The "hero's" brown eyes darted to the massive owl, then back to Huda.
'Emotions are confusing.'
He didn't know the answer to them.
Zafar didn't say a word to her, but the tension in his shoulders spoke volumes.
Huda, though, didn't leave him or the others guessing for long.
"I'm sure you all realized this already, but I'm here to get my big brother out of those damn chains."
She pointed at the throne behind the projection where his body sat.
He looked the same as he did for all those years, minus the chains, of course.
"I'm going to save him from execution, no matter the cost."
Her tone was almost matter-of-fact.
Zafar's jaw tightened.
'A rebellion. An insurrection against me, the soon-to-be Sultan.'
And her first ally in this war?
That towering, bright-eyed owl perched like a guardian behind her.
But then, before anyone could follow up with what she announced...
Huda raised a hand, palm up, as if signaling peace.
"I'm not attacking. Not yet."
Zafar blinked, as did the group, caught off guard.
She continued, leaning casually against Crimson.
"We'll hold off until more people join us. No sense in charging in and getting squashed like bugs. I know my limits."
Her words were cool but there was a fire in her eyes that no one missed.
"Save the battle for later."
The hall fell silent, her declaration hanging heavy in the air.
Noor exchanged a glance with Roya and they shared a slow nod.
"Are you doing this as the Family Head of Al-Sayf, Huda? Or is this just you, a lone Magi, running on unfounded arrogance?"
Huda didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze flicked to Noor's, unflinching.
She held it for a moment, then let a small smirk creep onto her lips.
"Latter... This isn't about Al-Sayf. This is me. Alone."
"Good. Because if you'd said otherwise, I'd have to ensure Al-Sayf never recovered from the disgrace you're about to bring them."
The casual venom in Noor's words didn't faze her.
If anything, she seemed amused.
"I'd expect nothing less, Your Highness."
Noor's sharp gaze narrowed slightly at the title, but she didn't rise to the bait.
"You're reckless. Always have been. But this? This isn't just reckless. It's suicidal."
Huda shrugged her shoulders.
Roya, who had been silent, observing from the side, finally spoke up.
"You know you're going up against a Ten Commandment, right? And not just that—the hero's with us. Though he isn't the sharpest stone in the pile, he more than makes up for it with his strength and extraordinary luck. The Holy Palace itself won't sit idle either. You will be humiliated, and it isn't something you could escape by dying."
"I know. My name will be smeared to oblivion."
She tilted her head slightly at Huda's quick reply, studying her.
She hesitated for the first time, her smirk fading just slightly.
"Because I owe him my life."
Noor's brows rose ever so slightly.
"You're still on that? Owing and whatever? After everything he's done?"
"Yes. Nothing has changed."
"I don't think you've forgotten that he stole half your family's treasury, killed your uncle, and massacred those you rule."
Noor's eyes softened slightly—not with compassion, but with disappointment.
"You're throwing your life away. And for that? To save someone who doesn't deserve it."
"I OWE him... how many times do I have to say it for you to understand?"
"...Huda, you can't be serious."
"I am. This isn't about what he's done. It's about doing what's right. At least for me."
Roya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Huda's smirk returned.
"If it comes to that, so be it. I wouldn't expect anything less from you two."
As their death match of words came to an end, Safira and Layla, who stayed quiet throughout, began to speak:
"We... we won't change our stance."
"We'll stay neutral."
That was both a surprise and a heavy weight off Zafar's shoulders.
If their endless tears were any indication, he expected them to be next, boarding the insurrection train.
But it appeared that though they deeply felt for him, they knew better than to bring him back into the world.
Or perhaps they still couldn't let go of what he had done to their people.
Layla's father was killed by him long before they married, and Safira was abandoned.
When they met again, he killed many of her clansmen and abandoned her a second time.
So, if thought about in more depth, their decision was an expected one. Rather, if such things happened to anyone else, they would've acted even more extreme than Noor and Roya. Demanding his head be on a spike.
Their personalities and sheer love for him had brought them out of such a fate.
Whether that was a good or bad thing had yet to be seen.
The real surprise, though, came from Azeem, who usually had something to say.
This time he stayed silent, his gaze fixed on Huda, signs of a smile making their way to his lips.
He seemed... proud? Right proud.
It wasn't obvious for what exactly but Huda was the object of that emotion.
Not liking that look, Zafar ended the silence, ignoring their comments about him.
"So what now? I say we wait. I know she'll change her mind."
Noor followed with a slow nod.
Roya chimed in, making sure she understood the obvious:
"But don't think for a second this puts us on your side."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
For all their schemes, it seemed that laziness prevailed in the end.
Their long age had dulled their sense of time, as it did their urgency.
Sure, if Huda continued as she was and more Magi, for whatever asinine reason, began to join her fold, then their fight would result in a lot more trouble than now, but still...
The end would not change.
No matter how many they become, Malik, their Sultan, WILL die.
Well, unless a God interfered, but that was impossible...