burst. ‘I can’t smile on command,’ she replied.
‘You are the Queen now. You have to learn how.’
‘But I am not, though, am I?’
‘That ring on your finger, my dear, is all the evidence you need.’
‘You know what I mean, Your Highness.’
‘Do I?’ Zufar murmured even as he nodded to a guest bowing as they passed.
‘Of course you do,’ Niesha muttered fiercely. Why was he pretending he didn’t know what she was talking about? ‘I’m not your Queen. This was temporary. You said so yourself.’
His body tensed, then a muscle rippled in his jaw. ‘We’ll talk about this later,’ he said.
A spurt of apprehension turned into full-blown alarm. ‘What is there to talk about, Your Highness?’
‘You calling me Your Highness, for starters. I’m your husband now. You are allowed to address me as Zufar.’
Her footsteps faltered. For as long as she could remember, he’d always been Sheikh Zufar, or Crown Prince Zufar. Not even in her dreams had she addressed him by his given name alone. It felt...huge. As if she were taking a leap into thin air. Niesha started to shake her head.
Somehow, she had to bring this back to reality, back under her control.
‘You also need to stop shaking your head at every little disagreement. As my new bride, you’re supposed to be glowing and blushing with happiness, not wearing an expression as if you’ve been led into the devil’s own playpen.’
‘You know why I am acting this way. I don’t know why you’re pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about. You said this was temporary.’
‘Did I?’
Her mouth parted in a stunned O.
‘Remember where you are,’ he warned. ‘Do you really think this is the right time for this discussion?’
She didn’t. And she couldn’t very well demand an explanation from the King. Not with guests in earshot, and not when they were entering the banqueting hall where attendants lined the walls in their dozens, ready to serve the first course the moment they sat down.
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