The group came out from behind the trees, with their hands in the air. Raden Hamza saw his son, holding the Princess in his arm helping her walk back to the clearing.
He walked out from behind the tree. “Ali, are you alright? Ananda Puteri, are you hurt?” He said while approaching them.
“Father, we are okay now.” Ali replied, his face reflected relief. “Mita is slightly injured, she sprained her ankle.”
“Thank Goodness, you both look tired and dirty, but I can see you are over all well.”
“Yes we are Ayahnda.” Paramita answered.
“Your Excellency Raden Hamza,” The colonel interrupted them, “I have radioed the rest of the men to reconvene here in this place. I will talk to Captain Bagas of the Royal Guards in charge of protecting the Princess and your son to understand the situation. I suggest Your Excellency take your son and the Princess back to the vehicle, I will have three of my men escort you back there, and accompany you back to the capital.”
“Yes, yes, Colonel. You are right, we have to get back to the capital immediately. Ananda Puteri is injured, it would be best if she can rest in a safe place and have a doctor check her condition.”
“Colonel.” Ali said, “After everything that happened, I suspect, that this was an attempt on the Princess’s life, please make sure you get to the bottom of this.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.” He replied.
“My son, let’s go back to the truck, there is something that you don’t know about, and I think this is the best time than ever to tell you about it.”
“Yes, Father.” Ali replied. “Come on, Mita. Just a little bit more, and we can give that ankle of yours the rest that it deserves.”
“Don’t exaggerate.” She told him.
Raden Hamza was unhappy seeing his son holding Mita by her waist as she walked, and that she also had her arm around his neck. But there was nothing he could do, she was injured, and needed help to walk, and the only appropriate person to do that was her fiancée. Though they were not married yet, but at least they were already engaged. He decided to dismiss the inappropriate behavior because of her injury.
“Abang, is your father upset about something?” She whispered to him
“Why do you think that?” He asked her back also in a low voice.
“He was looking at us disapprovingly.”
“Well, maybe it’s because we look like we’re hugging each other.”
“Should It try to walk by myself? Maybe if I can find a walking stick…”
“Don’t be silly, just be quiet and don’t mind him.”
“Easy for you to say…” she responded.
With the armed soldiers guarding them, they actually felt the walk to the trucks was easier and less tense.
They were helped to board the van, a guard handed them each a bottle of mineral water, which Paramita drank down thankfully.
“Father, Mita and I haven’t eaten a decent meal since yesterday.” Ali said.
“Your mother already thought of that, my son. She made me bring this box of savory snacks to give you and Ananda Puteri.”
“Thank you Ayahnda.” Paramita said with a big wide smile then began to dig through without saying anything else.
“Ali, there’s something I wanted to tell you about this marriage, and I think Ananda Puteri should know about it as well.”
“Tell me Father.”
“The truth is, that since the beginning, His Majesty Sultan had planned for you to marry Ananda Puteri. I only knew about this a few weeks ago. But Hafiz was never considered to be his son-in-law. The reason that he chose you was because of your political views.” Raden Hafiz paused, waiting for his son’s reaction.
Ali and Paramita looked at each other meaningfully. “Father, Mita had actually guessed this a long time ago, and we have spoken about it.” He said while receiving a snack that Paramita had opened for him.
“You have?” Raden Hamza looked at Paramita with surprise.
“Well, Ayahnda, it took me a while, but it was quite obvious, if I put into account the overall political situation that Jothar is facing, and the current condition of the Royal Family, it’s really not that hard to deduce, If I was in Ayahnda Sultan’s shoes, Abang Ali would be my obvious solution.” She said.
“It didn’t even cross my mind if the Sultan didn’t tell me himself a few days ago. I mean Ali’s mother is a foreigner.” Raden Hamza said almost to himself.
“A foreigner daughter of a monarch.” She added.
“I’ve never thought of that. Ananda Puteri, you are truly your father’s daughter, you can easily read his thoughts.” He looked at her with admiration. “So when did you know that you had to marry Ali?”
“From before I came here, I began investigating about Jothar. I suspected that I had to marry Bang Ali, at the time it seemed like the most plausible scenario to me, putting myself in my father’s shoes, of course.”
“Very well, since you two already know that much. I might as well tell you the other half of the situation. We suspect that the current reformist movement is not purely a demand by the people. But is driven by an intellectual actor.”
“Why would you think that?” Ali asked.
“The Jothar Investigation Bureau has linked Pangeran Bashir to a series of activities of the reformist.”
“I doubt that my uncle Pangeran Bashir is a man that is willing to renounce his royalty status and benefits.” Said Paramita.
“He must have other objectives than forming a parliament,” Ali said.
“That’s not right. To fight for democracy is the right of each citizen. Their noble cause shouldn’t be taken advantaged by some bitter old man.” Paramita said.
“He’s not alone, someone is funding his movement, we don’t know why yet, and what their intentions are.”
“Do you think it was my Uncle who tried to kill us?” Paramita asked.
“Most likely.” Ali said.
“That’s understandable, I am standing in his way. So to achieve his plan, he sent those men to kill us”
“What men?” Raden Hamza asked.
“There were some armed men that we subdued that wanted to kill us in the forest,” Ali replied, “I’m sure Captain Bagas will interrogate him for information.”
Paramita wasn’t paying attention to what he said, she was still lost in her thoughts. “Apparently my life here isn’t going to be a piece of cake,” Paramita said almost to herself.
Ali reached out and held her hand. “At least you won’t have to face it alone. I’ll be with you.”
Raden Hamza smiled while looking at his son. “Thank goodness.” He said under his breath.
* * *
In the capital city Wirakarta, a man sat at a large desk looking out the large window of his huge modern office. In his right hand, he’s holding a phone handset, “Pangeran, your men failed to kill the girl and Ali.”
“I assure you, that they know already. Soraya should have known better than to send her daughter here to die. She’s nothing but a greedy and stupid bitch. It was a bad idea to have trusted her to lure my brother years ago. She betrayed me and left for overseas with a fortune, and now it’s her daughter who’s in our way.”
“If you want your revenge on Soraya, just make sure they do their job right and kill them.”
“I know that!” responded the voice from the other side of the line.
The man hung up the phone.
“Bang, do you think he will succeed?” A younger man who was sitting on the seat in front of his desk asked.
“I doubt it, Pangeran Bashir lost the throne to the Sultan twenty-five years ago. he lost it in a battle of wits, and along with that, he lost his girlfriend. We need to put in motion our own plan!” He answered.
“Bang, our spies reported that the Princess is not some ordinary girl, she was able to take part in subduing the men that we sent. Apparently she knows martial arts.”
“Hmm…send word to our agent in the East Wing, they should find
the best moment to give her the drug.”
“Are we going to poison her?” The young man asked.
The older man smiled, “There are two potential results from the drug, one, she’ll vomit blood and die, or she would go into a rage and kill Ali, or with luck the Sultan himself, either way, we’ll benefit from the outcome.”
Chapter Eighteen
When they arrived at the East Wing Pavilion, a stretcher was ready at the drive way to bring Paramita to her room. The Palace physician was ready to treat her ankle.
"Your ankle is red and a swollen, it seems that you have torn some ligaments. It's a good thing that it was wrapped like this, this is actually the best first aid treatment that can be done for this type of injury. Wrapping a sprain ankle will limit movements and prevent it from getting worse. I'm not going to apply a cast, but it has to be secured with bandages to prevent movement, you can do it yourself." Said the doctor.
"How long would I need to have it on?" Paramita asked.
"Not more than two weeks, I will give you some mild pain killers just in case." She answered.
"Thank you doctor."
"Puteri, I think you should clean up first. I have prepared your bath." Mak Noor said to her.
"Mak, where is Raden Ali?"
"He left already with his father."
"Okay, can you please help me to the bathroom, Mak?"
"Of course, my child." Mak Noor replied. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that your mother will be arriving in three weeks."
"Oh? To attend the wedding?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't she be a little early?"
"Maybe she wants to help out with the preparations."
"Are we talking about the same person?"
"Don't be like that, child. God will punish you!" She reproached Paramita.
She helped Paramita take off her clothes and enter the bath tub. The bubbly warm water touching her skin felt nice and soothing. She closed her eyes and leaned against the tub.
"Puteri, there's a phone call for you." Mak Noor entered while bringing the cordless handset. "It's from your fiancée." She whispered.
She quickly took the handset from Mak Noor, "Hello..." She answered.
"Mita? What did the doctor say?" Ali asked directly without making small talk.
"Abang, she said that it was a minor sprain no torn ligaments or anything serious. She did complement the wrap that you put on, she said that it was the best first aid treatment that can be applied in that situation, of course I didn't tell her that you put it on just today and I sprained my ankle yesterday afternoon."
"Goodness, you're a hard one to please, aren't you?"
"Oh yes. Don't doubt that."
"So have you eaten?" He asked
"Not yet, I'm still taking a nice warm bubble bath." She replied while blowing the bubbles in her other hand.
"You're soaking in the bathtub?" He asked in a high pitched voice.
"Yes I am, so what about you? Have you eaten?"
He didn't answer,
"Hello....Are you there? Hello? Abang? Is there something wrong with the phone? Gosh, did this idiot hang up on me?" She said talking to herself.
"I heard that!" The voice answered from the other side. "You should learn to respect your elders!"
"Umm..., I was referring to the phone."
"Yeah, right!" He paused for a minute and then continued, "I was just thinking about you in the bathtub."
"What were you thinking about?"
"I'll tell you later, not now."
"That has to be, one of your favorite answers." She replied. "But you haven't told me about you, how are you doing?"
"I'm fine, I've showered, but I haven't eaten yet. My mother is still in the kitchen cooking. She was so happy to see me. She hugged me and cried, she said she couldn't sleep last night because she was worried about me."
"That's nice, you know I'm very envious of you, nobody was worried sick about me, well maybe only my Mak. I mean look at you, your father came down with the soldiers to look for you, and your mother lost sleep over you. But nobody came here to find me or to ask me how I am doing." She said in a sad voice.
"What do you mean, nobody was worried about you? I'm calling you right now. Since we separated I couldn't stop worrying about you. If they would have let me in to your room, I would have been there while the doctor was checking you."
"And I thank you, you're definitely the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Didn't you say it yourself? We're partners in peril. We have to stick together."
"That's right."
"I've got to go now, they're calling me to eat. You get some rest. We'll talk again later."
Paramita pressed the end call button and threw the handset on a thick rug that was on the floor of the bathroom. She clasped her face with both hands, folded her knees and cried.
"I think I love him." She said softly to herself. "Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why am I always falling in love with someone who would never look my way?" A feeling of loneliness overcame her as she broke down in an uncontrollable sob.
* * *
Ali put down the handset gently. He had a wide smile on his face. One month, it could be so little time, but it could also feel like an eternity. And for him, right now, one month seems like forever. He took a deep breath and sighed. Feeling embarrassed at himself for acting like a love stricken teenage boy.
He couldn't understand how Paramita was able to incite addiction in him. Addiction to her voice, to her laughter, to the silly jokes they make at each other, every time he would hear her call him "Abang" he would go crazy with happiness. Even though more than a handful of people call him that, but it feels different when it comes from her.
"Raden...Raden..." There was a knock at the door. "Everybody is waiting for you at the table."
He stood up and opened the door. "Thank you." He answered shortly.
He walked down the stairs and entered the dining room, Raden Hamza, his wife, and Hafiz were already sitting at the massive dining table. "I was worried that you were too tired to eat." Raden Nabilla said, "I made all your favorite dishes, here, don't disappoint me, eat up!"
"Have you called Ananda Puteri?" His father asked.
"Yes I have, the palace doctor already took a look at her sprain ankle. It was nothing serious." He answered.
"Is it on her left leg?" Hafiz asked, then continued without waiting for an answer. "It must be her bad leg, or so she calls it. She sprained it pretty bad in our first semester of college, playing football. She always played the forward. Mita, was quite a tomboy, she had strength that can match a man's."
"Kakakanda[12] Puteri." Ali stressed, "Is still a tomboy, and still has strength that can match a man's. Even enough strength to break a nose or two. That is part of her charm."
"So I read in the newspaper that your girlfriend was singing in the same event you attended, that must be awkward for you, having your girlfriend and fiancée in the same place, at the same time." Hafiz said intentionally ignoring Ali's word.
"Hafiz, please respect you brother!" Raden Nabilla warned him.
"Mita has become very beautiful now, well she has always been beautiful, but now, she's well groomed, and mature. She's come a long way from the girl who had a big crush on me in college, and was always coming up with excuses to be close to me..."
"That's enough, Hafiz." Raden Hamza yelled. "I forbid you to call Ananda Puteri so casually by her name, she will be your sister in law, your brother's wife! You should respect her for her position. I don't care what relationship you had in the past with her, a gentleman never disrespects a woman."
"Father, I'm not disrespecting her in any way, I'm just telling my fond memories of her." Hafiz argued.
"Hafiz, my fiancée is a proper and respectable woman. Please treat her as such. If anybody heard what you said just now, they would misunderstand and judge her negatively." Ali said calmly. "And one more thing. You and her might be friends in the past, but if you dare to
treat her any differently than how you should treat your brother's wife. You will regret it. I swear!"
With this, Ali wiped his mouth with the napkin and stood up, "Mother, the diner was very delicious, and I'm very thankful for your effort, but I've lost my appetite. Father and Mother, please excuse me, I'd like to go back to my room now." He didn't wait for them to answer and just left.
"How can you say those things? How can you act that way? What's gotten into you?" Raden Nabilla reprimanded him.
"Nothing happened to me. I just realized that I'm about to lose the only woman who had truly loved me, and that I never realized how I felt for her till now. Also, Abang has a girlfriend. How can he make her happy if he doesn't love her, and is only marrying her because he was told to?" He reasoned.
"Who says your brother doesn't love Ananda Puteri?" Raden Hamza asked.
"Who says he does?" Hafiz refuted. "He never did. And he just knew her for a few weeks. Not like me who's known her for years."
"Hafiz, please..., I'm too old for this! Leave your brother's fiancée alone.......!" Raden Hamza said putting his hand on his chest.
"Hafiz, just go to your room. Every time you open your mouth you cause your Father's heart to act up." Raden Nabilla said.
"Well I'm sorry I'm not the perfect son like my brother." He said while leaving.
Raden Hamza and Raden Nabilla looked at each other. He put his arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head against his. She cried as he caressed her back. "Be patient. Let's hope that God will open his mind soon." He whispered.
* * *
Paramita woke up feeling energetic, she stretched her body and got out of bed, she was happy her ankle had totally recovered. She didn't feel any pain when moving it, and the swelling had gone away. She was happy that today she could finally go jogging around the palace grounds. Maybe even catch a glimpse of Ali. She shook her head trying to get rid of the idea. She walked to the bathroom to shower before making her morning prayers.
Princess: Nuance Of Love Book 1 Page 15
