SAYA

CHAPTER 17

Xerxes never said anything about taking an escort with him to the celebrations. This woman needs to know her place. He turns around ignoring her but Lady Oma holds onto him. "My Lord!" she whines,

"Let go Oma," he tells her, evidently irritated. What has happened to this man? Sure he's always been so cold to her but now he's becoming too distant and it is making her uncomfortable and sad.

"My Lord, I dressed up for you today. Surely, you would want me by your side during the celebrations"

"You just assumed that."

Lady Oma feels a slight pain in her chest from his words.
"My Lord this is so unfair. You have been acting like I don't exist lately"

"Good, you noticed"

This man honestly doesn't care about her feelings!

"It's because of Saya isn't it?"

Xerxes glares at her but she doesn't flinch, she's angry.

"Ever since that wretch came in her-"

"You will be wise to choose your words carefully," he warns before turning back around.

"She is a wretch!"

Xerxes immediately grabs her by the arm and slams her against the wall of the stairs, her head hitting the concrete. "M-My Lord" she stutters, a bit teary.

This woman really needs to watch her tone. He doesn't want to take her as an escort! Is that too hard for her to comprehend? But wait, there might be a silver lining to this woman's madness. If he goes without an escort, his brother will get suspicious. That man is known for getting every single woman he stares at into his bed. It will disgust Xerxes if he ever trails eyes over his woman, so throwing a dry bone at a dog to save the juicy one for oneself is not a bad idea. The dog will be too busy enjoying the one it has to even think about the possibility of a juicer bone in hiding.

This will be killing two birds with one stone, clearing Oma's conscience, which he honestly doesn't care about, and keeping his brother's eyes off his woman, that he cares about.

"Very well," he says, letting go of her. Lady Oma smiles widely believing that her tears have touched him. She latches onto his arm like a leech and walks with him towards the throne room. As they reach the ground floor, music, laughter and cheers fill the air. People make way for him and Lady Oma, cheering for them as they walk into the throne room.

*

"My Lady please do not conceive of such an idea," Nabir pleads

"And why should I not? It is my mind after all," Saya replies facing her, her fingers still trailing the window.

Nabir looks at her sternly. "The King-"

"The King is not here, he will never know Nabir," Saya interrupts.

"He said under no circumstances should I allow you to leave this room. You are pregnant My Lady! He worries about your health"

"And yet he took me this morning. If I hadn't gotten out of the bath, we would still be at it."

Nabir tries so hard to contain her blushing. "It's alright, I can already see your face turning red," Saya says as she sits on a chair by the window, looking outside. Nabir clears her throat, "You're saying that as if you didn't want the king to take you. From my knowledge here as a maid, the king never forces women."

"Of course he doesn't, women gladly throw themselves at him. I never said I didn't want him to, all I'm saying is the reason he gave isn't valuable because he took me this morning"