Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Shouldn’t Know
Khalid killed the light.
Darkness swallowed the vault.
Maya heard the iron door move.
Samir whispered, “Don’t speak.”
Footsteps entered the outer archive.
Slow.
Measured.
Someone knew exactly where they were going.
Maya pressed against the wall.
Her heart pounded so loudly she feared the intruder could hear it.
A beam of light passed across the doorway.
Then a familiar female voice said:
“Khalid?”
Maya’s blood ran cold.
Princess Noura.
Khalid didn’t answer.
Noura stepped closer.
“I know you’re in there.”
The light flickered across the entrance.
Maya felt Khalid move beside her.
Then he switched the room lights back on.
Noura stood in the doorway.
She was sixty-one, elegant, controlled, wrapped in a dark green evening gown.
For one second, shock crossed her face.
Then it vanished.
Her eyes moved from Khalid to Samir.
Then to Maya.
Then to the open chest.
“What are you doing down here?”
Khalid held up the photograph.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Noura smiled faintly.
“I saw you leave dinner.”
“And you followed me?”
“I was concerned.”
“For me?”
“Always.”
Khalid stepped forward.
Maya saw Noura’s attention shift to the pendant.
Only for half a second.
But it was enough.
She recognized it.
Khalid noticed too.
“You know this necklace.”
Noura didn’t blink.
“I’ve seen old photographs.”
“Really?”
“Your mother wore it often.”
Samir spoke.
“No, she didn’t.”
Noura looked at him.
He continued.
“Mariam wore it only inside the private residence. Almost nobody knew what it looked like.”
The smile left Noura’s face.
Khalid moved closer.
“So how did you recognize it?”
Noura exhaled.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Answer me.”
“I recognized the symbol.”
“From where?”
“This palace is full of falcons.”
“Not with three stars.”
Noura’s eyes sharpened.
Then she saw the letter in Khalid’s hand.
“What is that?”
“My mother’s last letter.”
For the first time, Noura lost control.
She stepped forward.
Khalid immediately pulled it back.
“Give me that.”
“No.”
“Khalid.”
“You’re mentioned in it.”
Maya saw fear.
Real fear.
Noura looked at Samir.
“You should have destroyed everything.”
Silence.
Khalid stared at her.
Noura realized what she had said.
Too late.
Khalid whispered, “Destroyed what?”
Noura straightened.
“Old letters. Old accusations. Your mother was under tremendous stress before her death.”
Samir shook his head.
“Don’t.”
“She suspected everyone.”
“Don’t rewrite her life.”
“She was paranoid.”
Khalid’s eyes darkened.
“My mother warned me about you.”
Noura’s face turned cold.
“And dead people cannot explain themselves.”
Maya stepped back.
Something about the sentence felt like a threat.
Khalid heard it too.
He moved between Noura and the chest.
“Leave.”
“This is still my family’s palace.”
“Leave.”
Noura stared at Maya.
“You.”
Maya’s stomach tightened.
“What about me?”
Noura’s eyes traveled over the red dress.
A strange expression came over her.
Not anger.
Recognition.
“You look like her.”
Maya whispered, “Who?”
Noura said nothing.
Khalid grabbed her arm.
“Who does she look like?”
Noura pulled free.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“What woman?”
Noura looked directly into Maya’s eyes.
“Ask Samir why Mariam kept a second nursery.”
Maya turned toward the old adviser.
His face collapsed.
Khalid noticed.
“What second nursery?”
Samir whispered, “Noura.”
She smiled bitterly.
“You wanted secrets opened. Open all of them.”
Then she walked away.
Khalid shut the iron door.
He turned slowly toward Samir.
“Second nursery?”
Samir lowered himself into a chair.
“It was supposed to stay buried.”
“Nothing stays buried tonight.”
Samir looked at Maya.
“Mariam had another child.”
Khalid froze.
“What?”
“A daughter.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
“My mother had two children?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
Samir’s eyes filled with tears.
“We believed she died.”
Maya looked down at the photograph.
Amina holding an infant.
Her chest tightened.
Khalid stared at Maya too.
Then Samir whispered:
“The baby disappeared the night Princess Mariam died.”
Maya backed into the stone wall.
“No.”
Samir nodded toward the pendant.
“Your mother didn’t steal that necklace, Maya.”
May you like
He looked into her eyes.
“She used it to prove who you were.”
