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3. The Zirconia Hall.

*When times of sorrow

Come each day,

I always feel sad

And sigh away.*

*Always a war, needs fighting

Always a life, suffering,

Oh, how I wish,

I wish for peace.*

-Sharifa Hanna

As soon as she came out of the washroom, six ladies were standing in front of her with a beautiful gown and jewelry. They curtsy in sync. "Your Majesty, we are here at your service. Please allow us to make you ready for the royal dinner." A lady with golden eyes in her forties said proudly.

Niya was still in shock, many questions were running through her mind. "Why I am here? Please someone tell me. Please?'' She pleaded to get some more answers about this whole situation.

"You are here because you were destined to be here." Another lady, who was the oldest of all and had icy cold blue eyes, took the towel from Niya's hand and made her sit in front of the beautiful huge designer mirror. They made her hair look beautifully, tied in a lower stylish bun while her side bangs completed the royal look.

She put on the dark maroon colored gown and a crown of maroon golden metal roses. The gown was big, simple yet very beautiful, made of pure silk. Though, the beauty couldn’t compensate for the uncomfortableness that Niya felt, who was not used to wearing these kinds of dresses.

Finally, a lady brought her heels which were made of glass completely. "I cannot wear this. It will hurt me." Niya winced while looking at those beautiful heels.

"But Your Majesty, the king gave us all of these to make sure you wear all the things properly." The lady with golden eyes requested.

"No. I said no. Are we clear?" Niya was determined to not wear those heels.

Within a millisecond, a wind entered the room and Archie was in front of her. ''It’s already 9:05 and you are still not ready?" His eyes were more green this time and he was in his dark mood again. He looked more royal in a dark grey business suit and a black shirt with a maroon tie.

"I am not gonna wear these heels." She stated clearly.

"Go Mrs. Galbraith and check if all the things are ready for the royal dinner. All the guests are here already." He took the heels from the lady with golden eyes and ordered her to leave. All the ladies curtsy and left the room.

He stared at Niya for a second and sighed, putting her feet one by one in the heels. "But I don't wan-" He put his index finger on his lips and signed her to keep her mouth shut aggressively. She was unable to speak any word after that out of fear.

They left the room immediately after that, and outside in the corridor, seven bodyguards were already waiting to join them, All in black suits with red ties. They crossed the corridor and entered a lift. She was claustrophobic so she distracted her mind by looking at the floor numbers, trying to control her panic attacks. After almost seven minutes, the lift indicated that they were on the 1067 floor.

Niya gasped seeing the 1067 number and gathered the courage to ask a question to Archie, who was waiting for the door to open. "A-Archie, how many floors are there in total?" She stared at his poker face curiously.

The door opened and they stepped out immediately. "7000." He replied while walking. She was unable to speak anything. Her mind was imagining how long this building would look from the outside.

"The queen is about to enter the Zirconia Hall, please confirm the security check, over." A bodyguard said on his microphone. "Your Highness, Everything is clear. We can proceed." He told Archie in a very low tone.

Within minutes, they were in front of the huge gate which was probably made of diamonds completely. Two bodyguards opened the door and, as soon as Niya entered, everyone kneeled. It was only after Archie nodded that they stood up again. It felt so strange and superior to Niya.

"Smile.'' Archie spoke in her ear.

She turned her face to see his face.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

''Smile at them. Like a proud queen." He explained. Following the order, she smiled.

The hall was decorated with all the colorful gems and chandeliers. A huge dining table was placed in the center. "Your Majesty, finally our wait is over to see you." A very handsome man, who was probably in his early twenties, greeted her.

"William Nicholson at your service ma’am." He introduced himself with a spark in his dark blue eyes.

For the first time, Niya was feeling tiny in front of his 6''1' tall physique even if she was 5''4' without heels. Niya was impressed with his aura already, his dark blue suit with a white shirt and golden tie was the perfect combination to brighten up his bright olive skin tone.

"William is the prime minister of Vamp Prime." Archie finally broke his silence.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. PM, finally a gentleman with a different colored tie." She laughed out a little and took a step towards Will and said in his ear, “Red ties are everywhere, it's boring!”

A small laugh escaped from his red rosy lips. "I will be more careful while dressing up from now on, never gonna wear a red tie, Your Majesty." He smirked.

After that, Archie whisked her away and introduced all the other council of ministers and authorities. Niya was missing her parents even more in this place full of strangers. But she was still smiling, following the instructions given by Archie to her.

After all the introduction part, Archie made her sit on the head seat of the dining table which was more beautiful and big than the other chairs. There were about 50 chairs present all filled with people.

"Everyone please pay attention. After waiting so long, finally, the queen is present here with us so this toast is for her, to The Creator Queen Niyanica Hemsworth." Archie toasted his glass of wine along with others and finally, dinner was served.

"I am vegetarian so..." Niya was in the middle of her sentence when Archie cut her off, "We all know, your majesty."

"How do you know this?" She whispered in his ear.

"There is much more to catch up. We will discuss this later." He smiled.

After that, dinner went smoothly. An hour passed by in business talkings, in which Niya was a silent spectator and Archie was explaining everything.

Niya was still in shock because of this sudden change in her life. She was deep in her thoughts when someone interrupted them.

"Your Majesty, would you allow me to escort you to your room?" William asked with a beautiful smile on his lips. Niya was already fond of him as he was not rude like Archie so she agreed happily. "Sure, Mr. PM." She smiled back.

"You can call me Will, Your Majesty.” Smirking he offered his arm to escort her. She grabbed it and smiled, "Okay, Will."

Archie was observing all of this from the distance and for the first time in his life, he felt something in his heart. He was confused as to what it was. Was it jealousy? But how could he feel jealousy when he is an emotionless monster? All these thoughts were running in his mind when suddenly, he saw that Niya was about to slip due to her heels but Will saved her. Everybody in the room came near her with concern.

"Are you okay Niyanica?" Archie asked while checking if there was any injury.

"Oh my God, your foot is bleeding, Your Majesty." Will said in a concerned tone.

"Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that I am not used to wearing these kinds of heels." Niya winced in pain.

"You won't be able to walk like this," Will said and lifted her in a bridal style. "let me take you to your room." His tone was filled with worry as he took her out of the hall. Archie and the bodyguards followed closely behind them.

"I hope I’m not heavy." She mischievously smiled and stared at Will's face to see his reaction.

He laughed softly, "You should eat more, Your Majesty. I am not even feeling you in my arms." He whispered in her ear but it was still audible to Archie who was burning like fire due to his jealousy and confusion just a few steps behind them.

They entered the lift and reached the front of her room in just a few minutes. Will put her safely on her bed.

"Thanks, Will." She smiled.

"Save it for the later. My work is not done yet, Your majesty." He smiled.

"Please give me the first aid kit." He ordered a servant. And within no time it was placed in his hands.

"No, you don't need to do-" She began saying.

"But I want to." Will smiled politely and started to dress up her wounds.

"Mr. Nicholson, there are servants who can do this, you really don't have to." Archie tried hard to suppress his anger in his tone but failed miserably.

"Oh please, Your Highness, she needs a friend right now more than a servant, she is in a completely different world full of strangers. More than the ointment, she needs emotional support." He smiled while finishing.

"Thanks again, Will." She smiled, finally someone that understood what she was feeling at the moment and seemed to care for her as a friend, not a queen. She was happy to see someone real and genuine.

"Pleasure is mine, Your Majesty. Now, I will take my leave." He said and bowed out.

"Niya would be better." She smirked. Everybody in the room was shocked, while she was confused by seeing their shocked face.

"How can I say your name? According to royal rules, nobody is supposed to say your name except the king, Your Majesty." Lines of fear and shock were clearly visible on his forehead.

"I am the queen, I don't follow the rules, I make them. So I order you to call me by my name." She uttered every word with confidence and even she was shocked at her newfound boldness inside her.

"If this is an order, I cannot disobey, Your Maj-I mean, Niya." He smiled.

"See you soon Will." And with that, he left the room along with the others, except Archie. Once everyone left, he was by her side in less than a second.

"How dare you to break the rules on your very first day, you little stupid girl?" Archie grabbed her arm tightly and his dark green eyes turned bloodshot red. His skin became paler and his touch was as cold as ice. Niya was shocked to see these new changes in him. Her heart was beating fast, she felt like the monster in front of her was going to swallow her within the very next second.


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