AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But, Kadeem wasn't naive. He knew exactly why Eliana's father wanted to speak with him. It had everything to do with what had happened last night.
"Of course, today is about more than just courtesy," Azem said. "Is it not also about my daughter?"
Kadeem smiled. "It is," he admitted. He sensed he would have to be very careful with this conversation.
"I understand you and my daughter left the embassy, last night, on some kind of a childish whim. Am I right?" Azem asked.
Kadeem ignored the slight. The insulting description of the escape from the embassy. There had been nothing childish about it.
Kadeem nodded. "I did call on your daughter, yesterday. Yes."
Azem's brows rose expectantly. "And you persuaded her to accompany you alone. Did you not?"
Kadeem thought for a few moments before responding. "We had some things we wished to talk about," he said firmly.
Azem frowned. "What exactly? Have you and my daughter not spent enough time together, already?"
Kadeem smiled. "Our friendship has been developing gradually."
"A friendship during which you and Eliana have been greatly at odds with one another," he said. "Or have I been misinformed?"
Kadeem thought about all of his very public disagreements with Eliana. All of them had been deliberately stage-managed by him and Eliana. He hadn't realized just how convincing those arguments had been. Too convincing, it seemed now.
"You haven't been misinformed, your highness," Kadeem said.
Azem seemed momentarily taken aback by Kadeem's use of his formal title. Did Azem believe that Kadeem was so ignorant that he would not show respect to the man who was the father of the princess who had turned his world upside down?
"But it isn't what you may think," Kadeem said.
Azem peered at Kadeem. "How would you know what I think?" he asked sharply.
Kadeem narrowed his eyes. "I'm perfectly aware of the fact that you do not approve of me, your highness," he said.
Azem halted. Kadeem did likewise and faced the king directly. "You are unusually perceptive," Azem said.
"Am I right?" Kadeem asked.
Azem shrugged. "It is true that I have formed an opinion of you."
"Which is?"
Azem grinned. "You are young, Sheikh Kadeem. And, you have much to learn about what it means to be a royal."
"My family has royal status in Qazhar. Is that not sufficient to win your approval?" Kadeem asked.
"There are different degrees of royal, Sheikh Kadeem. Surely you know that," Azem said and then sighed.
Kadeem grinned, determined not to be bested by the king. "A Qazhar royal may not be of the pure bloodline of your single royal family in Zahram. Our royal blood is spread amongst different families. But we are all still of royal descent," he said.
"And that is where the problem lies, Sheikh," Azem said. "My family has one single lineage. It is not dispersed amongst different strands of related families."
Kadeem felt indignation well up within him. He advanced toward Azem. When he spoke, his voice shook with emotion. "You're saying my bloodline is not worthy to be a part of yours? Is that it?"
Azem gazed imperiously and coldly at Kadeem. He shrugged, a gesture which only served to make Kadeem even more angry.
How dare Azem judge his family like this, Kadeem told himself. How dare he judge Kadeem in such a way!
Kadeem peered into Azem's dark, hooded eyes. "I have only known your daughter a month. Barely long enough to claim that I have even begun to know what kind of person she is," Kadeem declared. "But, I have learned one thing during these past few weeks."
