78.
Yug wandered for a while, turning left, then right, then left again—until it hit him.
Ravi had been right.
This mansion was a maze.
Every corridor looked identical, every archway echoing the last. He slowed his steps, mildly irritated, scanning for a staff member. But the place was eerily empty, as if the walls themselves had swallowed everyone whole.
Eventually, he found himself near the main entrance.
Guards stood in perfect formation, their presence sharp and alert. Yug hesitated for a moment before approaching one of them.
"Uh... do you know where all the staff are?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"They're on their break, sir," the guard replied politely. "They'll resume duty in about an hour. Do you need assistance?"
Yug considered it. Then shook his head.
"No, it's fine."
He didn't really want help anyway. Maybe a walk would clear his head.
He turned toward the garden.
And stopped.
The contrast was startling.
The front of the mansion had always felt heavy—dark, intimidating, almost oppressive. But the garden at the back was... golden. Sunlight spilled generously over manicured lawns, fountains glinting softly, pathways lined with flowers in every imaginable shade.
Every flower.
Except roses.
As Yug walked further in, movement caught his eye. Small white shapes darted across the grass.
Rabbits.
Dozens of them.
Tiny ones, round and clumsy. Bigger ones hopping lazily, completely unbothered by his presence. Yug smiled without realizing it. He remembered Aarav mentioning how much Aarohi loved rabbits—how she used to insist they were lucky.
Meanwhile, at a distance, Ravi and Roy were watching him.
They stood near a stone bench, tea cups in hand.
"He looks good, doesn't he." Roy said casually, blowing over his tea.
Ravi glanced at him, then back at Yug.
"Wait," Roy squinted. "Do you have your eyes on him?"
Ravi smirked.
"No. And I can't. He doesn't belong here."
Roy hummed. "Still strange that Shaurya sir brought him in. I bet he can't stay ore than a week."
"He's unpredictable," Ravi replied flatly.
"I'm going back to my room," Roy said, shifting his crutches. Ravi immediately stepped in to help him up.
Once Roy disappeared inside, Ravi turned back toward the garden.
Yug was gone.
Ravi frowned and stepped forward.
He spotted him moments later—sitting on the grass.
But not with a rabbit.
A puppy.
Yug was crouched low, fingers gently scratching behind its ears. The puppy rolled on its back, tail wagging like it had known him forever.
Ravi approached quietly.
"What are you doing here?" he said sharply. "I told you not to roam around."
Yug looked up, startled, then sighed.
"I was bored," he said. "And it felt like I was living in a jail. Seriously can't anyone stay near my room?"
Ravi ignored the complaint and glanced at the puppy. Yug smiled down at it again, softer this time.
"I miss my dog," he muttered, barely audible, as he scratched the puppy's belly.
Suddenly, loud barking cut through the air.
Yug jumped.
A larger dog stood a few feet away—the puppy's mother. Protective.
Yug immediately withdrew his hand and stood up, palms raised.
"I'm sorry, my lady," he said sincerely. "I swear I'm not stealing your son."
The puppy scurried back to its mother.
Ravi burst out laughing.
Yug brushed off his pants and shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"Don't you feel hot?" Ravi asked. "Why are you even wearing that thing?"
"I'm fine," Yug replied shortly.
There was a pause.
"By the way," Yug added, glancing sideways, "thanks for the room. It's... nice."
"But I'm not used to this," Yug said honestly. "People like me would assume you're a crazy stalker."
Ravi leaned back slightly, folding his arms. "So you don't like it."
"I never said that."
"Then what do you mean?"
Yug exhaled slowly.
"I like it. I really do. I'm just not used to people caring about me."
"You're saying this after staying with Aarav? That's strange."
Yug tilted his head.
"Well, except him," he said. Then hesitated. "And... I guess now you and Shaurya too?"
Ravi smirked.
The air felt different here—lighter somehow. The soft rustle of leaves, the distant sound of water, the quiet breathing of the mansion behind them. Yug shifted his weight, hands tucked into his hoodie sleeves.
"Anyway," he said, glancing sideways, "how was your date with Eve? I'm guessing you're heartbroken now that she's leaving."
Ravi huffed a quiet breath, almost a laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah. It's... sad," he said honestly. "She's leaving too soon. I wanted to get to know her better." A pause. "But work comes first."
Yug studied him for a moment. Ravi didn't look regretful—just resigned.
"If you two were actually in a relationship," Yug asked carefully, "would you have gone with her?"
Ravi didn't answer immediately. He looked ahead instead, toward the long stretch of garden paths.
"No," he said finally. "I wouldn't have."
Yug turned fully toward him. "So you never want to leave this place?"
Ravi's jaw tightened—not in anger, but in certainty.
"I'll be wherever Shaurya stays," he said, voice steady. "My life belongs to him."
Yug nodded slowly. He then looked around himself. The rabbits were on Ravi's feet. Yug smiled. Yug felt Ravi was looking at him and stopped smiling immediately and cleared his throat.
"Ravi Elbaaz Haider."
The voice cut through the air like a blade.
Ravi stiffened instantly. Yug felt it before he saw it—the sudden change in Ravi's posture, the way his shoulders went rigid, the way the warmth drained from his face. His eyes darkened, turning cold, lethal.
Ravi turned around, already reaching for his gun.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was flat, stripped of emotion.
The man standing a few feet away merely chuckled, unbothered.
"So this is how Shaurya treats his slaves now?" he said lazily. "Lets them talk back?"
Ravi said nothing.
Yug, standing just behind him, opened his mouth instinctively—but Ravi's hand shot out, gripping Yug's arm tightly from behind. A silent warning. Don't.
The man tilted his head slightly, his gaze shifting to Yug. His eyes lingered, slow and deliberate, as if stripping Yug bare layer by layer. Yug felt his skin crawl.
"A commoner, huh?" the man mused. "Doesn't he look like someone?"
Ravi glanced at Yug for a split second—then looked away. His jaw clenched, his fists curling tightly at his sides.
"Bilal."
Shaurya's voice cut in, calm yet commanding, as he stepped forward to stand beside Ravi.
Bilal's lips curved into a smirk. "I thought you forgot about our meeting, Shekhawat."
He casually reached out, placing a hand on Shaurya's shoulder.
Shaurya didn't move. Didn't speak.
His gaze alone was enough.
Bilal slowly withdrew his hand, chuckling under his breath. "Alright. Let's go inside your place then."
"You'll lose your fucking legs if you step one foot inside," Ravi snapped, venom dripping from every word.
"Thand rakh," Bilal said lazily, not even looking at him. Then his eyes slid back to Shaurya.
"I still can't believe you surround yourself with tarnished blood, Shaurya," he said. "Be careful. The closest ones are always the first to betray."
His eyes flicked to Yug again.
Yug understood immediately.
He's talking about me.
Shaurya didn't respond. He simply turned and walked away.
Bilal followed him, throwing Ravi a mocking glance before disappearing inside.
Ravi exhaled sharply once they were gone. His face was tight with anger, his jaw locked.
"Who was that?" Yug asked.
"No one you need to know about," Ravi replied curtly.
"But he was—"
"You don't like people like us, right?" Ravi cut in coldly. "Then don't waste your brain trying to understand our world."
Yug fell silent.
"Alright. Fine, dude. I don't care anyway," Yug said, already turning away.
He had barely taken two steps when Ravi's hand shot out—not touching him, but gripping the loose fabric of his hoodie from behind, halting him mid-stride.
"What now?" Yug asked, irritation bleeding through his voice as he glanced back.
Ravi's eyes flicked to Yug's pocket. "Where's my chain?"
Yug paused, then sighed like he was done fighting battles for the night. "Right."
He dug into his pocket, pulled the chain out, and held it up between two fingers before placing it into Ravi's hand. "Here. Take it."
Without waiting for a response, Yug turned again.
"Wait. Kya aap thodi der sukoon se qaayam nahi reh sakte?"
Yug almost didn't understood what Ravi was trying to say since he wasn't used to people talking in Urdu in front of him. So he just watched what Ravi was doing. Ravi clicked something small onto the chain—a barely noticeable black chip that disappeared against the metal.
"Come here," Ravi said flatly.
Yug stayed exactly where he was.
Ravi exhaled sharply. In one swift movement, he grabbed Yug by the neckline of his hoodie—not rough, not gentle either—and pulled him back. Yug stumbled half a step, forced closer by sheer strength alone.
Ravi leaned in just enough to fasten the chain around Yug's neck, his fingers brushing Yug's skin as he locked it into place.
Yug froze as he felt the calluses on Ravi's palms.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped, finally meeting Ravi's eyes.
"This," Ravi said calmly, stepping back, "is a tracker."
Yug's hand instinctively went to his neck. "You're kidding."
"You'll be under my watch as long as you're in this place," Ravi continued, voice low, unwavering. "Every step. Every corner."
Yug laughed—but it wasn't amused. "Then I really can't wait to leave this place."
Ravi studied him for a second longer than necessary. Then he smirked and leaned forward. He closed his eyes as he took in Yug's scent. It was really fucking addicting and Ravi couldn't help it.
"If you want to go back alive from here, then keep wearing it," Ravi said. Yug instinctively backed off, feeling uneasy at how close Ravi was, and started walking away.
Ravi smirked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. The glow briefly illuminated his sharp features.
"Tu ibadat," he murmured, exhaling the smoke slowly.
"Ya Allah, hume bachaye isse. Humare liye yeh itna haseen na banaye. Hum inhe apne paas rakhne ke qaabil nahi," Ravi whispered under his breath, remembering the promise he had made to his mother long ago—that he would never marry a man.
His eyes softened for a fleeting moment, the cigarette smoke curling around him like a thin veil of thought.