2. The Crown Prince

The Crown Prince?

Zainab gasped, the most fearsome man in the kingdom, even more fearsome than his parents. Although she had seen him many times, it was rather for a short span because she had been so engrossed with work. And suddenly, one must not look at him in the eye if you are a slave. No slave has ever attended to him, so she had kept her distance.

So what was the crown prince doing here?

He was never seen in the court, never interested in royal matters; hardly ever seen.

"The Crown Prince," murmurs spread in the courtroom.

Since Zainab's gaze was still fixed ahead, she only caught sight of the king walking slowly, staring behind her with a twist in his mouth. "Lekan," he growled, "What are you doing here?" The tone of his voice was not pleasant, as if his son had come to interrupt him.

Usually, no one was allowed in the court aside from the elders, the queen and king, not even the crown prince until the throne was his.

However, Prince Lekan was not the type to be messed with.

"Lekan," the queen gasped, rushing past Zainab. "Why have you come, son?" Her voice was soft, a stark contrast to how she had sounded while interrogating the thief.

"Hmm," a slight murmur escaped his lips, and since he was standing behind her, she heard it clearly.

"My dear son, do you want to speak with me? Perhaps we should go out and talk," the queen continued with her softness.

It seemed she didn't want him there at all. But why? Was the crown prince going to interrupt them? Wasn't he as ruthless as them, just like the walls whisper? He is fearsome after all, and the common man of low status, just like her, must not look him in the eye. That doesn't mean she hadn't peeped on him sometimes, but it was not enough to see his features.

"Hmm," he mumbled again; this time she felt his presence drawing nearer from the sound of his feet. "A rumor had reached my ears," the tone of his voice crawled on Zainab's skin.

This was the first time she had ever heard his voice; it was very deep, no doubt. But there was something about the way he spoke—calm, slow, and soothing. She didn't know how to explain it, but it seemed that when he spoke, he was sure, confident, and not afraid.

"My son," the king shot him a glare, "Go outside for now; there is something we must deal with here."

"Something?" she heard him scoff then took more steps towards her. "Why don't you want me to know about this 'something'?" He sounded upset, causing Zainab to wonder why. Perhaps the king and queen had angered him.

"My son," his mother must have stopped him because he stopped walking. "Let's us talk outside."

"Mother," his voice growled like thunder, one that caused elders to gulp and even the birds chirping outside to pause. Ahh! Such power in one's voice.

He seems to ignore his mother because Zainab heard him walking again, this time he passed her, heading towards his father. She was quick to bring her head down. Usually, in the courtroom, there was no rule against looking the person who set the rules for the preparator in the eye, but this was the crown prince.

"What are you doing?" he whispered to his father. He was much taller and broader than the king, and standing in front of him was enough to overshadow the king's body. She managed to peek at least, he was backing her; she didn't look him in the eye.

The murmur spread again, but no one dared to look at him or ask him to leave, as the rumors said, unless they wanted to be decapitated and left for the vultures to feast.

"It is an abomination for the crown prince to be here. Go back to your quarters until I have asked for you," the king's voice sounded irritated and upset.

"Was that the rule of the gods? Or one my father had set?" he asked, his tone calm.

"You..." the king growled even more.

The crown prince shook his head and continued, "A thief? She stole mother's jewelry?"

"Oh yes," the queen said excitedly, rushing to her son, perhaps thinking he was on her side, well... "She has stolen what was mine, which is a grave s..."

"Mother," he interrupted, one hand raised up, "Did you do your investigation to know if she had done it?"

"Nonsense," this time it was the king who spoke, "it was found in her luggage."

The crown prince laughed softly. "Of course, you will make up stories for your bloodthirsty act."

"Bloo..." the queen coughed, her eyes growing wide. "My son, but she had stolen."

"And what if she did not?" he asked, causing even more gasps from the elders.

Zainab's eyes widened. In the act of kneeling, she began to crawl her knees backward. Who was the prince? And why was he taking her side? She had thought he would be like his parents and wouldn't hesitate to take the sword and slit her throat, so why? Why was he suddenly acting different?

The king laughed heartily, his laughter spreading throughout the room, causing everyone to turn to him. "Who are you to say such words that we should listen to? You want us to investigate for a common slave maid. Tell us, would there be a reason why she would not steal it? After all, it cost a fortune."

"To you," the crown prince's voice grew deeper, "It is normal for slave maids to steal, but trust me, not everyone is a thief."

Zainab just stared at the prince's back in shock. Perhaps he had seen who had done it and was now trying to save her. Maybe he was as bad as the walls whispered.

"Get up," he commanded. Everyone's eyes widened, including Zainab's, the king's, and the queen's. Who was he referring to? But she didn't need to look around to know she was the only one on the floor. What would she do? Would the crown prince be able to save her from this? Can he?

"My prince," the queen stuttered, "You canno...t, she stole my jewelries."

The crown prince sighed, as if he had already had enough. Then, in that moment, he turned around to face Zainab.

Zainab was too shocked to have noticed the swift movement, and because of that, she didn't remove her gaze from him. Now, she had seen the prince; she had looked him in the eye. But that was not all. It was how handsome he was, how looking at him alone had stolen the air out of her lungs.