95. Broken (Patreon)

Rani did the best she could to hold off her sigh, but it was getting unbearably difficult. She was no stranger to meetings, especially those with sultanzade. As one who had been marked early for a diplomatic life, Rani excelled in the battlefield of words, where every word was just a rope ready to close around your neck. This wasn’t just because of her charm, albeit that helped greatly, but her appreciation for words rather than bloodshed. Aaliyah was the most diplomatic sultan to ever exist, yet her children were ones of the most bloodthirsty sultanzade to ever be born.

What made Rani different from her brothers and sisters was the likeliness she shared with her mother. Not the physical likeness, but the mental.

For she knew mental damage was greater than physical one.

And that was exactly why she wanted to leave the council meeting; she could feel her mind getting fried from the repeated words spoken by people who barely understood them.

“Has someone else have something to add?” Afar, one of the eldest sultanzade, spoke.

Whilst he would never become sultan because of his advanced age, that didn’t mean he didn’t possess power in the court. He was one of the first emirs of the new regime, after all.

“No one? Great.” The bulky man stood up by pressing his hands on the table, the muscles of his arms bulging in anticipation. “This meeting has gone for far too long and nothing has been achieved. All the doubts or ideas you still have will have to wait for the next council. By the merit of my authority, I adjourn this session.”

Rani almost slumped on her chair after hearing that, she was too tired. But alas, she couldn’t allow herself to do so. Whilst respected in the palace, her position was one of precarity. Unlike other sultanzade, her Nurture was weak, and even if she had the favor of the sultanah and flaunted the title of emir, she couldn’t show weakness. Weak people got disposed of, just like Hassan.

Afar had been right, the meeting had been long as beams of light filtered through the slits on the ceiling. They had begun even before the sun had disappeared and yet they saw it again now.

The sultanzade dedicated each other a few gazes. Many emotions and meanings were carried by them, weapons more than meaningful messages. The only ones who didn’t look at each other with hate were the twins, Kareem and Khalida, but besides being the only ones who wouldn’t stab each other in the back if they had the chance, they also had no lands to worry about, therefore fewer stakes and less to lose. That made her wonder why they would even waste their time with these council meetings.

She waited for most sultanzade to leave, mainly because she was too tired to stand up. She had traveled to Asina slowly, but that had taken more of a toll than rushing to the capital on a dweller or with the speed stance. She had barely had a breather since she had arrived. Only a restless sleep in a bed she could no longer call her own and then hours upon hours of meetings and poisoned conversations. Spending hours with her mother during the morning didn’t help.

How’s Aloe? Rani pondered as her visage remained impassive, her eyes seeing the sultanzade leave and the servants starting to clean. Aaliyah shouldn’t have done anything. She didn’t show much interest in her in the audience hall. But it is her we are talking about. Will she have done something just to spite me? That would be like her...

Once every sibling left the room, everyone taking the hint that she wanted no further conversation, Rani stood up. As soon as she stepped out of the room, a familiar face met her. Though most faces here were familiar, for better or worse.

“Good morning, my liege.” The maid saluted calmly.

“Good morning to you too.” The emir added with a lack of interest. “Please, say something interesting or disappear from my sight. I need some sleep.”

“I would not classify it myself as interesting, but it certainly could be for you.” The average-looking maid spoke. Her presence would have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the fairness of her skin.

“Spit it out, I am not out for games.” Rani scowled.

“Your scribe has met with the Sultanah.” The princess’ expression vanished upon hearing the words.

“Location?”

“Her office.” Rani clicked her tongue and directed to the Sultanah’s office.

It was obvious what had happened. The maid didn’t need to elaborate further. This was just a petty play to spite her, she knew it. She had messed everything up, but maybe it was still salvageable. The Sultanah’s plan was simple, to break her daughter’s tools. The maid walked behind Rani with perfect composure, unfazed expression, and constant pace. That was not the posture of a maid of Asina palace. After all, Rani didn’t hire the woman because she was a maid.

The princess barged into the main palace, scaring some maids and making them walk away from her path. If the woman walking behind her had warned her, it was because the Sultanah had already left her office.

Rani forced the door open.

Even with all the incense burning in the closed room, the place reeked of sex. It was an omnipresent stench that pointed out that the act had not taken place in a single spot, but many. The multiple drenched seats, even what would be many hours after the deed, solidified that hypothesis. Upon closer inspection, she saw struggling marks on the seats, especially the cushioned ones. Other assaulters would lash out at their victims for the damage, but Aaliyah would likely wear it as a medal of honor. But what mattered wasn’t the obsession with the seatings of the sultanah, but the mound of flesh on the single bed of the room.

The emir approached the undone bed with lethargy, but what she saw slapped the sleep out of her.

Blood tainted the white sheets.

Too much blood.

“What has happened?” She feared the worst, if the young woman was moving, it was barely noticeable. The princess only calmed down a bit after noticing that all the blood – some spots already coagulating – was concentrated on the scribe’s crotch. “I knew that she was a virgin... but this is too much blood. How?” Had the sultanah been too forceful and ruptured something?

“Menstrual blood, my liege.” The maid explained calmly.

It didn’t surprise Rani that the woman was able to differentiate types of blood by sight alone. Though smell was probably the deciding factor.

“Rape and menstruation? I would not know how to handle that if I were her. What an unholy combination.” Rani tried to make the best out of the situation by bringing a bit of humor, but the truth was that she truly couldn’t imagine it. Someone as powerful as she was incapable of putting in the mind of someone who had been sexually assaulted.

“She has been sleeping for a while now.” The maid added.

“You have been here before?” The princess asked with an unexpressive visage as she examined the scene. She didn’t need to fake impassiveness.

“I was watching over her and I entered the office once the Sultanah left under the pretext of cleaning.” She explained. “But the scribe woke up screaming after a while. I don’t know if it was because she was in pain, from nightmares, or the trauma, but she asked me to hand her some kind of medicine she had on her clothes. After that, she practically instantly collapsed as if she had never woken up in the first place. That was when I decided to look for you.”

“I see.” Rani felt empty upon hearing the words. “Thank you for your report. I will go for now. Tell her to meet me when she wakes up. Maybe give her a bath before that... Or maybe not. I could use that myself along her to...”

“I fear that will not be possible, my liege.”

“What do you mean?” The princess frowned upon the rejection. Even before becoming the emir of Sadina, Rani could count with her hands the number of times she had been denied something.

“It is not about my willingness to serve you, but rather about the scribe’s capabilities.” The maid explained with unnerving calmness. “When she woke up, before trying to ask me to hand her the medicine, she tried to grab it herself as she writhed in pain. Alas, she fell from the bed, having difficulties moving her body. When I carried her back to the bed, I discovered her body was damaged.”

“Be clearer.” Rani felt her hands numbing.

“The scribe’s pelvic region is heavily damaged.” The lack of emotion in the maid’s voice was almost monstrous. “I doubt she may be able to walk again.”