smile.
“Will you be coming to the Ball on Saturday?” Tiana; the King's mistress asked. Later that week there was a formal Ball attended by members of other royal families and sheiks. Saja looked at Basil. It was the first she heard of it.
“Of course, they will attend,” the King interjected. He picked up his glass and took a long sip of wine. Saja smiled at Tiana.
“I would love to come,” Saja replied with a strained smile. Raised in London by a working single mom, Saja was abruptly introduced to this new world when her absentee father summoned her to Basrat to marry Prince Basil Al-Qadir in a political move to save his family from financial ruin. Unfortunately, his eldest son was caught embezzling large amounts of money and in an attempt to save face; Saja’s relations kidnapped her for ransom. While Saja was attempting to embrace her new life for the sake of her husband, she was not big on these kinds of events, as she found the politics and constant manoeuvring for position underwhelming. She hoped that it would be quick and painless. Saja couldn’t understand why many of these people were constantly seeking more power and wealth, but did nothing with it other than spend it on themselves.
The dinner went better than the King had expected. Both Amira and Tiana were well behaved and kept up a neutral conversation as they questioned Saja on her completion of her housemanship and decision to specialize in cardio-thoracic surgery, as well as her more positive experiences in Quabeca. The King grunted in approval at their ability to maintain positive appearances when necessary. He wished it would be that peaceful always but he knew it was only for the sake of Saja and Basil that they remained civil throughout the meal.
Ever since the King brought Tiana into the palace as his mistress, battle lines had been crossed. Despite cautionary warnings from friends and family, the King was incredibly unhappy in his marriage to Amira and Tiana had brought new life into the palace. Married for political purposes only, try as he might, the King simply didn’t love the queen and factions from both sides were pressing for an heir.
Oo00oO
The King was eating breakfast with his queen and mistress a few days later. He dreaded those meals. Thankfully, it was not every day that he had to dine with both of them, but this morning was more difficult than usual.
“Did you sleep well, my King?” Tiana asked. Amira rolled her eyes. She felt as though Tiana was always kissing up to her husband. It was nauseating to watch.
“I slept well,” he replied quietly as he carried on eating.
“Do you have a busy schedule today?” Amira asked. She was more about business and politics. She never bothered to kiss up to the King.
“It is not too busy,” he replied. He always kept his answers short and simple whilst speaking to the two of them. It was better to speak less in order to avoid conflict.
“You can't even ask how your husband is,” Tiana said and rolled her eyes.
“I can see he is well. I do not need to kiss up like you do,” Amira replied. The King rattled his newspaper in agitation and decided to tune them out. He was growing increasingly fed up with their constant arguments particularly since they would treat him as if he wasn’t even there.
After breakfast, he dismissed himself from the table and headed out without a word to either of them. He was relieved to be away from them as their constant feuding was suffocating him. He shrugged his shoulders as he recalled his brother's words. Basil had warned him not to get a mistress despite the political pressure placed on him to do so. It was ironic. Basil was the one who hated the idea of marriage and yet he was happily married to Saja. At the wedding, they could not keep their eyes off each other. Their first dance was beautiful. The way he looked in her eyes, the King had never seen his brother look at a woman that way before. The King couldn’t help but envy his younger brother. While the original intent behind his union with Saja was for political reasons, he married for love. The King often wished he had that option.
He decided to walk around the palace. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the sky was clear and he needed to clear his head before he reached his office. Spending any time with either of his women created constant storm clouds for the King and when they were all three together, the endless bickering had him contemplating moving both of them out of the palace. But he knew that without cause, the ramification for doing so could affect the entire country. He strolled with his hands in his pockets. His small security detail and a maid who went with him everywhere trailed along at a respectable distance.
Before he knew it, the King found himself in the laundry facilities. He walked into the large room filled with washing machines and dryers. Everything was neatly organised and smelled of soap. He had never been in this part of the palace before and the maids gasped when they saw him walk in and quickly bowed their heads to him. He nodded at them and kept walking toward the nearest exit.
He halted when he saw one of the maids carrying a basket of wet laundry. She was walking toward the rail to hang the clothes when she suddenly tripped over her own foot and dropped the basket, scattering the clothes on the ground. “Oh no,” she cried out and started picking them up. The King stepped forward to help her pick up the wet clothes.
“Oh, thank you,” the maid said and tucked a curly lock of hair behind her ear. “I need to stop dropping the washing otherwise I'll lose this job,” she added. The King laughed softly.
?
?Does this happen often?” he asked her. She stopped picking up the clothes and looked up when she heard the unfamiliar voice. Her eyes widened when she saw the King crouching in front of her picking up wet clothes.
“Your Majesty!” she cried out. The King did not respond. He picked up the last item and put it in the laundry basket before rising to his feet. The maid slowly rose next to him. She had never seen the King in person and here he was helping her with her laundry. She bowed her head to him. She felt nervous, as she had no idea how to behave around him.
“Will you have to wash them again?” he asked her. She nodded silently. She kept her head down and stared at the ground. The King couldn’t help but notice her long, dark-brown curly hair, which cascaded around her honey-coloured skin. Her face was enchanting with her dark eyebrows, round hazel eyes that screamed innocence, a small straight nose and full lips. He detected a light scent of strawberry under the smell of the soap from the wash that could only be hers.
The King nodded to her before walking off with his security detail toward his office. He had quite a day ahead of him.
Oo00oO
The King was propped up in his bed reviewing tomorrow’s schedule when Tiana showed herself in. It used to please him when she would surprise him. Now, it was as if she always had an agenda. At almost forty, the King had yet to bear children and it was no secret that both women wanted to be pregnant first. Both were hoping for sons for whoever mothered a son could be the mother of the next King.
The queen was meant to give birth first, but because of the lack of love and attraction between them, their sexual relations were non-existent; although for the sake of appearances, neither spoke of this. It would not look good if the King and Queen never consummated their marriage. Pressure from other factions within the country to return to the old ways and bring in another wife, in the hopes that an heir would be produced, prompted the King to bring in Tiana. In the beginning, he was attracted to her and he had hoped that their union might be something more than political, but those feelings rapidly devolved as things got much more complicated. Tiana was determined to drive a wedge between the King and Amira, and she had been successful for the most part, but despite spending most nights with the King, he had refused to consummate their relationship.
“Tiana, what brings you by?” the King asked her as she approached his bed.
“Can’t a woman visit her husband’s bedroom?” Tiana asked as she sat on the bed next to him. He watched her move closer to him and rest her hand on his chest. She was dressed in a creamy silk robe and he could see hints of lace under it. Her straight black hair was brushed to a high gloss and her scent filled the room. Normally, the King enjoyed her perfume, but tonight, he found it overpowering.
The King returned his attention to his paperwork. He knew very well what Tiana wanted. “Not tonight,” he said to her curtly. Tiana threw herself backwards on the bed. She was growing increasingly frustrated at constantly being put off by the King. Before becoming his mistress, rumours of his unquenching thirst for intimacy were rampant, but she had yet to experience them; something she feared sharing with anyone. The humiliation would be too much for her if word got out that the King was not attracted to her.She sighed deeply, as the King cleared his throat. Rising slowly, she gave him her best sultry look, but he was already ignoring her. With a huff of indignation, she left his quarters glaring at the maid who shut the door behind her.
Chapter 2
