Emerald St. Clair's POV

"You look so beautiful!" Candice, my assistant, exclaimed after helping to dress inside my room for the photo shoot.

"Thanks," I replied with a tight smile on my face. There's something about this photoshoot that made me nervous. In the past, I never felt this kind of anxiety before the start of my work. So why is this one different? I wondered silently.

Yesterday, after my confrontation with Khalil Al-Farsi and the team finally arrived here at the palace after being rescued from those desert thieves along with our other personal belongings and the St. Clair jewelry, I discussed with them, especially the production team, Al-Farsi's offer to redo the shoot inside the palace garden.

Of course, they agree without a heartbeat. For some reason, the decision of our team reached Al-Farsi's ears, and later that night, sets of traditional wedding finery arrived at the palace so we could use them for the shoot.

"What's wrong?" Candice asked me concernedly. "You look nervous."

"I am," I told her truthfully, taking a deep breath while trying to calm my nerves.

"We need to slay this photoshoot so we can go back to New York," she said with a smile, arranging the beautiful handmade wedding gown studded with Swarovski crystal beads and embroidery. Then she fixed the veil that matched the traditional wedding gown. "There. You look like a Sheikh's bride now."

Upon mentioning that, my heart skipped a beat when my mind wandered back to that loathsome soon-to-be king of this land. I didn't bother to answer while banishing that man out of my head. I just stared down at my hands with henna.

To make it as authentic as possible, they asked one of the palace maids to give my hands henna just like any other local bride on her wedding day. Now I stood in my room with all this wedding refinery for the photo shoot while I draped in St. Clair Diamonds.

"Ready?" Candice asked brightly.

I only managed to nod in her direction as she helped me go out of my room so we could go to the shoot's location in the palace garden. We were warned by the security team of the palace that there's some part of this royal residence that we're prohibited from using as a backdrop for our shoot.

Only the palace garden and the hallways on the first floor were permitted to be used, which was more than enough for us.

I saw Andrew and his assistant readying his camera while the others were busy setting up the area.

"I'm ready."

"Okay, let's—" Andrew trailed off his words when his gaze caught the sight of me. "—beautiful."

I rolled my eyes at him. I was aware that every eye in the garden was on me. Even the palace guards who were here to supervise the whole thing were looking at me. "Thanks. But this dress is quite heavy, I might just add. Shall we start?"

Andrew swallowed hard, still looking at me. He cleared his throat when he realized that he was still staring at me. "O-Of course. Can you please help her sit on the lawn over there?"

Candice was about to help me with my dress when I stopped dead in my place when my eyes collided with the familiar cobalt eyes walking in the hallway a few feet away from us with men trailing behind him.

He also abruptly stopped walking and stared at me from head to toe. I could feel my body burn the way he trailed his eyes on my body. I raised an eyebrow in his direction, refusing to let him know how much his stare bothered me. And then I saw the corner of his mouth curve with a smile while shaking his head before continuing to walk.

I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding until he was finally out of sight. I carefully sat on the lawn where Andrew wanted me to pose.

"Okay," Andrew started, placing the camera in his face. "Look slightly down and a little sideways, Em. Give me a mysterious vibe."

Taking a deep breath, I did as he told me. With every click of his camera, I changed my pose, looking straight at the camera, looking away, sideways, looking downwards at my clothes. I could smugly say after being a model for years now, I am proposing in front of the camera.

After that, Andrew instructed me to stand near the beautifully maintained rose hedge and pretend to smell the flowers with closed eyes while making sure that the pieces of jewelry draped on me were still in full view of the camera.

While Andrew was busy taking shots of me with different poses and different angles, I became aware that someone was watching me.

"Candice," I heard Andrew say to my assistant. "Can you arrange her veil? It's covering half of her face."

I didn't move while my assistant was fixing the veil on my shoulder. "Don't look," she whispered beside me. "But the king is looking at you from the balcony on the second floor."

My traitorous heart starts beating wildly in my chest. Suddenly, I felt nervous about the whole thing, which was absurd because I'm a professional model. It took every ounce of my self-control not to look at the balcony on the second floor.

"Okay, let's start," Andrew said while Candice moved away from me. "Emerald, can you hold a flower as if examining it? Be sure to show the ring on your finger while doing that."

"Got it," I replied, still fully aware of the man standing on the mezzanine. Was he still there looking? I knew that he was still there because I could feel his eyes on me. This was so nerve-racking! It feels like I was once again on my first modeling job years ago. I never felt so conscious about a photo shoot until now.

That's what happened for the next half an hour before Andrew shouted with glee. "Okay. That's a wrap, everyone!"

I took a deep breath. My God, my body was so tired. The crew started to pack our things while my assistant and I were about to go into my room to remove this gown and jewelry.

As we were about to leave the garden, I dared to take a peek at the balcony on the second floor. I didn't know what I would achieve in doing this, but it seemed that my eyes couldn't resist glancing in that direction.

I exhaled deeply when I saw the veranda empty. Thank goodness he wasn't there anymore.

Candice helped me with this heavy gown as we went back to my room. Once we were inside, she helped me slide out of this wedding refinery carefully remove the St. Clair jewels, and put them back in their velvet cases.

I went to the bathroom to remove my heavy makeup. "How long do you think before this henna will rub off?" I asked my assistant.

"I think a couple of weeks, I guess," Candice replied from my room.

"That long?"

"I think so," she replied. "Don't worry. I will look on the internet for ways how to remove it instantly."

"Thank you, Candice. I appreciate that."

"If you need anything, I will be just in my room."

I nodded, though she really couldn't see me inside the bathroom. "Okay. Thanks for today."

I heard the bedroom door open and shut. Candice must have left the room already. I decide to take a shower to ease up my sore muscles from posing in front of the camera for a long time.

Once I was done with my shower, I went out of the wet room in my bathrobe with a towel wrapped around my head. I stopped dead in my place when I saw the familiar figure standing near the French window. His back was on me while looking outside.

I automatically clutch the front of my bathrobe at the center, feeling suddenly exposed in my bedroom!

"What are you doing here?" I asked disapprovingly.

He turned his head around slightly, glancing in my direction. I couldn't miss the way his eyes flashed with desire when his gaze saw me. He went back to look outside. "The door was not locked."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. "So, you decided to come inside without my permission?"

He just shrugged casually.

"Well, I'd like you to leave now. I want to get dressed."

"Go ahead," he answered nonchalantly, still looking outside. "Don't mind me here."

My eyes widened in his direction. "Are you out of your mind? Do you think I'll strip here while you are inside my room?"

He turned around to face me this time. There was a devilish smile playing on his lips. "I wouldn't mind that if I was in your position."

I took a deep breath. The last thing I wanted was another argument with him. I pointed my index finger at the doorway. "Get out now!"

Instead of heeding my request, the arrogant man just closed the distance between us.

"What are you doing?" I protested when he suddenly grabbed my hand and examined the intricate design of the henna in my hand. "Don't touch me!"

I tried to snatch back my hand from his touch, but he just merely tightened his hold. There was a smirk playing on his lips while gazing down at my hand. "I like this. Do you know the meaning of this design of henna on your hands?"

"No," I scowled at him darkly. "Let go of my hands this instant."

He gave me a self-satisfied smile. His eyes glowed like sapphires while gazing at me. "This specific design is reserved for the king's bride, habibti."

"What?!"

The smile on his face widened. "It means whoever will see your hands here in Saqr will automatically assume that you are my bride."

I could feel the blood drain out of my face at his words. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," he chuckled sexily. "You can ask around if you don't believe it."

"Oh, God!" I said helplessly, staring down at my hands. "How can I remove this henna instantly?"

"You can't," he answered cheerfully, his eyes held unholy amusement in their depth. "All you have to do is wait until it fades away. Don't worry, it will wear off two to three weeks from now."

Holy shit! I stared at him in disbelief. "That long?"

"Yeah," his eyes dance with glee at the thought. "For the next three weeks, you are branded as the king of Saqr's bride. And the king of this land is me. In other words, everyone will assume that you are my bride, Emerald."

My mouth went hung open. "You can't be serious!"

"But I am, my dearest." There was a naughty smile on his lips. Oh, how I want to smack away that smile with my fist. But assaulting a royal here in this foreign country would probably send me to prison, especially if the man I just punched was the freaking king of this land.

I shook my head. This was unbelievable. I need to have a word with the maid who made this henna in my hands... "What do you think you're doing?" My eyes widened in his direction when he was suddenly standing too close to my comfort zone. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest.

He studied my face closely. I gulped. I could feel my cheeks heating the way he was standing only inches away from my body.

"Eyes up, you bastard!" I snarled at him when his wandering eyes focused their attention on my cleavage that was slightly peeking from my bathrobe.

"Sorry," he muttered while his cobalt eyes went back to my face. He smiled wolfishly in my direction, and I knew from that moment that he wasn't sorry at all about being caught looking at my chest. "Couldn't resist the temptation."

I could feel that my face was as red as my hair at his blatant admission that he was looking. The nerve of this guy! "What are you doing here anyway?" I asked, changing the subject because I could feel the sudden thickening of the atmosphere inside my room. I took a few steps backward. "You should not have come here. Didn't you know that we're starting to be at the center of the servants' gossip?"

"What?" he frowned in my direction.

I shook my head. As I thought, he doesn't have any idea about it. "Well, in case you haven't heard yet, we're starting to gain unwanted attention from the palace's hired help. Their king is constantly visiting the woman he saved from the desert thieves alone and unattended in her room."

"Where did you hear that?"

I rolled my eyes in his direction. "Hello. Servants talk. Andrew informed me a while ago before the photoshoot started about the gossip starting to circulate inside the palace walls."

His eyes turned cold, like the Arctic region. "It seems to me that you are far too chummy with that photographer, Emerald."

I glared at him. "That's none of your business."

"I beg to disagree."

"Oh, whatever. Just do me a favor and stop coming to my room to avoid such talk from the palace attendants. I'm sure you don't want your reputation to be tarnished because of false tales about us."

He took a deep breath while shaking his head. "How can they gossip about us when I have not done anything yet?"

"Not done anything yet?" I echoed, my eyes widened at him. "What are you talking about?"

In one swift movement, he managed to snake his arm around my waist and drew me closer to the hard contour of his body. My breath hitched at the gesture while his eyes burned with desire in their depth.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked indignantly, trying to remove his arms that wrapped around me. "Let go of me, Al-Farsi. I'm warning you."

"If there's already gossip about us, habibti." he said with an exuberant smile on his face, looking deeply into my eyes, "then, by all means, let's give them something sufficient to talk about. Shall we?"

He took the opportunity of my stunned reaction as he dipped his head and claimed my mouth in a hot, knee-wobbling kiss. I couldn't do anything but place my hands on his strong shoulder for support because my knees buckled at his sudden kiss. He teased my mouth to soften up and answer his kisses.

When my lips slightly parted, he took the chance to deepen the kiss snaking his tongue inside my mouth and coaxing my tongue to fight with his. I could feel his other hand travel to my nape while the other one remained on my waist. When he was already satisfied that I would not be able to escape him, he deepened the kiss, trying to get better access to my mouth.

A soft moan escaped my mouth. He bit my lower lips as I felt my body was already burning for some reason. I didn't realize that the towel wrapped in my head had already fallen on the floor while my mind went blank, and all I could think about was this man's kisses.

"I think this is enough rumor for a day," Al-Farsi said between kisses, still nibbling my lips.

"L-Let...go of me," I said, finally finding the strength to push him away. "I need to get dressed. My workmates are probably waiting for me. We have a flight to catch."

He finally let go of me. "Oh, about that..."

My eyes instantly narrowed in his direction. There was something about his tone that made me raise my guard immediately. "What is it?"

His eyes held no emotion in their depth. "They already left you." The blood drained from my face at his words while he looked so calm standing in front of me. He looked at the wristwatch he was wearing. "They are probably inside the plane as we speak."

"Are you out of your mind?" I asked indecorously at him. "They will not leave me alone here! You are just lying to me."

"They already did," he replied, giving me a reassuring smile. "Believe me, they were reluctant to leave you alone, but I told them I would personally bring you back to New York after my work is done here."

"Are you nuts?!" I demanded at him furiously. "Do you think you can detain me here? Sorry to say, but even if they already left as you claim, I will book the next earliest flight bound to New York now."

"And how will you do that?"

"I am going to the airport now, shithead!" I snarled at him, pulling out my luggage from the closet. "That's what I am going to do."

"I will not provide you with a car going to the airport, my love," he declared helpfully.

I glared at him which would make a normal person shrink with fear. Oh, I am already planning how to murder him inside my head. "There's no need. I will just call a taxi for my transportation."

"Taxi?" he mused. There was a smug smile on his lips. "You will call a taxi? How? Do you even know the address of this palace because I will not give it to you? Besides, do you think there is a taxi in Saqr who will take your call seriously when they learn that the address you gave the driver is the official residence of the king?"

My temper flared at these words. Damn him to tell. I hope his soul will burn in hell right this moment. I gritted my teeth. I couldn't believe that he kept me here as a prisoner. "I hate you! I hate you, Al-Farsi."

His eyes clouded for a moment before he blinked them away as if I only imagined it, and then he shrugged casually. "Hate me all you want, Emerald. But it will not change the fact that you're staying here for a few more days. Don't worry. I will personally take you back to New York as I promise with my private plane. Until then and until the henna on your hands disappears, you are mine to keep."