Chapter 47: Red Lipstick
She nodded and wiped at her tears, even though more wanted to roll down, Nafisa bit her lower lip and stopped them. "So, are you trying to tell me that you re never getting married in your life, Na im? You re the first prince, Na im, and you have to be married for you to be crowned as the crown prince, don t you know that?" She laughed at herself while she shook her head, "How can I even ask whether you know it or don t, of course you do! And I need not to remind you that if Sadeeq was responsible enough to get married before you, he would become the crowned prince and not you."
He relaxed back on his chair and flashed her a charming smile that did nothing in soothing her aching heart, "I m well aware of that, Nafisa. But you see, I'm more of a soldier than a prince, royalty hardly excites me and I'd be so happy if Sadeeq gets crowned in my stead." They both were silent for a while before he sighed, "If that's about it, I'll like to take my leave."
"What if Alan Gubro decides to force you to marry? It can be me or someone else, would you dare object from doing it?" She asked with a pointed and challenging look that made Na im laughed out loud.
"If he asked me as a king to get married, I'd have no objection. But to my father, I would object. Yet, if the king forced me to do it, I think no matter how good of a heart I have, I'd be the nemesis in my wife s life, for I have nothing to offer to her but pain and tears, especially if she's so much in love with me like you are." He didn't even give her time to digest the words when he walked out of the restaurant and immediately went to his car. No matter how much he wanted to be subtle with his words, Nafisa had pushed him into being harsh to her and he was certain she might resent him for this!
...
Na im kept praying on his way to Alan Gubro s chamber, because he felt like something was about to happen. For he hardly called him in the day, knowing so well he was in the barrack except there was something so important that he felt he couldn t wait until night, when both of them were free to talk about anything without looking at the clock to see what time it was. He waited as his arrival was announced and it took only few minutes before he was ushered in.
And the look on his father s face was enough to tell him that if he made the mistake of calling him Abba, then he might as well even be punished. So, Na im stood and bowed like every other person did while he greeted the king. His face didn't hold the smile he so much cherished nor was there that softness in his eyes that Na im would ve found comfort in. Whatever they were going to speak about today, he was sure it would come to him as an order from a king to a prince and so, it made his palms sweaty.
He sat on the floor, which in normal days, it would ve been the sofa but he didn t want to make any mistake today. He heard as Alan Gubro cleared his throat and Na im didn't look up at him, he just waited to hear what he had to say before he could find his voice.
"I just finished talking to Senator Ibrahim Khalil," the way his heart lost a beat was something Na im had never imagined would happen in his life. Nafisa Ibrahim Khalil, it took him time before her full name came to his heart and Na im knew this was his doom. No matter how he thought he was going to escape certain things, this was the point that he had to do what he would hate himself for, for Maryam to continue being in hiding.
Thinking of her today made him think of the days it had took without him going to see her and it had been over a week, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He had nights to think of her and how much he had missed seeing her. He wanted to focus on what his father would say so that he can know whether or not if his life was going to end today.
"And we ve finalized that we re going to get the two of you married in two months. I had to set it in two months because I know an operation might come across the line for you but mind you, whether you re here or not, Na im, this wedding will take place."
If not for the fact that Alan Gubro had just called his name, without the usual 'Yarima attached to it, he knew he meant each word he had uttered and Na im felt as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He wanted to argue, or to ask for more time to be given to him but the Na im he was boldly referred to as by his father was enough to tell him that the gave no room for anything of sort, he just had to accept it and move on.
It took him some time before he was finally able to find his voice and he wiped at sweat on his forehead despite the tons of air conditioners that were in the royal living room. "Yes, Your Majesty." That was what was expected of him. No questions, no objection, just his approval whether or not he liked it. He got on his knees in an attempt to show his need for excusing himself.
"You re excused." Alan Gubro had muttered even before Na im asked to be excused himself. He nodded his head, bowed a bit and walked out of the living room. That single action of excusing him even before he asked for it showed Na im that it didn t matter how long, but he wouldn t be able to save himself for this or would he be able to try and convince him in the matter of the two months they had set for the wedding to take place.
This was it, what Nafisa had been planning along everything and Na im would be damned if she spilled even a word about Maryam. He drove directly to the barrack because that was the only place he could find solace and speak to Hafiz on what to do. Even though pertaining this, Na im knew there was little to do or even none. He stomped to his office and it took a few minutes before Hafiz walked in and flashed him a curious look.
He pulled the chair in front of Na im s seat before he sat down, "What s wrong, Captain?" He asked and Na im palmed his face in exasperation.
"I'm doomed, Hafiz. Alan Gubro just called to let me know that they have, yet again, fixed my wedding date with Dr Nafisa and in two months time." He sensed that he might want to argue or even ask what he said to his father, so Na im felt propelled to add more words, "He didn t speak to me as a father, Hafiz. It was an order from the king that no matter how I wanted to say no to, I couldn't. I'm stuck in this and I'll so kill that woman if things keep on persisting this way." He grunted and palmed his face, wanting nothing but to get himself out of this mess. He didn t know why he was feeling bad for Maryam, didn t he still intend to divorce her? So it was even good to have a wife to show to the world at the cost of that.
Hafiz sighed and nodded his head in understanding the situation, "I think I'll have to be trusting your intuition from now on. You felt that hangout was a trap and now I understand that it was. She set you up to have your pictures taken and shown them to her father so they will really believe that y all are back into a loving relationship and he was prompted to call Alan Gubro again. Na im, you have no choice out of this, just accept things as they are. It isn t destiny playing with your mind, this is your fate, I believe."
He nodded his head, understanding and believing his words. But it was so hard to do that he didn't know what he would do from now on. "What about her? Does she have to know? I mean," he raked his hands into his hair and got it tousled, "I feel so torn within that I don t even know what to think or the right thing to do."
"Even though Maryam is your wife and will still be in the months left for the year you intend to divorce her, I don t think she deserves to know this. Just let the girl be, not seeing you everyday would be enough torture for her soul, let alone she will be thinking that whenever you did something to her or you end up ignoring her for the usual week or more you take without visiting her, that you re there together with your other wife and you ve abandoned her."
Na im could only sigh, but he knew what Hafiz had said was the truth. If anything, Maryam deserved his silence about this. "We ll talk about this more, it s too much of a blow to handle." Hafiz nodded and kept his hand on the table before Na im asked again, "How about the tutor, were you able to find one? And about Captain Bolori, any news about his recent movements?"
"Yes, I did. He ll be able to start today if you want or just take him to her to introduce them to each other. Don t worry, I made sure he s trustworthy first before I did anything. And about Captain Bolori, nothing looks suspicious in his recent activities, just the usual, girls, hotels and bars, that s all. Maybe once last month, it was reported that he visited the labor room agitated, but I figured it was his personal life to indulge more on it, yet, knowing something about it wouldn't hurt a bit. It looks like one of the girls he got involved with hid the fact that she's pregnant and ends up giving birth to a girl for him, he hasn't been himself for a while."
Na im couldn't believe what he was hearing from Hafiz with his mouth sightly agape, "No, you don't mean it, Hafiz. He has a child now? I mean, subhanallah!" He palmed his face in utter disbelief, what had Sadeeq made of himself for heaven s sake? "How could he be so careless or whatever it is. I know Allah might choose to test him because of this, I don t even know what to think."
Hafiz nodded and stood up, "I know, it s so hard to believe but I even have the pictures of the girl and her mother. We don t have to bring him down with that, but if things get messy, that will be our last weapon towards him." He saluted him and Na im only nodded to show him that he could leave.