Kisses or riches, I need need none from you b*tches

Silence is the key to avoid fighting, disagreements and judgements. That is definitely the reason why I did not utter a single word on the entire way back to the Amir who patiently stood by the door talking to some guards.

On our way to him, I peaked in from the glass door of the hall where the women sat and gulped as I watched all of them pouring themselves a share of food.

A desperate need to strangle Aza acquired me and I wanted nothing more to kick him in the most painful place of his male pride. My stomach was already grumbling because of it being relished from the most delicious food for more than six hours.

Looking back at Aza, he had also wrapped a piece of cloth on his face, once again hiding it away from the world.

Something stirs in my heart whenever I think how he stood bare infront of all the women, giving them his trust and not hiding his face from them. What makes him so sure that the spy is not amongst the women?

"Apologies baba, we took time. Aza had  something holding him back."

Staring up at the Amir, I nodded at him. So wait, I was Aza now? It's not like Aza was going to ask me before he titled me Aza himself.

The Amir seems to stare straight in my eyes and I grow nervous.

His eyes take in what is viable of my face, a weird look etching to his face.

"He cannot speak baba."

"Oh, that's alright. Follow me in men." Amir nods and I release the breath of air that was stuck in my lungs.

Amir turns to open the door and walk in, I move to follow until Aza decides to grab me by my sleeve and pull me back, facing him.

He looks into my eyes for a few moments and then sigh, "I told you to remove this kohl! Silly girl." He hisses and my eyes widen.

Oh no! I forgot!

Aza grabs his own sleeves and start rubbing my eyes.

"Hey! I can do it my-"

"Quiet!" And then this man grabs me from the back of my neck and continues to rub the kohl away from my eyes. I try to push him away but he only shifts to my other eye.

This man!

His grip only tightens, and loosens only when he is satisfied.

When Aza do take a step back, my fingers itch, clench and punch. My fist landing on his jaw, snapping his face to the side.

"Don't touch me again!" I rasp out, my breathing ragged, "I am warning you!" Even though my voice is low, it is enough for his ears.

"Hamza, Aza, come in! Everyone is waiting." My back straighten at the voice of Amir but never break my stare from the man I just punched. My knuckles already hurting from the impact. What was he made of!?

When Aza looked back at me, my eyes widened when I saw his eyes crinkle. This man was smirking. He was enjoying me acting out.

What was with him!? I don't understand him!

"Normally I don't let anyone go after punching me but I will let this one slide." He pushes past me and walk inside.

Grinding my teeth, I walk in aswell.

The moment I enter the room, multiple eyes stare at me yet I keep my face straight and eyes emotionless. The anger pushed deep down in a dark corner somewhere in my body.

Oh I'll get back to him.

"My son and Aza." Amir Khuzzain introduces us, not that everyone did not know already.

The Amir motioned his hand towards us, not particularly pointed at who was Aza from us.

Was he aware of his son's plans?

The Amir went on with his speech meanwhile servants placed food on the tables.

I could spot everyone there. My brothers, Khulaid, Haris, Ahmad, Haroon and even Musa.

Everyone looked well and that made me happy.

The speech ended with a heartwarming poem from the Amir that he recited in a monotone voice yet a lighthearted smile.

"Please, eat and enjoy tonight."

Amir vanished somewhere among the crowd Aza shifted closer to me.

"A dirham for your thought?" He whispered to me and felt his mischievous yet playful side edge out.

"Go away." I whispered back.

Aza hummed and took another step closer to my side. My eyes roll at his behavior.

Was he a child?

"Now tell me Hamza, does anyone here look suspicious to you." Twisting my neck, I look at him with wide eyes, not understanding what he meant.

This man, his thinking process was unexplainable. What he did, why he did was out of course if my mind yet he thought I could keep up with him?

"Sahab was not the only spy. He single handedly could not have all the information about our cavalry and what went on in the empire at the same time. He must have more than one partners."

I was still not aware of how much that man, Sahab knew. I could not say much except answer him with another question so that I could look deeper into what he was thinking.

"Who do you have in mind?"

His eyes twinkle.

"Sahab was a man at an average level. He must have connections with people in higher standing than him. He would have no use of someone lower than him so his partners must be popular people. Ones that can gather accurate information. And there is no other way of getting accurate information than from the source."

Aza went on and I had to keep up with him.

But what he said made sense.

"So his partners are someone close to you or your father. Someone who is at higher position. One man quite fits this description." Aza raises his brow at me.

"Who might that be?"

"Haroon." Aza freezes. Temporarily.

"Not possible. That man is the most trustable man in this whole empire!"

"Does that not give him the leverage? The Amir trusts hum blindly, don't you think he can make a very good spy?" Aza seems to think, his eyes clouding over.

There was a very good chance that my guess was correct but Aza had his doubts and I don't blame him.

"I have a question . . " I whispered to Aza.

To the people sitting there, no one knew we were speaking under our masks, no one knew that we were assessing them as if they were the mouse and we the cats, waiting for them to make a single mistake so we prey on them.

Aza hummed, still lost in thoughts.

"My brothers were not the part of war yet you still invited them along with the family." My question seems to make Aza look me straight in the eye, once again with a look I could not decipher.

His scrutinizing gaze never failed to throw me in peril, a battle of my own thoughts.

"I did not invite your family because of Abu Bakr or any other brother of yours. They are here solely on your behalf, even if they don't know."

My heart skips a beat.

They are here on my hard work! Because I went to war! My disappearance has caused a great deal of damage to my family yet they continue to treat me as if they don't hear rumours everyday on the streets, my mother in the bazaar and my brothers in mosque but the fact that they are here now, on the personal invite of the Khalifa, their reputation has to be restored and that is what truly please me.

Under the stuffy cloth, an unmaskable smile form on my lips and giddiness develope in my chest, my heart skipping in a field of meadows.

His eyes continued to look at me judging my behavior but my happiness could be felt in thick waves by probably the whole room.

"What is she doing here?" My heart still busy dotting and my mind still engrossed in happiness did not hear Aza's question until he walked past me and I was forced to follow, pushing my happiness at the back of my head.

Matching Aza's stride, people formed lines allowing us to pass through.

Keeping my eyes straight was an easy task for me but no doubt, the gazes of warriors made me falter in my step slightly as they greeted me, the so called Khalifa.

Aza as nonchalant as ever made a bee line towards the reception doors where now I could make out two figures. One being his sister.

Both figures I had seen earlier in the women's hall. The brunette and black haired beauty.

Let's see what these two women were doing peeping in the men's section.

Guess who is back in business mommas!
Meeeee.