BORNO EMIRATE COUNCIL.

"I hope they are all ours please. Why are they even bringing this much expensive stuff? To show off?" Tasneem asked no one in particular but kept eyeing the boxes in a puzzled way. She's never seen thing as expensive as that her entire nineteen years old of living.

"Good day, everyone. We are all gathered here to seek for Suhayr's hand in marriage. We, the royal family members know about their secret marriage but the world don't know about it so we are going to take each step like we, the Kanuris traditionally do. This is the first step of it, the gaisuwa; seeking for her hand in marriage along with fixing date." The voice makes Suhayr shudder in unease because of the power it drips.

She could clearly see where Sa'eed got his power having been brought up amidst powerful people, he is ought to learn how to talk like them too. This is no doubt the voice of the King, the Shehu of Borno State. She heard the queen talking about him joining the entourage earlier because it is in the palace so there is no doubt that this is his voice. The power it oozes screams how much of authority he has even with hand gestures. His voice is way too powerful, yes, like an Alpha King.

"Traditionally, the groom's side are to bring boxes to the bride's family which we have brought here with us. The wedding is no doubt going to take place in two days time, hope that is okay?" Woah, Suhayr never thought he would ask something since he has been demanding.

Not that this sounded like a question, it was an order.

"No problem, your Majesty." Urshia's tiny gentle voice cut through the air unlike the one that just kept quite. It makes it balance in some kind of way.

"I hope we can see her face now?" He asked again but Suhayr could swear he was demanding her to raise her head up and that is what she did. She can't help the feeling that took over her, she needs to see.

Their eyes clashed instantly as she raise her head up to look at him. His eyes have wrinkles by the end of it, his thin nose faltering a bit due to old age. The sides of his lips have crinkled too, probably due to too much commanding or silent smirks like his grandson. His skin is fair, maybe as fair as Sa'eed's or even much more fairer but she can't tell with his face almost closed whole. His eyes held recognition, probably because he is also a Chadian like her.

She knows all her people, even from miles away.

He is wearing a merlot coloured alkyabba, she doesn't know what that is embroidered with golden. His face and head are also wrapped up around his complicated turban, closing the sides of his face down to his neck like a shayla. There is a gold dandy skull walking stick stuck in his right hand, the golden handle standing just beside his face touching the turban he has on. Well, he is handsome even with his age of seventy, just a wild guess her head made at the moment.

"Good afternoon, your Majesty." She greeted, not bowing her head or even casting her eyes down wards. She let them stay fixated in his challenging mischievous ones.

"Good afternoon, Suhayr." He let out a small smile making her shoulders sag and to release a huge smile of her own rendering him blind with her beauty.

The Shehu chuckled internally seeing the beautiful Chadian in front of him. Even he wouldn't have escaped the clutches of such attractive woman if he was in his grandson's age. She is the real definition of beauty. Right from her blinding smile, to the widening of her pink lips, her oval shaped eyes that are filled with mischievousness, he knew just what to do. The medium cute shaped face, button nose makes her look really young but full of spirit.

Not to forget, the mightiness she held.

He hasn't managed to get to know everything about her for the time being but he will soon do that. She is just what his grandson needs, a mischievous arrogant woman that will match his own ego exceeding the size of mount everest. Why does he feel like a cupid because he just planned something that will make their life interesting? Because he has it all planned in front of him just by the sight of her smile, she is the perfect candidate for it. Oh well, the castle has been boring since weeks ago.

"Since we are done here, shall we leave?" The Shehu stood up, his entourage immediately standing straighter to accompany him out.

Suhayr just then decided to let her eyes wander around the room again after taking a quick glance of the boxes that are 'theirs' wow. If she thought he was wealthy before, she feels like he is now soaked in money or he even eats money. Why are they giving them twenty expensive boxes? She don't even want to go to the extent they went for the things inside those boxes. And like Thuraiya's words, they are pretty enormous, almost same size as the first one colossal one.

There are four more men with the Shehu wearing same formal complicated clothes but with different colours. They all look alike in some way, maybe their eyes or noses or even their mouths, she can't say but they are definitely related to the King. Maybe his children? That means one of them is her father in-law, she kept looking around hoping to figure out who he is but to no avail. Shouldn't they like introduce themselves to her?

Can she ask for it or will it look rude?

"I'm I supposed to ask for introduction?" Suhayr couldn't keep her curiosity so she blurted out that only to regret it a second later then shrug it off after another second.

"Oh, sure." One of the men, the one that looks younger than the others answered looking slightly intrigued at her.

"This is Umar, your father in-law." He introduced the man whose attention is solely on her Aunt, huh? "And this is Abdul-aziz, his immediate younger brother. Then Bashir, I'm Usman and our younger sister who isn't here, Zainab." He finished with a gentle smile to which she returned.

The Shehu watch his son as he stared at the woman with so much interest while the said woman is trying to keep her attention away from him. He is making her uncomfortable but he didn't care which is so unlike his first son, Umar. Why are his son and grandson so hooked in these Chadians? When he asked them to go there and choose one, they all blankly refused and now they have the audacity to stare, one even went as far to elope with her.

Only one of his grandsons decided to do that but didn't get to come back alive, so disheartening.

He will question him about this later, he needs to know his intentions. He will be more than glad to get him married to her, he will like more Chadians in his family tree as possible. He has one now, just few more before he dies and he will be more than satisfied. His dream is finally coming true, all he's ever wished for his whole life. He wanted to marry one himself but he got married to the love of his life, he fell in love.

"Have a nice day." And then they left, the Shehu's entourage hot on his tail.

"What on earth is this? Twenty freaking boxes for the bride and all in part of seeking hands in the marriage that has happened already?" Thuraiya's voice pierced through the air as soon as the door closed.

"Tell me about it." Suhayr mumbled, her eyes on the boxes looking at them like bunch of embroiled insects wanting to attack.

"Can we just start opening them first? I really want to see how they wear their clothes since I haven't seen any woman around here." Tasneem eyes are wide with excitement as she move to the boxes to open them.

"There is an event or let's say, so many of them tomorrow meant for the bride and her groom. I think they talked about one of the boxes filled with traditional clothes we need to wear." Urshia explained, still not feeling like herself after that staring contest with the crowned prince.

"How do they even know about your arrival?" Suhayr asked knowing that she never told Sa'eed about them joining till earlier in the morning.

"Your husband called someone here, I'm not sure." Urshia answered now getting comfortable on the sofa watching as her children open the boxes.

"Where is my food? I behaved well, haven't I?" Suhayr licked her lips with a large smile wanting to emphasis her hunger and the only thing to quench it.

"It's in the kitchen, lion. You are not even interested in what they brought." Urshia eyed her from head to toe wanting to see where her curiosity hid. Suhayr would normally be the first to open the boxes, or it it because she don't want to check her own?

Suhayr won't even ask how she manage the kitchen herself few minutes after their arrival.

"When I'm hungry, nothing ever makes sense so let me feed my stomach." She took a wild guess and made her way to the dining room and opened the only door there. Ta-da, she is in the kitchen.

Oh, the kitchen is humongous and is also burnishing. The theme there is Hazelwood and beige, a beautiful combination she would agree. There is a small square shaped island in the middle, counter bench that rounded the three walls of the kitchen where a gas cooker is amongst. An evacuator which she only sees in rich people's home after delivering some delayed outfits sat at the top of the gas. Everything you will ever need is there in the kitchen, even the ones she's never seen.

"Susu, someone is here for you." Thuraiya called just as she was about to open the warmer.

Who on earth would want to see her in this foreign place?!

"I'm fucking coming." She yelled in frustration and made her way out of the kitchen with annoyance in each of her step. She will bite off this person's head, she promised silently.

"At the door." Urshia pointed at the door when she arrived in the living room, she made her way there without a word.

"Your phone. I have my phone number, Mu'adh's, her Majesty's and my office's." Sa'eed's voice sliced through her hungry head making her blood boil.

"You came all the way here to give me a phone when you can easily send someone? Why can't you even leave it be till tomorrow or something? I'm fucking hungry all thanks to you." She chided, her eyes blazing a lighter shade of brown like it always does when she is angry or super happy.

"I would never waste my time coming here to hear you screech like a banshee. Her Majesty demands both our presence in her chamber, we should move." He took one step to leave then move back and greet Urshia through the door asking how she is.

"Her Majesty? You mean your grandmother?" She furrowed her brows not knowing why the woman wants to see her. She will probably be in her blacklist if she don't get to eat soon.

"No, her throne." Was his sarcastic reply before he made his way to an onyx expensive looking Audi.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you at all. It makes you look like a desperate whore but don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She settled into the passenger's side heaving another sigh.

From morning till then, she feels like she's done more of that sigh than any other thing which says something in Suhayr's life. She is bored, hungry and fucking tired from all the movings. Who would believe she packed her things that day, flew to Nigeria and then her hand in marriage was given to her already in-laws? Now that she looks at it, it has been a long day and she hasn't managed to eat a thing in her stomach.

Shortly, they arrive at the Chambers and walk inside pretty fast, she can't wait to go and eat then remove those constricting clothes she has on. Thank God she didn't remove it after they left, she would've been too drained to wear it back again. Even Sa'eed gave her a weird stare when he saw her in the outfit, a little surprised maybe because she looks really presentable. This is the first time she dressed up, everyone should be surprise or she'd think she yawed ugly.

"Your Majesty." Suhayr greeted, again, not bowing her head or showing any sign of bowing it anytime soon.

"Sumara, long day huh?" Her majesty asked, her hands sitting calmly on the scarlet red and golden throne she is sitting on.

That is the one she is using, what about the one the Shehu will have? She would love to see that.

"Not Sumara, your Majesty. Yes, it's a very long day and I'm hungry." She closed her eyes for a little while picturing some sort of delicious food so she can get her seventh brain.

"Yes, Sa'd told me about that. Bring the food I asked for." Her majesty ordered one of the maids around who bowed again and ran to get it from God knows where.

"He told you so you can spend more time with me and make me more grumpy or so you can get me the food?" Suhayr eyed Sa'eed like he is some zombie but he didn't give her any slight acknowledgement.

"No, to bring you food." Her Majesty chuckled a little while watching the banter.

Her husband is right, they are the perfect match for each other, she can't believe she's missed that flame roaring around their heads but he didn't. He told her something which she is going to execute now, no later than now or they would suspect something wrong with their order.

"So Sumara is your nickname in this castle because we can't call our daughter in-law's name just like that. The tradition that happened today is supposed to be carried out by the women of the family, the boxes and all that but since we are in a hurry, we couldn't do that." She explained after seeing that Suhayr is finally interested in what it going on.

She loves food, hmm, one weakness found.

"Well, I hope I get used to that pretty soon. But I am no entertainer, why name me that?" Her brows dance lower on her forehead in confusion, she really is not liking the name.

"It suits you in some kind of way." Her majesty paused then look around the room at Sa'eed, he looks bored out of his mind, "And a command came from higher up. His Majesty demand that you guys act like lovers in front of people, even family members. Especially family members who are under the impression that you, Sa'd eloped to marry Sumara. I hope there won't be a problem with that." She is trying hard to maintain a calm structure, she wants to double over at their flabbergasted faces.

"Why do we have to do that?" Sa'eed's sour question cut into the silent air.

"Wait, what? For the life of me, I can't act like I love this douche bag even with my life at stake." Suhayr's eyes are wide as she snickered, that thought is abominable.

"You will have to do that or you both will face consequences of getting married without anyone's knowledge." Her majesty shrugged her frail shoulders, she was expecting that already.

"No, you can't do this!" Suhayr kept arguing for another ten minutes but quickly kept quite when she smelt food in the air.

It's fried rice, pepper chicken, onion sauce and coleslaw. They don't know what she would prefer since she is a foreigner but no one says no to that food and she definitely wouldn't.

Her home.

.....