If what she overheard was true, and Agent 53 had every reason to believe it was so, then the sheikh gifting his betrothed with a fake locket could only mean one thing: Safiya Tannous was still the enemy in Altair Al-Atassi's eyes.
Chapter Ten
Dear Mama,
I must have done something wrong, Mama. I must have.
SAFIYA WAS NOT QUITE sure what happened. One day everything was alright, and then it was not. Even though nothing had changed on the surface, she knew what she felt was true, and her heart was telling her something was wrong.
Even though the sheikh still came to visit her several times a week, even though the sheikh's kisses drugged her like no wine ever could...even though her heart still pounded like it never did whenever she saw him—-
She knew what she knew.
She would never have lived this long, would never have made it this far if she hadn't listened to her guts.
And right now, her instincts were telling her that her worst fear had come true.
An eternity in the sheikh's arms had never been in the cards from her.
IF SAFIYA HAD ONLY cared to voice her worries, she would have known that she was not the only one thinking along the same lines. If pressed to put their feelings into words, Ella and Aurora would not have been able to explain the uneasy stirring inside their hearts. They, too, only knew what they knew, and at that moment, it was something painfully simple: something had changed between Sheikh Altair and the princess...and there was nothing they could do about it.
The wedding of Sheikh Malik Al-Atassi and Kyria Markides came and went, and not one of them ever talked about it. Sheikh Altair himself had explained the reasoning behind the need for Safiya's absence, and even though his words had sounded perfectly valid, it didn't change a thing. Aurora and Ella saw what they saw, and it hurt. Something had changed between the two, and now...other people were also starting to notice the same thing.
Safiya's long line of admirers was back with a vengeance, and although Aurora knew she was being unfair, but she saw the princess' suitors as something no different from a pack of vultures. Like Aurora and Ella, they, too, had sensed the change in the air; but instead of wanting to fix things, they were circling around Safiya in hopes that she would shatter...and it would be one of them that could put the pieces of her back together.
As soon as the sheikh was seen leaving, the boys would line up, and they would confess to the princess, one after another. It had been cute at first, but when their numbers grew to a point that Safiya no longer had time to spare for a single bite during lunch—-
Just reject the lot of them in one go, Ella had once urged their friend, but Safiya had been adamant, saying that to do so would be dishonorable. The princess' integrity was admirable really, but if Safiya kept this up, the other girl could easily end up starving herself.
This was all the sheikh's fault, Aurora thought furiously. Wasn't the man supposed to be Ramil's greatest modern-day hero? So why the hell did that man keep playing with Safiya's heart like it was nothing but a toy he had every right to break again and again?
PAPERS SHUFFLED EVERY so often inside the war room, in which the king and his four most trusted vassals had once again convened. The team investigating the mob-led riot from over a year ago had recently submitted their latest progress report, and it was for this Khalil had swiftly requested his cousins' immediate presence.
The evidence against Sheikh Mahmud Tannous had always been damning, but with today's report there could no longer be even the smallest of doubt. Mahmud had definitely known about the revolt before it even happened, but as for the mastermind behind the plot to overthrow Khalil—-
"The evidence is clear," Rayyan said flatly. "Mahmud wanted to get rid of Harper and have his daughter crowned as queen. That's all he wanted."
"I agree," Malik said curtly. "It's someone else entirely who's out to steal the throne from Khalil."
The king glanced at Tarif, and the man known as the kingdom's playboy sheikh also answered in the affirmative. With that, the only one left was Ramil's military commander—-
But when Khalil glanced at Altair, he knew right away that the other man hadn't even heard a single word any one of them said.
He turned to his other cousins, and the looks they gave him spoke volumes. They, too, had noticed the change in Altair, and even with no one saying a word, Khalil knew that the other sheikhs were thinking the same thing.
Even though Altair had never spoken to any of them about his kidnapping, Khalil and the others saw how the experience had changed the kingdom's army commander. Having made the mistake of trusting the wrong people and losing his father because of it, Altair had since chosen not to trust anyone else, and traitors, as far as he was concerned, must be treated as traitors until proven otherwise.
That was how it had been for years, but ever since Altair had become betrothed to a traitor's daughter...
The silence in the room finally penetrated Altair's thoughts, and the sheikh's expression turned inscrutable when he realized that the others were all looking at him.
Khalil knew that Altair would probably prefer that they all went to hell rather than speak of his personal troubles, but...
"Just make a fucking choice, Altair. If you don't think you'll ever be able to trust the princess, then break it off with her. But if you truly want her, then just be with her till the end—-"
"And if I turn out to be wrong again," Altair asked savagely, "what then? I can't lose another member of my family—-"
"Who the fuck says you would?" Malik gritted out. "Can't you see not one of us blames you for what happened? You trusted the wrong people, yes, but it doesn't make you wrong. It doesn't make you the person to blame for our father's death. So please—-" Malik's voice turned rough with emotion. "Stop punishing yourself, brother. Forgive yourself, please."
Altair's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white, and still...
"I can't. I can't fucking risk losing another one—-"
"So don't," Khalil said fiercely. "None of us are boys any longer, and this is something you no longer have to do alone. There is no risk now, Altair. You are free to be with the princess if you want. Be with her if that is what you want, and let us...your brothers...take the risk for you. Let us return the favor. Let us pay you back for all of your sacrifices for the kingdom. We will be strong for you. We will make sure that if Safiya does end up betraying you, we will be there to protect our family and our kingdom. If the princess turns out to be a mistake, you will hurt, but you will not lose anyone else."
Chapter Eleven
Dear Mama,
Something still feels wrong, and I don't know how to fix it.
THE SHEIKH WAS NERVOUS. It had been so long since he had felt this way that for the first few moments, Altair had actually wondered if he was about to have a heart attack. But when time passed, and he had yet to keel over, it was then he realized what he was feeling...and why.
Security did not even think of stopping him as he ascended the steps leading up to Safiya's school building. The university might be exclusive to females, but Altair was their hero, and so the guards only hastened to bow in respect as the sheikh walked past them.