{Justin's P.O.V}
I walked towards the door of my apartment which was the last door on the passageway, dragging my suitcase along with me.
I knocked the door with my middle finger bent at an angle of 30°. I could hear some footsteps coming towards the door. Then there was a click before the door opened wide and James came into view.
"Hey buddy, you're back!" He said excitedly, pulling me into a rough side hug.
"Yeah, I am. How have you been?" I asked him, releasing myself from his hug and walking inside, knowing clearly he'd help me bring my suitcase in.
"I've been good. Everything's been fine. How was your trip?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.
"If you call sitting with some strange alien dude, who finds it fun eating his toenails while having a business conversation a trip, then I'll say it's fine". I replied, popping unto the chair and lying on the couch, switching on the TV.
"Ha! I'm guessing that's why you're late". He replied me before disappearing into one of the rooms.
I put the channel to royal entertainment to see what's going on with the royals.
"I feel that the citizens are just being ungrateful. I mean, my husband goes out in the morning and comes back at night, working harder than you think, going to meet ambassadors on how to partner up so that he can make the nation better. Of course, as an international business man, he can't be in two different countries at the same time. He has to put someone there. So to be blamed for the crime of his worker who works in a totally different country, is just too much too take.
Yes he has to oversee that everything is alright with the people he employed into work but you don't expect him to control the personal lives of over a million workers or do you?
Whoever was caught in the Henia company, was maybe doing that to back up his business at the company, so I really didn't expect the Henia company to be heavily criticized because of someone's greed! It's just plain wrong".
" Oh, you're watching The Princesses's talk show. Mehn, she was super duper angry when she said that. She was literally scolding the nation". I heard James say and I was trying my best not to be lost into the conversation.
"You look lost, bro. Let me find ya. You see, one of the reasons why I'll never leave this nation is because there is always a juicy gossip every fucking week. From celebrities to royals to crazy business deals gone wrong, to-"
"Dude!" I had to interrupt him.
"Okay, fine. I'll tell you. I'm sure I don't need to remind you on how powerful the Henias are. And I also don't need to remind you how they make household stuffs that citizens can't do without using in a day. I mean, I just used their sugar this morning-"
"Dude!"
"Okay, fine! I get it. One of the most powerful Henia Company in one of the most richest countries in the world, Dubai, that is, was supposed to be shut down because the MD of that company, was found with Drugs. Not drugs like pain killers or what's not but drugs like cocaine and the rest like that"
"I knew they had a secret back up to all that money". I murmured to myself.
"Are you even listening? Or should I go back and watch today's wrestling?" I heard James say and I nudged him to go on.
"Well, the citizens started getting worried and were scared that such hard drugs might be in little quantities inside the Henia's products and so they were all planning to sue the Henia company. But Princess Eleanora came to save the day".
"What?"
"What is what?... You're upset that your bestie is standing up for her husband? Isn't that like... natural?" He asked me, looking confused.
I was about to reply when I my phone rang and without checking the ID caller, I picked it and put the phone to my ear.
"What was the first thing you were supposed to do as soon as you arrived in the country, Justin?"
I looked at the ID caller and found out it was Nanny.
"Shit". I cursed before bringing the phone back to my ear.
"I'm on my way to your place". I replied her before hanging up preventing me from hearing any other complain from her. I stood up from the chair almost immediately, putting my phone in my back pocket.
"Where are you going ?... We are still in the middle of our conversation" James whined.
"See you later at night. I got somewhere urgent to be". I replied him before running out of the house.
On getting to the stairs, I remembered the documents.
"Shit" I cursed as I turned around to go pick it, but before I could even realize it, a thick handkie was used to cover up my mouth and nose, and I found myself slowly losing conciousness. No matter how I tried to struggle with whoever was behind me, I just couldn't fight them off.
"Goodness gracious, are you in such a hurry, Justin?... You forgot your documents!" Was the last thing I heard James say before all went dark.
______________________✍️
I opened my eyes and all I could see was an empty study with the national emblem bodly sitting on the wall above the executive chair, the national flag on the right, the royal flag on the left of the chair and a few documents on the glass table, all arranged neatly.
I tried to recognize where exactly I was but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. But from the looks of it, I'm guessing it should be the King's personal study. But no one had access to the King's study, so it must be Dure playing games again.
I felt my hands tied to the back of the chair I was currently seating and my legs tied to the back of the chair I was seating.
The doors suddenly opened and there were slow footsteps behind me. I could hear it but I couldn't see it because I wasn't facing the doors, in which the person came in, instead, I was facing the executive chairs of whoever owned this room.
"Leave us" I heard the bold and sharp male voice say.
Whatever Dure says to get to you, just stay calm and remain silent. Close your eyes and stay as calm as you can. I told myself as I took in deep breaths and closed my eyes.
"He's Justin, your majesty" I heard that same bold male voice say.
"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know or these while, you hypocrite?" I asked Dure, my eyes still shut, making sure that I still remained calm.
"Hypocrite?" I heard the older male voice say.
That's not Dure. Maybe it's his father.
"How dare you?!" I heard the other male voice yell.
"Leave him be, Boston". The older male voice said.
My eyes still shut , I smirked and chuckled "Why?... You don't want your wings man to know that I know your dirty secrets?" I asked him as meekly as I could.
The next thing I felt was a sharp hit on my face and my ears went into reverberation. My eyes was forced opened and I shot a glare to whoever it was that slapped me.
I'mmediately I saw who was sitting in front of me, My body went into panic mode. My hands started shivering and my heart began beating faster than usual.
"Your majesty..." I trailed off in fear. My tongue got tied and I couldn't say anything anymore.
While I was thinking it was the Henias, the king sat calmly in front of me, waiting for me to come back to my senses.
"You shouldn't have hit him, Boston" The king told his bodyguard and his bodyguard, Boston, mumbled an apology to the king, not me.
Sitting in a wheelchair in front of me, was the ruler of this great nation and the grandfather to Eleanora Andrews, King Azad.
"What did I do to be graced by your presence, your majesty?" I asked, not looking him straight in the eye, not even once.
"You're Justin, the adopted son of Dora, who you as well call Nanny" Said the king, in such a bold and authoritative voice.
I nodded, not looking up to his once to see his face.
"Look at me, let me take a good look at you". The king ordered but I was to scared to look him in the eye.
Does the king Know about my secret meetings with world class men and want to question me about it?... Is that why I was kidnapped by him?
Different thoughts flooded my mind and I couldn't even concentrate.
"You can leave us Boston" He ordered Boston. Boston bowed and left. Then the king wheeled himself to the back of my chair and the next thing I heard were some snap sounds before my hands and legs became free.
"Your...Majesty" I stuttered, surprised that he released me. He wheeled himself to my front view and I could see him clearly. His face was pale and his fingers were already bony. His hair was already grey and his body looked weak. He was wearing his pyjamas which had the royal emblem on it. His lips were chapped and his eyes seemed to have sunk inside their sockets.
"Help me to the bathroom" He asked me. It took a while before I understood what he was saying.
"Help me to the bathroom, Justin, I want to use the bathroom". He said once more.
Who was I to defy the King's order?
I stood up from the chair I was once bound to and slowly wheeled the king to the bathroom. On getting to the bathroom, I wheeled the king in, then closed the door.
"I asked you to help me to the bathroom, Justin, not lead me there" The King's voice said in an angry tone.
I didn't want to offend the king in any way, so I went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
Turning around, I met the king, standing on his feet and looking me dead in the eye.
At this point, I was confused. Totally confused. I thought the king was critically Ill and couldn't stand on his own, but here he was standing right in front of me, without holding anything for support.
"Sometimes, to survive, you have to die" He said when he saw how confused I was. But I only got more confused.
He sat down on the Green armchair which was in the bathroom and signalled to me to sit down on the blue armchair which was beside his chair. I obeyed as he had said and sat down beside him.
The bathroom was more spacious that a normal room and the bathtub was pure silver. Couldn't expect less from a king though.
"This is the only place free of secret cameras. That's why I brought you in here". Said the king, before bringing out a remote, stretching it towards the door and pressing the lock key.
"You must be wondering why I brought you here" The King said out of the blue but speaking my mind though.
"There's a little story I need to tell you, so you'll understand what's going on.
Once there was a prince, who loved the maid of the prime Minister's daughter. He loved the maid so much that he started making advances towards her. But she was scared. Very scared of being caught together with that prince, for fear that her mistress, the prime Minister's daughter, who was also in love with that prince, will catch her together with her beloved prince.
But the Prince never cared and at all cost set his mind to marry the maid. So he went boldly to tell his father, who was the king then. The king got furious that his son wanted to stoop so low just to marry a maid but the Prince had already made up his mind.
When the king saw that it was hopeless trying to convince a child who's heart was already set on doing what he had planned to do, he decided to trick the prince. He told the Prince that the Prince has to do a fake marriage to the daughter of the prime minister, and show it to the world that the daughter of the prime minister was his legal wife so that the king could have the support of the prime minister.
Unknown to the king, the prime minister has been looking for ways to have the royal seal so he could have the throne for himself.
On seeing that the Prince loved the maid more, the prime minister decided to use the maid and support the maid to marry the Prince, thinking that the maid would be grateful to him, and get the royal seal for him.
But Power has a way to make us succumb to it's will. The maid, after marrying the prince, made her own brother the prime minister of the west while the former prime minister became the prime minister of the East. That was how this country ended up with two prime ministers" The king paused, then pulled up the arm of the armchair he was sitting on and brought out a bottled water and drank it to satisfaction, before placing the remainder of the water in the Bottle back where he had took it from.
"So what then happened, your majesty?" I asked the king, purely intrigued by the story.
The king chuckled before continuing the story "The former prime minister got angry with the maid, who was now married to the prince and has born two children for the prince. Andrew and Ariana were the name of those children, and so the former prime minister used his daughter to attack the children of the maid and her children.
In order to protect her children, the maid wanted more power and so found the strong men of the land to back her and her brother up. She was going to stop at nothing to make sure her children were protected. As time rolled by, the former king died and the prince became the king, Making the maid the empress. Once the Maid became the empress, she was scared of being bullied by the prime minister through his daughter, and she used her power to set the prime Minister's daughter up and Chase her out of the land.
Years passed, and the former prime minister got scared of how the Queen who was once a maid at his house has gathered so much power even more than he has gathered throughout his years, and saw he decided to lie low, till he could have his chance once more". The king paused, then smiled as he looked at me.
"Did the prime minister kill the maid?" I asked, more intrigued than ever in such a marvelous story that the king was telling me.
"Oh no, he didn't. For he knew that the maid who was now a queen, became proud and stepped on many toes. He knew that she was going to be killed sooner or later, so he waited patiently till she was killed before proceeding to his plan which was the original plan he had from the whole beginning, and that was the then prince, who is now a king, should marry his daughter. All for the Royal seal" The king said, his old eyes looking into mine, smiling for he knew I already understood what he was saying.
"The prince was you, your majesty". I said and he nodded in affirmative.
"The prime Minister's daughter is the consort, and the maid must be Queen Tamara". I said and he laughed, his belly moving as he laughed.
"You're smart". He laughed.
I'mmediately, I understood what he wanted to tell me.
I went on my knees, my head to the floor, not daring to look at him, as I told him what was in my mind. "Your highness, I'm not worthy of the seal"
"I'm glad you understand the reason why I had to bring to you here against your wish. My granddaughter, Eleanora, has been keeping grudges with me, and so no matter what I tell her, she wouldn't listen for she felt I betrayed her grandmother. But at the same time, I do not want this royal seal to fall into wrong hands..." The king trailed off.
"And so you want me to keep the seal for Her highness, Eleanora, giving it to her one day, if she falls into a state of need and desperation". I completed the sentence for him.
"I'm glad you understand". I heard the king say. "You may rise to your feet. That's not a request". The king ordered, and I obeyed, sitting back on my arm chair, I watched as the king slowly went towards the Water closet, removing the ceramic cover that covered the water tank and bringing out a transparent Plastic bag. In it was a small golden statue of a lion which had the emblem of the Royals on the body of the statue.
The king walked over to me and gave me the Royal seal. "This Royal seal must not be given to Eleanora until she has no other thing to fall back on. Keep this a secret from even your own soul, do I make myself clear". The king said and I nodded in affirmative, my hands frozen when it dawned on me that I had in my hands the key to controlling the whole city. Even the Henias.
Suddenly, there was a heavy knock on the door.
"What have you been doing in there, you this old man?" Said a feminine voice loud and clear.
"Pass out through the window, and make sure you're not caught". The king whispered. I nodded, put the statue under my clothes and used my hand to support it so it wouldn't fall off.
The heavy banging on the door increased tempo and I watched as the king broke a vase and scattered it. Then laid down on the broken glass and pretended to be unconscious.
Before the door was broken down, I escaped through a ladder which was at the side of the window, and through the roof, I was able to escape, making sure the royal seal didn't fall off from my hands.