Princess: Nuance Of Love Book 1 (35 page)

After a few minutes, Paramita saw the
number of royal guards increased inside the banquet hall. This
helped control the reporters.

After all the guest had eaten, they
were welcomed on the stage to congratulate the bride and groom
along with their parents. This was the highlight of the event for
most of the guests because they could actually shake the Sultan's
hand and have a picture taken with him.

Paramita couldn't feel her hands from
shaking with so many people. But she pushed on, wearing a smile on
her face and thanking people. Her heart beat a little faster when
Jonathan and Dewi came to the stage to congratulate them. She
guessed that Dewi wouldn't dare to do anything that would tarnish
any of their reputations in public.

She glanced at Ali acting indifferently
when taking his ex-girlfriend's hand and shaking it. When Dewi was
in front of her, she put on a polite smile, and with her most soft
and friendly voiced, she thanked Dewi, even though Dewi didn't
really say anything to her.

It was when Jonathan came to shake her
hand that she cringed as he gently squeezed her. She pursed her
lips to the inappropriate behavior, and tried hard to refrain
herself from punching him in the face in front of all the guests.
She put on a wide and obviously hypocritical smile and thanked
him.

The reporters didn't miss the chance to
take their pictures. Dewi stood by her side and Jonathan besides
Ali.

Ali put his left arm around Paramita's
shoulder and pulled her closer, he took her left hand in his right
one and smiled for the camera as the sound of shutters and flashes
filled the room.

Chapter Twenty
Nine

After the guests had left they were
allowed to have an hour break before they have to continue with an
inner family gathering. Paramita was allowed to go back to her
room. She sat on the bed trying hard not to tear off her clothes
and change into something more comfortable. The door opened and Ali
was shown in, he was accompanied by three of the Queen's
lady-in-waiting who came in pushing a wheeled tables. Paramita
could smell the delicious food being brought in.

"Your Highness Pangeran and Puteri,
please eat first," Said one of them, "We're going to move Her
Highness Puteri's luggage to the bridal room, please excuse us."
They went and brought Paramita's bag out of there before exiting
and gently closed the door behind them.

"How are you feeling?" Ali said while
sitting beside her on the bed.

"Tired, suffocated and numb." She
replied.

"That bad huh?"

"If you had to wear a tight belt and a
stiff hair do all day, you'd probably feel this way
too."

"You look beautiful." He said, "You
always do."

"My husband is the best at praising
me." She replied, she stood up and walked to the table and served
some food on a plate, then handed it to him.

He received it, "Thank you." He
said.

Then she served another one for herself
and walked back to the bed and sat down to eat. "Bang, you know I
found out some more things last night." She said after swallowing a
spoon of rice.

"What did you find out?" He
asked.

"Did you know that you were originally
supposed to marry my older sister from the Queen, Kak Nurbaiti?
Then about two years ago, she was engaged to Pangeran Hasan from
one of the kingdoms in Malaysia, and at the same time the Sultan
announced to the inner family that I was the one who was going to
marry to you."

"What? How come I've never heard of
this before?" He wondered.

"So according to my other sisters, Kak
Nurbaiti has been in love with you for years."

"I hardly know her. How can she be in
love with me?" He glanced and smiled audaciously, "She probably
fell in love at first sight seeing my beautiful and masculine
self."

"Here buddy, chew on this piece of meat
to calm your ego, there you go, good boy!" Paramita said while
putting a piece of meat in his mouth, then patting his head,
"Anyway according to Kak Hartini, her mother the Queen had taught
her since she was younger that she couldn't love any other man but
you. And I also heard that the Queen was upset at the Sultan's
decision of marrying you to me."

"That's.....why would she do that? Why
me?"

"That's also what I was asking myself,
why is my father the Sultan so keen on making you his son in law,
that he would engage you to two of his daughters? I mean I had the
theory about you and your renowned political views, but now I'm
confused."

"For now let's not make any
conclusions, let's just wait and see, I'm sure your father has his
reasons." He said.

Paramita took his empty plate and
stacked it on top of hers, she stood up and put the plates on the
table, "Do you want to drink water or tea?" She asked.

"Tea, please." He said.

She brought him a glass then waited
until he finished drinking before putting it back on the table,
then drank a glass of water herself. She went back to the bed and
sat down again.

"You know, your father is a very smart
and witty man, he was right about choosing you as my wife." He said
while caressing her cheek.

"Why is that?" She asked
him.

"Because no other woman can drive me
crazy like you do." He said while holding her nape and kissing her
lips passionately. Paramita closed her eyes and responded to his
kiss. His tongue tasted sweet from the sugar in the tea he just
drank.

They were surprised by the sound of the
door opened, followed by a gasp, and then the door quickly closed
again.

"Your Highness Pangeran Ali, I
apologize sir, but it's not time for that yet. There is still
another gathering to attend to, besides this is not the bridal
room." Said the lady in waiting who opened the door on
them.

"I'm sorry," Ali replied, "Please come
in."

The lady, in waiting, came back inside
to take out the table, she peeked at them through the corner of her
eyes. "Excuse me, Your Highness Pangeran and Your Highness Puteri,"
She said bowing several times to them before exiting and closing
the door behind her.

Ali and Paramita looked at each other
then broke into laughter. "That was awkward and embarrassing!"
Paramita said. She stacked up the pillows and used it to support
her back "What are they waiting for? The sooner we get this over
with the better."

"Are you that eager to enter the bridal
room?" Ali teased her.

"I just want to get out of these
clothes and lie down." She replied.

"Me too. I want you to get out of those
clothes and lie down."

"You! Stop insinuating those things and
do something productive." She said while slapping his
forearm.

"Like what?"

"Here massage my foot, they're killing
me." She said while lifting her legs and placing her feet on his
lap.

He smiled, he took off her sandals and
put them down on the floor, and began to massage her feet
affectionately. "Maybe tonight I'll give you a full body massage,
would you like that?" He asked coquettishly.

"Abang, you know I was nervous when I
saw Dewi here, I thought she was going to make a scene," Paramita
said, changing the subject of the conversation.

"She wouldn't dare, not in an event
held by the Sultan. What surprised me the most was Jonathan Tan,
how could he bring her as his date. He is married, oh well you know
his wife, remember at our engagement party, the lady who you
complained about because she praised me and only said that you were
beautiful."

"I remember her. Did she come to the
reception today? I don’t remember seeing her among the
guests."

"I don't think so. I didn't see her
either. If she came we should remember her, she tends to talk a
lot."

"Abang, I suspect that Jonathan Tan has
a hidden intention to him bringing Dewi here."

"He definitely does," Ali
replied.

"Bang, can I asked you something, but
promise me you won't get offended." She said to him.

"I promise, what is it?" He
replied.

"Well, I understand that you and Dewi
had gone out for three years before you left her to marry me. But I
think that she is being very clingy to you. Could it be possible
that she's expecting a child of yours?"

Ali looked at her with his eyes wide
opened. Shocked at her question, "Mita, maybe it's hard for you to
believe, since you knew my brother before you knew me, and you were
a firsthand witness of his behavior. But I'm not my brother. Mita,
I in all my thirty years of life, have conserved myself and my
chastity. I did have another girlfriend besides Dewi before, and to
both I have respected and protected from zina
(adultery)."

"Bang, I'm sorry like I said I didn't
mean to offend you. I was just wondering."

"Rest assure, that neither Dewi nor my
earlier girlfriend ever had any reason to cling on to me because of
that. I am a man of honor and proper moral, I don't engage in
illicit affairs."

"Abang......." Suddenly she looked
sharply at him, "Bang, so you mean that your love to Dewi was a
pure one since you protected her and conserved her, and with me you
just want to get into my panties? I don't remember you trying to
hold back after our marriage contract was made."

"Pure love? Mita, you've got it wrong,
if a man isn't plagued with urges to bring a woman his close with
to his bed, it doesn't mean his love for her is pure. It means he
can control himself."

"But you also told me that a man
doesn't need to be in love with a woman to want to do perverted
things to her. And let's be honest, you've been saying and doing
perverted things to me since we got married."

"Did you just call me a pervert?" He
asked. "Understand this, everything I did and will continue doing
to you, are not perverted things. It's because I want to make you
mine because I love you, I love to be one with you. Besides if you
think that true love is a love where a man doesn't need to lie with
his wife, even though both sides are able and willing, the human
species will be extinct by now."

"Okay, okay....So what you were trying
to say is that you've never done it with Dewi before."

"Not with her or with anyone else
besides you." He assured.

She saw his face and ears becoming red.
She smiled at his frankness, "Well, I didn't mean to insinuate that
you're a pervert, besides you gave me a much-needed massage with
the muscle cream that night." She said. She wiggled a foot, "Your
hands can do magic. My feet are feeling better already."

"You're not upset about my desire for
you, are you?" He whispered.

She looked down to her lap and shook
her head.

"So then........" he was about to say
something when there was a knock on the door, and someone opened
from the outside without waiting for an answer.

"Kak Nurbaiti." Paramita said while
quickly putting her feet down from Ali's lap and sitting up
straight.

"Ra....I mean Pangeran Ali, I didn't
know you were here too." She said to him her face was
flushed.

"Kakanda Puteri Nurbaiti." He greeted
her.

"The family gathering is in fifteen
minutes, you should go to the inner living room." She said looking
coldly at Paramita.

Paramita was about to stand up, when
Ali quickly said, "Wait." He stood up, kneeled down in front of her
and helped her put on her sandals. Then helped her to stand up from
the bed. "Let's go."

Paramita felt bad towards her elder
sister, knowing how Puteri Nurbaiti felt for Ali. But he was her
husband, and she loved being spoilt by him.

They walked together to the inner
living room, Paramita looked around, but her elder sister was no
longer with them. At a distance she could see the foreigner couple,
"Abang..." She held his hand the gestured to them.

"My mother." Ali whispered. "My
biological mother, and that's her husband, let's go, I want to
introduce you to them."

They walked up to them, "Ommy." Ali
called out to his mother.

She turned around, and smiled when she
saw them. She greeted him with opened arms and kissed him on both
cheeks.

"Mita, this is my Ommy, and this is her
husband Sayyid Omar Al Rashid." He introduced them.

"How do you do." She said kindly to
Paramita.

"Princess Latifah, it's a pleasure to
finally get to meet you." Paramita answered.

"You can call me Hamaatee or auntie."
She answered.

"Hamaatee, it's nice to meet
you."

"How cute...." Princess Latifa
said.

Paramita stood there smiling and
looking completely dumb, as they exchanged pleasantries in a
language she didn't understand. She knew that they were speaking
Arabic, but she was lost in the lack of translation.

"Ommy, Sayyid Omar, will you be joining
the family gathering?" Ali finally asked in language she
spoke."