Whispers Of Desires: A Sense Of Truth {Book 2}

꧁༺ 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓧𝓥𝓘𝓘𝓘: 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓔𝓷𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 ༻꧂

Upset and completely angry, Azrael stormed back into the Ivamis palace. His usually flawless posture was slouched, his once pristine clothes were now dusted with leaves and a single, clinging piece of clover.

He mumbled curses under his breath, the encounter with the mysterious "K" leaving him both annoyed and perplexed. He wondered who could possibly speak to him in such a disrespectful manner, and yet, there was something about his encounter with the common guard that left him feeling... unsettled.

He marched down the hallway, his frustration growing with every step. Suddenly, he spotted Queen Nia standing by a window, gazing out at the moonlit gardens. With a sigh, Azrael straightened his posture, attempting to regain some semblance of composure. He approached her and bowed gracefully. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Nia turned, a smile on her lips. Prince Azrael," she responded. "Something troubles you?"

Azrael hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should share his encounter with the common guard. "Well, actually," he started, then cleared his throat. "I believe I may have just... encountered one of your... relatives."

Nia's smile faltered slightly. "A relative?" she repeated, confusion clouding her features. " "Do tell."

"Yes, well," Azrael continued, frustration bubbling back up. "A young man, quite rude I must say. Claimed to be your nephew."

Nia blinked, genuinely confused. "Nephew?" she repeated, brow furrowing. Then, a realization dawned on her. Azrael must have met Kazi, dressed in her armour, and mistaken her for a young male relative.

Knowing Kazi, Nia was not surprised that the encounter had not exactly been smooth sailing. Still, she couldn't reveal Kazi's identity. Not yet.

"Ah, yes," she said vaguely. "A distant relative on my father's side. He can be... a bit rough around the edges, I am afraid."

Azrael scoffed. "Rough around the edges is putting it mildly. He was... disrespectful, to say the least. I was simply trying to gather some information about your sister, General Kazi, and he would not answer a single question!"

Nia raised an eyebrow, surprised that Azrael had known to ask about Kazi. Nia feigned surprise. "General Kazi? Why the sudden interest?"

Azrael blushed slightly. "Well, as you know, we are to be... married soon. I was hoping to get to know her better beforehand."

Nia hid a chuckle. "Of course, of course," she said, nodding understandingly. "I apologize for my nephew's rudeness, Prince Azrael. I will certainly have a word with him and ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It would be greatly appreciated."

Nia gave him a reassuring smile. "Consider it done. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to."

Azrael bowed once more. "Of course, Your Majesty. Until next time." With that, he turned and walked off. Nia watched him go with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Oh, Kazi," she murmured to herself. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Kazi flung open the door of her chambers, the force nearly knocking Nia off balance. Anger radiated from Kazi's eyes as she glared at her sister. "You knew he was here! Did you not!" she accused.

Nia held up her hands, "Kazi, calm down. Let me explain." She stepped inside and gently nudged the door shut behind her.

"There is nothing to explain!" Kazi practically shouted. "I cannot believe you would let me walk straight into that!"

Nia sighed. "Listen, Kazi, I am truly sorry. I only found out about Azrael's arrival the day you came."

Kazi scoffed. "Convenient," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"So, what happened?" Nia asked cautiously, taking a seat on a nearby chair.

"What do you mean?" Kazi asked, her voice quieter now.

"Well," Nia began, "Prince Azrael just spoke to me now... He thinks you are my nephew."

"Well, yes, I told him you were my aunt, but that is beside the point." Kazi began to pace the room, her frustration growing. "What did he say then?" she demanded.

"He said that you... were rude," Nia said, watching Kazi with a hint of amusement.

"Me, rude?!" Kazi practically exploded. "He is the rude one! Arrogant, self-absorbed, and about as brave as a housecat!"

Nia chuckled softly. "Kazi, no need for such language. Please, try to calm down and tell me what happened."

Taking a deep breath, Kazi paced the room. "I found him in the forest screaming like a frightened child because of a rabbit, Nia! A rabbit!"

Nia's smile widened. "A rabbit, you say?"

"Do not laugh at me!" Kazi snapped, then sighed in defeat. "He then proceeded to ask me questions about myself, 'General Kazi' and only cared about my appearance!"

"Only your appearance?" Nia echoed, her smile fading.

"He spouted nonsense about being a blessing and how I should be grateful to marry him!" Kazi fumed.

"Kazi..." Nia began, concern etched into her features.

"No, Nia!" Kazi interrupted, her voice trembling with anger. "I am furious! How dare he! How dare he think I would ever consider marrying someone like him!"

Nia stood up, placing a hand on Kazi's shoulder. "Kazi, calm down. We will figure this out."

"Are you going to reveal your identity to him?" Nia asked, her voice calm.

Kazi stopped pacing and turned to her sister. "What? No! I have no plans to reveal myself. He doesn't deserve to know who I really am."

"What about King Eldarion? His father?" Nia asked gently. "His father really wants this union to happen..."

"I do not care!" Kazi snapped, pushing Nia's hand away. "I will write to him and explain that I am not interested in the marriage and that they should find a more suitable match for his son!"

Nia nodded. "That is a good idea. But what about Father?"

"If Father truly wants this union, then he can find another daughter elsewhere. I will not be bullied into marrying that... that... excuse for a prince!" she declared.

Nia chuckled again, the tension easing from the room. "Alright, alright," she said, raising her hands in surrender. "I will not probe any further. But honestly, Kazi, do you find him even a little bit attractive?"

"NO!" she shouted vehemently. "I do not find him attractive in the slightest! He is a spoiled brat who has no idea what it means to be a true hero! I would rather marry a toad or a snake before I would even consider marrying him!" She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing more calmly, "But I cannot deny that he does have some... interesting features. His eyes, for one, are quite striking. It is just... everything else about him is so... so... off-putting."

Nia's laughter filled the room, causing Kazi to glare at her sister. A smile tugged at the corner of Kazi's lips, and despite herself, she found herself joining in the laughter. Maybe, just maybe, this situation was not entirely hopeless after all.