"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Let's have breakfast," he replied.
They walked and walked till they went past the slums and reached the city square. The place was as bustling as ever, people going about their life while ignoring everything else. It was one of those places where you can feel alone while in a crowd.
Zainah felt her face burn and she hid it in Sett's neck.
He was doing this deliberately right?
She had never been hugged—or carried—by anyone in her life. Not to ntion a man. A man who becos the center of attention wherever he goes to add.
What did they think about her?
Sett walked into a rather fine restaurant that had just opened in the morning. The place had a nice view and it was silent.
To Zainah's surprise, Zarah was there, waiting for them with a bun in her mouth.
She really had gotten comfortable into the new life very quickly, Zainah thought. Did Sett give her money?
"Did you order food?" Sett asked, taking a seat at one of the tables.
Zainah blushed and moved out of his embrace before taking a seat herself.
"Yes," Zarah replied, busy stuffing her mouth.
Sett finally turned to look at Zainah.
"You asked what my intentions are, right?" he asked.
Zainah nodded.
"Would you believe if I just say that I am doing this because I like you?"
"I would," Zarah replied, still eating. "She looks so beautiful now. You two look like the perfect couple."
Yes, that was true. Zainah had gained an impeccable charm to her, even though she herself didn't seem to notice. Her skin now looked like that of a beauty of the ages, her lips pink with life, and she had the perfect facial proportions.
If she wore a crown and called herself royalty, she wouldn't seem any less than a queen.
She was true royalty after all.
And in this world, royalty was the standard of true beauty. Everyone, from commoners to nobles, wanted to look a little more like royalty. If you looked like them, you looked good. If you didn't, you looked bad.
Zainah was almost the template that such a belief was made out of.
"Yeah, she does look beautiful," Sett agreed.
A waiter arrived and began placing an impressive array of dishes on the table.
Zainah pushed the plate away from herself.
She said calmly, "Too many good things have happened recently. Sett, I know how the world functions. Don't think I am as naive as the little girl." She paused. "Why ? You could have anyone. People are not just that lucky for no reason."
Sett pulled the plate back toward her and served her a steaming piece of chicken. "Eat," he said. "You just had your body treated yesterday. It needs nutrients."
She didn't move.
He sighed and leaned back on his chair. Then made a gold coin appear in his palm.
"Zainah, tell heads or tails."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Do it."
"...Tails."
He flipped the coin in the air and it fell onto the wooden table.
"It's tails!" Zarah exclaid.
Sett smiled. "Once more," he said, looking at Zainah.
She sighed.
"Tails," she said.
He flipped the coin again and glinting in the early sunlight, it once again fell on the table with a thud. "Tails again," he said.
Zainah raised her eyebrows.
"Let's do it again," he said.
The little girl grew excited.
"...Heads," Zainah said.
Sett flipped the coin once more. It spun in the air, catching the light, before landing on the wooden table with a soft thud.
"Tails again," he said, tilting his head slightly.
Zarah groaned. "OH! It has to be heads next!"
Zainah narrowed her eyes. "You're trying to make a point."
Sett smiled. "You believe that just because tails have appeared three tis in a row, heads must co next, don't you?"
Zainah didn't respond imdiately. She simply stared at the coin, deep in thought.
Sett leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "But coin flips don't work that way. Each ti I flip, the odds reset. The past doesn't affect the future.
"No matter how many tis you get tails, the chance of tails appearing next ti again is still 50%. It doesn't diminish at all no matter how many tis tails appear."
Zainah couldn't help but be a bit taken aback. That was so true!
"You are like this in real life too," he said. "You think that since happiness ca to you, you will experience the opposite the next ti. That's a fallacy.
"You are afraid to feel happy because you are afraid of being sad. And thus, you are rationalizing that by thinking joy is not possible in real life. At least, you rationalize it by thinking joy doesn't exist for you."
By doing that, Zainah made herself never feel truly happy. That was a defense chanism for her. She was convinced that if she never felt happy, she would never have to feel sad.
Sett explained, "Sotis, good things happen. And believe , I truly do like you. More than you may believe."
Zainah fell silent.
Sett pushed the plate of food towards her. She didn't imdiately eat, but when Sett picked up a spoon and fed it to her, she reluctantly opened her mouth.
"It's hot," he said, placing a hand beneath her chin. "Eat slowly."
"It's not hot," she said with moist eyes.
"It is hot."
He smiled, using a napkin to clean Zainah's cheeks.
From the side, the waiter ca up to their table and left a flower there before retreating respectfully. "Sir, please clink the bell if you want anything else."
Sett nodded and looked at the beautiful red flower. It was a flower with thorns. He stared at it and looked back at Zainah.
"It's a blooming flower," he said. "Seeing its first drops of water. Must have co from a distant land, it isn't the kind that grows in deserts this dry."
From the side, Zarah also smiled.
She didn't understand the conversation in its entirety, but that didn't matter.
She could see her sister's change.
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