Chapter 6

• KELILAH’S POV
• I reached into my bag and dialed Faith’s number. She picked up on the first ring.
• “I’ve been waiting for your call”, she said.
• “I’m sorry. I had a lot to do and there was no time”
• “I’m upset with you”
• “And I’m sorry babe. Let’s do for dinner?” , I suggested.
• “Where ever you wish. Bills on me”
• “Okay, fine. I will text you the venue. Bye”, she said.
• “Bye”. I said with a smile as she hung the call.
• With that call done, I decided to reach out to Loveth. I dialed her number, but she didn’t pick up. I tried again—still nothing. She must be swamped at work, maybe too busy to check her phone.
• Tucking my phone back into my bag, I decided to drop by Nathan’s place.
• Loveth’s situation weighed on me, and I was determined to do something to help her.
• When I arrived, I found the front door locked. Nathan must still be at the office, I thought, turning back and heading there instead.
• When I arrived at the office, Miranda, his wife, was standing at the door.
• “Princess…?” she greeted me with a kind smile, not knowing who in particular I was.
• “Good evening, Miranda. It’s Kelilah,” I clarified with a nod.
• “Oh, thanks for clearing that up! How are you doing?” she asked warmly.
• “Stressed, but I’m good,” I replied.
• “And your family? How are they handling the selection?” she asked, her tone shifting.
• “That’s actually why I’m here,” I admitted, glancing away.
• She frowned slightly. “Is something wrong?”
• “I wanted to speak to Nathan,” I said.
• Miranda’s face fell. “Nathan left a few minutes ago for a meeting.”
• “Okay then,” I nodded, disappointment setting in. “I’ll come back another time.”
• She looked at me with concern. “Are you sure everything’s okay, child?”
• “Yes, Miranda. I’ll be on my way now.” I waved and walked away.
• I let out a frustrated sigh..
• If only I had come earlier. I should have come a bit earlier. Maybe during lunch tomorrow I could come and see him. But for the meantime, I decided to go home and take a quick shower. As it was almost time for my dinner with Faith..
• When I got home, Mom was still out, but Dad was sitting outside, lost in thought, a deep frown on his face.
• “Dad,” I called softly, but he didn’t respond.
• “Dad,” I said again, waving a hand in front of his face.
• He finally looked up. “Kelilah. You’re back.”
• “Yes. Is something bothering you?”
• He sighed heavily. “It’s the selection. I wish there was something I could do. I don’t want to send anyone away.”
• “And you won’t have to,” I said, trying to reassure him.
• He gave me a stern look. “Don’t do anything rash, Kelilah.”
• “I won’t, Dad,” I replied, heading inside to get ready for dinner. I changed into a simple dress, hoping to shake off the weight of the day.
• Dad was not outside when I came out again, and mom was still not back. So I decided to quickly drop by Loveth’s office to check up on her. Her office was getting dark already and Loveth was In the dark.
• “Loveth” I called out to her as she kissed my cheek.
• “I called you”. I said
• “Sorry. There has been a lot of work to do since this morning. My phone has been on silent”.
• “Okay, that fine. I’m having dinner with Faith this evening. As a matter of fact, that’s where I’m heading to”.
• “Okay. I will be closing up soon. My feet is killing me already”, she complained with a sudden frown on her face.
• “I will see you at home then” I kissed her cheek and left the office.
• After checking the time, I quickly left to meet Faith. She’d picked a crowded spot, and I had to search for her, only to find her in a heated exchange with one of the employees.
• “Faith,” I called as I approached. She paused her tirade to look at me.
• “What’s going on?” I asked, glancing between the two.
• “This little idiot asked me to vacate my table,” she huffed.
• I looked to the waitress, who seemed embarrassed. “For what?”
• “She wasn’t ordering, and we have a lot of customers who want to order,” the waitress muttered defensively.
• “I told you I was waiting for my friend to show up before ordering,” Faith snapped.
• Before I could say anything, another woman—probably the manager intervened, demanding to know what was going on.
• “What’s going on here?”, she asked.
• “Ask your ducking employee” Faith said and returned to the table, why I followed her and took the seat across. Why she shot me an exasperated look.
• “You need to calm down,” I said gently.
• Normally, I’d have backed her up, but I was too exhausted to get into any arguments tonight.
• The manager came over, apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry, my princess. My employee didn’t mean to be rude—she’s new here.”
• “It’s fine. Can we order now?” I asked.
• “Of course,” she replied, shooting her employee a glare that made her disappear from the scene in record time.
• “I’ll have whatever you’re having. I’m too pissed to read the menu,” Faith grumbled.
• “We’ll have today’s specials,” I told the manager, handing back the menu.
• After she left, Faith let out a groan. “I hate this place.”
• “You say that every time, but you’re the one who picked it,” I replied, stifling a laugh.
• “Yeah, yeah. No need to rub it in. There’s a new diner opening tomorrow—let’s try that next time.”
• “Sure,” I nodded. “Juliet and Helen mentioned wanting an outing too. Maybe we could all go together?”
• “Good idea. Tomorrow it is,” she said, finally looking a little more relaxed.
• Our food arrived, and we talked as we ate, covering everything from work drama to the looming selection.
• “So, what are you going to do about it?” Faith asked after I explained Loveth’s situation.
• “I’m hoping Nathan can help. If not, I’ll think of something. I won’t let them take Loveth,” I replied, determination burning in my voice.
• Faith nodded. “I’ll help however I can.”
• I smiled, grateful for her unwavering support. It was one of the reasons I valued her so much.
• After dinner, we strolled around for a bit, chatting and laughing. But I needed to sleep. I was barely keeping my eyes open as it was, and tomorrow would be another busy day.
• Loveth’s office would have closed by now, so I went straight home. When I arrived, Mom was in the living room, waiting for me.
• “How’s my beautiful girl doing?” she asked, kissing my forehead.
• “I’m exhausted,” I groaned, slumping down beside her.
• “Did your boss give you a hard time?”
• “He did. I didn’t even get lunch,” I admitted.
• “My poor girl. You should go and have some rest. I don’t want you getting bags under your eyes or losing weight”, she said caressing my cheek.
• She couldn’t tell me to quit my job, because we have been on that topic for a long time now, but I just wasn’t buying it at all.
• “Is Loveth back?” I asked.
• “Yes, she’s in her room.”
• “Goodnight, Mom. I love you.” I kissed her head and went to my room, but as I passed by Loveth’s door, I heard faint sniffles.
• “Loveth,” I knocked softly. No answer, just more sniffles.
• “Loveth,” I tried again, knocking harder.
• “Go away,” she finally replied, her voice choked with tears.
• “Let her be, Kelilah,” father said gently, appearing from nowhere.
• “But…”
• “Go to bed, Kelilah” he insisted.
• I glanced back at her door, worry tugging at me, but finally nodded and went to my room.
• I couldn’t bear to see her like this. I had to find a way to help her out of this mess. But as I lay on my bed, the exhaustion finally took over, and sleep claimed me.
• I woke up early, feeling surprisingly energized. After getting ready, I found myself with extra minutes before work officially began. It was the perfect opportunity to check on Loveth, so I made my way to her room.
• “Loveth?” I knocked gently, but there was no immediate response.
• “Coming!” Her voice rang out, steadier than before, which was a relief.
• She opened the door, and I stepped inside.
• “You didn’t answer yesterday. Are you okay?” I asked, my voice caught between concern and a hint of reproach.
• “I’m sorry, Kelilah. I just… we only have one month left until they come for me,” she said, her eyes reflecting a mixture of fear and resignation.
• “Loveth, stop talking like that. I’m going to find a way to speak with Nathan today.”
• She took my hands in hers, squeezing tightly.
• “Promise me, Spare. Promise you’ll get me out of this.”
• “I promise.” I squeezed back, trying to give her the strength she needed.
• As always, work finally came to an end. So, I set out to find Nathan. The house was empty again and that remained me that I haven’t seen Tyra around for some while now, and I made a mental note to call her.
• When I arrived, Nathan was standing outside his house.
• “Good morning, Princess…” he paused, looking slightly uncertain.
• “Kelilah,” I replied with a small smile.
• “Ah, Princess Kelilah. Welcome. What brings you here?”
• “I need to discuss the selection,” I stated firmly.
• He nodded, inviting me inside, and we settled in his office.
• “Nathan, my father has chosen my sister to be Korvus’s bride, and I can’t let that happen.”
• “You want to go in her place?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
• “No. I don’t want any of us to go.”
• “That’s not possible, Princess. Your family has been chosen.”
• “You’re the one who made the choice, Nathan. You can change it.”
• “You want me to replace your family with someone else’s daughter or sister?” His voice was laced with incredulity.
• I stayed silent and he scoffed. Obviously he knew what I wanted, so why ask in the first place.
• “It’s pretty selfish of you, princess. You don’t want your sister to go, but you want me to send the daughter and sister of another family”.
• “It’s not…”. I tried speaking, but he cut me off
• “Your family has never been selected before. I’ve had relations who have been selected as a bride to the previous kings of Bazil. You think I liked it?”.
• “Then no one should be sent to them! It’s cruel to keep sacrificing our loved ones.”
• He leaned back, laughing bitterly. “Are you ready to face the consequences of refusing them? Bazil doesn’t take disobedience lightly.”
• I tried to argue, but his eyes had a hardened glint. “You’re underestimating the threat, Princess. I won’t risk the lives of others over this. Loveth will go as planned.”
• “But—”
• “This conversation is over.” His tone was final.
• I huffed and stood up, leaving his office angrily.
• I left his office, seething with frustration. My attempt to help Loveth had failed. I couldn’t bring myself to go back to her yet. Instead, I drove around, letting the motion soothe my anger, before deciding to head home. I needed time to process my defeat.