Altair - Marian Tee Page 0,46

and it was none other than Altair's aunt and Tarif's own mother.

WHEN A CONVOY OF MILITARY vehicles suddenly sped past the palace gates, the dozens of paparazzi encamped outside wasted no time in packing up, and soon after media vans were racing down the same lane in an effort to catch up with the envoy.

Police cars had already swarmed the area by the time the convoy reached its destination, and behind them, media crews were tripping over their own feet in their hurry to obtain the best vantage point for their camera men. Although none of the military vehicles had yet to open its doors, the reporters quickly noticed that the kingdom's royal army commander was already in action behind the barricades: the grim-faced sheikh appeared to be in conversation with several of his soldiers, and as powerful lenses zoomed in on the scene, it was then they noticed the middle-aged woman seemingly being held against her will. She was struggling violently even though her wrists already appeared handcuffed behind her back, and a stoic-looking soldier flanked her on each side.

A slight commotion ensued as soldiers finally stepped out of the convoy of military vehicles, and cameras quickly swung in their direction.

Excitement rippled through the crowd when they saw that the passengers were none other than the royal sheikhs of Ramil: Malik, Tarif, Rayyan, and finally, the Emir Sheikh himself, and as the four walked to join Altair behind the barricade, the woman in handcuffs started screaming—-

Shock jolted the throng of reporters when the woman's face was revealed.

Although the heavy military presence along with the arrival of the royal family were already more than enough clues for the paparazzi to know beforehand that something big was about to take place, just how big it was, not one of them had been able to foresee.

Because this woman before them—-

This woman whom everyone believed to have been executed by the tyrant that previously ruled the kingdom of Huzna—-

Princess Tamara, sister to the former king and mother of Sheikh Tarif Al-Atassi, Ramil's public relations chief—-

"I was going to make you a king, Tarif! A king!"

She was alive, after all, but by the way her own son and the rest of the royal family was staring at her, it was all too clear they would have preferred she had remained dead.

In death there was honor.

But now—-

There was only betrayal, and it was the kind that none of the sheikhs would ever forget...or forgive.

MAHMUD WAS NOT THE only one good at breaking out of captivity.

Safiya, too, knew how to slip away even with dozens of experienced soldiers watching her. Some might be forgiven for thinking the skill had to do something with genes, but the truth was far simpler: it was a skill she had to learn at a young age, and a skill she had to practice...if she hadn't wanted to die of starvation.

Having the princess locked in her room without anything but water to drink for the entire day had been Saul's way of exerting his control over her. Physical beating was to be avoided as it left scars. But hunger? It was torment invisible to the naked eye, and the first few times Saul had deliberately starved her, she had nearly lost her mind with hunger.

She probably would have, too, if not for sheer desperation forcing her to take risks that would've made grown men shake in their boots. Because that was the only thing that mattered when wanting to escape: one had to be bold, and Safiya had been that. She had no choice. If she had allowed herself to pass out in hunger, it could've given Saul a chance to have his way with her, and that...

That would've killed her.

Saul claiming her body was the worst fate she could imagine that time.

But now...

Now, she knew she was wrong.

That necklace is as fucking fake as your relationship with the sheikh.

The mere memory of those words almost had her stumbling, and even though she already knew what she would find, she still could not stop herself from reaching up to touch her throat. Just could not help but punish herself over and over for how bare it was because it was just like that woman said.

So if you actually think he loved you—-

She had been shameless and ambitious.

And she should've known.

God.

She should have known.

Mama, help me.

Should've known—-

Mama, it hurts so, so much.

Should've known a man like him could never have loved someone like her, whose own flesh and blood had almost brought