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Whoever came out that door, she thought faintly, was likely involved in the plot to destabilize the kingdom’s government –
A woman finally came running out of the gatehouse, her body covered completely, her hair concealed from sight. She made a completely nondescript figure...except for that silver niqab.
Horror rose inside of her as she realized how that one piece of clothing could implicate her.
“Is that you, Lady Anisah?”
“N-no.”
Beside her, she heard Tarif hiss in disbelief, and the sound made her feel violently sick. She clumsily rose to her feet, and the sheikh lunged to his full height as well. “Tarif—-” She tried to reach for him, but then she saw the look on his beautiful face, and her arm fell to her side.
He was looking at her...like she had turned into the same monster as his mother was.
“I k-know how bad things look,” she whispered, “but please believe me when I say I have nothing to do with the attack. The woman you all saw in the second video was my friend, Joanna. I bumped into her later on, and I b-borrowed her headdress to hide my identity. I didn’t want myself recognized, in c-case anything happened. I didn’t want Hyacinth to be affected—-” Her voice trailed off.
Tarif still hadn’t spoken a single word.
“You believe me, don’t you?”
“There are also videos that show you disabling the security cameras in the royal library for a total of seventeen times in the past month alone.”
Anisah paled.
“Do you have an explanation for this?”
“I c-can’t—-”
Tarif’s voice hardened. “What do you mean you fucking can’t?”
She looked at Andy. “I don’t want him to hear—-”
“For fuck’s sake – right now I trust him more than I trust you.” A stricken look crossed her face at his words, but Tarif steeled himself against it. “Tell us what you were doing in the library, anisdi.”
She slowly shook her head.
“Goddammit—-”
“Enough, Tarif.” The king issued the command grimly, knowing that only his interference could put an end, albeit temporary, to Tarif’s questioning. Looking at the pale, trembling woman before them, he said quietly, “It is imperative you answer the question, anisdi. What is your reason for disabling the cameras in the royal library?”
But still Anisah shook her head. “I cannot, Your M-Majesty—-”
“I command you to speak the truth, Anisah.”
Her tears started to fall, and she furiously wiped them away. “I was in the library, reading the other palace historians’ accounts of the sheikh’s childhood. I wanted to know more about it. I wanted to understand it so I would n-never hurt the sheikh by doing anything that could remind him about her.”
She turned to face Tarif, hating herself for wanting to beg for his trust but even so – it was still what she ended up doing anyway. “Please believe me. That’s all I was doing.”
“And the security cameras?” he demanded harshly. “What purpose could you have for disabling them—-”
“I didn’t want anyone to see what I was doing—-” Tarif swore, and she realized how her words had only made things sound so much worse. “No, you misunderstand,” she cried out.
“You just fucking admitted—-”
“I admit to nothing except that I love you!”
And as soon as the words were out, it was only then –
Only when she was about to lose him –
