Amira’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at her father. She had never imagined he would go this far for her, and for the royal family.
But Kang Taeho remained silent. His expression was still unreadable.
The king caught his breath and spoke one last time.
“Doctor Kang. Is this still not enough?”
Taeho thought.
This was not a simple political decision. The king was sincerely trying to accept him as a member of the royal family.
Taeho asked carefully.
“Your Majesty, what you have said is the greatest honor I could receive. But this is far too sudden. Would you grant me a little time?”
“……Of course. This is an important decision.”
The king nodded as if he understood.
“But you must give me an answer soon.”
“I understand, Your Majesty. If you will permit me, I will take my leave now.”
“Doctor Kang, you may go.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Taeho bowed respectfully and left the conference room. Amira, too, observed the proper courtesies before stepping out.
King Zayed turned to the elders and said,
“I will cancel the marriage talks between Amira and Prince Abdullah.”
“Your Majesty!”
Grand Duke Rashid sprang to his feet.
“You cannot do that! What consequences do you think will follow if we unilaterally cancel the marriage talks with Saudi Arabia?”
“Grand Duke Rashid is right.”
Grand Duke Hakim joined in.
“Prince Abdullah is a man spoken of even within the Saudi royal family as a candidate for the next king. If we damage his dignity……”
“The relationship between our UAE and Saudi Arabia has been built over decades!”
Another elder raised his voice.
“Economic cooperation, military alliance, energy cooperation—everything could collapse!”
The king’s expression hardened.
The elders’ opposition was fiercer than he had expected.
“It is not as though I am unaware of that.”
“Your Majesty, we cannot endanger relations between nations!”
Grand Duke Rashid spoke firmly.
“No matter how remarkable that foreign doctor may be, he cannot be more important than our relationship with Saudi Arabia!”
All the elders nodded.
“And how do you intend to explain this to Prince Abdullah?”
Grand Duke Hakim asked.
“The marriage talks are already underway, and now you suddenly say you will marry her to a foreign doctor? This is an insult to the Saudi royal family!”
The conference room grew noisy.
Faced with the elders’ fierce opposition, even the king wore a troubled expression.
***
Taeho had left the conference room and was walking down the corridor.
“Doctor Kang!”
Amira’s voice came from behind him. When Taeho turned around, she was running toward him, breathing hard.
“Wait. Please, just a moment……”
Amira stopped in front of Taeho. Her eyes were red and bloodshot.
“Amira.”
“Um…… about what happened earlier……”
Unable to continue, Amira bit her lip.
Taeho quietly looked at her.
“Let’s go to the garden. People will see us here.”
Taeho walked ahead, and Amira followed him.
The garden overlooked the distant nightscape of Abu Dhabi.
In the deserted garden, only the sound of water from the fountain could be heard.
Amira looked at Taeho.
“Doctor Kang, no… Taeho.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Why didn’t you answer earlier?”
Amira’s voice trembled.
“Father went that far…… I just……”
Before she knew it, a tear dropped and rolled down her cheek.
“You were going to refuse, weren’t you? Right?”
Taeho took one step closer to Amira.
“Princess.”
“No, it’s all right. I understand. I must have been a burden to you.”
“Amira. Please listen to me.”
Amira raised her head. Her tear-soaked face shone pitifully.
“I have no intention of refusing.”
“What?”
Amira’s eyes widened.
“I never did from the beginning.”
“Then, then why?”
“Do you know why I came to Abu Dhabi?”
Taeho asked gently.
“To treat the princes……”
“Of course, that was part of it. But the real reason was to meet you again.”
Taeho looked straight into Amira’s eyes.
Amira felt as if her breath had stopped.
“What…… did you say?”
“I came all the way to Abu Dhabi to see you. Treating the princes is important, of course, but to be honest, you were more important to me, Princess.”
Amira stared at Taeho in disbelief.
“But then why earlier……”
“I wanted His Majesty and the elders to understand my value properly.”
Taeho’s voice was calm, but firm.
“Amira, I did not come here simply as a hired doctor. And I did not want my marriage to you to be treated as a mere reward.”
“What do you mean……”
“I wanted to stand by your side on equal footing, in a position where I was respected. If I had accepted on the spot, what would the elders have thought? Would they not have thought, ‘As expected, he was after the wealth and power of the royal family’?”
“……”
Amira was at a loss for words.
“But when I hesitated and asked for time, what happened?”
Taeho smiled.
“His Majesty came to fully understand my value, and the elders confirmed that I was not someone who coveted money or status. I thought I had to go through that process in order to stand beside you as an equal.”
Taeho took Amira’s hand. It was small and soft.
Tears poured from Amira’s eyes. They were tears of relief.
“Taeho.”
“Amira, I had already decided on my answer from the very beginning. I was only waiting for the best timing. For you, and for our future.”
Taeho wiped away Amira’s tears.
“And to be honest, I wanted to see just how desperate His Majesty was.”
Amira’s eyes widened.
“What?”
Taeho smiled playfully.
“One billion dollars, a palace, hospital investment funds, and even shares in an oil company in exchange for taking you as my wife. Not a bad deal, is it?”
“Taeho!”
Amira lightly hit Taeho’s arm. But a smile spread across her face.
“I’m joking.”
Taeho returned to a serious expression.
“When you suddenly left Korea, I couldn’t be certain of my feelings. But the moment I came to Abu Dhabi and saw you again, I realized it.”
Amira looked up at Taeho, feeling her mouth go dry. It was the first time she had realized her heart could beat so loudly. Her breath came so fast she felt as if she might faint.
“Amira, I love you. Neither the wealth of the royal family, nor status, nor anything else is as precious to me as you are.”
Amira could no longer hold back. She fell into Taeho’s arms as if collapsing.
“You’re a terrible person……”
Amira buried her face in Taeho’s chest and sobbed.
“Do you know how anxious you made me? I really thought……”
“I’m sorry.”
Taeho held Amira tightly.
So this was how soft a woman’s body was.
Taeho found himself newly surprised.
“You don’t have to worry anymore. I’ll be by your side.”
Amira lifted her head from Taeho’s embrace. Her face was covered in tears, but she was smiling.
“Really?”
“I promise.”
Taeho kissed Amira on the lips.
In the dark garden, the silhouettes of the two became one.
From a distance, the two murafiqa, the middle-aged female attendants who had followed Amira, flinched in shock and stifled the screams that nearly burst from their mouths.
The two stopped themselves from rushing to Amira at once and looked around.
Stopping the princess now was impossible, but they could at least prevent the unfortunate incident of someone witnessing this outrageous scene.
***
At that time, Prince Faisal was meeting Prince Abdullah in Saudi Arabia. Since the two had attended university together at Cambridge, they were closer than most other royals.
Abdullah, in his mid-thirties and famous for his handsome looks, set down his teacup and said,
“Now then, get to the point. You always avoided my invitations to visit, citing health issues, so there must be a reason you suddenly came all the way to Al Yamamah Palace.”
“I came to talk about the marriage talks between you and our Amira.”
“Ah, Princess Amira!”
Abdullah’s face brightened.
“I saw her briefly when I visited the UAE last time. I only remembered seeing her when she was a tiny little girl, but she has grown truly beautiful. Her elegance and intelligence…… I fell for her at first sight.”
“Yes, Amira is the pride of our family.”
“But why do you look like that? Is there some kind of problem?”
Faisal carefully studied his friend’s expression and chose his words with caution.
“Amira is…… how should I put this? She has a far stronger personality than you might think.”
“A strong personality? Hahaha. What do you mean? She was very elegant and dignified.”
“You know, don’t you? The things expected of women in traditional royal life. Amira’s personality makes it difficult for her to fit into that mold. She has strong opinions of her own, and at times she even opposes the decisions of the royal family.”
Faisal took a sip of tea and picked up a date.
“To be honest, even Father has many concerns about what to do with Amira. She’s too free-spirited and independent.”
Faisal bit into the date.
Abdullah’s brow narrowed slightly.
“To that extent?”
“Yes. These are things you cannot know unless you live with her closely.”
Faisal lowered his voice further.
“Recently, there has been a rumor that Amira has grown close to a foreign doctor. Of course, it is probably simple friendship, but as you know, such rumors are very sensitive when it comes to royal marriage talks……”
Abdullah’s expression hardened.
“A foreign doctor?”
“A Korean doctor who once treated me and Amira. Amira respects him, but how should I say it? There are aspects that go a little too far.”
Faisal carefully planted the seed.
“Even if you marry Amira, it will not be easy to control her. Especially if you expect her to fulfill the traditional role of a queen demanded by your royal family.”
A vertical crease formed between Abdullah’s brows. In recent years, there had been many cases of Arab royal women publicly demanding divorce or declaring independence, so Faisal’s words did not sound trivial.
“Then do you want to break off these marriage talks?”
“No, no.”
Faisal waved his hand.
“I value the relationship between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. I merely want to suggest a better option to you.”
“A better option?”
“As you know, I mean Princess Salma.”
Abdullah’s eyes gleamed.
“Princess Salma? Your half-sister?”
“That’s right. She is two years younger than Amira, and she majored in international relations at the Sorbonne in France.”
Faisal took out his smartphone and showed him a photograph of Princess Salma.
Abdullah studied the photo closely. She was certainly a little less beautiful than Princess Amira, but she had a modest, graceful impression.
“And above all, Princess Salma’s mother, the current queen, is related to the British royal family. If you marry Princess Salma, Saudi Arabia will gain not only a connection with our UAE, but also a link to Europe.”
Faisal spoke meaningfully.
Abdullah smacked his lips with an interested expression.
“That is quite……”
Faisal did not miss the change in Abdullah’s expression.
“And Salma is, how should I put it, unlike Amira, a child who respects traditional values, so she can adapt perfectly to royal life. Besides, I heard before coming here that she saw your photograph and has been secretly admiring you. Hahaha.”
“Hmm……”
Abdullah stroked his beard.
“But are the marriage talks with Princess Amira not already underway?”
“Do not worry about that.”
Faisal spoke with a voice full of confidence.
“A proposal was made, but no official announcement of marriage has been issued yet. And to be honest, if you make a different choice, Father will actually be relieved.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I can return and persuade Father myself.”
“But rumors will spread……”
“Do not worry about that. While pursuing marriage talks between you and Salma, we will proceed with a five-billion-dollar cooperation project with the UAE in the energy sector. Then the public will have more than enough to talk about, and no other rumors will circulate.”
Abdullah’s gaze changed. As a politician, he immediately recognized the value of this proposal.
“And to be honest, although Amira is beautiful, Salma will suit you better. Salma is truly gentle and wise. She will be perfect as your queen.”
After thinking for a long while, Abdullah slowly nodded.
“Now that I hear you say it…… it does make sense.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Faisal inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
“And Abdullah, let us keep this conversation between the two of us. Officially, we can say that you discovered a better opportunity and adjusted the marriage talks accordingly.”
Abdullah smiled.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I think I will be able to make a better choice.”
“Then is it decided?”
“It is. Faisal, you are truly a good friend.”
The two embraced and exchanged farewells.
As Faisal left the annex palace, he thought,
‘Amira, your path is open now. Spread your wings and fly.’