They had blindfolded her on the way there, and when they’d removed the blindfold, she was in a lushly decorated room with no windows. The suite door was unlocked, but when she reached the end of the hall, the main door was locked.

There was no exit.

Zarmina sat alone in the suite now, clean and fresh from a rose-water bath. She tried to find some way to call Durkhanai to her, but it was forbidden to interact with anybody, not until after the trial this evening.

Zarmina rose, pacing around the room as her wet hair soaked into her shirt. Usually, the trials took place a fortnight after the accusation, but in this case, she knew the sooner the better.

Once Asfandyar was dead, her dear cousin would be safe.

Zarmina had known, since the very beginning, that Asfandyar was a spy for her Taya, Wakdar. They needed him to debase Durkhanai to lead to an easier transition of power when Wakdar came.

But of course Durkhanai had not heeded Zarmina’s warnings. She had not merely been distracted and debased. She had fallen in love.

It was all Zarmina wished for her dear cousin—love and happiness—but she could not bear for it to be with him. Not when she knew that Asfandyar had caused her Taya Wakdar so much pain by causing Naina’s death. Not when she knew that Asfandyar did not truly care for Durkhanai and was only using her.

His feelings for her were false, while poor Durkhanai’s feelings were true.

Zarmina could recognize it in her cousin’s shining blue-green eyes, could recognize it in her sighs and her smiles: she was in love. Zarmina had hoped what Durkhanai felt for Asfandyar was merely pyaar or ishq, but she knew now that it was mohabbat, and that was a thing that would not be easily extricated.

Not only was it love, but it was true love, the kind that brought out the best in her cousin, made her burn brighter. Zarmina had witnessed Durkhanai morph from a petulant, spoiled princess into an insightful, thoughtful queen.

And the object of her affections did not deserve her.

How Zarmina wished it had not come to this. But her grandparents had left her no choice.

Durkhanai thought she knew everything, understood things so clearly, but her grandparents merely fed her enough information to keep her satisfied, serving her pretty little half-truths, while the meat of the situation stayed revealed.

Zarmina had only known because of Saifullah. There were no secrets between them, so she had known about the treacherous Kebzu alliance. All this, the Badshah had hid from Durkhanai. He did not trust her, not truly.

Zarmina couldn’t bear to see her cousin so underestimated by her grandparents, and in truth, Zarmina had considered telling her everything many times, but she could not diverge from her mother and Taya Wakdar’s plans.