<p> </p><p>He turned his gaze back to her, furrowing his brow as he said, “Stop that outrageous laughter of yours.”</p><p>She paused her laughter, smiling slightly, and said, “Okay, okay, Akhie, now tell me what’s bothering you.”</p><p>After a brief hesitation, he replied, “Ukhtie, Abbi said I’ll start accompanying him to the royal court tomorrow to learn how to manage the kingdom.”</p><p>"Alright, so what’s the problem? Don’t you want to go?" she asked.</p><p>"I’ve already told him I don’t want to be Malik after him, but he won’t listen to me," he said softly.</p><p>She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and asked, “Let me ask you something—if you don’t take over the throne of Saudi Arabia, what will you do? You’re the only prince in our family.”</p><p>Pouting slightly, he replied with a playful tone, “I told him I want to start a petroleum company. Don’t forget I studied business in school. But he keeps trying to burden me with something far beyond my capacity. I honestly can’t lead a nation.”</p><p>She chuckled lightly and said, “You’re right—you definitely can’t. With this pouty attitude of yours, you want to be Malik? Even Tesnim wouldn’t take you seriously!”</p><p>He playfully glared at her, about to retort, but she stood up, extended her hand to him, and said, “Let’s go see Abbi together and talk to him.”</p><p>Without hesitation, he took her hand and stood up, smiling.</p><p>As he rose, he heard the faint sound of metal falling near the entrance to the room. They both turned their attention to the sound simultaneously. Amir began walking toward the source, but she stopped him calmly, saying, "Where are you going without your cloak?" She walked to the table, picked up his cloak, and handed it to him, adding, “Let’s go.”</p><p>Without objection, he followed her as they left the room together, her hand holding his cloak.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p>As they departed, one of the guards stationed nearby quickly slipped away. Moving briskly, he made his way to a large tree located at the far end of the palace grounds. The area was secluded, with no one in sight. Once he reached the tree, he knelt, bowing his head low as he said, “Greetings, my leader.”</p><p>Under the tree sat a figure dressed entirely in black, his face obscured by a dark veil, revealing only his piercing eyes. In a commanding tone, the man asked, “What is the situation?”</p><p>Without raising his head, the guard replied, “My leader, I overheard Amir saying he will begin attending the royal court with Malik.”</p><p>The man interrupted sharply, “That will only happen if he’s still alive by tomorrow.”</p><p>"Indeed, my leader," the guard affirmed.</p><p>"By tomorrow, I expect to hear news of Amir’s death. If you fail, you will die in his place, Meli," the leader declared coldly.</p><p>Meli’s voice trembled as he responded, “Insha’Allah, there will be no mistakes, my leader. All preparations have been made; we’re just waiting for the right moment.”</p><p>The man nodded slightly and said, “I await good news, Meli. In return, I will fulfill my promise to you.”</p><p>"Thank you, my leader. May Allah prolong your reign and protect you," Meli said, bowing lower in reverence.</p><p>The leader waved dismissively and said, “That’s enough. Go back to your post.”</p><p>"Thank you, my leader," Meli said, rising slowly and leaving the area with his head bowed.</p><p>Once Meli was gone, the man under the tree erupted into sinister laughter. "You’ll have to forgive me, my dear cousin, but the throne of Saudi Arabia must return to my grasp—even if I have to kill Malik himself to achieve it," he muttered, his laughter echoing through the air before his figure vanished into the shadows.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
