Aloe would have loved to say that she cowered in fear, but her body didn’t even allow her that modesty. Instead, she remained impassive, which was a response that came naturally to her after being inactive for so long.
“Greetings, princess Khalida.” The scribe welcomed the sultanzade with the faintest nod of her head. “I would be more forward and enthusiastic with my salutation, but unfortunately, my body does not allow me so.”
“No problem, Rani’s scribe,” Khalida responded with a smile, which made Aloe’s eyes twitch slightly.
That’s what I am for them, just the scribe of Rani, nothing more. Maybe not even a person. Aloe smiled back at the princess, but she felt the muscles of her face betray her with spasms. Her body began heating up.
“I am afraid I am unable to serve you, princess,” a quick glance revealed the presence of another sultanzade, “and you, prince Kareem. Nonetheless, may I inquire about your visit?”
Ignoring a sultanzade, even if it had been only for a few seconds, and explicitly because she hadn’t noticed him, could cost her dearly. The most she could do was to appeal to their humanity to not attack a defenseless and disabled woman. If they even have humanity, considering they are not humans. Aloe thought with overflowing venom. And that her mother has none of that.
Let us say that Aloe was not happy with the current status quo.
“I would say visit is too strong of a word, scribe.” Kareem, the brother, added.
Aloe didn’t know much about sultanzade, if nothing at all. Even though she had spent weeks in the palace, she hadn’t interacted with them at all, mainly because she was staying at the main palace. She only knew of five sultanzade and those were two of them. But the extent of her knowledge was that they were twins. The only sultanzade twins that existed.
Having said so, Khalida and Kareem weren’t that similar. The female twin didn’t inherit much from her mother as she had a dark skin similar to Aloe rather than the imperial bronze skin, her eyes were dark green instead of shining amethyst, and her hair was chestnut, not jet black. The only likeliness she had with Aaliyah was the muscles on her body. And even that wasn’t enough. Comparing the sultanzade with the sultanah was like comparing an infirm child to a soldier. One could barely see the abs showing through her open dress, unlike the well-built mountains of Aaliyah. And for the first time in history, that analogy wasn’t used for breasts, but toned and strong abs.
The male twin, on the other hand, looked more like a woman than his twin sister and mother. Not to say that Kareem wasn’t well-built, but he was way thin and had a taller build that only made him look even feebler. His jawline wasn’t marked much, giving him a more androgynous look. His eyes and hair shared the color of the sultanah, yet both felt incredibly lackluster in comparison. Like a dull version of Rani, let alone Aaliyah.
If Aloe had to use a word to describe him, it would be: disappointment.
“Do not be harsh with the scribe, brother.” Khalida put a hand on her brother’s midriff, a gesture that came off a bit too salacious. “Look at her, it seems the snake tongues have been speaking the truth for ones. I am surprised she is even alive.”
“May I ask what rumors you have heard?” Aloe inquired slowly but without letting her voice tremble. Her body felt weak, but she doubted she could even stutter. These two... they felt so dull against the spotlights that were Rani and Aaliyah. “It is the victim’s right to hear about the poison the snake tongues have infected them with.”
The scribe felt the bile gathering in her throat.
“Nothing, much,” Kareem interjected, even his tone and mannerism felt effeminate. “Nothing that you will have not imagined already.”
Aloe’s expression darkened. If it wasn’t enough to have... experienced that and not being able to walk, having people speaking at her back did her no good at all. She did her best to control her breathing and her swelling throat. She wanted to puke and scream. At the same time.
No amount of ‘toughness’ could help her power through that.
She held to her sanity for dear life, maintaining her façade without showing weakness. There was no telling what the sultanzade would do if they saw more weakness beyond her already crippled body.
“I… see,” Aloe added only to break the growing silence.
“Anyhow,” Khalida interjected, “you can consider ourselves curious. We saw you in the gardens and you might understand that you have become a significant matter of talk.”
“Have I…?” The scribe was at a loss for words. “Pardon my ignorance, I have been enclosed for far too long, but what do you mean by that? Princess Khalida.” She added hastily at the end.
“It would seem the lack of fresh air has affected you severely.” Kareem snorted. His tone was more amused than derisive. “Think about it, scribe. When have you hurt about the Sultanah hurting one of her consummations?”
“I cannot say I have,” Aloe revealed, though she barely heard any news from the capital, even now in her current position.
“Exactly.” The male sultanzade’s eyes turned sharp.
The petite woman’s breath stopped, not at the examining gaze of the handsome man, but at his mannerisms. Those eyes… Aloe could recognize them, or rather, the changes in them. He is using ‘acuity’. It wasn’t a surprise she found him doing so. It was from Kareem that she first discovered that internal infusion.
“Our dear mother has never hurt a partner, none that we are aware of, at least.” The man spoke slowly, focused. It was clear to Aloe that he was prying her for answers. Unfortunately for the sultanzade, she was dead inside. He wouldn’t get any reactions from her.
“What my brother intends to say is, what happened?” Khalida squatted in front of Aloe, almost making the scribe squirm in fear as she approached. The princess examined her, though she couldn’t feel ‘acuity’ coming from her. Only the oppressive heat of her toned skin. And there was a lot of it exposed. Aloe couldn’t even understand how the woman felt no shame at having most of her body exposed, even her undergarments from such a position. “What did you do, scribe? What did you say? What caused the playful Sultanah to snap you like a twig? And even after that, why are you alive? Why did she let you go? She could have sucked you dry like an orange and thrown you away. Yet she did not.”
“I wish I could answer those questions,” Aloe replied lethargically, her eyes becoming watery not only from the sultanzade’s pressure but also from the memories coming back to her. “I wish I could…” She sobbed. “But I do not know. I do not know…”
Her throat tangled so viciously that it hurt her even through ‘toughness’. It was as if someone had torn it from her body. It took Aloe every last pinch of her willpower to not break into tears.
“Ah, sister. You have broken her.” Kareem taunted. “Look at that weakness.”
Aloe didn’t know if it was the childish and stupid tone of the man, but she found herself gritting her teeth. Her cold sadness dissipated into fiery anger. She knew better than to lash out at a sultanzade, but that didn’t stop her from looking at the prince viciously.
“Hmm~” The sultanzade closed his mouth and looked back at Aloe. “I retract my words; this one is strong.”
“She has survived Mother, of course she is strong,” Khalida stated as a matter of fact. “How many people that are not sultanzade can even say that?”
“Not many, if at all.” Her brother replied. “But I would not count that as a battle.”
“Why not?” The princess stood up, making Aloe relax as she no longer felt her body heat. “It is just a different battlefield. A battle, nonetheless. Just with different rules and win conditions.”
“Sex, a battle?” Kareem snickered.
“Well, you would not know that if you only wet your prick with maids. Never tried a man tougher than you?” Khalida’s visage illuminated with enjoyment, but her brother’s only soured.
“Tsk.” Kareem clicked his tongue and removed himself from Aloe’s limited field of view. “Do as you please, sister. I am out.”
Aloe stood still during the exchange; her eyes fixated on the princess’ backlit body. She looked like a mighty statue, even if her body wasn’t as well-built or sensual as her other half-sisters.
“If you only treat sex like pleasure, you will always be a wimp!” Khalida shouted.
“Fuck you!” The prince’s voice was weak.
How did he get this far already in just a few seconds? Aloe pondered surprised at the diminished voice.
Once her brother was away, the princess directed to the scribe once more. “We need to talk more about the future. I feel you at least know some answers to the questions I made, but for now, I will let you rest. Farewell, Aloe.”
It stunned Aloe more the fact that the sultanzade remembered her name rather than her outburst of goodwill. Both were equally rare, though.
Even if she had been out in the garden for a few minutes, Aloe already wanted to go back to her bedchamber.
Fun fact: I delayed this chapter because I was busy writing the one that had to be published on Patreon, only to notice when I was going to publish it that I had mistaken the title numbers and had indeed not needed to finish that chapter because the one needed to be published was written. Yeah, me dum dum.
Second fun fact: Today's Sant Jordi in Spain. Basically, a celebration where you gift roses and books, so I'm kinda doing my part by gifting you all this chapter!
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