Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,108
as he’d said he was going to do.
That was it? He wouldn’t show me how angry he was with me? He wouldn’t ask me ‘why’ and demand answers? He wouldn’t curse? He wouldn’t yell? Why wouldn’t he? I was really confused, and didn’t even know if I was grateful for it or not.
I reached for my head scarf and put it over my head, not really aware of what I was doing until I actually did it, then frowning a bit at why I did it without being asked to do so. Thinking that maybe I’d started to pick up on their traditions.
Huh! Just when it’s gotten worse do I start to get along…
I followed him, going back the same way I’d come with his brother quite a while ago. Only the two of us were in the anteroom that lead to the king’s bedroom, and when we made it to the door, the prince knocked then ushered me in, following right behind me.
Inside, only the queen and the king were there, and right before I could breathe a sigh of relief at not finding Jasem there, he spoke to bring our attention to him, sitting in a corner a bit far from where we were standing.
He said something in Arabic and I flinched back just hearing his voice, my back hitting the prince’s chest. I turned my head and looked back at him.
His eyes held a lot of emotions that I couldn’t even begin to understand.
They weren’t looking at me, but at the monster. When his hand dropped over my shoulder and then pulled me the slightest bit protectively against him, I couldn’t help but close my eyes as a wave of security washed over me and filled my insides, just at the feel of him being so close to me and holding me to him that way.
The prince didn’t reply, and all I could see when I opened my eyes again was him sneering at Jasem before he turned his gaze to his parents and then squeezed my shoulder slightly before going to them, kissing his father’s hand then his shoulder. He then turned to kiss his mother’s hand, then her head, and returned to his spot beside me again.
“Now, what seems to be the problem that I was brought here for, Your Majesty?”
“Prince Jasem found your bride a little far from where she should be, Prince Mazen,” the king spoke. His tone sounded strong, truly belonging to a king, but his voice was weak, revealing how bad his health really was–though it was obvious he was trying his hardest not show it, despite everything.
“And what is the problem in that, Your Majesty?” the prince replied.
“What do you mean what is the problem, Ameer?” the queen asked with a held-in rage I could sense in her voice, calling him with the name I figured meant prince in Arabic since I knew Ameera meant princess. “What would make a bride leave her wing and her husband just four days after the wedding? Break all the rules and not only that–she was on her way to the airport!”
God! I couldn’t even think of all of the things they would do to me now that they knew what I was really doing–that I was escaping.
“Princess Janna received your permission to take Princess Marie to meet Princess Rosanna, and that was what my bride was doing,” the prince replied, his expression blank and his eyes hard.
Huh?
“I believe Princess Rosanna’s wing is right on the same floor as yours, not fifteen minutes away from the palace!” the queen said sarcastically.
“True. But my wife didn’t want to go to her empty-handed. She saw something at the airport when she arrived and she wanted to gift it to her; that is why she was heading to the airport, nothing more.”
Oh!
I looked with shock in my eyes at the prince when I heard his reply to his mother. He was covering up the truth. For what? For me? To protect me? It couldn’t be. I’d hurt him. Why would he want to do that?
Unless he wants to keep your punishment for himself…a voice in my head suggested.
“Huh!” Jasem let out a sound airing his belief that the prince said nothing but lies, and then spoke in Arabic until the king silenced him with just a warning in his eyes that silenced him right on the spot.
“Prince Mazen, I believe your bride could’ve gotten anything she wanted without having to go anywhere,” the king said.