HADEWA CALIPHATE,

NIGERIA.

The Royals have no idea who they are meeting.

They were all asked to gather in the Queen's chambers based on the Calipha's orders. He wasn't amongst them, given he has council meetings and other things to do—plus, he is already aware of the news about to be passed on.

Nevertheless, they all met up as requested—along with Muneer and Maya—waiting almost impatiently.

Hudayya had also been called; and despite not wanting to step foot in the palace, she had to because Aali invited her personally—saying he has something important he needs to pass on.

So, they remained seated in the front room exchanging looks amongst themselves. The Calipha's sisters—the rich aunties—were exchanging looks amongst themselves and snickering. They all have separate mothers, and despite being adults, that snickering did not leave them one bit. It's very much there, engraved in them deeply.

The Calipha's wives—the three Queens; Queen Zarah, Aali's mother, Queen Safeenah, Hasnain's mother and the third wife, Queen Halima were all present. All three Queens have their chambers. But, as per tradition, meetings and gatherings are always held in the present Uwar Gida's chamber.

Queen Zarah has four children. Aali being her eldest, followed by the twins, Aslam and Ashraf, and lastly the only female in the house, Hudayya.

Aslam and Ashraf are the only twins in the Royal family. Both brother and sister are the only pair in the household that hardly interacts or get themselves involved in anything royalty related. To sum it up, they have opted to stay in Coventry where they studied rather than returning home to avoid the family drama. The only times they return home is when there's a family event going on, else, they stay there.

That was, until Ashraf passed away a couple of years back.

Her death changed Aslam—making him colder than he ever was. Ever since then, he has been nothing but cold and closed off to everyone.

Hudayya, as established before has a similar attitude to her siblings though it wasn't always like that. Once upon a time, she loved being a royal. But, experiences and revelations changed her—including her sister's death.

Then there's Queen Safeenah, the present second wife, according to people, is the nicest. While the Queen Zarah is friendly and all, she's also assertive when the need comes. Queen Safeenah on the other hand is always calm and composed—with barely a couple of times having an outburst. She has three sons, Hasnain, Farhan and Habib. While Farhan has also inherited his mother's carefree and friendly attitude, Habib did not.

Habib is the one with the nastiest attitude in the family. He was snobby, arrogant, and everything in between. If he was offered the Calipha's position, he wouldn't think twice to snag it. Plus, amongst the siblings, giving that position to him will be the biggest mistake that will ever be made because not only did he lack the character for becoming the Calipha, he also lacks the brain to do so. Hence, his hatred towards Aali.

Hasnain on the other hand is somewhere in between. He tends to change attitude every so often. At times, he's carefree, and sometimes, he's arrogant to the core.

And the last, but definitely not the least, Queen Halima—the one that people barely know. She is closed and shut off, barely interacting with people that aren't in her close circle. She had given off all the Queen-ly duties off to her co-wives since she didn't care one bit about the royal power or whatnot. Amongst the three wives, she came from the wealthiest and most influential family. Hence, why she isn't fazed by the riches or the power.

Her lack of engagement makes it hard for anyone to clearly tell what her real attitude is. She has one child, Bello—named after his father, and grandfather.

Bello III.

But, he is addressed by his second name, Amir. He too, like his mother, barely interact with others. But, that to say doesn't mean he's not friendly. He is, when he's comfortable around someone that is.

Only after being close to him will one realize that the boy is also the naughtiest. He's the type people describe as 'silent killers'.

And that summed up the Royals.

It's no secret that the Calipha married every one of his wives either as a form of alliance with another Caliphate—in Queen Halima's case--, or for some promise made by their parents—in Queen Zara's case--, or for image sakes—in Queen Safeena's case. That wasn't something that rarely happens. Frankly speaking, it's a normal thing for every Calipha in Hadewa.

Barely any Calipha in decades has married a woman he loves. Hence, why the competition over the throne is too much.

It's not like the Calipha's are being forced to do so—to some extent, others were—but then most times, it's their own decision to do so. They prioritize creating more allies and strengthening their bonds over anything.

Another rule in the Caliphate's royalty is that the child of the first wife, be it a woman or a man, will be the next Calipha. If it's a woman, then her husband will be the Calipha, even if she is younger than the other children of his second, third or fourth wife. Being a child to the first wife makes them the successors, and nothing, except death can change that.

It was a complex rule, but it has been in act for centuries.

The Royals, aunts and some cousins of Aali were all there as they were summoned. The uncles weren't there because the Calipha wanted to tell them himself.

The fact that there was nothing about Aali being in a relationship, more less planning on getting married out of the blue is the reason why everyone was stunned when the announcement was made when he and his wife arrived.

They exchanged looks, wondering what 'the princess' statement means. It's not like there is anyone addressed as the princess in the family. The only person is Hudayya, and even she has asked them to stop long ago; so, which princess are they talking about?

The double doors swung open; and the sound of heels along with the soft patting of shoes on the marbled floor filled the now dead drop quiet room. Everyone in the room had their head whipped in the direction to see who was approaching. For sure, they all it is Aali. The question is, who is this princess they talk of?

Aali was the first to step in sight, then followed by Aria who had her hand intertwined with his, head held up high. Both of them had smiles—almost tilted into smirks—plastered on their faces. They didn't focus their gaze on one person alone. No, they moved their gaze from one person to another.

Aali, on one hand has a reason for being so smug about it. Hence, the smirk.

Aria on the other hand, has a feeling that whoever had a hand in the case she's working on is in that room. She has no idea who, but she knew that the person is there, and that he or she knows that she is well aware of it. Hence, her smirk.

The person Aria is after will feel threatened, reason being she is now a part of the family. 'Keep your enemies close'. Aria firmly believes in that.

Silence. That was what they were met with once they stopped in front of the audience. With the sound of their steps stopped, a pin drop silence took over the place.

Most of them—Hudayya exempted since she didn't attend the event the night before—recognized the woman that stepped in just as the event was getting entertaining. How she ended up being involved with Aali, or how she knew him to begin with baffled them.

Of course, some of them that delivered Maya's bridal gifts to her house hoped she will marry someone from their family. Just, none of them expected it to be Aali. Maybe one of his brothers—perhaps, Farhan— or cousins, but definitely not him.

The first to react was Amir—as expected. The twenty-year-old had a champagne flute in his hand when they stepped in. After recovering from the shock, he leaned back on the carpet that all the children are seated on and crossed his legs, smirking in the process. "Now if this isn't a sick turn" He muttered, raising the flute to his lips to take a sip. He then glanced at his siblings who either had their mouth hung open, or eyes dilated. He had to bit his lip to hold back the laughter.

He honestly found it entertaining. It's been a while since some sort of drama this big took place. He was missing the drama.

He has a feeling he would like Aria. Because one glance at her and you can tell she will bring drama.

"Aali" Spoke up Queen Safeenah, being the first to find her voice. "Isn't she...Maya's sister?" Her eyes briefly glanced at Maya who was watching the two with a small smile on her face. She would've had a bigger one, had it not been that she is in her new in laws company and that they are all too stunned to react.

She wouldn't want to seem like the odd one. It's already more than enough that she is getting looks from the others due to what happened the day before; she wouldn't want to gain more unnecessary attention.

Aali's smile widened, as he nodded. "Yes" He briefly spared them all a glance, "I'd like you all to formally meet my wife, Aria" He offered her hand a small squeeze.

"Nice to meet you" She offered them what she hoped will look like a genuine smile.

Note the blatant sarcasm.

She really doesn't care if her smile looks genuine or not, because it's the latter. And she most definitely doesn't feel good about meeting them. That was also a lie. A big one.

It's now up to them to choose whether they would ignore it—if they spot it that is--, or if they would speak up about it. Either ways, she's up for it.

And judging by the firm hold Aali has on her hands, he has her back too.

She doesn't need his help, but that doesn't mean it's unappreciated.

Hafsa, Hasnain's wife, was the first to scoff though she tried to cover it up with a cough. She didn't bother to hide the rolling of her eyes as she huffed lowly; muttering something under her breath that no one heard.

Aria's smile morphed into a tight lip. She moved her gaze ever so adroitly to meet the woman's gaze, "Excuse me, I didn't quite get that" She kept her voice calm, steady, and loud yet soft enough for everyone to hear.

That made everyone's gaze snap to Hafsa, wanting to see and hear what her reply would be. The woman had an attitude of throwing shade at everyone. And most times, or more like all the time, she gets away with it—except when she's dealing with Hudayya who she seems to fear a bit now.

It's not like they fear her. It's just that with her father being the head council member, it's better to thread carefully around her. Royal or not, one never knows when they will need his help. And knowing Umar, he would do everything as long as it does not upset his precious daughter.

Hence, why people overlook her actions.

In simple words, she is on the bad list of most of the royals. Hence, why they all wanted to see if Aria would be the one to finally put her in her place.

Everyone loves a good drama. Especially Amir.

Hafsa faked a smile, even so, it was a mocking one. "I just find it hard to believe that you are the next Queen of Hadewa Caliphate"

Aria hadn't thought of that. She really didn't think deeply into her marriage with Aali. She only thought about her plans, and that was it.

Even so, she does not plan on letting anyone talk down on her. "And why is that?" She rose a perfectly arched brow.

Hafsa snickered, "Seems funny that you're asking me that" She chuckled. "I mean...we all saw what happened with your sister last night. She's apparently a criminal..."

"Watch it"

She ignored Muneer who glared at her, "...who knows what she did? Or better yet, who knows what you did? Or maybe your whole family? You can't just sashay in here and expect to be the Queen with that sort of reputation, did you?"

Aria wanted to reach over to the woman, and slap some sense into her peanut sized brain. But, she didn't. Instead, she maintained a fake smile, mirroring Hafsa's expression. "Your point?"

"You won't last here" Hafsa's smile disappeared, "We've seen girls like you before"

Aria chuckled, her laughter filling the front room. No one spoke, as they waited for her response. Given, they did not expect that reaction from her. Normally, people who Hafsa taunts get irked to the core and storm out. But, she didn't. When her laughter died down, she offered Hafsa a sickly sweet smile. "You mean girls like the one who made your ex-husband divorce you?"

That was Hafsa's sore spot that none of the Royals—aside from Hasnain, Hudayya, and Aali— knew.

It's not a secret that Hafsa was married before. But, she got divorced only a week later. Yes, she had been married before for only a week.

The reason for her divorce has been kept in the shadows, especially from the royals who wouldn't have let her into the family with such reputation. However, Aria had just given them the tip they needed to dig around and find out what actually happen.

And if they do, Hafsa might as well be kicked out of the family whether Hasnain wants it or not. There was no spot for women like her in the family.

What Aria said might not seem by a big deal, but judging from the look the woman is sporting, and the look on Hafsa's face, it's way bigger than one would expect.

In simple words, Aria's words are the root of Hafsa's demise. Literally. Because the woman would rather die than stop being a royal.

Hafsa's smirk disappeared as her face paled, eyes wide as saucers. Her eyes glanced at the group of people that had their gazes fixated on her, already making mental notes on how to dig up her past.

She snapped her gaze to Hasnain who looked away, face emotionless. She had made her bed; she should lay in it without dragging him in. It was at that moment, did Hafsa knew she's screwed. Big time.

And all it took was one statement from Aria.

She opened her mouth, and closed it; gaping like a fish. "You're lying" That was lame, and she knew it the minute the words left her parted lips.

Aria's smile widened. She shrugged, "Maybe I am...maybe not"

Aali looked down at his wife, a smirk dancing on his lips. He was sporting that same prideful look he had on earlier when he was telling the Calipha about her. He was right when he said she acted like a true royal, because she is one.

Queen Halima who had been quietly observing the exchange sat up, a smile making its way on her face. "Aria, right?"

Aria moved her gaze to her, then nodded.

She nodded, standing up and making her way towards the girl. Once within arm's length, she pulled her in for a hug, "Welcome to the family" She muttered, a grin plastered right across her face as she patted her back lightly.

Despite being the one that barely interacts with people, she was still the first to welcome the girl into the family. Reason is, she had long hoped for a girl in the family that would put all those rude ones in their place. And just like her son Amir, she has a feeling she would like Aria.

Queen Safeena nodded from where she stood, a grin masking her features.

Both Queens were welcoming towards the girl. Except one Queen who stood up and headed to her room wordlessly, not once sparing the two glance.

Once she was in, the maids at the door closed the door shut leaving the rest all in silence for no one knew her reason for reacting in such way.

That was not the reaction they expected from Queen Zara, Aali's supposed mother.