Inside the King's chamber, Sania had yet to recover from the previous incident. With each step she took, every image flashed past her eyes as though they were still happening.
She was lost in thought, as to how and why Taffi's mother treated her that way, even though it was clear that she had chosen another woman for her son and Sania was in the way.
"I'm sorry that you had to see all that on your first day here," Taffi apologized, his eyes turned away from her as he took off his robe and threw it on the arm of the chair.
"Hmm," Sania who was instantly snapped back to reality, mumbled. His empathetic behavior felt strange to her, because she doubted whether or not he truly cared.
Before Sania could move an inch from where she was, she felt his hand on her shoulder. His touch sent a shiver down her spine even though it wasn't on her bare skin.
She instantly wanted to take his hand off her shoulder but chose to comply instead.
"You are worrying, wife, aren't you?" He asked her.
Sania sensed the emotional tone of his voice and knew that he felt guilty about the way she was treated, and as much as she wanted him to ignore and let him wallow in guilt, a side of her was compelled to do the opposite.
"I am not, my Lord," she lied.
"Taffi," he interjected in a soft tone and gently rubbed her shoulders with his hand.
"Call me Taffi when we are alone, keep the formality for a gathering." He added.
"Why?" She wondered.
"What is his aim for giving me a massage, and telling me to call him Taffi? What does he want from me? It's not tonight."
Sania walked out on him and toward the vanity. It was the only option she had to escape the uneasiness caused by his touch.
"What, you don't like it?" He questioned without moving an inch.
"Not that," she replied with a sigh and observed his expression from the side of the mirror. Instead of a King, he appeared to Sania like a young man looking for attention from his unwilling lover.
Taffi walked closer to her and proceeded to take off the necklace from her neck.
"What is it then?" He asked,
"The incident, you are still thinking about it aren't you?"
He took off the necklace and placed it on the table, but Sania had yet to answer his question. She just stared at him in the mirror and wondered why he acted like he cared so much.
"He should quit pretending already," she thought,
"He should shout at me and give me a reason to dislike him."
Tired of waiting for her response, Taffi took a few steps backward and said,
"I'll give you some time to take a bath, you had a stressful day today. You also need rest because tomorrow is another special day for you."
"Why?" Sania asked briskly and turned to face him.
Surprised by the sudden interest in a conversation, Taffi smiled,
"You are a Queen now, I'll introduce you to the royal counsel."
"Oh," Sania mumbled in disappointment. She expected something else, other than a meeting with people who probably didn't like her too.
"Don't be nervous, no one will touch you as long as I am around." He assured her and went closer to place a soft kiss on her cheek. Afterward, he walked out of the room, and gently closed the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Sania heaved a sigh of relief. She wiped the side of her cheek which he kissed with her hand and stared at herself in the mirror.
"What have you done, Sania?" She spoke to the figure of herself in the mirror.
"You could have run away when you had the chance, I hope my parents will be happy to learn that his family did not accept me."
Sania took off the rest of her jewelry, it was somewhat difficult for her to do since Agatha had been her handmaid since she was a young princess.
Thinking about Agatha made her wonder when she'd get a handmaid, wasn't she the Queen and deserved to be served?
"Taffi should make Tehila my slave, that will teach her some manner." She chuckled and slid out of her dress, after which she wrapped herself up with a towel and got into the bathroom.
__ __ __
Meanwhile, in the Queen's chamber, Taffi couldn't stand his mother's unreasonable justifications for her behavior.
It started as a simple and quiet dialogue between mother and son. But with Lila's constant refute, Taffi was enraged, and in no time, their seemingly peaceful conversation became a courtroom where each party violently sought to be heard.
"Mother I will not allow you to speak to her in that manner!" Taffi yelled and stepped away from his mother. It was the least he could do to resist the urge to disrespect the woman who had given birth to him again.
He never raised his voice at her, but the previous incident, coupled with the baseless reasons behind her actions, Taffi was a bomb yet to explode. If he took the disrespect from anyone else, he wouldn't take it from his mother, who ought to have supported his decision.
"Taffi," with an apathetic expression, Lila scoffed,
"If you want Sania to stay, I won't stop you. Just keep it at the back of your mind that your mother will not pretend."
"You just met her," Taffi interjected.
"You are wrong." Lila stood up from the king-sized bed, covered in a white silky duvet, and walked up to her son. Because of his towering height, Lila raised her heel and whispered into his left ear.
"I knew Sania long before your poorly functioning eyes, saw her and thought she was pretty."
Taffi's jaws dropped in astonishment, his mother never talked about Sania, and each time he talked about her, Lila never made any comments because they were all against him getting married to a human girl.
"How?" He wondered.
"When, where?" He asked his mother, but the old lady refused to respond. A wry smile crept up on her face as she walked away from him.
"I want to take a bath," she said.
"You could either leave, or stay long enough to bring a curse upon yourself," Lila added and her handmaid proceeded to take off the jewelries on her, while Taffi sighed in frustration.
"At least give her your crown tomorrow, in front of the Royal counsel," he pleaded. It would be a shame to him and Sania if she declined, he'd rather keep Sania a secret than face the humiliation.
"Haha," Lila laughed.
"Tomorrow is yet to come, Taffi, only then will I decide who to give my crown. Goodnight."
Taffi stared at his mother for a minute, the reason behind her behavior was justifiable, because he had it coming even before bringing Sania to the castle.