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Niesha balled her hand and placed it over her racing heart, desperate to calm it before it burst out of her chest. A long time ago, she’d sworn allegiance to him and his family. It had been one of the conditions of inhabiting the palace, and she’d done so willingly. And although he had no inkling who she was or her very small insignificant role his life, she’d done everything asked of her, for him.
In her own way, she’d given him moments of comfort, she liked to tell herself, by making sure that the food she was tasked to serve him in his private dining room was the right temperature, by ensuring his favourite wines were on hand when he returned to his royal apartments after long days away from the palace.
On one occasion, she’d taken it upon herself to purchase a bottle out of her meagre savings when the palace delivery had been delayed.
And when his personal cleaning staff had come down with the flu, she’d volunteered to work in his private quarters. To this day, tucked away in her mind, Niesha had a memory of the scent of his sheets and the unique cologne he wore on his skin.
Those tiny, insignificant but intense moments had made her blush for weeks afterwards on recollection. Still made her blush.
So, yes, like everyone else in this room, she would do anything for Sheikh Zufar al Khalia.
But not this.
The oscillation of her head grew faster as her alarm escalated. ‘With respect, Your Highness, you don’t want me. I’m nobody. Th-there are others far more suitable for this role. You’re making a mistake.’ She was a little glad that her voice held firmer than before.
Not so glad when several gasps echoed through the room and his forbidding expression tightened even further.
‘I have made my decision. You are my choice. So, do you have any other objections?’ he drawled.
Niesha was stunned by his question. Did that mean he would listen if she objected? What further objection could she voice other than telling the King of Khalia that he was utterly, stark raving crazy? The mere thought of doing such a thing made the blood drain from her head.
‘By your silence, I assume you do not.’
‘Please, you have to reconsider,’ was all she could manage.
‘This discussion is over,’ he declared. ‘But, rest assured, you will be adequately compensated for your role.’
He turned away.
Niesha knew she shouldn’t trust the tiny burst of relief that spiked through her after being released from the force field of his stare. Her emotions had been on the edge of severe agitation ever since she’d walked in to find Amira and that towering barbarian of a man climbing out of the window.
She’d lost precious minutes frozen in place, unable to believe her eyes. After she’d screamed and sounded the alarm, she was sure she’d been incoherent in the first few minutes. Guilt surged anew beneath her skin.
She should’ve done more to stop them from leaving. Or raised the alarm quicker, as Zufar had said.
This was her punishment for not acting swiftly enough. If she had, this...insanity wouldn’t be happening.
Because...marriage? To him?
Sweet heaven, she couldn’t do it.
She took a faltering step closer to where he stood issuing clipped instructions. ‘Your Highness, please, can we talk about it?’ she ventured.
‘We don’t have time for a discussion,’ he stated. His voice was soft and even, but she wasn’t fooled. He was seething. ‘This i
s an emergency requiring an interim solution. Any long-term resolutions will be thrashed out later, including whatever concerns you might have.’ He went back to issuing instructions.
Heads bobbed up and down, unlike her shaking head and her quivering body, everyone poised to move the moment he finished speaking.
Moments later, firm hands reached for her, fingers tugging insistently at her clothes. She was going to be undressed in front of him? A bolt of rebellion fired through her, and she pushed the attendants away. ‘No!’
Everyone in the room froze.
‘No?’ Halimah whispered in horror. ‘You’re saying no to your King?’
A row of shocked eyes stared back at her, one in particular lasering her in place. She realised Zufar also awaited her answer. And the expression on his face was telling her everything she needed to know. There would be hell to pay if she didn’t obey him. She was the one who had let Amira get away. She was the one who hadn’t sounded the alarm in time. When she’d eventually done so, she’d been hysterical and inadvertently alerted the whole palace that the bride-to-be had fled.
She might not have aided his fiancée, but Amira’s disappearance might have succeeded partly because of her.
