That night she barely slept. Her thoughts raced: her father’s cruelty, Yusha’s love, and the terrifyingly unknown future. In the morning, a royal carriage pulled up in front of the hut. Guards dressed in black and gold bowed to Yusha and Zainab as they stepped out. Zainab held Yusha’s arm tightly as the carriage began to move toward the palace.
When they arrived, the crowd was already gathered. They were surprised by the return of the lost prince, but even more surprised to see him with a blind girl. Yusha’s mother, the Queen, stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied Zainab. But Zainab bowed respectfully. Yusha stood by her side and declared, “This is my wife, the woman I chose, the woman who saw my soul when no one else could.”
The Queen remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward and embraced Zainab. “So, she is my daughter,” she said. Zainab nearly fainted with relief. Yusha squeezed her hand and whispered, “I told you, you’re safe.”
That night, as they settled into their room in the palace, Zainab stood by the window, listening to the sounds of the royal compound. Her entire life had changed in a single day. She was no longer “that thing” locked away in a dark room. She was a wife, a princess, a woman who had been loved not for her body or her beauty, but for her soul. And though in that moment of peace she felt relief, something dark still lingered in her heart: the shadow of her father’s hatred. She knew the world would not accept her easily, that the court would whisper and mock her blindness, and that enemies would emerge from within the palace walls. Yet, for the first time, she did not feel small. She felt powerful.
The next morning, she was summoned to court, where nobles and leaders had gathered. Some sneered when she entered with Yusha, but she held her head high. Then came the unexpected turn. Yusha stood before them and declared, “I will not be crowned until my wife is accepted and honored in this palace. And if she is not, then I will leave with her.”
