The Sheikh was in amazement but the young woman's grimace made him smile. No... her grimace made him laugh... strangely she reminded him of his mother's stubborn behaviour. The thick, curly hair and the mischievous smile that announced uncontrollable madness. She felt like she was seeing her mother's look-alike. Speaking of the latter, he was sure she was going to ask him to court the young woman... He would refuse of course... In any case, this young Alicia seemed to have plenty of surprises in store for them, he thought, remembering his grimace from earlier... And what's more, he could already feel and see that these two were going to get along... He cleared his throat and refocused on what he was doing. After a moment, he looked up in front of him and he had the impression of seeing the young woman's face again. He laughed again. It was so...funny. She was beautiful too, with her curls in an incredible mess and her big black eyes that seemed to pop out of her sockets. He smiled softly and wondered what would make her happy. These days, only the networks can give you a summary of a person's passions... He should try to find her on the networks... He looked at the screen of his computer before closing the web page and going up to the search bar of Instagram... For the first time he was going to Instagram a girl.
Alicia...
Her flats were beautiful, the young woman had noticed. But it was only a gilded cage. For she had been strictly forbidden to leave the castle. And what's more, she was sure she had guards to watch her. Alicia let herself lie on the bed while looking at the luxury of the place. It was exactly at these moments that she would have liked to be a princess. So much luxury... She would be happy, but could she bear to know that her people were in misery, while she was rolling in gold? In any case, only this unfortunate sheikh should think about it and the royal family. For the time being, she was going to stay quiet and wait until the sheikh had irrefutable proof that she was not a thief and that she was indeed a student of history. Honestly... She got up from her bed with an air of rage...
- He imprisoned me! I must have my revenge! Oh, God, I must have my revenge! I'm going to smash the shit out of that man's royal face!
She began pacing the room, thinking. Alicia's worst fault was that she was always stubborn and did as she pleased. And right now, she knew it was a bad idea, but she was going to do whatever came to mind... She was far too determined to back down.
The first thing she intended to do...
She looked at herself in the mirror and made a gesture of disgust. Frankly, she looked awful for a holiday in such a classy, posh palace.
- I need to get my beauty on and make sense of my curls. I look like a Salem witch! Frankly, all I need is a black cat!
After putting her curls in order, Alicia left her room. As she thought, two guards were posted at her door and seemed to be watching her. Precisely, they were there to watch her... She huffed in exasperation and felt her anger spike. Honestly, this sheikh is a real executioner and an asshole of the first order. When she turned to check that she was alone far enough away from her room, she noticed that another guard was a few feet away and seemed to be following her.
- What? Now I have an escort!
Alicia stopped in the palace garden and sat down on a small bench near a water fountain. She felt the presence of the soldier next to her. She wanted to yell at him to go fuck himself and that she wanted to be alone, but she knew deep down that this guard was only doing what he was ordered to do. In truth, her enemy was not that poor guard. Her enemy was the sheikh... Sheikh Habdul...
- Please sit down... I might be here all day, you know.
No answer...
- I almost forgot that you were programmed robots. She said, hoping to get a reaction.
But nothing. She turned and looked at the guard as straight as an arrow and felt like laughing out loud, but she simply smiled before watching a pair of doves fall in love. For his part, the sheikh was a little distressed as he heard the news of an attack in the west of the country by an armed group. It was the third time this month... His first intervention was unsuccessful because they were armed with high grade weapons... Habdoul was confused as he could not understand how a gang group in a deprived area could buy such expensive weapons. He had suspected that someone rich was providing them with money or perhaps helping them. It was obvious. How could they get across the border with big guns? There was probably someone powerful behind it.... But who?
- What about our men placed in this locality? Habdoul asked his chief guard.
- They have fled. According to them, even the inhabitants are messengers of this gang.
- They have spent all their lives training to run away from a gang of delinquents? Habdoul shouted.
His interlocutor said nothing. And he was right not to say anything because Habdoul was not going to be happy with his answer. Habdoul was really worried... In addition to this problem, he had noticed a very serious misappropriation of funds in the state coffers. He had put the best technicians on the case but the thief could not be traced. Sometimes he wondered if there was a connection. He preferred not to think about it... He would have to deal with his own problems. He huffed and allowed his chief guard to leave. He had an important meeting to preside over with the members of the Supreme Council. He needed them... He was really at the end of his rope. It was time for him to seek reinforcements. The problem was becoming too serious for his shoulders.
The day was long and the young woman was still in the garden. A few hours before, she had gotten up from the bench and laid down on the freshly cut grass. She was happy in the garden. She didn't even think about the shit she had gotten herself into trying to take those pictures... She didn't even think about the sheikh... She could feel the wind on her skin and the smell of lilac titillating her nostrils. She had a smile stuck on her lips. The majesty and beauty of the place was simply breathtaking. She closed her eyes from time to time to listen to the gentle song of the birds and soon after a few hours she was in dreamland. As the afternoon spread over Jaipur, the Sheikh, after having ended the meeting which had really brought nothing good, resigned himself to consider the two alternatives which were offered to him...
. Either he could set fire to the red zone and kill the bandits as well as innocent people.
. Or he could negotiate with them.
The second alternative would be a shame for him and a proof of weakness. The first was a crime, an act of genocide. And even though he ruled with an iron fist and had a reputation for being tough and strict, he could not commit such an act. Killing hundreds of innocent people... He didn't want to do it... He was even more upset than before. He had tried to give all the ways out that he could think of but nothing could solve their problem and besides, the men of this gang had far more sophisticated weapons and ammunition than the Royal Jaipur Police. The danger was enormous and the risks were really impossible to take. He was risking not only time and the lives of his men by sending them on this suicide mission. For the moment, the idea of blowing up this part of the west was the most likely. One way or another, whatever he decides, the people will rise up against him. And he risks losing his power and his crown... Habdoul looked at the greenery of the garden and felt the aroma of his mother's roses waft up to his nostrils. It was the perfect place to get some fresh air...
He turned around and walked towards the garden where the smell of jasmine greeted him and... and... the black curls of a sleeping half-breed...