Khalil Al-Farsi's POV

I have a very busy morning in my office. As usual, I am reviewing before signing the documents Omar had been bringing for me to sign, such as treaties, the new laws, and other stuff that Saqr needs to prosper even more.

"Your Majesty," Omar said in the silent office. He's standing next to me, watching me work closely. "The American woman left this morning to travel again to the capital city."

Irritation filled me with the way he addressed Emerald. I looked briefly at him from the papers I had been reading. "She has a name, Omar. Don't just call her the 'American woman.'"

The older man's head bowed slightly in my direction. "Of course, sire. Forgive me."

I took a deep breath and proceeded to read the paperwork in my hand. "Did she take the car I placed at her disposal to use whenever she went out of the palace?"

"No, sir," he shook his head. "She prefers walking and then taking public transportation once again."

I hid my smile. She would not be Emerald St. Clair if she were not a stubborn lot. It's been two days since I detained her here against her will when I manipulated things so her team would leave her here alone so she would be with me for a few more days.

I was stunned when she agreed to stay here, not because I told her so, but because she said two days ago that this might be a perfect opportunity to bide her time before facing her grandfather again. I asked her what she meant by that, but she refused to tell me.

Now for the past two days, she didn't stay in the palace as much as I preferred. Instead, she's roaming around Saqr's capital city throughout the day, and it makes me worry about her safety while I am stuck here working.

I could almost imagine how she commanded attention in the street with her flaming red hair and her exquisite beauty. If some male eyes look at her the wrong way...

"Are the elite snipers still following her around discreetly?" I asked when silence once again filled the room, removing the dark thoughts from my head before I lost control and stormed the city to look for her.

"Yes, sire," Omar confirmed. "They are scattered around the city watching her every move and to ensure her safety."

"What about the guards?"

The elderly advisor sighed deeply. "Yes, sire. They were following Ms. St. Clair like shadows without her realizing their presence."

"Good." I needed to calm down the uneasiness that crept into my spine whenever she went out of the palace walls without me. "Just tell them to do their work properly, or I will have their head if something bad happens to Emerald."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

I lowered my eyes again and continued to work, trying to remove the red-haired, green-eyed woman who had been invading my mind since she arrived here in Saqr. I need to concentrate on my work.

"Sire?"

I looked up at the advisor, who was still standing next to my table. "What is it, Omar?"

He glanced at me with pleading eyes. "Princess Amina is now traveling to the palace as we speak. May I suggest greeting her at the palace entrance to make her feel welcome in our country, sire?"

My eyebrows drew together. "Why would I do that? I am busy with my work. Just do the honor and greet her on my behalf and make her feel welcome here since you're the one who invited her here, not me."

"But sire..." he protested, his eyes filled with concern. "...she might be your chosen bride. Please show some hospitality to her."

I glared at him darkly. I stood from my chair when annoyance started to get the best of me early this morning. "Let me clear something up for you, Omar. I didn't agree with the princess' visit. It's all your initiative to make this arrangement without even consulting me. So don't be shocked if I don't feel so welcoming at the moment of her arrival."

"Sire," the elderly advisor had started. "Your union with Princess Amina will greatly benefit our country and increase your public image. As of now, the public is not so keen to accept an unmarried king who completed his education in America. They think you're too westernized to govern this country."

My face broke into a humorless smile. The problem in this country is they are so bound to the old traditions and refuse to adopt some changes. "That's how it's supposed to be, Omar. Move forward and accept modernization. A king can rule a country without a queen by his side."

"What about the heir to the throne to secure the next generation of this kingdom's ruler?"

I sighed deeply. "We'll get there. Don't pressure me."

Omar Hadi's face filled with frustration in his harsh face. "But you have to understand, sire, you need to impress the princess so she'll agree to this match. It was already bad enough that she'll learn eventually that you have a female guest here living temporarily in the palace."

"No. You need to impress her, not me," I corrected him firmly. "I could not care less if this union doesn't take place. I much prefer it that way, so I don't need to impress her and make her feel welcome."

"Your Majesty..." Omar said after a moment. "Sometimes, marriage between royal families doesn't always have to be based on love. Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for the country and marry a woman whom you don't love to secure this nation's prosperity and future."

I released a bitter laugh. "Why do I have to sacrifice myself for this crown? I don't even want it in the first place."

"You don't have a choice," he reminded me harshly. "This is your birthright, sire."

I sighed wistfully. "I wish I was just born into a normal family, so I don't need to carry this burden on my shoulders and marry the woman I want."

"Does your reluctance about Princess Amina have something to do with Miss St. Clair?"

I smiled thinly in his direction. "I don't have to answer that to you."

"Of course, sire."

I took a deep breath. For now, I will play this game of politics until I find a solution to this problem, and the council will stop pestering me with my marriage to this princess. If they want me to be their king, then they must accept some changes to the old customs and adopt modernization in the process. I knew I had a long way to go before I could convince the council and the public about my vision for this country.

"Let's go and greet the princess, Omar."

The elderly advisor's face broke into a rare smile. "Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you very much."

I looked at him dryly as I went out of my office to greet this princess. "Don't get too excited about this. I still don't want to marry this girl."

"I know in time you'll change your mind."

I highly doubt that my mind whispered inside my head. Because the tempestuous red-haired beauty crossed my mind once again. God, I miss arguing with her. I miss seeing her lovely green eyes snap with fire when she's mad at me.

As I went out of my private office, I walked in the silent hallways with Omar trailing behind me. I halted walking when I saw the palace garden below where I saw the most beautiful creature that ever graced this earth with her traditional wedding finery two days ago.

I remember how my heart nearly went crazy at the sight of that tempting goddess in the palace garden. It took every ounce of my self-control not to possess her mouth like an uncivilized human being at that moment to stake my claim on that woman for everyone to see.

"...sire?"

I was dragged back to the present time when I heard Omar inquiring behind me. I shook my head. "Let's go."

I went down to the grand staircase and towards the direction of the entrance door of the palace, where two guards were standing outside. It didn't take long before three cavalcade cars pulled in front of the palace with a flag of the royal insignia of the neighboring country on the first car.

The chauffeur of the car in the middle stepped out and opened the passenger's door at the back. A woman wearing a pink abaya with a matching hijab slid out of the car gracefully. There was a serene smile on her face as she caught the sight of me. Too bad I couldn't do the same with her.

She walked towards where I was standing at the entrance door of the palace with her ladies-in-waiting trailing behind her.

Omar cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, it's my pleasure to introduce Her Royal Highness Princess Amina Kouri. Your Highness, may I introduce His Majesty, Khalil Al-Farsi, the King of Saqr."

"Your Majesty," the princess said demurely, curtsying in my direction.

I felt my mouth twitching with a smile when a wayward thought crossed my mind. What would I do if that certain red-haired, green-eyed beauty curtsied in front of me like this woman? Nope, I couldn't imagine her doing this without her enchanting eyes throwing an acid look in my direction.

"How do you do, princess?" I slightly bow my head, trying to school my expression to remain blank. "I trust that you had a smooth journey on your way here?"

"I'm fine, Your Majesty," she answered modestly. "As for the journey. It was fine."

"Good. Omar here will show you to your room and I hope you will enjoy your stay here. I need to go, Your Highness. I have to work that needs my urgent attention."

"Sire..." the advisor started to protest, but I didn't bother to listen as I went back inside the palace. But instead of going to the east wing in the direction of my private office, my feet brought me to the south wing instead, to the familiar room of that red-haired beauty who was occupying my thoughts day and night.

Disappointment filled me when I realized that she was not yet here from her trip to the city. I glanced at my wristwatch and a sigh escaped me. "Where are you, habibti?"

Emerald St. Clair's POV

"Where have you been?"

A voice spoke inside my room as soon as I entered it. I exhaled an angry breath when I realized who the invader inside my room was. "What are you doing here?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"Where have you been?" he repeated his question, ignoring my own. He was still standing on the balcony of my bed-chamber with his back on me.

"Why do you care?"

He turned around so I could meet his angry stare. "Are you happy to see me sick with worry about your safety, Emerald?"

I was taken aback by his words. I frowned at him. "What are you talking about? I can take care of myself. I am an independent, grown-up woman, in case you don't notice."

He raked his gaze on me from head to toe. There was a reluctant smile that fitted his sexy mouth. "Yes. I can see."

I automatically covered my arms around my body. "That's not what I meant, idiot! Stop staring at me like that."

"You know, one of these days, I will have to do something about your lovely mouth that keeps on insulting me," he started to close the distance between us. "I need to find a way to keep it from ridiculing me."

"Back off, Al-Farsi. I'm warning you."

He didn't stop until he was only a few feet away from me. He tucked some wayward strand of hair in my face behind my ear. "I miss you."

I took a step backward to put some space between us. "I don't have time to play games with you, Al-Farsi. Get out of my room now."

"What's with the cold reception, habibti?"

I glared at him sharply. "Don't you bother to come into my room until we're ready to depart back to New York?"

"I told you—"

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know." I gave him a sweet smile that made his cobalt eyes narrow in my direction. "I don't think it's still acceptable that you keep on coming here when I heard that your bride-to-be finally arrived today."

His face darkened instantly. "My bride-to-be?"

"Yes," I answered while the smile was still fixed on my face. "The princess from the neighboring country of Saqr."

"Let me clear this up to you," there was fury in his eyes that I didn't understand. "That woman is not my bride-to-be, as you put it. The council wants her to be, but I don't."

I shrugged indifferently. "To be honest. I don't care. It has nothing to do with me anyway. So, spare me the details, will you."

"No. This has everything to do with you, my Emerald."

"The hell?!"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes," he contradicted, his eyes filled with fire in their depth. He took my hands where the henna design was still visible. "I told you until this design wears off, you are branded here in Saqr as the king's bride."

Then it occurred to me in a flash. My eyes narrowed in his direction. "You planned this, didn't you? This special henna design on my hand, my team leaving me alone here to be at your mercy, and this princess visiting your palace while I am here. You meticulously planned this, correct?"

I exhaled a loud breath. "If I say yes, what will you do?"

Rage and disbelief crossed my face. "Why the hell would you do that? Why do you need to drag me along with your problem? In case you don't know, I have my problem back in New York."

A frown marked his eyebrows. "What kind of problems do you have?"

I shook my head. "That's none of your concern."

"Tell me. I might be able to help you."

"You?" I scoffed at him, tucking my arms in the middle of my chest. "You will help me with my problems? I don't think so."

He shrugged nonchalantly, looking at my eyes intently. "Let's try. Who knows, I might be the answer to your problems."

"Yeah. Right." I agree sarcastically.

"So, what's the problem? Can you tell me?"

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I need to find a guy who will play as my fake boyfriend in front of my grandfather for a few months, I think."

"What?" His cobalt eyes widened in my direction.

I laughed humorlessly. "You see. Since I am the last unmarried granddaughter of Daniel St. Clair, he's dead set to see me married like my sisters. Hell, he already found me a fiancé before I left New York, and I am about to meet him when I return, and that's my problem."

His face darkened with such rage. I almost didn't recognize him with such wrath on his face. "D-Did you just say that there is already a fiancé waiting for you in New York once you return?"

"Yes."

"And where does this fake boyfriend thing fit in this drama?"

I exhaled a heavy breath. "It might discourage Daniel and that guy of his choosing when I introduce them to my fake boyfriend."

"Why not find a real boyfriend then?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy? Why would I do that? Men are just a pain in the ass. Why do I need to subject myself to such a dilemma? A pretend boyfriend will do."

"Hire me then."

"What?!" My eyes nearly went out of my eye socket at his words. This man was really mad. "Are you crazy?"

He smiled devilishly at me. "If you're looking for a guy who will pretend to be your boyfriend. Why not me? I am sure I can do the job flawlessly."

"The hell you will—"

He didn't listen to my protest and just snaked his arm around my waist and the other one to my nape and drew me closer to his hard body in a swift movement. "And to seal the deal, habibti..."

With that, he locked his lips over me in a passionate kiss.