Who dares to replace you

Aariz will always text the queen when he is back. So after the ritual, he went straight to his office to take care of some important correspondence for the Fillo clan. Being emir automatically makes him the head of his clan. So the clan would not have a Mrithi now. At least until the emirate is under another person's rule.

He was not able to see the queen until two days later, when he decided to make time for her. Being away always packs up a lot on his plate. Sometimes, he would need to sleep over at his office because he did not wish to risk lying on his bed and falling asleep without going through every single file with hawk eyes. A small mistake is all it will take to bring him down. So he prefers to work like a maniac and then pray at the end of every hard work to seek guidance from Allah.

He wore nothing but shorts with his legs dangling inside the water of the indoor swimming pool he has chosen for some alone time with Neemah.

When she arrived, she wore an after dress which told him she is wearing her swimming gear beneath it all.

She greeted him with respect afforded to his statues and he nodded once in reply.

Neemah removed her after dress and sighed. Even though she is wearing a killer number, her husband seems to be preoccupied by something and he didn't even care to watch her disrobe. She clamped down the annoyance and sat next to him, staring at the pond as well. She played the part of a patient wife. Knowing full well it is the only thing that would cut through his consciousness that what he did is wrong. That maybe, he should at least pretend to cherish in her efforts. That she shouldn't be lonely with him by her side.

"I heard you were sick" he finally spoke in his usual neutral voice.

"I just fainted. But I'm fine now" she assured with a sweet smile.

He didn't react as usual. Something she yearned so desperately to make him do. But she wasn't particularly hopeful in that endeavor. His mother's love did not change him, why would hers do?

Even Aaidah has never been successful which secretly pleased Neemah.

It took close to thirty minutes for him to speak again. And when he did, he said "Do you remember the talk?"

She looks bewildered for a moment. But she quickly recovered and said "yes" her answer is tentative. She is so afraid he would talk about things she wished would erase from both their memories.

"I found her" he told her. His eyes bored into hers which has already filled with tears. It can't be that while she was pouring all her resources into eliminating Aairah, he met the love of his life!

Through glassy eyes, she smiled faintly. It's an intensely sad, guileless smile. Then she dabbed at the tears with an elegant finger. She sighed, a small laugh escaping her lips giving him the impression that she is trying to lighten the mood. Then she looked at him. Taking in his sharp toned features. The beautiful hooded eyes of his, that radiated stiff unbending authority. His unapologetic chin, that steely set of his jaw... If she would describe him in one word, she would go for metallic. Aside from the polished surface of steel, his character reflects it too. When things get cold, he gets even colder. When things get hot and steamy, he gets quite molten.

Most people just don't know him.

Emir's in Maicki are the highest seat of power. From that up high, he just couldn't escape the burdens associated with it. As a young boy, he has always seemed pretty quiet and severely neutral. He wasn't much liked by his brothers because he had always intimidated them. He gives this feeling of perfection that misleads people. For her, who knows him so well, she knows of thousands of his flaws. But for others who could only view him from afar, they could only work with what he gives to them. But when he became Emir, things worsened to a degree that Aariz has turned into some kind of legend. There are so many superstitions about the new emir that serves to solidify his power. It won't be an exaggeration to say that Aariz is as close to absolute power as any monarch could enjoy in Maicki.

Neemah revels in the fact that his extreme popularity and the reverence with which people view him, has extended to her. She could get away with anything. Most of her peers now look at her and cannot help but wonder if she is the same Neemah they knew. It's impossible for anyone to view her through the same eyes now. She enjoys so much power that sharing is just impossible.

But she also loves her husband so very dearly. He has the most enchanting African looks. Just looking at him is enough to make one realize that he is so much more than he lets on. And she knows that his detached personality is a facade. He has never unveiled his true self to her. But he is the most passionate lover, a little weird in showing it, but he is caring too.

You are mine Aariz, she thought factually. I am your only option, she determinedly mused to herself.

And even before they talked about it, she could see the unnamed girl's term of reference in her mind's eye splashed with cold blood.

Cox she is simply a dead carcass if Allah wills.

"You will still be queen. But I intend to make her Sultana" he announced, penetrating the hazy hue of darkness hooding her eyes from rationality and sense.

Sultana...!

She finally registered the words, letting it sink into her mind in what seems like the fastest milliseconds in history. To cloak the expression of shock is bull. So she let it show openly, aiming to mislead him later when she actually comes around to cloaking her expression.

His gaze is steady, and wide. Yeah. Just wide. Like he didn't wish to miss any expression on her face. She realized that it is the first time in her life that he is offering her his undivided attention. The look made flutters in her stomach, knotting her heart into strings of awful anxiety. She thought furiously about what he must be thinking now. It's a defining moment in this entire problem. What he perceives from her now will determine the flow of his thoughts in the progression of time. So she needed to be very careful. He isn't dumb. So naturally, she needs to mix reality with fiction, truth and falsehood...

Her expression softened tentatively. "What are you thinking of?" She asked so softly, in a voice that sounds so lonely with grief.

His expression didn't change. Sometimes, she hates this robotic side of him! He does this when he didn't wish to share his thoughts. It's his emir mode. Right now he is the leader and he is trying to understand his subordinate. He wouldn't wish to change her mind about what she truly thought about the situation. And understanding her reaction and the possible reasons behind it will help him device the best of the situation. It's a lot unnerving and it gives one a margin for error. Which, the queen cannot afford at this point.

He didn't answer. He leaned further to peck her temple. It's as if he is saying 'you will be fine'

"I feel like you are trying to replace me" she accused. Her eyes filled with tears and she fluttered her lashes tremblingly giving the impression of extreme disappointment and ache.

"You are my warrior Neemah. Who dares to replace you?" He murmured in low rumbling tones.