Chapter Text
"It must be nice to work for the Asims! You get to live in the palace!"
Jamil ignored the blabbering of his friend. Tamir had no idea what it meant to live as a servant. It wasn't so bad right now, since he was just 10 years old. But he knew that things would become more stressful and more complicated the older he would get. His so-called friends decided to play outside after school and even though he knew that he had to be home early today, the dark haired went with them. His family could handle the preparations for the festival by themselves. Najma could take care of Kalim. Why the heck should he care about that stupid girl? Kalim was his master's daughter and because she was the heiress of the Asim family, she needed to be protected all the time. But why by Jamil? Sure, he turned out to be a mage, but so did Kalim. And also, she was older than him, even if only by a year. The white haired was half a head taller than him and that got on his nerves. That hair though... Kalim looked weird as hell. Her parents were beautiful, but her... She wasn't ugly, no, but weird looking nonetheless. At least to Jamil... Her white curly hair was hard to comb through, and she couldn't really wear any hats since her hair didn't fit under them. Her crimson eyes were weird. They looked great on mistress Sanaa. Her black hair combined with those eyes made her appear more mysterious... Beside her weird appearance, Kalim was also annoying. VERY annoying. She wanted to help out with housework, but whenever she did, she broke something. Whenever he went out to play, she wanted to tag along. She didn't understand the rules of their game, and either the boys got tired of her or Jamil decided to not play after all. She made everything worse. Kalim wasn't acting like she was supposed to as a heiress and that pissed the servant off.
Jamil didn't see Kalim as a girl. She was anything but that. She was a stupid, spoiled child, nothing more.
That was what Jamil thought.
Saturday came, and he walked towards Kalim's room to wake her up. He knocked a few times and when no answer came back, Jamil knew that she was still asleep. A heavy sigh left his lips before he pushed the doors open. He walked closer and patted her shoulder. "Get up already, Kalim. It is 9 am."
"Noooo..." The white haired whined and turned around.
"I don't have time to deal with this!" Jamil yelled, pulling the covers away from the other's body. His eyes wandered down and then widened in shock. On her white attire, it could be seen clearly. "B-blood! Kalim! You're bleeding!"
"What?!" The girl's eyes shot open and she sat up immediately. After looking down, her lips trembled. Oh no... "Jami-"
"Did someone come here earlier?! Or was your water poisoned?!" The dark haired gripped the heiress by her shoulders.
Kalim blinked while she was shaken. "N-no... It's nothing like that... Listen, Jamil, I'm -"
"Don't move! I will bring you to the medics!"
"W-wait! There is no need for-" Kalim squealed when the other pulled her into his arms. A faint blush spread across her face. Jamil was shorter than her, but so strong... But there was no time for this! The other totally misunderstood! "Jamil! Stop! What if your clothes-!"
Jamil started running out of the room with Kalim in his arms. "I have plenty of clothes! Your health is of much more importance!"
"But I'm telling you-"
"Master Adil! Master!"
"Jamil! Why are you running across-?!" Maryam looked at her son in shock, when she stepped out of a room. Why was he carrying the heiress like that?!
"Kalim is bleeding!"
"What?! Where?!"
"Maryam, what's going on?" Sanaa asked as she appeared behind her servant.
"Mistress Sanaa. Jamil says that your daughter is injured, but I cannot seem to find any-" After crouching down, she realized immediately. "Oh."
Sanaa joined the other woman, smiling softly. "Oh."
Jamil was confused. Why weren't those two shocked?
"Jamil, it's fine. Kalim isn't injured. You can let her down."
The young boy nodded and did as he was told. Kalim blushed and ran behind her mother.
"I'm happy that you acted so quickly, my son. But..."
The mistress smirked. "Maryam. Please help Kalim. I will explain it to Jamil. Kalim, honey. I will be with you soon."
Maryam rose back up, then bowed and left with Kalim.
"Jamil, let's step outside for a minute."
Jamil nodded, still confused on what was happening. Together with the mistress, he walked into one of the gardens. After sitting down on a bench, a soft hand patted his head.
"Dear Jamil, Kalim isn't injured. She just experienced her first period. And as her mother, I feel proud."
"Period?" He saw the mistress smirk again, and the explanation that followed to what was happening to Kalim made him wish to be anywhere else but the palace. "I... I see..." The dark haired mumbled and looked down.
Sanaa laughed and hugged the boy. "You're adorable, Jamil! Ahahahaha! Thank you for caring so much about my little baby!"
Baby she said... According to her, Kalim wasn't a baby anymore...
"Things will eventually start to change. You will be growing up, and without realizing, you..."
When the woman next to him stopped midsentence, Jamil looked up. "Mistress Sanaa?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Since Kalim is my daughter, I am sure you will like how she will turn out?"
Weirder than right now? Impossible, thought Jamil, and scoffed internally.
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Time passed, and Jamil felt a sense of pride when he finally was the same height as Kalim. But the older the two became, the more embarrassing it got for the Viper. They both grew in height, yes, but other parts were growing as well and it was much more noticable on Kalim's side. And mistress Sanaa teasing him all the time didn't help! She would constantly ask him to bring over the clothes she had prepared for Kalim and then would proceed to put the bra on top of the folded attire. He would always put the clothes on the bed and then leave the room. Without wanting to, he came to learn about the size.
Jamil Viper hated his life...
One day, when he sat behind Kalim on the bed to braid her hair, his eyes wandered down. He gulped and his cheeks reddened. Her breasts grew in size, huh?
"Jamil?"
"Ah, sorry. My mind drifted to... My homework."
"Oh! Which subject?"
"Bre-..." He wanted to slap himself. "Biology."
"I see! Biology classes are interesting! I enjoy them!"
Jamil looked down again. "Surprisingly, I do, too."
After a minute of silence, Kalim started talking again. "I can't believe I'm already 15 years old..."
"Time sure goes by." He tied her hair into two buns. "Well then, I will leave the room now so you can get changed."
"Wait... Jamil..." Kalim watched her friend jump off the bed. She gulped and looked down. "I know that you don't want to be hugged by me anymore but-"
"Let's keep it that way. Someone like you shouldn't be close to a servant like this, a male one nevertheless. If you want to hug someone, go to Najma."
"Najma has been very busy for the past weeks... So I thought..."
"Don't think." As if she ever did that.
Kalim sighed. She didn't know why, but two years ago, Jamil had forbid her to hug him. Since then, they haven't been physically close to each other... And in the beginning, the white haired still tried to embrace her friend, but the constant nagging and scolding lead to her giving up eventually. She didn't want to make him mad... "Jamil..."
"No."
"But-"
"I said no."
"You don't have to hug me back-"
"And you won't hug me. Why don't you go your parents to-"
"That's the problem! I can't! And I don't want to!"
The outburst took the younger boy by surprise. Before he could turn around, he was hugged from behind. "H-Hey! I told you-" Kalim tightened the hug, and this lead to Jamil's breath hitching. His cheeks turned red. They were pressing against his back! "Kalim-!" When he heard the other hiccup, he stopped moving.
"Why are you crying?"
"Tomorrow, someone will come over..."
So what? People come over all the time. Well... Not for the heiress, but still.
"My parents want me to choose a future husband..."
Jamil's eyes widened.
"Obviously, I won't get married at this age, but the husband has to be chosen when one is 15 years old nonetheless..."
"Is that why you just mentioned your age?"
"Yeah..."
What the heck? Why this early? Was this some kind of tradition within the Asim family? Even if it was, why should Jamil care? "What if he turns out to be a decent man?"
Kalim bit her lower lip and moved away. "You're right... I'm sorry, Jamil. I didn't want to break the promise of not touching you..."
Jamil didn't say anything and left the room. The greater the distance to Kalim's room became, the more irritated he grew. His walk turned into stomping and when he reached his own bedroom, he kicked the chair next to his desk down. What the fuck?! He wasn't supposed to feel sorry for Kalim! He wasn't supposed to feel pity for her situation! She had no right to be sad! She had no reason to cry! At least she was able to choose her own future! She was able to make her own decisions! Jamil stopped. Well, was she really? Kalim was the heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Twisted Wonderland, she was promised fortune, she was promised power, and so much more, but to what extend would she actually have a say in things?
"This is fucking bullshit... I can't even hate her properly..."
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"Kalim. Why don't you go out and converse with Bahhir?"
Kalim nodded while her father pushed her towards the boy in front of her.
"Now then, heiress, would you like to go for a walk?"
Without waiting for a reply, the male took her hand. "Sure..."
"This is beautiful! The palace, the garden!"
"Ah, yes, I agree. This big garden was gifted to us by the Prince of Scalding Sands!" The white haired smiled and twirled around.
"Prince Jinan?!"
Kalim nodded, and when she saw Jamil coming over with drinks, she beamed. "Yay! I was getting thirsty! It's so hot today! Thank you, Jamil!"
Bahhir accepted his drink with a scoff.
Ah yes, this guy was definitely bad news. Jamil hoped for the white haired to notice that soon.
"So if I join this family, I will have the chance to meet Prince Jinan! How fortunate that would be!"
Jamil raised an eyebrow at that. Using Kalim to get closer to the Prince, huh? He turned around, ready to leave.
"But Kalim, little one. You should behave yourself more."
The servant stopped.
"You are out of control, and very loud. Don't you think that it's kind of annoying?"
Only Jamil gets to call her that. But right now, he really shouldn't step out of his role.
"You might be two years younger than me, but more than an Asim, you're a woman and thus should act as such."
Kalim blinked. "What?"
Bahhir smirked. "Looking at your body, I can tell that you are already-" The male stopped midsentence when water was splashed into his face.
"You pig!" Jamil yelled and then pushed the glass he had snatched from the older boy's hand into Kalim's. "How dare you talk to her like that and then have the audacity to look at her with such disgusting intend!"
"You... You lowlife! How dare you hit me?! Servants like you deserve nothing but death!" Bahhir yelled, lifting up his hand.
It took Jamil a second to process what just happened. He didn't feel anything, he wasn't hurt. But after looking to his right, he saw Kalim on the ground. She was holding her right cheek, and a few droplets of blood trickled down her chin. His lips trembled and his hands shook slightly.
After Kalim got back up, the taller male grabbed her by her clothes and pulled her closer. A few buttons of the shirt fell to the ground.
"Protecting a servant?! How disgraceful can you be?! Once you become my wife I will teach you manners!"
"I think there is a misunderstanding, Bahhir. You were just a candidate. The final choice will be made by my precious daughter."
The male shivered.
From the left, Adil came, together with Bahhir's father, who had a shocked expression on his face.
"And even if you had been chosen, what gives you the right to treat humans like that? To me, my servants are as important as my family."
Bahhir took a few steps back, when the white haired man came closer. "Now, would you please leave the palace and never come back?" Adil was smiling, but it sure did not reach his eyes. "This is an order."
After the other family was guided outside by the guards, the tall man crouched down. "Jamil, Kalim. Are you two alright?"
"I'm fine... Kalim protected me..." Jamil mumbled. "I'm so sorry... It should have been the other way around..."
"No, it shouldn't..."
Jamil's eyes widened and when he looked to the side, his eyebrows furrowed. Why was Kalim smiling?
"This shouldn't happen to anyone. It's just as father said. Jamil, you're precious to me, to all of us. Father. Bahhir talked badly about us."
"That is still no reason to splash water on his face. You need to learn how to-"
"He looked her body up and down and then tried to humiliate her! He was after power and viewed Kalim as nothing but an object..." Jamil grumbled.
Adil blinked and then his gaze softened. "I see. Well, he won't be allowed to come here again. Jamil, could you accompany Kalim to her room?"
"Of course..." The dark haired replied and took the other by the hand.
The moment they were inside Kalim's room, Jamil pushed her down onto a seat cushion and after getting the emergency kit, he sat down in front of her. "Never do that again!"
"B-but-"
"No buts!"
"I couldn't let him badmouth you..."
"Kalim. I'm of lower status, he has the right to-"
"No! No one has the right to do that! I won't allow anyone to talk ill of you or Najma!"
Jamil bit his lower lip. "S-shut up. Let me see the inside of your mouth."
The white haired obeyed and let the other have a look.
The servant gulped. "You probably just bit the inside of your mouth a bit too hard. Everything seems fine."
"Your opinion is important to me, Jamil. You're my dear friend." Kalim smiled as she patted the other's head.
Not a single word left Jamil as he looked down. Why did she care so much about what he thought? Why considering his opinion? He huffed. "I will make sure that nothing bad happens to you, Kalim. I won't let anyone look at you with such intend ever again." He heard the female hum in agreement. Jamil was a hypocrite. The boy accused the other male of inappropriate behavior, rightfully so, yet he did the exact same thing. The only difference was that Jamil didn't see the white haired as an object. His eyes wandered up and when he saw the open shirt, his cheeks reddened. A grey bra... Jamil shook his head. Kalim cared about his opinion? Then, if anyone really was interested in her, they would have to pass through him as well. After all, that was his job as a servant and a friend of hers.
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Whenever other boys came to the palace to ask for Kalim's hand in marriage, Jamil and Najma planned things beforehand. They had prepared questions for the heiress which she was supposed to ask the candidates. If Kalim didn't deem their answers as good, she would blink twice at Jamil or Najma when they brought drinks over. The Viper siblings played pranks on the boys so they would end up embarrassing themselves and then had Kalim accuse and judge their bad behavior. At the end of those days, the three friends would sit in Kalim's room, on her bed, and laugh at all their 'victims'. Everything seemed to have gone well until that one day near the end of November, when Maryam had noticed what was going on. And of course she told the Asims...
"Why are you all doing this?" Adil asked, crossing his arms, as he stared at the children in front him.
"I don't want to be betrothed yet... Especially not to anyone I don't know..."
"Kalim..." Sanaa sighed as she looked at her child.
"We aren't royalty, why do we have to follow that law...?"
"Because in the end, we're still distant relatives."
"But all the boys Kalim had met until now were jerks!"
"Najma!" Youssef scolded his daughter.
"Jamil, what do you think?" The head of the Asim family asked the dark haired.
The young servant gulped. "I agree with Najma... Most of those boys see Kalim as nothing but an object to receive more power and money. It's obvious that they would treat her poorly once they get what they want."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Jamil blinked and stared at his master, so did everyone else in the room.
"Dear?" Sanaa tilted her head.
The irritation within the young Viper grew. What was he supposed to answer? He was just a servant, a 14 year old child.
"Who would be a good fit then? I want my daughter to be in good hands. Someone who cares for her, supports her, and expands his knowledge alongside her."
"I..."
"Per rule, she needs to be betrothed by the end of this year."
The children looked to the ground.
"Then how about Jamil Viper?"
The three looked up again, and the Vipers stared in shock.
"Mistress Sanaa! We-"
"Oh hush, Youssef. We are like family anyway. But the final decision will be made by Jamil."
Becoming part of the Asim family? Gaining more power, fortune and strength? Have Kalim as his wife? By agreeing, he wouldn't be a servant anymore, he would have so much more, everything he wished for. He would be free. This was his chance. The dark haired kneeled down. "I would love to be betrothed to Kalim."
The heiress flushed red and covered her mouth with both hands.
"But only if she wants it as well."
"Yes!"
The adults within the room laughed.
Sanaa walked over to Jamil and Kalim, and patted their heads. "Then so be it. From this day on, you two are betrothed."
While his parents talked to the Asims, Jamil sighed and turned to stare at the heiress. He smiled, it was fake, but Kalim wouldn't be able to tell anyway.
Najma squealed and hugged the white haired, screaming about finally having a sister alongside her older, ugly brother. Jamil rolled his eyes and scoffed. He knew that he was handsome, the fact that a lot of girls in school were after him was proof of that.
In the evening, Jamil and Kalim sat in front of the fountain in the garden. The young boy was trying to fix the bracelet of the other.
"I love you."
Grey eyes widened upon hearing the confession. His eyes wandered up, and then his cheeks reddened. Kalim's gaze was filled with so much love and kindness...
"I was against the idea of marrying someone else because over the years, I have come to love you, Jamil... And when you said that you would search for a proper husband for me, it made me sad... You didn't want to hug me or be close to me anymore... I thought that you had found someone else... So I haven't said anything, because... I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me..."
Upon seeing the other tear up, Jamil gulped. He hated that he was confused. What was there to be confused about?! Marry Kalim, compliment her a few times, and be wealthy, enjoy life, take a few positions over to become even stronger... But then why did her face, her expressions, and the things she said affect him so much? The older girl would listen to him much more once they became a real couple. Living his life as Kalim's husband was full of advantages. Jamil moved his hand up and caressed the other's cheek.
"I love you, too. All those idiots got on my nerves. I would have probably continued to prank and drive out men for the next 30 years. But now that we're together, there is no need for that anymore."
Kalim nodded and hugged the other. "My heart belonged to you from the very beginning, Jamil!"
The very beginning, huh? For whatever reason, that made the Viper smile. On the other hand, the tight embrace embarrassed him a little. He wanted to grab her by her left shoulder to signal her that she should move away now, but just as he was about to do that, Kalim had already moved away, and instead of grabbing her by her shoulder, his hand suddenly squeezed her right breast.
They both looked down, and then back up. The silence didn't even last a minute, Jamil started screaming and pulled his hand away. "I AM SO SORRY! I DID NOT MEAN TO TOUCH YOU IN SUCH AN INAPPROPRIATE WAY!"
"It's f-fine... It was an accident after all..." Kalim murmured and pulled her curly hair in front of her face to hide her own embarrassment.
The two didn't realize that Najma was on her way to bring them drinks. She looked at her brother in disgust. "Way to go, pervert..."
"I'm not a pervert!"