*15*

Alicia spent a tormented night. In addition to not sleeping a wink all night, she was having some really un-Catholic visions with the Sheikh as the main actor. How could she have let herself go like that? If the Sheikh had brought her a drink, she would have said he had drugged her, but no... God, I want him and I know it's wrong and besides he's a Sheikh so I shouldn't be thinking about that sort of thing with him... Alicia had spent half the night sighing. Frankly, sometimes she cursed her phone. It was actually a stranger who had dialled the wrong number. But she cursed herself for saying such a thing, but deep down she knew that she would have liked him to make love to her... Anyway, what happened saved her, otherwise he would have found out she was a virgin and laughed at her. How could she miss him when he kissed her without her giving him permission? But I almost told him I wanted to kiss her... But he could have still left and rushed out of the room to avoid what had happened...But that you loved Alicia. He regained his consciousness.

- I loved it, it's true, but I'm still angry with him because I really hate him.

But she felt as if only her mouth could tell she hated him and not her thoughts or her body. She had loved feeling this man's body on top of hers so much that she was sometimes ashamed of herself. It was really intense and God knows her body wanted to do it again and again... When the sun rose over Jaipur, the entire palace was turned upside down. Gherardi's birthday celebrations to be held in the palaces were a shock to all as not only was it unexpected but how could they transform the castle in less than a few hours? Sarah as usual was with Habdil. Between them they were responsible for finding or buying what was missing in the palace. Alicia, after having eaten her breakfast, helped with the preparation of the food. She had finally convinced the head chef to let her prepare some "petits fours". She had a long interrogation because here in Jaipur they didn't know this recipe. When the young woman had made enough for a regiment, she took leave of the cooks and went to make herself useful elsewhere. She wandered through the corridors and ended up not doing anything because she didn't feel like mopping or dusting, let alone putting up the curtains. She was going to go back into the kitchen but first she was going to get some fresh air in the garden. As she was close to the back doors that led out to the garden, she decided to go that way anyway, as the maids would probably be mopping. As she passed through the gates, as she crossed the barn, her eyes fell on two men standing in her way. She could see that the man with his back to her was the man she had that little accident with last night. The other man, shorter and taller, did not seem to have any friendliness about him. Frankly, he had a dangerous aura.

- I'll start the process again, Your Majesty.

- Good. I trust you. I trust you.

She recognized that voice. Without even knowing where she had heard it, she felt her heart racing and her chest constricting as if her heart was being taken out. She swallowed and suddenly remembered. It was the same voice as the man behind the door... She swallowed in fear again. The man's gaze fell on her, she held her breath and quickened her pace. She walked past them and left without asking for help. The sheikh had probably seen her but she didn't care. They were probably not the same man... But could they have the same voice? Okay, Alicia. You're going crazy. Only two more days and you're out of here.

The rest of the day was pretty good. Alicia tried to relax. She had gone to get the cake with Habdil and Sarah and had tasted the best chocolate fondue in the whole country. Alicia understood why Ghérardi wanted her cake to come from this bakery, the chocolate fondue was delicious... When 6 o'clock in the evening sounded, the young woman went up to her flats, it was time for her to get dressed up...

What was she going to wear?

After more than an hour of rummaging through her briefcase, she was still wondering what she was going to wear. It was really hilarious... She didn't have a single dress she could wear. And she didn't feel like lending Sarah a dress. Her wardrobe was a mess, and to think she had taken her best clothes. What was she going to do? Just as she thought all hope was lost, there was a gentle knock at the door.

As she was still naked, she put on a dressing gown and went to open the door...

When she saw the Queen's face at her door and the little princess, she smiled and let them in.

- I'm sorry. I'm still looking for the perfect dress... Excuse the mess.

- Speaking of which, I came to bring you a dress I bought for you. I bought two dresses and gave one to Sara. Let's just say Sarah made me do it.

- Oh, you shouldn't have! You must have spent a fortune!

- Don't worry about it! It's our fault you have to go to this party. If you were at your hotel you'd probably be in bed.

She handed him the large package she was holding. Alicia was already smiling with all her teeth. She untied the knot and removed the lid.

...

...

For a moment she was speechless. It was a pink dress... She took it out of the box... It was breathtaking.

- Oh, my God! It's beautiful... And my favourite colour too!

- Thank God you like it!

She turned to the Queen and jumped for joy.

- It is beautiful! I could never find a dress like that in the States.

- I'm so glad you like it.

- Thank you both so much.

The Queen took Alicia in her arms and the latter kissed the little princess's hair.

- I can't wait to see the dress on you. You're going to look beautiful and my brother is going to be drooling with jealousy at the amount of men who will look at you!

They laughed heartily. Alicia really wanted to look good. For the Sheikh... But she preferred not to go along with the idea. She wanted a man to marry and that man was a Sheikh and she really didn't want to end up in a palace. And besides, the Sheikh didn't like her. He has to marry a princess, not an American. And still, she hates him...

They soon took their leave of Alicia and a few seconds later, some maids came into her room to help her with her make-up. After nearly an hour, she was almost ready. She had put on the dress with simple pumps. Her dress showed off her curves and her buttocks. Her hair was shiny and full of little pink clips. Her make-up was resplendent. Her reflection in the mirror was surprising. It was not her. She looked like a princess... But then again, she was going to lead a royal life for tonight. A glance at the alarm clock at the top of her head and she could see that it was 8:45. The party had already started. God, she hated this kind of entrance like in the movies... When the guard left her at the door of the ballroom, the young woman felt a lump in her stomach. The atmosphere was pleasant. Nobody had seen her... So much the better. She looked around for Sarah but there were a lot of people so she would have to be in the crowd to track her better. She was at the top of the stairs and there was no way not to go down them. God, that was embarrassing. Okay, Alicia... You can do it!

Alicia took a step forward and lowered her head emphatically. If anyone was watching, she didn't want to know. She looked down at her feet as she walked down the steps gently so as not to fall on her pumps! As she came down the last step, a hand came in front of her. She looked up.

- Prince Gerardi? Happy birthday to you. Sorry I'm late.

- No worries. Your lateness is excused. You've made a remarkable comeback.

- Everything I didn't want. She replied, looking around the crowd where most eyes were on her.

She smiled at the prince.

- Everyone is looking at us...

- No, they are looking at you.

She swept her gaze around the room again and regretted it as soon as she met the Sheikh's eyes. His gaze was hard and his face was tense. Was he jealous by any chance?

- Will You allow me this dance? My date took her leave of me.

- With pleasure. Alicia replied with a smile.

She was going to enrage the Sheikh.

Was she trying to enrage me? Because I already am. How could she passionately kiss one man the day before and dance with another the next? Habdoul thought. Habdoul was getting angrier and angrier. His cousin was not only dancing with his prisoner, but he was talking in her ear and... God, she was laughing...! She was laughing! And it wasn't me who made her laugh! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him !