Diamond In The Forest

Episode 19

Nike knew it was time to start
executing her plans, she
checked the content in her
hand again and nodded to
herself, Nike wrap it up into a
paper and hide it within her
cloth, she started talking to
herself quietly
“I must become the next queen
of this kingdom…whatever it
will take me but I must be the
next queen of this kingdom
and Iyami has said that there
are two obstacle to achieving
my aim…Remi and the Oba
himself and she is right, if the
Oba remains in power for so
long the prince can not rule, he
has to die or step down for the
prince to take over the
kingship…if the Oba is off from
the seat of power then I can
focus on the prince…I thank the
gods I have access now to the
Oba eating room, since I’m a
personal maiden to the Queen
mother I can sneak into the
Oba’s eating room and drop
the content in his food and
sneak back out before he
comes in to eat…let me first of
all observe movement and
know how to go about my
plan…power must change
hand…I must become the next
queen by fire or force but
whatever that must happen for
it to come to reality I will make
sure it happens…I will tell Leja
about my plans in taking the
oba off the throne so that
Omaoba can take up the seat
of power and with time he will
fall for me and marry me and I
will become the next Queen…
oh how interesting it will be if
all my plans works out…first of
all I have something else to do
to that fool called Remi…Iyami
will take care of Remi’s mother,
Leja will have to make sure the
prince gets drunk and I must
watch movement around the
Oba’s eating room and know
how to start up….hahahaha…
my enemies are in hot soup…
they are in serious trouble…
The princess was walking
around with Remi, she told
Remi not to stress herself in
doing most of her chores again
because of her condition, and
there were other maiden
attending to the princess so
that Remi can have much time
to rest.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t
convince my brother…I told
you he can be difficult
sometimes and I wish he will
believe you and take you as his
wife, you are worthy of the
title and I will be so please to
have you sit right next to my
brother as his wife and the
future Queen of this great
kingdom, no one else deserve
such title as you are…

“I’m not asking him to marry
me all I wanted was for him to
know that the pregnancy
belong to him and not to Leja
as he claims…but we tried and
you also tried your best to
convince him it did not end
well, so let’s leave the rest for
the gods…thank you for
speaking up for me princess…
“yes, let us leave all for the
gods…I silently pray that my
brother will do the right
thing…I and Tunde will be
married if the gods pleases and
I will give birth to both male
and female… I will teach my
children never to run away
from a mistake or to deny a
fault rather they have to be
strong and take responsibility
for their every action, I will
instill this teaching on every
male child given to us by the
gods…they will have to be
humble, respectful and never
to sweep a wrong under the
carpet…Remi, I can’t wait to
get marry to Tunde…and start
a family with him…aaah…
Tunde will make a good
husband and a great father…I
can feel it…I love him…I have
this funny feeling anytime he
comes around…and I feel shy
when he looks at me or hold
my hands…sometimes I wish
he will stay all day but he still
have to go…I just wish he will
hurry up with the traditions
and marry me so that we can
be together for ever…
“Yes he will…and is obvious
that he loves you too…your
marriage will happen after all
preparation is done which will
start next week…just a little
patient my princess and your
marriage with Tunde will
happen soon and you can start
a family with him…
“I’m happy to hear you say
that…sorry if I’m acting stupid
right now…I’m just love
struck…after everything is done
and marriage ceremony is over
you will be free to go home
except if the Queen mother
decide to keep you, and I know
very soon the Queen will find
out that you are pregnant,
don’t be scared my mother is
very understanding and loving,
she may not be please you got
pregnant this way…just like
every mother but she is very
understanding… wherever you
are make sure you visit me
sometimes when I finally settle
with Tunde…and I will also be
coming around to visit too…the
Oba and the queen will be so
happy to have grand children…
and I can’t wait to give them
that…I wish my brother took
responsibility of your
pregnancy, you would have
being the first to give them a
grandchild it would have been
so good…having you as a sister
in-law will be great don’t you
think…
“haa….that will be too much to
ask from the gods…being a
commoner doesn’t give me any
chance to compete with the
royal maiden of this land who
your brother the Prince maybe
interested in, but…I will take
that as a compliment my
princess, it doesn’t matter if I
bear my child without a
father…I will bring him or her
up in the right way and just
like you said earlier…I will
teach my child never to sweep
a wrong under a carpet but
rather take responsibility for
every action.
The prince walk round his
chamber and Leja came in with
drink and served him which he
has already mixed with the
grinded leaf that Nike gave
him, he put just a little since is
just to weaken the prince.
“I can see you are so tensed
today my prince…take some
drink so that you will feel good
again…there is an adage that
says alcohol makes you see
better and forgets your
sorrow…Omooba drink up so
that you will feel at ease…
As the prince drank the third
cup as Leja continued to fill his
cup whenever it gets empty, he
told Leja he doesn’t want to
get drunk so he shouldn’t pour
much drink for him again but
Leja kept on filling in, he
wanted to get the prince drunk
so that he can sneak in Nike
into his chamber and in that
way the prince can lay with
her, just like he did with Remi,
and he has being waiting for
the time or day when the
prince will be troubled over
something and he will
convince him into drinking to
stupor, him and Nike need to
start executing their plan so
that they will be able to
achieve their aim, the prince
pause from drinking as he
looked at the filled cup that
Leja just poured for him, the
drink was stronger than his
usual, it taste as if it was mixed
with something, he was
already getting tipsy as he
blink severally but his senses
were intact
“do you want to get me drunk
Leja…the last time I got drunk i
landed into a serious trouble…
and Is same trouble that I’m
trying to get away from…your
woman…Remi bringing your
pregnancy for me to claim it as
mine, you told me the
pregnancy was yours and she
told me so clearly before that I
never touched her, now
suddenly she is claiming I la!d
with her, and I can’t even
remember such happening,
Leja you have serve in this
place for so long and that was
why the Oba made you a chief
guard of the whole palace…just
because you are trust worthy,
you have never disappointed
me, you saved me from getting
drown in that river, it may feel
like it was what you suppose
to do for me but I believe you
did it more because you care
about my welfare and
everyone else here, I believed
you when you told me she was
your lover and when you said
that she was carrying your
child, but she came here again
and boldly said…that she was
not afraid of the Oba or me…
she even sent my sister to
come and beg me to accept
her…she said couple of other
things…can you imagine the
madness, so crazy…she is
strong willed and I kind of feel
she has a presence moving
with her…I wonder why she
was trying to blackmail me
with a pregnancy that is totally
yours so that I can settle with
her…that is insane…don’t you
think…and I thought she is a
good maiden…I will certainly
tell the Oba…she will have to
come and repeat herself in the
presence of the Oba…
Leja saw that the drink was
gradually taking effect, he was
waiting for him to drink up the
last one in the cup so that he
can pour another for him, he
was happy that he added little
of the grinded leaf that Nike
gave him, it will weaken the
prince and makes him sleep for
a very long time. he thought
within himself “ if Remi can not
be mine she will never be
yours too, I will not only
poison your mind towards her
I will also make you lay with
Niki and that is where your
down fall will start… for
picking interest in the woman I
first met, defiling her and
getting her in with a child that
was suppose to be mine…
“My prince, Remi is a liar and a
cheat, don’t ever listen to
anything she says, her sister
Nike is better off than her, her
sister is sincere and truthful,
but Remi is after the wealth of
the palace and after you, she is
carrying my child and claiming
that is yours…that is not good
at all…knowing well that you
did not even touch her…Remi is
not to be trusted, she is not
what she think she is…very
dangerous maiden
The prince drank off the last
shot and Leja poured in
another one, Leja tried to
poison his mind the more and
he drank another cup before
standing up, he told Leja that
his head was pounding, that
there was something else in
the drink that weakens him at
every cup he takes, Leja asked
him to lie down and he did.
Leja waited for him to sleep off
before going to Nike, he
waited for darkness to come
before sneaking Nike into the
Prince chamber.

Iya Remi checked her food that
she was cooking at the
backyard that night, she stirred
it properly before going back
inside with her oil lamp
It was the opportunity that Iya
Nike who has being waiting
patiently for her to leave the
pot of food and go away, she
tip toed quietly towards the
fire place with the wrapped
content in her hand.

It was time, her mind was
made up on this, and there was
no going back. She needed to
be fast before Iya Remi will
return to the pot
Iya Nike was happy for the tick
darkness that covers up the
whole place and her cloth was
also black, she will not be
easily seen.

Dami, Remi’s brother was
coming from another side of
the back yard but Nike’s
mother did not see him
because his cloth was not
bright..

he was quietly coming towards
Iya Nike’s direction.