[Pride Awards 2023, hosted by official lgbtq , Romance Category Winner and 5th Place Grandwinner] The foster son of a former cupbearer marries the cursed king of Persia, becoming not only the first consort to survive after the wedding, but also a th...
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Dunyazad wanted to curse the Shah for appointing this clingy bodyguard for her. Wherever she went, Firdaus followed like a desperate shadow. Even when she was having a bath, he had instructed for a partition to be constructed behind which he stayed. Privacy had fled to the land of dead.
She was sitting near the pond now, throwing pebbles on the water and watched them hop and splash before drowning. Had a wife ever drowned to death? She wondered. All sorts of methods were applied to kill the innocent women.
A part of her knew that keeping a man close would be beneficial. She wasn't going to be facing any physical assault as long she had a bodyguard. But was it so necessary for him to be extra?
That man didn't even smile. Neither did he frown. All day long he had a blank look etched on his face, so lifeless and boring.
"Do you have a hobby?" she asked him.
Firdaus was standing just behind her. He looked down at her. "No."
His eyes refocused on the scrutiny of the surrounding.
Dunyazad took a fist full of mud and threw at his face. He shut his eyes and scrunched his nose. "What sort of behaviour is this?"
"I am your master. I can do this. I can throw eggs at you and you will not complain."
Firdaus scooted beside her and cleaned his face with the water from the pond. Her hands then itched to push him. She raised her palms, imagining them going closer towards Firdaus and...
"What are you doing?"
A red-faced Dunyazad pulled her hands behind her back. "Nothing at all."
They stared at each other like there wasn't anything else to inspect. Firdaus was the first one to break the spell. He dusted his uniform and got up, repositioning himself to the same old stance of the feet spread apart a little and the spear held by the left hand.
This is tiring, both thought in unison.
Dunyazad stood up and headed back towards the palace. Firdaus too matched her in pace.
"I can't be alone at all right?" Dunyazad suddenly ceased to walk and turned back to face him.
"Not unless we are sure that the murders have stopped forever," he answered.
"That seems very impossible."
"To the one who seeks, nothing should be impossible."
"Then I wish to be left alone instead of being followed by a weird man all the time!"
She thumped her foot and gnashed her teeth. "Go find the murderer."
Firdaus raised his brows, a smile tingling to set his face alight. "Firstly, I am not weird. Secondly, I am not tasked with finding the murderer. As of that, I think your brother can do it very well."
