Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,90

was praying. I only knew that I was so touched, still, by the fact that this commanding man, who made strong, huge men stand still in respect and obey, could be that humble and touch his head to the floor in front of God and for God.

I found myself yet again closing my eyes and saying my first prayer while holding a cross that was made of diamonds and hearts. Maybe in a different language, maybe with a different religion, maybe in a different prayer, but it was for the same God. And I couldn’t love that moment more.

That night as we sat in the living room, the prince taught me more about the secret doors and the alleys. It wasn’t so hard to understand with the technique he’d been using to teach me, but I still felt the need to learn it over and over again, and the prince didn’t hesitate at all to reply to each of my questions or any of my wondering. When we were finished with the day’s lesson, he burned the paper he was using to show me the directions. The feel of him sharing something that important and secretive with me almost made me dizzy with the war of emotions that consumed me.

For a brief second, I wondered if someday soon I’d be using the information for my escape, but my thoughts were interrupted by Mona informing us of Princess Janna’s presence and her request to meet with the prince and me.

“I’m not sure I’m following,” the prince said. “Come again, Janna?”

I looked from the prince to Janna, a frown on my face, waiting for her to obey the prince’s request. I was grateful that he’d asked it at all since I wasn’t following myself or understanding what exactly she wanted.

Janna emptied her lungs in a short sigh that sounded more like a huff. I didn’t know if the prince noticed or not, but she looked exhausted, drained even. Her puffy eyes were bloodshot, and her face was paler than normal. She was smiling, cheerful as ever. All relaxed and appearing whole...but she really wasn’t. I could tell she was not well, not at all. Not only emotionally, but physically as well.

Had she slept at all? Had she eaten anything? …Had she stopped crying since yesterday? The questions roamed around my head. Wondering why, if she looked so tired, so sad and just plain depressed, why would she pretend to be happy? Why was she acting as if she was fine and life was rosy and pink? I had no clue. And the thing I was wondering about the most was if she’d spoken to Joseph at all or if they’d already made up.

I doubted it, though. Because it simply didn’t look like it.

I figured that if I was noticing all of this–her face that she was hiding with thick makeup, that although covering some of her sadness, still did so little to cover her pain–the prince was probably seeing it, too. Not due to the fact that he was a doctor or anything like that, but the fact that he was her brother. The caring and loving brother I knew he was.

“I want to take Princess Marie to meet Princess Rosanna.”

Um…Rosanna?

“Aha! And why is that?” the prince asked.

“It’s just that Princess Rosanna missed the wedding, as you know, and she wanted to meet Princess Marie to wish her a happy marriage and to give her a wedding gift,” Janna explained.

“Hmm…” her brother replied, his gaze moving away from her and to somewhere above her shoulder. He looked as if he was considering her request, filling the room with silence as I kept glancing between the two of them. The prince kept thinking, not looking my way, and Janna only smiled softly when our eyes met. Said smile failed to reach those thickly kohl-lined eyes of hers, though.

“Princess Rosanna who?” I had to ask.

“She’s our cousin and sister-in-law, Prince Fahd’s wife.”

Huh!

“It’s kind of you both to think of that,” the prince replied. “But you know the seven-day rule; we wouldn’t want to upset our mother by breaking more rules.”

“It won’t be a problem; I already got the queen’s permission,” Janna replied.

“You did?” he sounded surprised.

Her answer was a smiling nod.

“I see,” the prince said. “Well, I don’t mind, but it’s up to the princess,” he turned to look at me. “Would that be something you’d like to do?”

I didn’t reply right away. To be honest, I didn’t know if it was something I