CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER NINE
Reigna didn’t need to know the specifics to understand what was going on here. The guards had said Prince Pili, the brother of the king, was making a fuss about Jasiri’s ascension. From the bit she’d walked in on, he was specifically upset about who Reigna was. Or, more important, what she wasn’t: Nyeusian. As a Black woman running a Fortune 500 company, being unwelcome at the table wasn’t foreign to her. As this Prince Pili would soon learn, it didn’t scare her either. It just made her more determined to succeed.
Ace had once told her, “If they refuse to make room for you at the table, kick the door open and sit down like you belong there, because you do. Then you stare every one of those cowards in the eye and dare any one of them to try to make you get up.”
That was her motto. She owned everything she touched, and this royal thing would be no different as far as she was concerned.
As if she’d done it a thousand times before, she walked into the room and mimicked what she’d seen Jasiri do when greeting his parents. She knelt in front of the monarch and his consort, taking both their right hands in each of hers. She kissed the head of his father’s lion ring and said, “My King,” then repeated the process for Jasiri’s mother and said, “My Queen.”
She stood, keeping their hands in hers. “Baba, Mama, please forgive my delay. I guess I was more tired from our travel than I realized. As soon as my head touched the pillow, I dozed off.”
Both the king’s and queen’s smiles silently told her Give him a show, daughter.
She felt a familiar weight on her hip and instantly knew Jasiri was touching her. They might have been apart for two years, but when a person touches you with such strength, awareness, and entitlement, you remember it like you remember your own name.
His lips settled on her temple and instinctively she melted into him, placing her hand on his large bicep for purchase. She was playing a role for the benefit of his uncle, keeling over in her stilettos just wouldn’t do.
“Did you rest well, my love?”
His voice was so sincere she could almost forget that this was just for show. It felt natural to her ears to hear him use such an endearment to address her, and her body’s natural reaction was to calm in the presence of his security.
She closed her eyes briefly, one to revel in the balm of his voice and the comfort of his touch, but also to remind herself that this wasn’t real. She had to remember that. Forgetting would cost her a lot more than Ace’s house.
“I did rest well. I’m sorry if I delayed any plans you’d set forth.” She looked over to where Pili stood with a mix of anger and confusion, as if he couldn’t figure out if the scene he was witnessing was real or not.
Good. Confusing your enemy was a good strategy for victory.
“This is my uncle, Prince Pili. His visit was unexpected.” Jasiri tightened his hold on Reigna’s waist. It could just be part of the ruse they were putting on. Somehow, it didn’t feel that way. She was pretty certain it was a protective measure.
In all her years in the corporate world, she’d learned to follow her instincts. So if Jasiri’s was telling him to keep her close in the presence of this man, she wouldn’t fight him.
“Princess.” Pili cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.”
She raised an eyebrow. The way Pili’s eyes darted from side to side said he’d realized he’d said the quiet part out loud.
“Sure you did, Pili.” His features held still. That was the true markings of a politician or a PR person. But he couldn’t hide the slight widening of his irises that expressed his shock. “I might not know what the Lost Tribe is, but it’s obvious it wasn’t meant as an endearment. What I do understand is that you’d prefer Jasiri had married someone who was born on Nyeusi and raised in its culture.”
She stepped out of Jasiri’s grasp because everyone in that room knew that Pili was now on the ropes. He’d relinquished any standing the moment his elitism had gotten the better of him.
“The problem is that’s not who Jasiri chose. I’m not just some random person off the street. I’m someone who your nephew took the time to learn about and love.”
She turned slightly to glimpse Jasiri. His face was inscrutable, and she couldn’t readily read what was going through his head. Whatever it was, he extended his hand to hers and when she took it, he laced his fingers through hers, anchoring her in the moment and in her place by his side.
“If given the same opportunity,” she continued. “I would like to learn about and love Nyeusi’s culture and her people as well.”
She bowed her head slowly toward the king and queen, hoping she conveyed the sincerity she had in her heart. This marriage and her role may be temporary, but she would do all she could to support this family and this nation for the duration of her time here.
“If that’s your only concern about my marriage and Jasiri’s ascension, I can promise you that you have nothing to worry about. As his consort, I will always put this nation first, no matter where I originate from or where my bloodline traces back to.”
“Princess,” Pili tried to interrupt but she ignored him and continued on. It wasn’t in her nature to give elitist bullies a moment of grace.
“Pili, as I said, if your concerns about my marriage and Jasiri’s ascension rest in fear regarding the preservation of this country’s culture and history, you have nothing to worry about. But if your concern rests in the fact that you don’t want Jasiri on the throne because you want it for yourself, then you’ll come to understand what everyone who underestimates me does. To do so pretty much solidifies your own peril.”
Pili flinched as if she’d struck him, and Reigna smiled. She’d thrown down the gauntlet and let Jasiri’s enemy know she wasn’t to be played with. It was up to him now to decide if he’d heed her warning or not.
She turned to the king and queen and gave a quick bow of her head. “Baba, Mama, if you require nothing further of our presence, the prince and I aren’t yet settled into our apartments. Please excuse us.”
“Of course.” The queen stood, grabbing Reigna into another tight hug. “We know you two must be tired after your journey. Take the night and the day to get settled and meet us for dinner tomorrow in our private quarters at six sharp. We await your arrival.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
She looked down at her and Jasiri’s entwined fingers, realizing he hadn’t yet released her. She made no move to disengage them. She liked the feel, the power of them joined together.
“My prince,” she said as she purposely softened her features and offered him a welcoming smile. “Shall we?”
He nodded, then gave brief nods to his parents. He led her to the door, stopping to open it. He turned his gaze to his parents once again.
“Baba, Mama, don’t overexert yourselves.” He narrowed his eyes and gave Pili a hard glare. “Uncle, do not overstay your very limited welcome.”
Just like that, Jasiri ended the discussion, and they walked out of the room. Two things had happened in that encounter. One, she’d made it clear that she was Jasiri’s partner, and she wasn’t afraid of his uncle. Although her family was wealthy, Reigna had grown up in Brooklyn, and she wasn’t unaccustomed to metaphorically scrapping when she needed to. Two, Jasiri had made it clear, he was the next and true ruler of this nation, and if Pili wanted to challenge that, he’d have the fight of his life on his hands.
When they were back in their apartments, Jasiri turned to her and said, “I’d forgotten how fierce you were in a power suit.”
She slid her hands down the front of her suit and then the sides of her updo hairstyle.
“I don’t play when I’m in my battle armor.”
“A note well taken.” He took a deep breath before he turned serious eyes to her. “You really meant it when you said you wanted to be my partner in all this, didn’t you?”
She tilted her head as she gazed up at him. This wasn’t small talk. Jasiri truly wanted to know her answer to his question.
“As I said before, I’m still pissed with the antics you pulled to get me to agree to this, Jasiri. But after meeting your uncle and suffering his bullshit elitism, I’m in ten toes down. There’s no version of this where I sit back and do nothing while he tries to steal your throne. If he wants a fight…”
She squared up like she was facing an opponent in a boxing ring.
“Then ring the bell, dammit, and let’s go.”