She bit her lower lip and sighed heavily, wondering why Hussan, who was obviously much more experienced at this business than she was, hadn’t he thought of this? Or had he intentionally omitted contraception?
Was he trying to get her pregnant? Was this a master plan for him to ensure succession of power?
Sadly, she understood that producing the next ruler was her primary function. She crawled out of the silken sheets and walked towards the shower with a heavy heart. She knew that, deep in her heart, she’d been hoping that Hussan thought more of her than just being a convenient baby machine. The way he touched her, the intensity of his lovemaking had given her hope that he wanted her as a person and it wasn’t just about her fertility.
She supposed she had been deluding herself about that though. She turned on the shower, her hand reaching out to let the water run over her fingers from the rocks above and tried to reconcile herself to the role for which she’d been raised. She was a political asset and a female who could procreate. She’d known that all her life. It wasn’t such a horrible existence and she didn’t have the overwhelming responsibility to lead a nation like Hussan or her brother had to bear. Rashid didn’t have any choice in his future either. He’d been raised to lead and she had no idea if he’d ever wanted something else for himself but had repressed that side of him because of his responsibilities to Tasain.
Hussan hadn’t been raised from birth to lead, but he’d taken up the role as a young adult because he believed in the beauty and strength of Silaria. His patriotism and integrity wouldn’t allow his lovely country to be raped by his uncle so he’d done what he had to do.
Was his marriage to her his next obligation? Did he simply need Rashid’s support to maintain the border security? Or were there other political issues that were resolved by Hussan’s marriage connection to Rashid who was a powerful influence in the region? Between the two of them, they would be a major force within the oil producing nations. It helped that they were like minded on many political and economic issues. Funny, but she wouldn’t have been able to say that three days ago. She’d listened to Hussan during yesterday’s dinner and he’d been very firm on several positions that even she agreed with.
She shampooed her hair and thoroughly washed her tired, sore body. When she was done, she dried off and went to her closet, not really caring about what she was to wear today. She was hungry, but the idea of another bland breakfast wasn’t tempting enough to get her into the dining room.
She pulled a soft blue sundress from the hanger angrily. “Food is definitely one thing I can improve upon in this place,” she thought with determination.
She straightened her shoulders and shook off her depression. There was no need for her to just meekly accept her baby making status. She could still do something important. And making the food more palatable was one area she was determined to change. It didn’t have a high priority because the food was at least nutritious. But there was a morale issue that could be helped if the palace food was improved.
She had no idea how to do it, and she knew that Hussan wouldn’t give her any additional funds to help because she suspected that he would put palace food on the back burner. But she wasn’t going to eat tasteless chicken and rubbery eggs any longer.
“Marketplace!” she thought as she dried her hair and pinned it back. She could hit the marketplace and ask for advice on the spices they sold. She could also consult with the chef, find out what he or she was planning for the evening meal and get some alternatives that would add flavor and a bit more excitement to the meal.
Feeling better about her plan for the day, she stepped out into the hallway and, sure enough, two body guards were standing right outside, ready to follow her wherever she went.
She remembered trying to get Hussan to talk to her yesterday about her agenda but he’d blown her off for things he considered more important. Well, she wasn’t going to take that any more so she decided that, if he didn’t have time to go over her plans, she simply wouldn’t discuss her plans with him.
She thought that was fair since he didn’t discuss his plans with her. In truth, he didn’t really discuss anything with her. He simply came to her, made love to her and then departed when he was finished.
She knew she should discuss her plans with her body guards. After all, it wasn’t their fault that she was furious with her soon to be husband. Unfortunately, with her current mood, she considered her body guards to be minions of Hussan and she wanted to hurt him as much as she was hurting. Petty attitude? Absolutely. Did it make her feel better? More in control of her destiny? Absolutely.
Her heels clicked along the marble floor of the palace hallway and she easily found the palace kitchen. There was absolute chaos inside the steel and concrete area with people rushing all over the place, large pans being washed in a massive sink and other pots being brought to the cooking area. Several people covered in white aprons were chopping vegetables, several others were doing something with a large slab of meat but Isla wasn’t sure what that task might be.
One man stood in the center of everything, looking on with concern and anxiety. Isla assumed that he was the head chef, but thought to approach him carefully in case she offended someone. There was nothing worse than an angry chef when one sat down to dinner at night.
She smiled carefully at the man as she approached. “Excuse me,” she called out and was startled when almost everyone in the entire kitchen area stopped what they were doing, froze and started looking at her. She looked around, wondering why they’d stopped so suddenly but then turned back to the man she’d approached to find him on his knees, prostrate on the floor by her feet.
“Goodness! Please don’t do that!” she gasped and reached down to lift the man up, trying to reassure him with a smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” she said, thinking that this man had obviously been abused by Hussan’s predecessor. “I just wanted to discuss the dinner menu for tonight,” she said softly.
Turning to the others, she smiled brightly as she said, “Please carry on with whatever you were doing and I apologize for the interruption.” The workers slowly went back to work, but she caught several of them glancing at her nervously as they continued their tasks.
“How can I serve you, Your Highness?” the strange man said as he stood in front of her, his hands clasped nervously in front of him as he continued to bow.