Altair - Marian Tee Page 0,11

MINE. Isn't he wonderful? He is so very honest, Mama, and I love him even more because of it.

ALTAIR WAS UNSURPRISED upon seeing a stony-looking Yara walk inside his office. Given her short leash on her temper, it was rather impressive that she had managed to hold herself back this long. But after today's post on Fuck Being Politically Correct—-

Yara placed a printout on the sheikh's desk. "Have you read this, alshaykh?"

As expected, the printout was the latest post to have come out on the anonymously-run blog, and Altair leaned back against his chair as his cousin started pacing and raging.

"She's been there for six months! Six months!"

"She's also there for her own good," Altair said mildly. "Although we are betrothed, the princess is also much younger than me, and I want her to enjoy her youth."

"Bullshit!"

"What exactly is the problem here, Yara?"

Yara grabbed the printout from the sheikh's desk and waved it at his face. "This is my problem. The blog post's title says it all. IS THERE TROUBLE IN PARADISE BETWEEN SHEIKH ALTAIR AND THE RAMILIAN KHALEESI?"

"There isn't—-"

"How can you say there isn't," Yara nearly yelled, "when you haven't even visited her a single time? The princess has been there for over half a year, and you have never visited her! Not a single time—-"

"The princess is not a child that requires looking after—-"

"The princess' name is Safiya," Yara growled. "She's your fiancée, for heaven's sake! Why can't you even say her name?"

Because things would get personal, Altair thought, and everything would change after that.

The accusation in Yara's eyes spoke volumes. She believed him guilty of neglecting the princess, and it was true. But if she believed staying away from the princess came easy to him...

Every night he would call her, and every night she would answer at the first ring.

Every night he would wonder if the time would ever come when she'd tell him she wanted out, but every time she answered his call, the princess' voice was just like it always was.

Soft. Clear. Melodic. And most of all, it was a voice that loved without having to express anything in words. And its sound gutted him to the core.

Altair wasn't even sure how it happened. Phone calls were all the contact they had between them. It had gone on for months, yes, but they were just fucking phone calls, and it wasn't as if they had spoken of anything of import.

And yet...

She had still gotten under his skin somehow.

And he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her then.

Yara was torn between anger and confusion at the sheikh's continued silence. "She's a good person, alshaykh—-"

"I know that," Altair heard himself say, but whether this was true or not...he wasn't yet prepared to know.

"Then why are you doing this? You must know it's hurting her—-"

"I'm doing this for her," Altair finally forced himself to say. "She's been sheltered her entire life, Yara. Who's to know if she's truly infatuated with me?"

Yara's anger slowly faded.

"With me out of the picture, it should be easier for her to know and understand if her feelings for me are real."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we'll end up with a political marriage of convenience."

"And if it is?"

"Then..."

The sheikh pulled a drawer open, and Yara's eyes widened when she saw what Altair had retrieved to show her. An engagement ring, even if it had the biggest diamond winking back at her, would still have been trash in her sight.

But this...

This heart-shaped locket was famous among Ramilians as they knew it to be an heirloom of the royal family.

Yara quickly bent her head down to offer a bow of heartfelt apology. "Khalis aietidhar, alshaykh." My sincerest apologies, sheikh. "I should've known better than to question your actions towards the princess."

"You only spoke out of concern," Altair said quietly. "I can never fault you for that." And that much was true...since he was the one lying through his teeth, and Yara had actually been right to suspect his motives.

Many mistakenly believed that Altair prized his honor above all else, but what he truly cared most about was life. Hadwin, his own father, was dead because of him, but the rest of his family was still alive. If lying to the princess or even Yara, for that matter, was the key to unmasking their faceless enemy and uncovering the plot against the throne...

"Since you're already here, there is another matter I wish to discuss with you."

"Of course, alshaykh."

The sheikh began to speak, and Yara couldn't help but