The Sultan's son

4. The yacht (part one)

Regina couldn't believe it. They were all there, in front of the yacht, dressed in their best clothes over their swimsuits, ready to board. She was wearing a sleeveless blue dress that hooked around the neck and covered her ample cleavage completely. She didn't have many lovely dresses, this one had been purchased for an aunt's wedding, and hardly ever used afterward.

Surprisingly her father, having listened to the story, had insisted on joining the mini cruise, and with the whole family! Her father never asked for opinions, he just commanded and that was it, you had to obey. He was determined to visit the enormous ship that was the talk of the town whenever it appeared, and then ... heaven forbid, what if the Sultan took offense if they didn't show up for the appointment!

They were welcomed in grand style by the Sultan and his young wife ... she couldn't be Quarin's mother. He was at least 20 years old and she didn't seem to be more than 30 ... Maybe their religion allowed polygamy, or perhaps he was divorced. Nevertheless, she was stunning, a gorgeous woman with café-au-lait skin and very dark eyes and hair, dressed in an exquisite sari. She wore her long black hair tied in a soft braid. Everyone exuded elegance and wealth. The rich often had very young wives, Regina considered. She couldn't understand how a young woman could be with a much older man, albeit his wealth, except perhaps because she was starving.

The Sultan was, in fact, at least 50 years old. He was very cordial, instead his partner smiled but her smile did not reach her eyes. She scrutinized attentively and suspiciously those four poor souls who had the audacity to infiltrate their luxury yacht.

But the genuinely and openly hostile gaze was Quarin's.

He stood off t the side, staring at them with a menacing expression and his arms crossed. Behind him was the beautiful blonde, clinging to him seductively, her sunglasses raised over her beautiful flowing hair.

Regina was uncomfortable, she was restless and could not wait for the day to end. With a bit of luck, she wouldn't have any interactions with him and might even enjoy the cruise.

"Welcome, my dear guests, Let me introduce you to you my wife Naisha and my children, Quarin is the oldest, and Joridey is the youngest." The child peeked out from behind his mother's skirt and smiled shyly. The Sultan gestured to the blonde near Quarin: "We also have a friend of Quarin's on board as a guest, Charmant."

"Pleasure to meet you!" she chirped.

"Come, our chef has prepared a welcome buffet, please, help yourselves, there is a bit of everything. You must eat and drink something, I want you to taste the specialties of my country!"

And he listed the various delicacies. Regina hadn't eaten breakfast, but strangely her stomach was closed, so she only drank a glass of some kind of colorful fruit juice, but immediately afterward she felt light-headed, and realized that it must have contained alcohol.

While her parents and the Sultan were engaged in conversation, the child ran over to Regina and hugged her.

She bent down to his level and stroked his hair.

"How are you, little one? Have you recovered from the mega dive?"

"Yes, thank you! I feel much better now. Can I call you by name?"

"Of course dear, and you are a Prince. Should I call you Prince Joridey?"

"No, just Joridey is fine!" he laughed, then turned serious. "I wanted to tell you that I can swim, but I've always swum in the pool or by the shore, where my feet can touch the ground. When I fell into the water, I got scared because it was so deep that I could not see the bottom ... I explained it to Quarin. I'm sorry he treated you badly, but Daddy treated you well, didn't he?"

"Of course darling, don't worry! I'm perfectly fine, see?" she smiled, although she was actually starting to suspect that the drink was giving her a stomachache.

"Do you want to meet our dog?" The child said.

She was a little worried about leaving the Sultan at the mercy of her father and brother. She knew that her father could become pompous and overbearing, and her brother ... well, he was like a child, with no filter between his mind and his mouth. Still, she preferred to follow the boy, so she let him lead her away from the group that was touring the boat. 'I hope mom keeps them in check', she thought.

Joridey led her to the upper deck, where there was a huge swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers and umbrellas, there was also a kiosk with snacks and beverages.

Up there an adorable spitz trotted up them, happily wagging its tail and smiling. She melted at the sight of the little dog, it was the same breed as her Mint! She knelt down to caress it.

"Oh, how cute he is! What's his name?"

"Her name is Numa, and she's a female!"

"Sorry miss, I mistook you for a boy. But you are adorable!"

As she hugged and petted the dog, Quarin appeared with a serious expression.

"Stay. Away. From. My. Dog."

Joridey tried to defend her: "But why? She's not hurting her, and besides, she's my dog too!"

"Charmant gifted her to me, so she's mine. And I don't want her making friends with strangers, because it would be easy for them to kidnap her and ask for a hefty ransom. It wouldn't be the first time, you know? We need to be cautious, little brother. Anyway, your mother is looking for you, go back down right away."

Joridey waved goodbye and came hurried back downstairs.

Regina felt sorry for the boy, he had to abide by his older brother's exaggerated rules, he must feel trapped, poor thing.

"Look, I would never dream of k********g anyone's dog, even though this one is really cute, I would gladly take her home with me!"

Quarin did not smile.

"You won't have the chance. Come here, Numa!" the little dog trotted happily over to its owner. The Prince pointed at Regina and said to the dog, "Numa: enemy! Got it? Enemy!"

The little dog turned to Regina and began to growl. What used to be an adorable cheerful furball now transformed into a barking devil and when Regina bent down and showed her hand to calm her, Numa lunged forward and bit her with all its might, then retreated behind its owner, still growling and barking.

Now, the Prince was laughing. He bent down to stroke the dog.

"Good, Numa, very good. So, do you still think you can take her home?"

She held her aching hand, the bite had opened her flesh and it was bleeding.

"Aren't you a monster, turning an adorable little dog into a weapon?"

He stood up and walked over to Regina. "It's for her sake, and ours. Now, every time you try to get close to her, you'll get the same treatment. I have to protect what's mine from the ill-intentioned people!"

She took a step back, being pursued by him. She was starting to feel sick.

"You're really out of your mind, I know that you rich people are targeted, but what do I have to do with it? I didn't even want to come here today!"

"But you did come. What am I supposed to think? When you walked off with my brother, I followed you immediately. He's just a kid and he likes you, so you can influence him." He moved closer. "Maybe you want to take him off the boat, maybe you have an accomplice, maybe you want to kidnap him!"

She retreated further and further. She felt nauseated, she was afraid of throwing up.

"Don't you deny it? You'd have understood that it is useless to do the goody-two-shoes with me! My father is too naive to see the rottenness in people! But I'm on it!"

She struggled to reply, she was trying to hold back the urge to vomit, but she couldn't make it to the edge of the ship and ended up throwing on the floor in front of the Prince.