Breaking paths with Joon Wo, Tari walked quietly to her chambers. The thought of whether or not should she tell her father about meeting with Ashkan, Javid's son was still on her mind.
She shrugged that thought of as she was in front of her chamber's door, telling herself that she is worrying over nothing.
"Papa," she called out, "I'm back." Scanning the room for her father without a trace. Does he have matters to attend too even at night? she sighed
"I'm here."
She walked to the study from which the voice was coming to find her father as usual working.
"Papa," she firmly said to gain his attention but only got a hum in reply which clearly showed that his attention was elsewhere.
She sighed impatiently and took quick strides to where her father sat, cupping his face with her hand and turning it to look at her, which left the all-mighty Pharaoh looking at his daughter with his stunning honey-colored eyes…
By the saints, he loses all his fame in front of his daughter.
"Isn't this supposed to be a vacation?" She said looking straight into his eyes.
He only nodded answering.
"Then why are you working again why!?" she pouted finally letting go of his face but still his mouth was open in an 'O' shape with blinking eyes before he burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry sunshine." He said wiping the tear in the corner of his eyes before patting his lap, gesturing for her to come and sit which she gladly did.
There wasn't a place on earth that felt as safe as her father's embrace.
"Now tell me," he said adjusting her on his muscled thigh, "how was your day?"
"I-it was good," she said, "but the thing is…" she hesitated to tell him but then decided to take the shot, she took a deep breath while the Pharaoh was still looking at his daughter waiting for the answer.
"We met a new boy today," she said, "and we became friends…I think"
"That's a good thing," he said, "why the long face then?" he tilted his head taking a better look at her.
"H-he…" he stuttered, "his name is Ashkan"
"This doesn't sound Korean" he hissed questioningly, "more like Persian I think" he looked again at his daughter.
"He is Prince Javid's son!" she quickly throwing the words out all at once closing her eyes shut, having a feeling that if she looked him in the face she would hesitate again and she hated to keep anything from her father.
"H-huh?" he frowned his brows again his mouth shaping into an 'O' shape, "Javid isn't married, let alone have a son." He chuckled it off guessing that she must've gotten it wrong.
"No!" she yelled making her father flinch in surprise, "I-I mean I'm sure. He told us himself."
"Are you sure of this sweetheart?"
"Yes, 100%" she nodded eagerly, "Prince Javid told us himself. He even made us promise that we won't tell anyone about his son."
"He wanted it to be a secret?"
"Yes, I don't know why though. Even Ashkan didn't know the reason."
"Despite it being a secret" he smirked playfully at her, "here you are breaking your promise."
"Absolutely not!" she said, "I mean, it's you, Papa. I'm not breaking anything." She giggled as if she is telling him that what he just said made no sense at all which made him smile inside at the thought that his one and only daughter thinks of him like this and trusts him to this extent without any questions or doubts.
I've raised her good sweetheart he said hoping that somehow his voice would reach his wife where ever she is now.
"By the way Papa," she said, "Aren't you like mad or something?" she questioned him, wondering if he was actually as okay with this as he shows. He didn't show one hint of resentment. If he was acting, he is doing it really well.
"Why would I be?" he grinned.
"You don't like Prince Javid." She went ahead and stated it straight on.
"What is between me and Javid…" he said taking a pause, "Something that happened along time ago and it has nothing to do with you or Ashkan." He patted her head gently scanning her face.
"We are going to go to the lake on the morrow." She said, "Ashkan will come with us too, it's okay right?" she asked even though he told her that she doesn't have to ask for permission to go anywhere because for once he wanted her to go out and enjoy her time. But still, she found it better to tell her father first where she went out of habit.
He smiled at her and nodded his head.
Even though he wasn't bothered by it…but how is that possible? He thought.
How can Javid have a son? For god's sake, that man wasn't married as far as he heard.
Did he keep his marriage a secret?
But why?
Thousands of questions were running inside his mind. As far as he heard from others, Javid fell into despair after Cleopatra's death and refused all offers of marriage that were offered by others.
This doesn't fit together, something is missing. But no matter how much he thinks about he couldn't find an answer.
Who did he marry anyway?
~~~~
The next morning just as planned, everyone got ready to stay the day at the lake. Nefertari was told that it's really wide and deep almost like a river.
She got ready wearing her white silk dress that reached to her knees decorated with threads of gold, complementing it with a pair of golden bracelets on each wrist, and golden sandals that reached her knee, and as usual her curled hair was floating around her head.
"Tari!" someone called as he knocked on the door, "come on, we will be late."
"I'm coming!" she said as she dashed excitedly to the door.
"Papa, I'm going," she said as she reached the door.
"Okay, take care, and be careful. Don't get to close to the water okay?" he said, "I heard it's deep."
"I will." She smiled halting in front of the door.
���I almost forgot" she ran back to her father, pulling him down by his arm. He allowed her to pull him down as she placed a kiss on his cheek.
"I'll miss you the whole day Papa," she said. She was used to seeing him practically all the time.
By the saints, even one day without him was a challenge. But since she was with a company it will be okay; she isn't alone after all.
"I've matters to attend to," he said, "once I'm done, I'll come to you okay?"
"Yay!" she said giving him one last hug and running back to the door guessing that Joon Wo was probably standing there for a while.
Waving a final goodbye, she slammed the door open revealing an annoyed Joon Wo.
Which was immediately replaced by an astonished Joon Wo.
"D-do I look weird?" she asked thinking that she might have overdone it.
For some unknown reason to her, she started to feel her cheeks flame up.
"N-no!" he said raising his hand to stop her as she was going to turn back inside to change. "Y-You look b-beautiful," he said his voice turning into a whisper as he said the word beautiful feeling the blood that was starting to rush to his face.
"R-really," she said, "t-thank you." She said awkwardly, by that time her face has completely turned into a strawberry, and she could feel it too.
It wasn't the first time that someone told her that, she always received compliments from her father, her maids, and other members of the royal court, but for some reason when she heard it come from him it made her heart skip a beat.
"Noona! (older sister in Korean)" Min Jun called out from behind her.
She will be forever thankful to him for breaking the tension that was arising in the air.
"Min-ah! (friendly way of calling someone in Korea)" she waved at him.
"Let's go!" he excitedly said skipping his way through the hallways with them behind him.
~~~~
And just as she was told, the lake was big and wide. Its water was crystal clear that you can almost see deep inside it, with greenery surrounding it making it look as if its part of heaven that has fallen to earth.
"Nefertari!" someone called out.
No one calls me by my name here she thought, her name was hard for them all…except for one.
"Ashkan!" she smiled as she turned around to see who was calling her. Thinking about it he is indeed the only person here who can call her by her name.
On the mentioning of that topic…she seemed to have forgotten something.
"Joon Wo" she called out in a low but firm voice.
He only hummed in return as he was spreading a small rage of the green grass.
He could feel holes being dig in his back, he slowly turned to look at the source…
A mad Tari was the source of the holes.
"B-Boh? (What in Korean)" he stuttered taking a step back as she came his way.
"Seems like you've forgotten something" she smirked at him and he knew what she was talking about…
Gods keep the boy safe.