You are reading The Birth of Rekiya.

The enemy has a face.

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The sudden quietness didn't last for long when a loud noise filled Ruki's chamber. Ruki was dumbfounded. The shock that left her body witnessing her sister's sudden death came back like a rushing wind. She was suddenly cold as if every part of her body was freezing inside and out. Tears were coming but she couldn't scream. She had never been so scared. She had never been so afraid. Never been so careless. How could Barbra have done this to her! Why? Suddenly, the realization hit Ruki. She had no one who could fight for her. She had no one! No mother, no father, no siblings, no one! She was all alone, an orphan, and not even the King or Queen could come to her aid. She held the poor door to her room afraid to take more steps. Her eyes looking straight up. At the corpse of the people she left very much alive  before leaving the palace few minutes ago.

The only two maids who had access to Ruki's room were seen with ropes around their necks.

The murmur then began that they committed suicide, each leaving a note for Ruki.

Suicide!

Ruki knew it was far from that.

What had she done for someone to be messing up with her?

The first suspects Ruki had in mind that made her hurry back to the palace were the two ladies she found hanging in her room. She met their corpse and there was no sign they were touched or forced. Not even a single mark was on their body.

Ruki still disagreed. This was no suicide.

But who could have done this?

Meeting their corpse was enough for her to accept one of them informed Barbra about her sister. One of them was the reason Reba was killed like she was no human and as if she had no family at all. But how? How could they have done this to her? She treated her maids well, yet all they did was stab her to this extent. These two were the maids she gave consent to because they had been with her for long.

Finally able to move her feet, Ruki left the door she had been holding unto, sent the rest of her maids out except from Rekiya and Rekima whose eyes had swollen just like their mother. With shaky hands, Ruki picked up one of the notes on her bed to see what they have written.

'My Lady, there is no reason for me to live again. I lost the man I should have gotten married to.'

"Barbra!" Ruki yelled with so much pain rooted in her heart. Her tears never dried up. Whatever it would take her, she would make sure Barbra have a taste of her medicine. She promised she would, even if that was all she would ever do in this lifetime.

While she said all manner of things calling Barbra's name, Rekiya shook her head, trying to make Ruki understand it wasn't Barbra. Ruki saw Rekiya's movements all long and how she tried to convince her on who the killer was. She just ignored her because she felt Rekiya was still young to know a murderer can disguise to be anything. Even to be shocked by the event he or she planned and executed.

Rekiya didn't know how well to express herself but made sure she tried her best to tell Ruki the death of her sister came from somewhere else. She was there, she saw the arrow. She witnessed how her body dried up all of a sudden. It was the most dangerous and scary scene Rekiya ever witnessed and she couldn't get over the height of such wickedness. Since Tia had warned her the Crown Prince said she must never mention his name and his cousin. Rekiya only mentioned her and Tia as witness. Besides, the two disappeared. They left the scene with the young Rekiya.

Whatever Ruki saw next made her run to the second note getting everyone's attention. She picked the beaded bracelet on top of the note and read.

'My Lady, I was just informed I lost my family. I want to join them and--'

The rest of the words must have been read by Rekima who picked the paper on the bed instead. Ruki had made it to her old jug. Her old jug sitting before her mirror. The jug everyone thought was useless, but because Ruki failed to dispose it, no one touches it. And that was because the jug was her means of communication with her second trusted maid. She had given her maid the bracelet to communicate with her. Wherever the bracelet was seen if not on their wrist meant a letter had been placed inside the old jug.

And truly, a paper was neatly placed in the jug.

'My Lady, the Queen is not who you think she is.'

Ruki's tears that was seen rolling down her face had suddenly stopped. What has the Queen got to do with this? She adjusted herself and didn't know whether to sit or stand. She ended up standing as she went on reading.

'My Lady, you have been kind to me, and that is why I need to say this. My life is no longer safe. Today, I have been seeing the Queen's men monitoring my movements. I lied to make my way into the palace. That was the only way I could serve as a palace maid because of the huge salary, but the Queen found out I have a child and if she revealed it, I would never be able to take care of my family ever again. So I started working for her. Since it was to know your whereabout and what was going on in your palace. I didn't think she would harm you until I realised I wasn't the only one working for her in your palace. Whenever I lied to her about you, she found out so many times. I became afraid because everyone who worked for her from your palace never came back after taking a break to visit their families. My Lady, the Queen killed them.'

Ruki almost fell at the discovery. It was as if her knees became weak and she developed a throbbing headache. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes were suddenly cloudy that it could rain tears.

"Mother, what is it?" It was Rekima who spoke for herself and her sister, Rekiya.

Ruki told them not to come closer as she read on turning the paper to the other side.

'My Lady, the Queen knows about Rekiya. I know you tried for other maids not to find out but few of them knows and have reported to the Queen the strange thing Rekiya does when she was still very young. Even that very day you came back with Rekiya, I realised from the Queen that you have not found the baby because Rekiya belongs to your sister. My Lady, It breaks my heart to see how you smile and worship your enemy--'

The tears that disappeared minutes ago rushed back like an open tap that Ruki couldn't even hold them back. It rained heavily. Suddenly Ruki yelled. "Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!!!!!" She sang with disbelief. The shock had paralysed her senses. "Reba you warned me! Ahhh, Reba you warned me!" Her scream shot a deep pain into Rekima and Rekiya's hearts watching Ruki wailed and cried with no one coming to help. Her tears made them cry. Her tears fisted their hearts in a painful grip that they couldn't help themselves or help their mother, Ruki.

Truly, Reba had warned her not to marry the King. That anyone who is never the King's favourite or from a powerful family does not end well.

It was hard for Ruki to continue reading, but she had to finish it, though her tears seemed to have blinded her eyes and messed the paper in her hand.

'My Lady, I might not make it. I have refused to go home every time you allow me to because I fear the Queen might kill me on my way home so I have only been sending money to my family. But if today you meet my corpse, then it means the Queen is done with me. But I want you to know that I have only lied to the Queen every time. You also weren't the last woman who ever got pregnant to the King, they just didn't deliver their babies on earth. My Lady, you have to marry Rekima off to leave the palace. For Rekiya, this is hard, but only the Crown Prince can protect her. Ever since she was little, he cherish her so much.'

one.

two.

three.

If each drop of Ruki's tears could make a sound, they would count one to three as Ruki dropped the paper. But this time, she wouldn't make the same mistake again. She picked it up immediately. She also wanted to keep the paper as evidence.

"My Lady!" One of the maids yelled outside Rekiya's room. "My Lady, the Queen's men are outside. The King is requesting to see you and the princesses. The King has heard of what happened and he's ready to bring justice, My Lady."

••••••••••

Ruki's face was completely dried but her swollen eyes couldn't hide the fact that she had cry a river. She was still on her way with the two princesses heading to the King's palace when she saw concubine Barbra being dragged by the Queen's men. Not only that, the same arrow that killed her sister, Reba were many that one of the Queen's soldiers held in his hand.

"Ruki I did not do it! Ruki I did not kill your sister!" was the song Barbra kept singing till she was far away from Ruki and her daughters.

"Mother," Rekiya ran towards Ruki. "That's the same arrow. But she's right, she did not kill her truly."

Ruki turned very quickly. All the warmth in her eyes had left. Her voice was firm and cold. "You, you must keep quiet. No matter who decides to be her witness, justice will never be served. Look at me Rekima." she said now looking from Rekiya to Rekima back to Rekiya. "This might be my last advice. Never trust anybody in power. Never! And be prepared, because the faces you see today, might be your enemies."

A/N

I did it 😁😁
We have an update 👏👏👏
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I'm the most excited person in the room😂 I must confess that the responses I got on this book...from Whatsapp to Wattpad to Facebook made me write without taking a break this night. Thank you so much for reading TBOR.

Who wanna guess the faces of the enemies 😊

See you soon 👏

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