Chapter 8 Thought

Just two days before the crown would change everything.

And for reasons he couldn't explain, Kamil had a feeling the quietest girl in the palace would somehow be right in the middle of it.

Kamil had just dismissed his guards when Queen Ayisha stepped into his lounge. Liam and Abel had excused themselves to attend the royal council meeting in his place. .

He straightened immediately. "Mother," he greeted with quiet respect. Even tho she wasn't his mother by blood, kamil had alwys held her in high esteem and Ayisha had alwys shown him nothing but pure love.

She smiled faintly. "You still stand like your father when you're lost in thought."

He exhaled softly. "Am I that easy to read?"

"To me, yes," she said, walking closer. "You've been quieter than usual, even for you."

He hesitated, gaze dropping to the window. "Just... thinking about what's coming. The council, the ceremony, the expectations."

Ayisha placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You were born for this, Kamil. And your father would've said the same."

He smiled faintly. "You sound too sure."

"I have to be," she said with a teasing glint. "Someone has to believe in you when you forget to believe in yourself."For a moment, silence stretched.

Then she said softly, "I heard about the new maid. The one who... bumped into you."

Kamil's eyes flickered. "Is there anything you don't hear?"

Ayisha chuckled. "Not in this palace. Don't look so alarmed, my son. It's nothing scandalous. You're human before you're a crown."

"I wasn't-"

"-interested?" she finished for him, amused. "Of course not."

Kamil shook his head, though a small, helpless smile tugged at his lips. "She doesn't even know who I am."

"That might be what you like most about her," Ayisha said knowingly. "It's rare for anyone to speak to you as just... a person."

He didn't answer. He didn't need to. The truth hung in the quiet between them.

"Your father used to sneak away to the gardens too," she murmured. "Said the crown felt lighter when he was near the lilies."

Kamil smiled faintly. "Then maybe I'm not so different from him after all."

"No," Ayisha said, looking at him with soft pride. "You're not."

Meanwhile, in another wing of the palace, Mirian walked briskly down the hall, her heels striking the marble with restrained anger. The decorators had just left the ballroom.

She was halfway through checking the guest list when a voice called out from behind.

"Busy as always, cousin."

Kaan.

Mirian's spine stiffened before she turned. "Shouldn't you be helping your father with the coronation preparations?"Kaan leaned lazily against a column, that half-smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, I am helping by making sure our future king doesn't make a fool of himself."

Her gaze hardened. "You're treading dangerous ground."

He tilted his head. "Am I? You defend him so fiercely, it makes me wonder..." He stepped closer, voice dropping.

"Is it duty that drives you, or something softer?"

Mirian's jaw tightened. "Watch your words."

"I only say what everyone sees," he murmured. "You think no one notices the way you look at him?"

Her chest rose sharply, but she didn't back down. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I do," Kaan said, amusement curling through his tone. "You wear your heart like a crown you'll never get to wear."

She forced herself to breathe. "You hate him because he doesn't notice you exist. Don't make the rest of us suffer for that."

For a second, his smirk faltered "Careful, Mirian. In this palace, loyalty and love are the quickest ways to ruin."

When he finally walked off, she stood there, pulse racing, the echo of his words clinging to the silence.

She hated how much truth they almost carried.

Because even after all her denial, she did look for Kamil in every hall.

Queen Aisha had excused himself to go attend the women's forum with Queen mother. She promised to come back and continued their conversation.

"You're not smiling ," she said behind kamil as he stared through the glass.

He turned slightly. Queen Ayisha approached, She stopped beside him, her presence instantly easing the air."I'm thinking again ," he said simply.

"About the ceremony or the crown?"

"Both," Kamil admitted. "It feels... heavy already."

Ayisha smiled faintly. "Good. If it feels heavy, you'll wear it right."

He glanced at her "You always know what to say."

"That's what mothers do."

He smiled at that, quietly. "Thank you... for everything."

She looked at him for a long time. "You've grown into the kind of man your father would be proud of, Kamil. Don't let the noise around you make you doubt that."

"I won't."

"Good," she said softly, then her tone lightened. "Now tell me - is it true you made the decorators change the color scheme three times?"

Kamil gave a helpless laugh. "They wanted red curtains, Your Grace. I said no."

"And why?"

He smirked faintly. "Because red is for war. Not for kings who want peace."

Ayisha's eyes softened. "You really do think differently."

"Or I just think too much."

Before she could respond, the door opened, and Yaya burst in , her gold earrings bouncing as she ran toward them.

"Grandmother says the doves for the release arrived!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. "There are so many - can I feed them?"

Ayisha chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Only if you promise not to name them again."

"But I already did!" Yaya grinned proudly. "One is Kamil Junior."

Kamil groaned. "Please tell me it's at least a handsome bird."

"It's the fattest one!"

Ayisha laughed , warm, unrestrained, motherly.