Aliya

chapter twenty

To spread information that might have me kicked out of the Palace, maybe. To spread that might have me killed, definitely not.

There were still too many things happening that I couldn't figure out.

After a long moment, Maria nodded. "Okay. I heard two of his aides talking in the corridor that the King went to set up negotiations with Arabia. They probably didn't notice me walking down the hallway because I was too small, or maybe because I'm just a chambermaid."

As she said this, her face glowed, as if proud that she'd managed to overhear that tidbit of conversation.

I frowned. "The King went to Arabia to set up negotiations?"

"That's what I heard Miss, yes."

"And he spent a few weeks in Arabia, only to come back last night?"

"I'm quite sure of it, yes."

"That's not right," I muttered, frowning even deeper.

To have the King visit to a nearby country, one that we currently didn't even have an alliance with, and have him spend a few weeks there?

A King acting as an ambassador of his own country? A King who could so easily leave the safety and protection of his kingdom?

Something is very, very wrong.

"Maria," I said. "Does the King usually leave for negotiations like this?"

She blinked, looking up to the ceiling before she said, "I'm actually not very sure, Miss. It's not often that I manage to overhear conversations like this. But I do know that the King has left for several expeditions like this in the past."

"Expeditions that last for weeks?"

"Most of the time, Miss, yes."

If they last for weeks, then what else could he be doing but trying to appease negotiations?

But why would the King of Persia be the one to do that?

"Have the princes ever gone on expeditions like these, Maria?"

"I think both the two older princes have," she answered. "Prince Raza and Prince Finn. But Prince Cairo has never been allowed to step out of the Heart of Persia."

"Never been allowed?"

"Yes," Maria said, nodding her head. "Or at least, that's what I know. I might be wrong, Miss."

The problem was, was that she was probably not.

After a long, silent moment, I said, "Maria?"

"Yes?"

"You're small, you're a chambermaid, and if I'm not mistaken, you have a lot of good friends within the Palace, don't you?"

Her cheeks pinked. "I'd like to think so, Miss."

"Good," I said. "From now on, try to gather as much information about the palace life as possible. It doesn't matter who it's about, what it's about. Even if you think that it's an insignificant rumor or mundane matter, gather it all. I want you to report it all to me before I go to bed."

Maria's eyebrows furrowed together. "Miss..."

"What is it? Don't worry about Ismal not allowing this; I'm sure he's never explicitly told you that you can't answer these sort of questions from me."

Of course he wouldn't — he'd never have thought a woman would be insolent enough to try and find information like this.

And, to an extent, I suppose no other woman would or was in a position that she'd be able to.