Page 32 of The Prince's Wife

Relanya smiled, but strangely it did not quite meet her eyes. "Wonderful as always in your fine home, Your Highness. I wanted to congratulate you."

"Oh? Thank you. How did you hear so quickly?"

"The staff has been positively abuzz with the news."

"They have?" Aradishir's brows rose. "I wouldn't have thought most people would care so much, but I suppose it's not every day that multiple merchants are arrested all at once on charges of human trafficking, kidnapping, and attempted murder, and dragged to the palace to be made a spectacle of. It will be nice to have this over with finally."

Surprise filled Relanya's face, and her eyes suddenly looked less sad. "You caught them? That's marvelous. That I hadnotheard."

"Then what were you congratulating me for?" Aradishir said. "I admit I am thoroughly confused now."

Relanya laughed, though it was a weak effort honestly, and the momentary happiness brightening her eyes faded again, despite the fact she was clearly making an effort to maintain her levity. She must be tired or something—well, stressed,obviously, dumbass. Her visit had been nothing but one disaster after another. "Why on your engagement of course. To that beautiful woman I saw you embracing this morning, I assume."

"What woman? I haven't—oh!" Aradishir laughed. "No, not mine! I mean not me." He sighed at himself. "I meanthat I am not the one getting married, though that woman was. Is. Mercy, I cannot speak anymore. The woman is Lady Kubra, a friend and ally in my fight against those stupid merchants. I offered to pay forherwedding." He quickly explained all that had transpired. "In thanks, and because she certainly deserves it, I insisted on paying for everything. She and Master Masood were quite beside themselves. I hope it gives them something happy to focus on after all the stress and fear."

"That's incredibly kind of you," Relanya said. "I feel silly. I asked several people just to be certain I was hearing right, because I thought it strange that everything was so abrupt, but then I just figured I had missed all the history that meant it wasn't abrupt, or maybe that it was some romantic, whirlwind thing."

Aradishir smiled crookedly. "Alas, marriage is not in my near future. All else aside, the focus should be on you and Bakhti right now. I would never be so rude or disrespectful to you, my brother, and a non-existent bride to have our engagements at the same time. I'm sure something will be arranged for me in a few more years." He offered his arm. "Were you on your way to the throne room to watch the proceedings?"

"No, but I would greatly like to, thank you." Relanya accepted his arm, and with guards, concubines, and handmaidens around them, they headed off to the throne room.

He wasn't surprised that Bakhti, Jahanara, and Danial were also there, though he was annoyed that Bakhtiar hadn't thought to invite Relanya, given that this sort of thing would be amongst their primary duties one day.

"There you are, and you found Relanya along the way," Fahima said warmly. "Sit with me and Jahanara, dear. It's so nice having two daughters, feels like I can finally put the boys in their place."

Shahjahan gave a snorting laugh. "My jewel, you put all of us in our place three times a day."

Fahima smirked, sharing a look with him that Aradishir had no desire to witness whatsoever.

So he ignored them, as he often did when they were acting like that, and settled into his seat.

Relanya took the seat next to his, and it took all of his training not to show his surprise. Why would she sit with him and not Bahkti?

To their father's right, Bahkti seemed wholly unbothered by the decision. If he'd even noticed, which was fifty-fifty with him.

"Summon the prisoners," Shah said to the guard at the base of the dais, who saluted and strode to the doors, where he instructed the guards outside.

Several minutes later, before the whole of the council and much of the court who'd decided to observe the public proceedings, every merchant that Aradishir had struggled with was brought into the throne room in chains.

Shah must have ordered that explicitly, because ordinarily the only prisoners kept in chains were those who were an immediate danger to those around them or at extreme risk of trying to flee. He was sending a message, and to judge by the silence that swept through the room and the expressions on several faces, the message had been received.

"Merchants," Shah said, another insult and warning. His father was, above all else, respectful to everyone. Where too many in the palace would sneer and scoff at a poor farmer or awkward laborer who'd never learned to read and write, Shah treated them with the same accord afforded his nobles. Some days, more, because no one taxed Shah's infamous patience like the spoiled brats that were, unfortunately, just as necessary to the running of the kingdom as the lower classes. "You are charged with many crimes, the most severe of which is the trafficking of people. If convicted, the punishment is execution. Steward, the list of crimes in full, if you please."

Ikram, his father's long-time steward, lifted the piece of paper in his hand and began to read. Normally a clerk would do such a thing, but Shah was determined to make his points as clear and sharp as possible.

Though he was calm, quiet, and incredibly kind, Ikram was also dangerous and fierce. Combined with his full bodytattoo of snake scales and having him read out the damning list of your crimes, it was a situation that would humble even the most arrogant person.

Trafficking. Kidnapping. Abuse. Nevermind the financial crimes entailed with hiding money, the lying about cargo bound for international trade, and so many more. Not only were they facing execution, their homes and other assets would be seized to make right by every victim that could be found and returned home.

As to their families… first the culpability of wives, relatives, and so forth must be determined. Knowing his father and Ikram, those persons had already been detained and were awaiting an audience. Aradishir would probably take on that duty, as this entire matter had been given to him.

The children would be the most difficult, but people who trafficked children shouldn't be trusted with their own, certainly. So that was something else he would have to attend. Relanya would probably be good at that. Pity she could not help him, even if she wanted to, which he couldn't be certain of. She was simply too busy learning all her duties as crown princess.

"Have you anything to say in your defense?" Shah asked, calm but as cold as a desert night.

The merchants were silent, most staring sullenly at the floor, a few casting Aradishir looks of hate and loathing before being roughly nudged by guards to lower their eyes.

"The evidence is quite damning," Shah continued when the silence had stretched on. "You will of course be given a fair and honest trial, but I think we all know that it will not go in your favor. Especially you four, as you decided to kidnap Lady Kubra and kill several people in the process. No, I don't want to hear you didn't do the actual killing. I don't actually kill the soldiers of opposing armies when we must go to war, I don't actually killoursoldiers, but it is my decisions that led to their deaths.If I can take responsibility for that, so can you. The trials will begin in one week, you have that long to prepare your personal defenses and to make arrangements for your families, though of course the court and the throne can countermand them if we deem them untoward. You are dismissed."

---