Tahir had been waiting by her door all morning. He was confused as to why she hadn't come out yet. They had said she wakes up early at 8 AM. But, it was already almost noon.

He decided to give it ten more minutes before he knocked on the door. As he was giving those final moments, Reem stopped just in front of her room and looked at him in confusion.

"You must be her new bodyguard. But, what are you doing here?" She asked as she opened the door.

"She hasn't come out yet," Tahir simply responded.

"Well, that's because she left a long time ago."

Tahir paused and quickly asked, "Where is she?"

"She should be back for brunch any moment. You can ask her yourself then."

Tahir sighed and started to walk towards the stairs aggressively. His goal of getting close to her wasn't starting out the way he imagined. He thought it'd be easy and he would only need a week to do so, but Anisa was persistent in the things she did, especially when it pertained work.

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he came across the king and the queen was walking just beside him. He did a slight bow upon seeing them and King Salman smiled as he introduced his wife to Tahir.

"Humeyra, this is the new head of security, Tahir who also happens to be Anisa's new personal bodyguard."

Humeyra faked a smile and simply nodded her head.

"I hope he's just as good as Mr. Amin in his job."

Tahir clenched his fist the entire time she spoke. The agency knew of Humeyra and her past but the king was clueless as to who he even married.

"Of course," Tahir replied.

With that they walked off into the main hall and Tahir waited just in front of the back entrance gate for Anisa's arrival.

She had a lot of questioning to go through and it was about to start as the gates slowly opened and she walked through it.

Once she saw Tahir looking directly at her with a glare, she almost tripped on her feet and that's when Tahir took the opportunity to interrogate her.

"Where have you been?"

"I don't need to answer to you," she replied.

Tahir kept walking forward, getting close to her and she took a step back each time he did so.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Tahir threatened

Anisa frowned and said, "You don't get to use that time against me!"

"Oh really? After you deliberately sneaked out of the palace at an earlier time only to come back towards noon?" He growled.

Anisa sighed from frustration and annoyance. Just as she was about to walk away from him, he acted first and stormed out of her sight.

She couldn't believe what she just experienced. This bodyguard really was a handful. All she did was go for a walk on the beach to catch the sunrise and there was so much commotion coming from him over this matter. Even Mr. Amin would let her do so...

"Oh right, he's not here anymore..." Anisa sighed and her mood went gloomy.

Everytime she was reminded of him, she wasn't able to contain her tears. Everything they had done together would engulf her mind.

She tried to wipe every tear that threatened to make its way out. She eventually made it to her living room on the third floor of the palace and sat on the sofa, looking out the window.

As she was deep in thought, she didn't realize that she had a visitor.

"What's got you worked up?" Yasin sat just across from her.

Anisa couldn't even speak as she quietly sobbed. He hadn't seen her face yet so he wasn't able to question her tears.

"Yasin, leave, I don't want to see anyone," she tried to sound strong yet she felt so weak.

"At times like this, it's best to have company," he told her, "You're unable to carry all the weight of grief inside. That's why you're struggling."

"Yasin, please leave!"

Yasin took notice that she was crying and decided to give her space. If it's one thing that was impossible to change about her, it was her "strong" image she always put up so she wouldn't seem vulnerable to anyone.

Anisa continued to wipe her tears and sniffled as she watched the city through the window and everything seemed to be reminding her about Mr. Amin lately.

"If you're crying because you thought I left, I'm right here."

Anisa slowly turned her head to see Tahir at the entrance, walking in and turned back around.

"Just leave me alone," she said

Tahir did the opposite and came to stand just across from where she sat on the sofa. He tilted his head to the side to get a good look at her face and her eyes were blocked by tears.

She avoided his gaze at all costs. She didn't like how he found her at her weakest moment. Not once has she welcomed anyone while she was in a state like this.

"You know, crying for something like that isn't worth it. Plus, I got worked up because I waited hours outside your door. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a scene."

Tahir explained.

Anisa rolled her eyes and continued to look out into the distance until she finally spoke up and said, "I'm not someone who sheds tears over a man she met just yesterday."

Tahir responded by sitting on the edge of the sofa and asked, "Then what man are these tears for?"

She stood silent for a moment before she said, "Mr. Amin."

Toni diverted his attention from him and looked away. He wasn't comfortable with this situation. Especially after finding out it was her old bodyguard.

"In that case, I say good luck with your recovery," he sighed as he got up to leave. But then he stopped in his tracks after she told him, "I've got a press conference today. I'll be ready in an hour."

Anisa was silent. During the whole ride to the venue and even now, while waiting and getting ready backstage, she didn't utter a word.

Tahir had a feeling he knew the reason. The press conference was about the safety and reliability of the Royals and she was already heartbroken by Mr. Amin's death.

As Anisa rehearsed some of the questions she practiced and prepared for, she grew nervous. Normally, dealing with a crowd of people wasn't a problem for her. But this crowd was different.

The bombing of the royal palace spread like wildfire, no matter the efforts that were taken to prevent it from happening.

"Your highness, you're up in five minutes."

"Just call me Anisa," she told the informant.

The informant paused and was shocked at her request. But she smiled and nodded before disappearing through the door.

Tahir got up from the sofa he was sitting on and put down the magazine he occupied himself with.

"If you're worried something might happen again, I'm right behind you. Nothing and no one can get to you. I've brought the most skilled men for this event," he reassured her.

"It's not the safety I'm concerned about. It's the people," she said while standing up from her chair.

Both of them started walking out of the waiting room and made their way to the main hall. As they approached, they were able to hear the noises of cameras clicking and many voices.

Anisa sighed a last time and went through the curtains where the noise volume doubled.

She heard her name being shouted from all corners and every flashlight was being held at her.

Tahir stood just behind her as she stood behind the podium and prepared to speak.

"Good afternoon everyone. Today, not only do I stand before you as princess, but your ally, your friend, your companion, and simply just a human. Don't let my royal status fool you into thinking I'm someone who's lived a life without hardship just as many of you do because at the end of the day, I'm just a person following the path that's been written for me."

The crowd fell silent and listened with open ears. Tahir was even listening and taking her words into consideration.

"I'm aware that what happened a week ago was a tragedy that hurt us all in one way or another. Afterwards, we even started to question our safety no matter of our presence because what was burned was the sacred palace of the rulers before us," she said, "We've relocated thankfully. But, it served as a lesson to us all that no matter where you are, who you are, or what you do, you'll always face a time where those three components are threatened."

During her speech Tahir kept checking with the other security guards through his headset. He set some on patrol on the outside and inside.

As soon as he finished his status report, it was already time for the questions from the press.

"Your highness, who is responsible for the bombing?" One of them asked.

Anisa replied, "We're still unsure about that but the authorities are doing their best to find out who's responsible."

"Has security been raised in the palace?"

"Yes, the king has hightened security at every corner of the palace and I can assure you we're complying with more rules and regulations for our safety."

Tahir had experienced other clients, but he doesn't recall any that had as much responsibilities as Anisa. Despite the tension that filled this room, she answered every question thoughtfully and truthfully.

"How has this impacted you?"

Anisa suddenly paused upon hearing that question. After a few seconds of processing it, she said, "I lost someone during this incident. Someone who protected me through every step I took. Someone who even served as a father figure for me, and someone who deeply cared for my well being. But, in the end, they weren't able to protect themselves. They were just that selfless. So, in their favor I have decided to donate half of my shares to hospitals around the country. It's the least I could do."

With that Anisa bowed and slowly started leaving the podium. Tahir rushed up to her and blocked off incoming press and they rushed towards her as well. The rest of the bodyguards also formed a circle around her and slowly walked through the tsunami of people.

Once they reached the car, Anisa felt as though she was finally able to breathe again. Tahir noticed through the mirror and thought back to her last few words of donating half her shares to hospitals.

The Intel that the agency had on Anisa was the opposite. She was a potential target for the mission yet the things she did and said counteracted the evidence they had so far.

Just then, Tahir's phone rang and he saw that it was Saif. He picked up the call before making a right turn into a new street.

"Hello?"

"Brother, why didn't you tell me I would be dealing with a witch?" Saif questioned

Tahir chuckled, "I'm guessing you started your shifts at the palace."

"Damn right I did, and with someone who just won't stop taking out her wallet for useless things!"

"I wonder how you're able to hold the phone right now," Tahir imagined Saif juggling bags and bags of clothes and accessories as he laughed.

It was Anisa's first time hearing him laugh.

"Well either way, I just wanted to let you know I started. I was told to report to head of security as soon as I did," Saif said.

"Alright, that's good to hear. I'll see you once you get back."

With that he hung up and looked at the rearview mirror to see Anisa looking down at her hands. His expression changed from amused to pity. He realized that after she lost Mr. Amin, it was as if she lost her will to do anything.

So instead of going back to the palace, he decided to take her elsewhere.

A/N:

Hi guys! Here's another update. I hope you're enjoying the book so far. If there is anything I should fix or any aspect about the story that's got you confused, please feel free to ask☺️

Otherwise, don't forget to hit that star button and leave a comment if you'd like!

Thank you~