12 — Heartless People!

A black car pulled up in front of the palace. The castle displayed a combination of white and gold shades. The front yard was adorned with marigolds and lilies.

The driver exited the car and graciously opened the door for Emera. After she stood outside the car, he repeated the gesture for Zahra.

A maid had brought Zahra a pair of sandals, placing them near her feet for her to wear. Despite that, Zahra chose to walk ahead without putting on the shoes, leaving Emera dismayed. Quickly regaining her composure, Emera followed Zahra and entered the palace.

Despite Zahra heading first, Emera entered the palace before her.

The king and queen were waiting for the return of the Queen Dowager.

"Mother!" Zayn quickly headed to greet her.

Sameera, still preoccupied, hurriedly greeted the queen.

"Did you bring her back, mother?" Sameera hesitantly asked, fearing a negative reply.

Emera remained silent, waiting for Zahra to appear.

Zahra entered the living room, barefoot.

"Princess Zahra!" Sameera rushed to embrace her daughter. "Where have you been?! I was so worried, my daughter!"

Zahra stood there silently, without any reaction.

"Please sit down," Sameera brought Zahra further next to a sofa and made her sit down.

"Bring some rose water and wash the princess's feet adequately," the queen ordered the maids present in the living room.

Two of the maids nodded and rushed to get the necessary items to complete the task.

Not long after, the maids arrived with a bowl filled with water and rose petals on them along with a soap.

They placed the bowl down, lifting Zahra's feet as they proceeded to wash them up.

To Zahra, her feet weren't muddy. They weren't as muddy as the night she was stuck in the forest nor as dirty as it would get whenever she wandered around the streets and her sandals would break amidst a walk.

After washing her feet, the maids wiped her feet.

"Now, then. Princess Zahra," Emera proceeded to speak. "I hope you can start taking your etiquette classes to prepare for your social debut. You will need to take the etiquettes of Averlyon but also Yurania, since you will stay here after getting married to the crown prince of Yurania."

Zahra dumbfounded, glared at Emera as soon as she mentioned marrying someone.

"The crown prince?" She muttered to herself, remembering Yuden. She scoffed. Her and marrying him? Not possible! Nevertheless, Zahra held back her comment on that topic.

"Why should I listen to you guys?" Zahra questioned.

Zayn let out a sign.

"I assumed she might have a change of heart, but I suppose she will remain this way forever," he paused. "Rude," he amplified.

Zahra suddenly rose to her feet and confidently walked over to Zayn, looking directly into his eyes.

Despite him being taller, Zahra was above average height, so it was no challenge for her to meet his gaze.

Zayn stood his ground, eyebrows raised, as he watched her approach.

"Look, I heard from dad..." Zahra paused. "That man told me you guys were my real family. I don't doubt ya'll. But it will take time for me to accept the truth, don't you think? You can't expect me to start calling you mom, dad, whatever as soon as I learn the truth as if nothing ever happened. I had a whole life out there and now I know that my life was a whole lie—" Zahra paused then turned her feet to walk the stairs. "Leave me alone for a bit. Please," she requested before heading back to where she had escaped.

***

Zahra walked back into the bedroom she had left just the night before. It hadn't even been a full day since her escape, but here she was again.

The curtains were still closed, but the chair she had been tied to was gone. So were the ropes she had used to restrain the maid.

"Oh," she gasped, remembering the maid. "I hope she's okay," Zahra mumbled to herself.

Zahra approached the bed and sat down, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. It felt strange to be back here so soon, but she couldn't deny the sense of unfamiliarity that washed over her despite staying in this room for nearly a week. After all, it wasn't home to her.

"What the hell is going on in my life?"

The desire to cry was present, yet the tears refused to come. Could it be that her resilience was so great that it prevented her from reaching a breaking point despite the overwhelming events in her life?

A small laugh escaped her. She acknowledged her own strength. However, she yearned to be able to shed a few tears in order to lessen the weight of the recent tumultuous events. The chaos surrounding her was at times too much to bear. It all seemed like a dream.

Zahra pinched herself to make sure everything wasn't just a dream.

"Ow." She softly said, her face frowning. "It's not a nightmare."

"My lady," a maid knocked on the door. "It is dinner time. The queen dowager requested your presence."

"I'm coming," Zahra replied.

She was determined not to be their puppet, always obeying their every command. However, to escape, she knew she had to gain their trust first. Then, she had to find a way to break that trust and finally be free from this place and their constant pursuit.

After a short time, Zahra made her way to the dining area. The table was large enough to comfortably seat twenty guests, with a spread of delicious dishes covering its surface. Several maids were on hand next to each member of the royal family, ready to help them enjoy their meal.

Zahra took a seat at the edge of the seat nonchalantly.

"Where is Princess Layla?" Zayn inquired. It was supposed to be a family dinner," he specified.

"She went outside with Lord Cassius and Lady Irys this morning and had not returned yet," a maid replied.

"Let us start eating," Emera sighed.

Everyone proceeded to the dinner table to start eating.

"Mother, it is time for us to leave. It has been over a week since we have stayed in this country. We can't bother King Aiden for too long." Zayn announced. "Plus, we need to head back soon. The kingdom isn't doing great right now," Zayn explained.

"What?!" Zahra frowned her eyebrows.

"Princess Zahra, the queen dowager and the king are speaking, you shouldn't interfere while they speak," Sameera remarked with a warm smile. "You should have some more meat," Sameera put a few pieces of meat on Zahra's plate.

Zahra calmly kept eating, all the while staying tuned into the conversation in case she needed to brainstorm another escape plan. She had agreed to accompany Emera because she had no alternative place to stay, but leaving the country was definitely off the table!

"You're right. We can't depend on the government for too long. I'm sure the paperwork has piled up as well. You shall leave as early as tomorrow," Emera spoke.

"Yes? What about you?" Zayn raised his eyebrow, confused.

"I will stay back with Princess Zahra until she completes her ethics classes."

Zahra let a sign of relief.

"What is it, Princess Zahra?" Emera, who observed Zahra's movements, questioned.

Zahra quickly shook her head.

"It's nothing." She quickly replied, giving an awkward smile.

"Now that you have chosen to remain with your family, it is important to move forward with your education promptly. I will make arrangements for an instructor to be available for you as early as tomorrow." Emera spoke after finishing her food, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and neatly placed her utensils on her plate.

"Ah. Huh?! What? Tomorrow?!" Zahra shouted.

"Lower your voice princess. This is no manner of speaking." Emera glared.

"I... I'm sorry." Zahra scowled.

"Do not scowl like a child, Princess Zahra. You're a grown adult now," Emera continued. "You seriously require to learn ethics, I cannot deal with someone who—" Emera was interrupted by a sudden noise.

Zayn had aggressively placed his fork on his plate, creating a loud noise.

"Mother, who are you addressing? Is it this girl? It appears that she may struggle with proper etiquette, as evidenced by her eating habits starting by the way she holds her fork." Zayn expressed.

Zahra quivered. She bit her lips and dropped the fork in her hand on the ground.

"Well guess what?! I'm mannerless! What you gonna do about it?!" Zahra glared at Zayn, locking her gaze with his.

"You truthfully are—!" Zayn's anger was interrupted when Sameera gently placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

Zahrand abruptly stood up and exited the dining room, heading back to her room.

"Bunch of bastards!" She mumbled. "Heartless people! Talk about family dinner! They want excuses to pick on me!" She kept cursing until she reached her room.

She slammed the door behind her as soon as she entered it.