KING'S REPLACED QUEEN

AZAR'S POV

It was a long drive that ended at a mansion, much like the estate of Grandpa who we address as Grandfather all. He does command it with his title and his stature.

As soon as the car came to a halt, I hopped out and opened the door for Grandfather.

Suddenly I felt someone's gaze. My eyes searched and stopped at a place. I looked up and notice a beautiful girl looking at us.

'Beautiful, and that too, a girl?" My mind tripped over the jokes in my head. However, my eyes stayed stuck on her.

As soon as our eyes met, she hid behind a wall.

I smirked at her childishness. Shaking my head, we walked towards the main door before we rang the bell; Grand pa, my grandfather's best friend, welcomed us with his son- and daughter-in-law.

They welcomed us and Grandfather with a warm embrace.

We all sat in the living room as the conversations began to flow. While the atmosphere was light, I was torn trying to find a way out of this alliance without hurting anyone's emotions. I could see my grandfather was emotionally invested in this relationship. Hence, I tread cautiously.

My chain of thought broke when I heard someone with a lyrical voice saying Hello. I was both drawn and excited by that greeting. The greeting somehow brought about a sense of calm. Maybe it was because of the lack of a guiding female figure in my life. The only one I could count on was my Aunt Nina. (I was a little perplexed as the thought propped up. Counting on Grandfather and the nanny)

As my eyes drew towards the sound, I notice the same beautiful girl who hid herself not too long ago. To my surprise, she ran towards Grandfather and gave him a tight squeeze. She started blabbering with Grandfather, and he chuckled at her and with her. The warmth she showed towards Grandfather and the Child-like excitement in her had a bit of an irritating effect on me. I had to remain cordial and restrained myself from doing anything untoward. Meanwhile, I noticed that she was very close to Grandfather, and did care about him a lot and not only him, but she knew Aunt Nina (nanny) as well.

As far as I know my grandfather is not the person whole; mingles with world. He is staying far so he can live his life peacefully without any people's drama. But I can see this girl seems close to them. Her statement is clear indication she is close to even my granny too.

I could sense that she was good at heart. 'Have you ever known a woman was good? Have You? Have You?' My mind mocked me. What was the reason she was nice to Grandfather? What does she want? What has she set her eyes on?

Oh, yes, how could I forget? She knows why we are here. She wants Sanya to get married to me. By now, Grandfather had already spoken about Sanya, who I was to wed to keep the lineage going and bind the houses together, stronger than ever.

'Well, Princess, that is not going to happen.' With that thought, I chuckled.

But there was this one thing I couldn't deny. She had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen in my life. And those dimples were to die for.

Of course, not me, but any other guy would surely die. Would I though? Of course not. But?

'Huh, this is so irritating. Why am I even thinking about her like that?' I clutch my phone tightly in my hand as my jaw clenched in frustration.

When I was lost in my thoughts, I heard her mom ask Ara to call Sanya, which I assumed was the girl we were here to meet.

So, she is Ara, and the other girl's name is Sanya.

After some time, both girls came. Ara sat on the sofa near Grandfather, and Sanya greeted him warmly.

During their conversation, I observed this girl is extremely practical, like no strings attached type. And so far, I had never, and I mean never, ever been wrong in my observation. However, I would want to know a little more about her before I drew a conclusion. So, I decided to wait and watch.

My chain of thought broke when Ara asked me a few questions, which I hesitantly replied with the minimum possible words I could use, but I guess she had gotten what she wanted to know out of me.

She gave me a smile as she turned away to talk to the others present.

Sanya's Mom asked her to go outside to talk, so we could get further acquainted with each other. Now this I was really up for. I wanted to know who she really was without the mask of warmth and kindness she had on. It was a nice day. The Sun peeked through the clouds as we walked towards the lawns of this impressive manor which seemed to be falling apart at its seams.

We sat on the chair. The green blades of grass and the warm sun calmed my nerves and brought a small smile to my face. Is this not perfect? Apart from the company, of course.

Then I heard Sanya's voice asking me my thoughts about the marriage, but I wanted to know hers. Hence, I gave her a look like I didn't have an answer.

Girl, you want to play, then let us play.

So, she started talking about her thoughts, which I was keen to know.

Once she was done, I confirmed my previous reading about her that she was a self-centred person who was only focused on luxury in her life. She did not have a care about anyone's feelings or wellbeing. She wanted the best of everything and did not pay heed to how and where it came from. But what she needs to know is that each title comes with their own set of responsibilities, which I could see she could never fulfil.

She wants to be a queen? Queen! She is not even fit enough to become a princess, let alone a good one.

The King wants a Queen who understands the King, supports him, manages his people in his absence, but this girl wants the only title of Queen and all the luxuries associated with it without any sense of responsibility.

She will never stand for my family, my people.

She proclaims that she wants to work for people's well-being? I doubt she's even worked at or worked for anything in her life. She says she wants to stay connected to her land? Does she even know how the soil feels in the hand?

And she wants to become a Queen?

What a joke.

I smirked at her, thinking that she does not have any idea who I am.

She finished what she wanted to say and got up and started walking saying, I should say no to this alliance because she does not want to hurt her family.

But what about my family?

Grandfather and Aunt Nina?

Who does she think she is? What has she achieved in her life? What is this ego all about?

But one thing she does not know, today she came face to face with Azar Oldenburg and I love smashing people's egos into a million pieces.

Today you insulted the Azar Oldenburg family, and you were about to hurt my grandfather. Now I will show you what an insult is.

I'll show you how hurt feels. I'll show you what I am.

With that thought, I walked towards the house.

AZAR POV

'

As soon as I reached inside the room, everyone's gaze turned towards me. Grandfather gave me a smile and coyly put me on the spot. So, what do you think? Should we consider it a yes? What Grandfather had yet to learn about me was that I was slippery when I truly wanted to be. I smiled back, and without uttering a single word or sound, I parked myself near Grandfather and started checking my emails.

After some time, Sanya's mom announced that dinner was served and invited us to partake. With that, the topic went on the back burner as we made our way towards the dining room.

The seating arrangements were planned smartly in advance, making me and that rude, no-good lady Sanya the centre of attention. Sanya's grandpa sat at the head of the table. To his right sat Grandfather with me and Sanya, and in front of Grandfather and hence in close proximity to both the elders, who were keen on getting some answers but did not know patience is a virtue. Ara and her parents filled the other chairs.

While dinner was being served, Ara was having a heartfelt conversation with her grandfather regarding her NGO and how she was indebted to him for assisting and guiding her in every way possible and for helping arrange the funds. I felt a sense of warmth the more I heard from her regarding the assistance her NGO was providing to so many girls, her plans for the future, and how passionate she was for her endeavour. She indeed has a good heart.

Dinner was delicious, to say the least. At least something good came out of this misguided adventure, I thought.

Then they served the dessert. I really don't have a sweet tooth. But how would the appearance of turning down the dessert look? As my mind wandered, a chocolate cupcake was placed right in front of me. It's time to put on an act and swallow this sweet poison. But one bite, and I was hooked. It melted in my mouth instantly.

Grandfather asked his friend if we could call the head chef and compliment him on the meal and especially the dessert in person.

Ara's grandpa laughed loudly and said, we can definitely call the chef, but the dessert chef was right here amongst us. To our utter surprise, he declared that it was Chef Ara who had made the delicious chocolate cupcake, which I was almost in love with.

So, the other princess can cook up stories, while Princess Ara can actually cook a meal. I was shocked, to say the least.

After dinner, we all went to the garden and sat down for coffee. I could feel Grandfather's gaze on me for my answer, which I tried my level best to ignore, but his patience seemed to be running thin, and he eventually asked me to join him for a stroll. There was no slipping out of this one, I thought to myself. Reluctantly, I joined him for that dreaded walk.

"So, Azar, what have you thought about Sanya?" He spoke while walking.

I was quiet for some time and wondered what to say to Grandfather. How do I explain this to him? I don't want to hurt him, no matter what. After taking a deep breath and gathering my thoughts, I meekly replied, "Grandfather, I need someone who stands by me and takes a stand for me, someone who cares for people, someone who understands the pain of my people, someone who can do justice to them, someone who goes even against me if she thinks it is wrong.

I need a strong woman, a companion, but I'm sorry to say Sanya is not that woman."

Hearing my words, he could see the sadness in his eyes, which caused me pain as well. I had no intention of hurting him. That is the last thing I would ever want.

But as soon as I spoke again, the sadness was replaced by a warm smile, a twinkle in the eye, and an unmistakable nod of agreement.

We went back to our seats, sat there, and started talking to everyone.

As we were preparing to leave Ara's grandfather, another one of those impatient ones asked Grandfather about my decision.

Grandfather gulped and addressed the audience, "The King has decided that he will go ahead with this union." However, his queen will be Princess Ara."

Union

Everyone was in a state of shock mixed with excitement. But Princess Self-Cantered did not know what hit her. From queen to queen's sister, she was angry, but she had to fake happiness for Sanya. She was all over the place.

Grandpa said to Grandfather, "My beloved friend. I know that no union can be forced upon anyone, but how do we agree to the marriage of the younger sibling when the elder one is yet unwed?"

"The King has chosen his Queen. Now there is no change in it. And I told you beforehand that whatever Azar decides, I will accept that, and I will not force him to do anything against his will. Now it is up to you to decide what you want to do. We can wait till you don't find a suitable match for Sanya." Grandfather spoke in an authoritative voice.

They looked at each other and looked towards Ara, who looked like she had seen a ghost.

I let my gaze shift to other things, as I did not want to put anyone on the spot. I did not want to enforce my decision on anyone. Especially Ara. I wanted her to give it some thought and not make a decision under duress.

Not that this impatient lot was going to wait. Grandfather gave a nod to Grandpa, followed by a bear hug, and with a sense of joy and relief in his voice, he said, "We agree to this union." We are delighted that we will be able to address the King as our dear son-in-law. We are certain Ara will bring all the joy and happiness to the family and that they will be blessed with many healthy and happy heirs." With that, a small tear seemed to roll down his left eye.

But I had other plans, so I said, "Grandfather, I must leave for Paris, and I want to get married before I leave. So kindly arrange things accordingly."

They had heard me loud and clear and, despite being unsure, nodded in agreement. There was a visible hesitation on their faces. That did not leave them enough time to find a suitable alliance for Sanya. And if Ara got married before her elder sister, what would society say? How would they find an alliance for Sanya after that? The unease started to grow on their faces.

I understood their hesitation. But Sanya was never going to be my queen. I would marry someone who understands the value of humanity and humility. Who understood that there is more to life than luxury.

I don't believe in women, but that did not mean I didn't know how important companionship was in every relationship.

Good wife or not, I want a good queen for my kingdom.

And I knew at least Ara would not disappoint me.

Finally, everyone agreed, even hesitatingly. From the corner of my eye, I tried to sneak a glance at Ara. She looked absolutely shell-shocked and mortified. It felt as if the wings of the chirpy bird had suddenly been clipped.

I wanted to laugh, but I successfully managed to hide it. I kept my nerves. I had a feeling of disappointment that no one had bothered to ask her opinion about the matter. It was to be a huge decision in her life as well, and the fact that she knew little or nothing about me did not help. But then, I did not know anything about her either.

I guess Grandfather understood her feelings and took her aside to speak about something in private. I could see she was nodding and smiling, but I knew better.

'Sorry, Ara. You have to become a replacement for your sister.' I thought, looking at the duo.

We all bid goodbye to everyone. I noticed Ara and Sanya were standing together, Ara with no expression on her face. Though I wanted to leave, something was stopping me. I wanted to show Sanya her place. "I hope you are happy with this arrangement, Miss Morosini." A smirk appears on my face. I could see she was blazing in anger at her insult.

Huh, that is what I wanted, you arrogant, no-good woman. No one can walk away after insulting Azar Oldenburg.

Ara had a shocked expression at the news of Sanya's denial of this alliance, but she hid her expression instantly.

I turned my face toward Ara. "Congratulations! My Queen Marstrand is waiting for their Queen". I could see her face heat and her cheeks become beetroot red suddenly as she tried to avoid blushing and failed miserably at avoiding it. I wanted to embrace her, but that would have been improper. I turned towards Sanya, who was rattled.

Yup, now she knows who I am.

I am the King.

The only king Even their estate, Madhupur, is also under me. Now she understands what she missed.

Oh, how I enjoyed that expression on her face.

I finally gave my last look to Ara, who was looking everywhere before me. Again, I could not hide the tiny smile appearing on my lip as I looked at her cuteness.

I wanted to talk to her, but I decided otherwise as we sat in the car and left.

As soon as I entered my room, tears started streaming down my face, thinking of the events of the evening and how they transpired. How life has changed in a fraction of the time.

I don't know whether to be happy or sad, but tears don't seem to stop.

My mind is trying to recreate the entire evening. Maybe that will help.

Flashback

Life was good.

I got a promotion six months ago. My fantastic designs got the attention they deserved. And soon I am going to Paris Fashion Week with our company's spring collection. Yes, you heard it right. The Fashion Capital of the World, Paris.

I have lovely parents, William and Evelyn Morosini, and a sister, Sanya Morosini, who is a professor, and they love me a lot, as do I.