Aabdeen stared at the royal seal he was holding in his hand, twisting it around. With this single seal in his hand, he was the most powerful man in the sultanate aside from the Sultan. He could control anyone however he wants and they would obey, regardless of their positions. He knew that the Sultan only gave it to him because he thought that Aabdeen didn’t know what it was meant for. Or it could be because Sultan Jamal needed to find that maid. Who was the maid anyway and while had the Sultan been so worried about her? Perhaps, if he finds out, he could make use of the opportunity in a way that would suit his sultanate.


    Aabdeen couldn’t believe the luck that had shined on him while he was sneaking around. He had run across a guard who had been running around and Aabdeen had demanded to know about what was going on, seizing the opportunity when the man had told him that their sultan was badly injured. He couldn’t believe that he had nearly blown up his cover when he had spoken up at the courthouse meeting, but he wasn’t about to just stand there and watch as they talked about killing his only sister. All he wanted was just a safe ce for her to stay until he was sure the threat to his sultanate was gone. And to do that, he had to kill Sultan Jamal. But for now, he would simply observe theirnd and find out their weaknesses.


    Aabdeen flung the seal up and caught it back in his hand as he walked to the seaport. He met the leader and showed him the seal before rying the Sultan’s order to the man. When he was sure that the order would be obeyed, he walked to the barracks and picked three men from the soldiers. Together, they searched for the maid all through the sultanate for three days with no result. He made sure to report back to the Sultan each night and also take care of the man’s injury. And each night, the man would be excited to see him, then he turns sad when Aabdeen tells him he hasn’t found the maid yet. Where was she anyway?


    Roksna watched as Asleem brought a meal over to her. It was already nighttime and she felt tired from trying hard to free herself all day. Asleem bent down to her height when he got over to her, setting down the tray of food containing bread, milk, and butter. A spoon and knifey beside the tes. She watched as he stared at her lips, a smile decorating his face. Roksna wished that she could wipe the smile out of his face with a punch or a sword to his neck. When she realized that Asleem wasn’t ready to move from his crouching position, she stared at him right in the eyes without blinking.


    “You are a stubborn woman, Roksna,” Asleem said after a while.


    Roksna refused to give him an answer. Instead, she turned her face around staring at the emptiness of the room.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    “Don’t you want to know if the Sultan is dead?” Asleem asked.


    Roksna turned her head sharply back to him. Asleemughed at the enthusiasm she disyed, but she didn’t care. She had been worried about the Sultan and just wanted to know if he had survived or not. Asleem got up and turned away from her. He was already halfway through the room when Roksna stopped him. She had to know the truth about Asleem and the Sultan.


    “Tell me something, Asleem. Was I just a pawn you used to destroy the Sultan?” She asked him.


    “Think whatever you want to. I don’t owe you an exnation,” Asleem answered before going out.


    Roksna pushed the food he had brought away with her legs, watching as it sttered around in bits. She didn’t want to eat the food the man who betrayed her had brought. Pushing at the rope holding her hands together again, she nearly cried at the pain she felt from the action. She had to figure out a way to get out of the ce If she wanted to live.


    “I have to think of a…” Roksna stopped short as her eyes fell on the knife lying a few miles away from here.


    Crawling to the knife on her backside, Roksna picked up the object, praying that no one would notice its absence. She crawled back to her sitting position and hid it in her boot, covering it with her trouser. When she heard a movementing towards her about five minutester, sheid down on her side and pretended to be asleep. She watched with one eye open as a man came in, shook his head at the mess she had made, and gathered up the tes. The soft sound of the door closely told her that the man had believed that she was asleep. Roksna was about to get back up when voices outside the room stopped her.


    “She’s already fast asleep.”


    A man said. Roksna guessed it was the man who had just left the room she was in. But, who was he talking to?


    “You say he’s looking for her?” A voice Roksna identified as Asleem’s spoke.


    “Yes, general.” Another man whose voice she didn’t recognize answered.


    “What about him?” Asleem asked the man.


    “He is leaving in two days.” The other man answered.


    “Alright. Gather everyone around now.” She heard Asleemmand.


    “Yes, general.” The two men replied.


    And then, everywhere became silent. Roksna waited for another ten minutes and got up when no one else came in, wondering what and who Asleem talked about. Was it possible that the Sultan was looking for her? Roksna had thought it was impossible for the Sultan to even realize that she was missing, but now, she wondered if she was wrong with the assumption. What if he had noticed her absence? She was his kitchen maid after all.


    Without wasting time, she managed to bring the knife with her tied hands. But, she quickly found out that getting the knife to cut through the rope with her hands was impossible. She focused on freeing her legs first, cutting through the rope bit by bit, heaving a sigh of relief when it fell offpletely. She ced the knife in between her calf, making the sharp edge face upwards. Roksna positioned her hands on either side of the knife, making sure that the rope was ced correctly on the knife, and began to move her hands up and down the knife, cutting through the rope. She was halfway through when she thought that she had footsteps and froze. She listened for more footsteps to sound but nothing happened. She began to cut through the rope as fast as she could, nicking herself in the process.


    Roksna smiled as the rope fell off her hands about five minutester. She got up and winced at the slight pain she felt from not stretching her legs for so long. When she felt steady, she moved to the door and listened for a minute. When no sound came from the other end, she opened the door and began to tiptoe around. She saw that the house had only two rooms, one of it was the room she had been held in, the other which she was currently looking at looked like where Asleem and his aplices were staying to keep an eye on her. Not bothering to close the door, she walked out of the house.