Unloving His Majesty

You know!

Prince Maxwell’s heart pounded, his throat dried up. “You know,” he declared with a melancholic tone while Princess Zania turned away from him. His declaration to her meant that he also knew about their previous life. She was not dreaming after all. Anger and resentment her treacherous heart was trying to mask, exploded.

She handed the car keys back to him. She had no business accepting any gift from him when she knew that it was all fake.

“Then you should know that you don’t have to pretend around me,” she spat, everything he did to her flashing back like a horror film.

The prince did not take the keys but grabbed her arm instead.

“No pretence, Zania. Let me love you. Let me fix what I broke,” he pleaded while she frantically shook her head before twisting her arm to free herself. She could not comprehend how he was going to fix five years of torture, heartache and loss. Nothing he did in her mind could fix that.

“I need to rest.”

With that, she turned around and hurried away, leaving the prince devastated.

“Is everything okay?” Sir Luke asked his friend, who seemed lost in his own world.

“I think she knows. Zania knows about our past life,” the prince responded absentmindedly, his wife’s expression and blazing eyes still fresh in his mind.

“Maybe you should come out clean, talk about it and apologise,” Sir Luke suggested while his friend flashed him a weak smile.

“I won’t know where to start. What if I am wrong and her attitude towards me is because of the long history between our tribes? How do I tell her that I tortured her, killed our children, her friends and executed her? She would definitely leave me.”

Sir Luke let out a sigh. He had no useful advice for his friend and decided to get to the reason he came. He took out a small box from his pocket and passed it to his friend.

“Lady Celia was seen getting this from the pharmacist.”

The prince studied the medication and could not recognise it.

“What is it?”

“It is a contraceptive,” Sir Luke’s depressed tone was unmistakable.

The prince let out a strained sigh. “It is for Zania,” he said with certainty. His wife’s tribe was big on keeping their maidan’s virtue. It was their pride and joy. That was why he was certain that his wife’s unwedded best friend could only be getting the contraceptive for his wife.

“That is my guess too, but I don’t understand it. If she does not trust you and your intentions, she should be actively trying to get pregnant. That is what queens do. An heir would cement her position as the queen,” Sir Luke stated while his friend let out an empty laugh.

“That logic only applies to someone who wants to be and remain a queen,” he countered.

“And she doesn’t?” Sir Luke asked, confusion written all over his face. His friend’s marriage was becoming too complicated for him to keep up with.

The prince shook his head. “Barely a day after our wedding, she released me to go to Mary. She requested to have her own chambers. She won’t allow her best friend and her most trusted man to stay in this castle. She has accepted my monster status. Zania is not trying to be my queen.”

“The contraceptive would achieve her plan to be declared barren,” Sir Luke added, finally getting it.

“Yes, except, even if she was barren, I would never let her go. She is my life,” the prince declared while his friend gave him a sympathetic look.

“This is a mess. You can’t say anything about your previous marriage without sounding insane or spooking her out. What are you going to do, Max?”

“I don’t know yet, but an heir we shall have and Zania will be mine till death,” the prince declared. With all the uncertainness around his marriage, one thing he was certain of was that he would be a fool to let his wife go.

“You can’t force her,” Sir Luke pointed out. He could not believe it as he uttered the warning. Many women he knew, including his own sister, dreamed to be the next queen, he never thought in a million years that he would utter those words to his friend.

The prince laughed at the idea of ever forcing his wife. Marital rape was unacceptable crime punishable by death in both tribes of the Jolly island.

“My wife can’t keep her hands off me. Her body yearns for me and mine hers. It was like that even when I thought she was cheating on me. Even when she hated me. I will never force her. I just have to make sure that our very passionate unions produce fruits,” he said with a grin, his troubles momentarily forgotten.

Sir Luke raised his eyebrows, a mischievous grin forming on his lips while the prince laughed.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” he objected pre-emptively.

“Oh, come on, Max,” Sir Luke pleaded while his friend laughed.

“My queen is enchanting. That is all you will get.”

The prince’s response got his friend exclaiming, “Ha! Maybe I should get myself a girl from the legendary tribe and get enchanted.”

“Don’t you dare!” the prince warned while his friend acted all innocent.

“I saw how you looked at her. My queen will kill you,” the prince warned, making Sir Luke burst out into laughter, caught out.

“Good thing I am friends with the king,” he said with a sheepish grin.

“I will not help you,” the prince warned while his friend sulked.

“So much for being my friend.”

“I love my queen more. I am not getting involved. You are on your own.”

“You do realise that this could be beneficial to you?” Sir Luke’s question piqued his friend’s interest. He was for anything that could strengthen the bond with his wife.

“Oh, really?”

“She is her best friend and tells her everything by the looks of it. I could get you classified information that could assist you to win your queen,” Sir Luke negotiated while the prince shook his head, defeated.

“Fine, I won’t let her execute you when she finds out, but don’t mess up,” the prince conceded and advised his friend who suddenly became serious.

“This union could save or destroy this island, Max. People on the ground are hopeful, but they are still volatile. Thomas and his followers are offended by this coalition. They are mobilising behind closed doors and they will try to destroy you. You and Zania are obviously stronger together, but they can succeed when divided. I and our loyal men will ruthlessly deal with the rebellion, but you need to sort this tension between you and your queen once and for all. Get us an heir while you are at it,” Sir Luke advised.