Bound to the Ruthless Prince

Chapter 10 Wedding

Prince Aziz drummed his fingers onto the table beside him as he listened to the elder's whine about his choice of wife. The elders had said what it was that they wanted, so much so that his stepmother and siblings were silent.

"My prince, I beg of you to reconsider your stance on this woman; she is not worthy to be the queen of Hamidin!" The eldest and perhaps wisest elder stood up and pointed his index finger at Prince Aziz. The prince did not seem fazed by the elder's tantrum, so he simply looked at the older man from head to toe.

Prince Aziz stood from his seat, and the entire family went still, sensing that the prince was about to say something that would change the face of the kingdom.

"Thank you for your input, and I respect your decision, but has it occurred to you that I am next in line and your opinion does not matter?" Prince Aziz uttered it, and echoes of shock from his family members filled the room.

The elder looked horrified that Prince Aziz could say such a thing to him; it seemed as though no one had ever disagreed with him before, but Prince Aziz would have been the first.

"My prince, you have to listen to me and the other elders; we have been advising your father long before you were born!" The elder raised his voice once more, and it only infuriated Prince Aziz more.

''Yes, you are right; you were my father's advisers long before I was born. I guess this gives me the right to sentence you to death because, from the look of things, you did a terrible job of advising my father!" Prince Aziz threatened them, and the look in the elder's eyes showed shock.

The queen stood up from her seat, moved towards the prince, and held his arm. He turned to look at his stepmother, and the look in her eyes beckoned him to calm down.

''Please, my son, do not become your father; I beg of you." The queen begged, and Prince Aziz's heart melted; there was no doubt that he would do as the queen said. Prince Aziz calmed his nerves and turned to face his family.

"As my family, I would like for you to get ready, for today you will be welcoming a new Queen to this kingdom, and I think it is best if none of you disagree with me." He threatened, and without another word, the prince left the room.

His entire walk to his chambers was silent, even with Fahd walking behind him and the helpers running around and decorating the entire palace. The prince's mind was on one thing only; he could not believe that in a few hours, he would become a husband. He got to the entrance of his chambers, stopped, and turned to look at Fahd, who stared back at him. The older guard was by far the most trustworthy person in Prince Aziz's circle, but today he wished that Fahd would leave him be.

"No need to say anything, my Prince; I understand that you need your space because, in a few hours, you will become a husband and tomorrow a king," Fahd informed the prince, who mentally regretted his hasty decision.

Without another smile, Prince Aziz turned and walked into his chambers, shutting the door behind him. It was important for him to remain calm as the future king, but there were times like these when he needed people to understand that he was human.

"Lily Robinson, what have you done to me?" He yelled from the top of his lungs, knowing well enough that his room was soundproof and that no one would hear him.

He hated that Lily had a hold on his mind like that, and now the woman that he once hated with all his heart at the airport was soon to be his wife. Prince Aziz smiled at himself. Of all the women who could have been his wife, he had to have chosen Lily.

Prince Aziz looked onto his bed, his wedding attire neatly laid out for him, as though it too could sense his demise.

**

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lily could not believe that it was her reflection staring back at her. If that was not bad enough, then her phone ringing in her ear was enough to scare her.

"Hello Lily, is that you?" Her mother's voice rang through the phone, and Lily shut her eyes. It had been two days since she had last spoken to her mother, two days since she had contact with anyone that knew her personally, and now she could not even say a word to her mother.

"Yes, Mother," Lily responded, her voice breaking but still fighting to say something to reassure her mother that she was truly okay.

"Baby girl, are you okay? I called your company, and they told me that they have not been in contact with you." Her mother informed her, and this broke Lily's heart because she had put her mother through heartache.

''Mother, calm down; I am okay. It's just that I should inform you that-that," she said, her heart bleeding for the life that she would lose after this marriage.

"What do you want to tell me?" Her mother questioned her, and Lily could not bear the thought of telling her mother about her arrest.

Do not tell her a thing; she would be heartbroken if you told her the truth. Lily mentally fought herself about her decision to tell her mother the truth.

"I am getting married today," Lily blurted out, and immediately she shut her eyes, awaiting her mother's reaction, but there was silence on the other end of the phone.

''Well, I wanted you to find love, but I did not plan on this; I guess congratulations are in order." Her mother congratulated her, and Lily was now taken aback by her mother's calmness regarding her marriage announcement.

"I thought you would be mad at me for not informing you earlier because marriage is a big deal", Lily told her mother, a tear running down her face as she said this. More than ever, she needed her mother here with her to reassure her that everything was going to be alright.

"I won't lie, I am disappointed that you did not inform me earlier about the wedding, but I am sure that you know what you are doing." Her mother reassured her, but deep down, Lily did not trust her mother's judgment this time. In reality, Lily did not know what she was doing, but she did know that it was either this marriage or death row.

"Thank you, Mother," she thanked her mother, hoping that this would calm things between them.

"So, who is this lucky guy that has done what no other man could do?" Her mother jokingly asked her, and this made Lily smile at herself.

"His name is Aziz-Aziz Hassan; he is also the next in line to the throne of Hamidin," Lily informed her mother, who went still for a moment.

''Wow, my dear, I must say you did well for yourself; I mean, a prince!" her mother exclaimed.

''Yes, Mother, by tomorrow he will be crowned king and I will be his Queen", she informed her mother further. Their conversation revolved around the wedding and the next chapter of Lily's life. The call had finally ended. Lily gripped her phone in her hand and shut her eyes, hoping that this nightmare would end.

Someone knocked at her door, and when she turned her attention to the door, an older woman walked through. The smile on her face was welcoming, but Lily knew that she could not trust strangers.

The woman did not look like any of the helpers; the material of her dress looked expensive, and the jewelry sprawled around her neck, ears, and arm was clearly made out of pure gold.

"Hello, you look beautiful, by the way." The older woman complimented Lily, and without waiting for a reply, she walked over to Lily's bed, took her veil from the bed, and studied it.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Lily asked her, and the older woman simply smiled at her. She walked over to Lily's vanity mirror and stood looking down at her.

"I am your soon-to-be mother-in-law," the older woman replied. Lily's eyes grew wider in shock when she realized that the woman standing in front of her was Prince Aziz's mother.

"I am so sorry, my queen; I had no idea that you are Aziz's mother."

"No need to apologize, and no, I am not his mother-well, I am his stepmother; his biological mother died when he was just a little boy." The queen confessed, and this left Lily speechless. A man like Prince Aziz had lost his biological mother at a young age.

"I am sorry about that, my queen," Lily apologized, and the queen simply smiled back at her.

"It is okay; there is no need to apologize for anything," The queen replied. The queen grabbed the veil, walked over to Lily, and placed the veil on her head.

"You look beautiful, and my son is the luckiest man to have you as his wife." Hearing such sweet words from the queen warmed her heart, but she could not help but think that this entire marriage was a sham.

"Thank you for welcoming me into the family. I am sure that you have a lot of questions regarding your son and me."

"No need to explain anything to me; I know that my son knows just what he is doing," the queen told her, and deep down, Lily doubted the queen. The door swung open, and more helpers came, carrying gold-covered jewelry, resting on gold-plated plates.

"What is this?" Lily stood up from her chair and asked the helpers who had brought the jewelry. Her mother-in-law walked towards the plates filled with jewelry; she inspected them, turned to face Lily, and smiled.

"These are the purest gold and most beautiful rubies that you would find in Hamidin" the queen bragged but the thought of wearing such an expensive piece terrified Lily.

"I don't think I can wear these, my queen." The queen looked at Lily with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Do you not like jewelry?" We can still get you more from the royal vaults." The queen insisted, and she almost looked worried that Lily did not like the jewelry that was presented to her.

"It is not that I do not like them; I've never worn so much gold in my life, and I fear that I might lose it." Lily confessed to the queen, but the queen simply smiled back at her.

"Do not worry about it, my dear; even if you lose it, all pieces of jewelry belonging to the royal family are marked."

"But-"

"There are no buts; you are the next queen of Hamidin, and you must carry yourself as one at all times, and if that means that you must adorn yourself in jewelry, then that you shall do." The queen said she sounded firmer than she did before.

Before Lily knew what was happening, she was made to sit down and have the helpers place every piece of jewelry on her, and when the process was done, she looked as though she were some kind of goddess.

The queen walked up behind Lily, placed both her hands on her shoulders, and smiled.

"Now you look like you are ready to be the next queen of Hamidin; walk out there and own your place." The queen ordered her, and her order woke up something in Lily.

"Yes, I am ready to become the next queen of Hamidin," Lily uttered, and alarm bells rang in her ears. She could not believe that it was she who was uttering those words. Lily had never been a queen, nor had she ever been friends with anyone of royal descent, and promising to be a good queen was a promise that she did not know she could keep.