Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,110

patted it, speaking to me with a kind voice, “May God make you the best mother for my grandchildren, and the greatest queen for my people.”

I smiled a genuine smile at his words, a smile that I didn’t have to fake whatsoever, for I had truly liked the sound of his words, though the reason why I liked them was unknown to me.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I replied softly.

He smiled back and then motioned with his head to the queen. She nodded with tight lips and went to bring something from a room she entered for a minute, coming back with a box in her hand.

“This is for you,” he said as his wife handed me the box. “It’s the contract for a beach mansion I’ve signed over to your name, Benty. Forgive me for not attending the wedding or giving you your wedding gift in a more decent setting.”

“A mansion?” I whispered my question, not really asking him but rather surprised at the generous gift.

“I hope my son takes you there before the winter approaches.”

I offered him another smile. “Thank you so much, Your Majesty, it’s very kind of you.”

“You’re most welcome, Princess Marie.”

I got up with the box in my hand and found Jasem sneering even more than before. I ignored him and went to the door that Prince Mazen held open for me, finding Jasem rushing to it to get out before me, which was seriously rude to the both the prince and myself.

“Jasem, we haven’t finish talking yet,” the king’s words were the last thing I heard in that room, and the stare of the queen’s unconvinced eyes were the last I saw before I stepped out of it.

Outside the room stood Prince Fahd, and next to him was someone I never thought I’d feel so relieved to see when I saw her as I felt at that moment: Mona.

Oh, thank you, God.

I smiled widely when I saw her, but she replied to me with a very small smile that was barely there, and then looked down after she took the box from my hands.

Oh! Guess I upset her as well.

“Prince Fahd, bring me the guard that drove the princess to the airport. Mona, bring me a scarf and meet us outside of the wing at the main entrance.”

“Yes, Prince Mazen,” Mona said, and Prince Fahd nodded, both going in separate directions while we continued our way through the very long anteroom.

The walk was silent apart from the sound of my heels on the marble floor. My mind was busy trying to figure out what the prince would want a scarf for. Was the one I had over my hair not enough or what?

Eventually, we made it to the great wooden door and the prince held it open for me. When we stepped outside the king’s wing, he pulled me closer to him and left his hand at the small of my back, as he looked at the guards with his head held high and his broad shoulders seeming even wider than the norm, like he always did when he was about to command something. Then we just stood there doing nothing other than looking around at the guards who were surrounding the area with their gazes lowered to the floor.

A minute or two later, Fahd entered from a door that was on the side of the room, followed by the same guard who drove the limousine.

“The guard you asked for, Prince Mazen,” Prince Fahd said.

The prince sneered at the guy, and for a moment I was scared of what would happen to him. The look in his eyes somehow mirrored the very same look I’d had when Jasem brought me here and I didn’t know what was about to happen to me.

“Do you speak English?” the prince asked the guard.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard replied with a heavy accent, shaky voice and lowered eyes.

“Good,” the prince said. “Were you the one to drive my wife to the airport?”

“I didn’t know she was your wi–”

“I asked you a question!” the prince shouted, interrupting him and causing both of us to flinch.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What’s your name?”

“Bassel, Your Highness,” the guard replied, to which the prince snorted and shook his head.

“Do you know the meaning of your name, Bassel?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Courageous.”

“You sure are not. Stand in the center of the room for everyone to see you,” the prince ordered. I had to hug my arms to myself once again, so afraid of what would happen to the