26
"And?" the king chuckled as we continued to battle.
"She said your word against mine," I continued, "How criminal minded is that?"
"Or smart," the king corrected.
"Oh please, your highness," I said frustrated, "You would be angry too if the queen said something like that to you."
"She did," the king smiled, "Within the first week of our marriage and I found that very adorable. It is more than likley that Sruthi learned the laws from my wife."
I shook my head.
"My fault for comparing her with the queen," I said.
"You did not just compare her to the queen, general," the king said, "You compared my relationship to my wife with your relationship to Sruthi."
Damn Nanda!
When will you learn to be careful with your word choices infront of the king.
My thoughts overtook my battle and the king knocked my sword off.
"Victory for me," he stated with a smile.
"All hail the king," I said sarcastically as I picked up my sword. It is a part of our ongoing bet for the loser to praise the winner.
Meanwhile one of the guards came in with a message. "Ms. Naina is here to see you, your highness," he said.
"5 minutes," I replied on behalf of the king. The king narrowed his eyes. "Please," I added looking at him. The king turned to the guard and nodded.
"Please do not tell her anything about our conversation, your highness" I said the moment the guard left.
"What would I get in return?" the king asked.
"Anything you ask for," I replied without a second thought.
"I want security clearance for all my future trips outside the royal grounds," the king said, "even if I do not the protocol or timeline."
"Your highness, I cannot do that," I replied, "That is the one area where I have any form of authority over you. I cannot let that go."
"Alright," the king immediately changed his mind, "Take an oath of truth and tell me what you think about Sruthi."
I remained silent.
"Guess Naina is going to know that you almost implied Sruthi to you be your wife," the king said and was about to walk past.
"No please," I said blocking his way. The king waited for me to continue.
"When the queen first introduced her to me.
I fell in love," I confessed, "The few seconds with her were the best in my life.
I immediately wanted to run to her father and ask for her hand in marriage.
...but soon I realized that she is clumsy, clueless, and not dutiful at all.
I decided we would not be a good match and from that point I started fighting with her because.
..." I paused for a while before continuing, "because if she smiles at me one more time, there is not a single part of me that would listen, if I ask to not pursue her. "
The moment I completed my confession, Naina knocked on the door.
"Come in," the king ordered and Naina came in.
"Who won?" was her first question when she noticed our swords.
"I lost," I replied.
"Only because he refuses to listen to his heart," the king commented.
"What does that mean, your highness?" Naina asked confused.
"Nothing," the king smiled. "I called you to know the womens' thoughts after the queen's gathering?" he asked changing the topic.
"Well...they think the queen is intelligent, beautiful, charmi..."
"I know the good aspects of my wife, Naina," the king interrupted, "Tell me the bad."
Naina looked at me. I nodded signalling her to continue.
"Many did not like her addressing you by name," Naina said.
"It is out of the norm, so protests and surprises are acceptable," the king said.
"Some thought she might have charmed you with her beauty," Naina continued.
"Might have?" the king said playfully, "Tell them it is true."
"Your highness," I said offended on behalf of the queen.
"Alright," the king smiled, "What else?"
"Since you refused to listen to the good, that is all, your highness," Naina concluded. The king nodded.
"You may go," he said.
"Can I take my brother along?" Naina asked.
"Please do," the king joked.
"There is something I did not say infront of the king," Naina said once we are alone.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A couple of women from the east commented that the queen has resemblance to someone called Aishwarya," Naina answered.
"Aishwarya is the queen's sister," I said, "They are from the south-west, so maybe the women knew her."
"But when I asked them about Aishwarya, they said she used to live alone," Naina said.
"Maybe Aishwarya never let the queen meet anyone," I said thinking outloud, "Would certainly explain a lot of the queen's behaviour."
"Aishwarya....does not seem to have a good reputation," Naina added hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"They described her as a whore," Naina said and I immediately fell silent, surprised.
"Bhaiyya do you want me to...."
"No do not do anything," I interrupted, "Let me handle."
"What are you doing?" Adi asked once he came back to our chambers after his bath to see me walking back and forth talking to myself.
"Thinking about all the mistakes I made yesterday," I answered still walking around, "I forgot to add Ms before Varthika's name, did not maintain eyecontact with...."
"Vaishu, what does it take to get you to stop thinking?" Adi signed as I continued to talk.
".....stuttered twice while mentioning about the chain of command which is stupid given that..."
"That is the limit," Adi whispered to himself the moment I called myself stupid and immediately pulled me towards him, interrupting my walk, my thoughts, and my words.
He held me in his arms and looked into my eyes.
"You were saying?" he whispered pushing back a stand of hair that fell on my face.
I did not remember what I was saying. I got completely lost. Almost as if I forgot everything that I ever knew. There is something magical about Adi's eyes and the way he looks at me. It transports me to a world where there is no one but him.
"I...I forgot..." I said hesitantly.
"Good," Adi smiled letting me go.
"Not good," I opposed, "I never forget anything!"
"Get used to it," Adi said now approaching me with the sindhoor, "Will not be the first time, I promise."
"Do you enjoy seeing me confused?" I asked offended.
"Certainly not," Adi replied. "But I do enjoy being the reason for that confusion," he added and winked.
I could not help but smile.
"I will see you after court, Vaishu," Adi said lovingly placing his hand on my cheeck before leaving.
"I fall in love with this man every single day," I told to myself as I watched him leave. However, my happiness was short-lived as soon enough Sruthi approached with some bad news.
"What?" the queen asked surprised.
"I heard my father asking my mother about it, your highness," I replied, "Your name was not mentioned anywhere, but it is your book."
The queen signed. "Does the king know about it?" she asked.
"Not yet, but he will know during the court," I answered.
The queen remained silent.
"We are all in trouble, are we not?" I asked hesitantly.
Of course, we are in trouble. The queen's cabinet are the only people who know about the queen's book "Blood, tears, and birth".
So certainly it is one of us who smuggled it into the black market.
Someone who is most likely very very stupid because there is no way the king is going to take this lightly.
One of us is going to jail.
I just asked the question in hopes that the queen would say something different.
"I will speak to the king," she said, "See what I can do."
I nodded.
I hope she convinces the king to not have any investigation because if there is one, I am doomed. After, my dispute with the general yesterday, I will most likely be the first one the general looks into and part of me says he is going to leave no stone unturned.....
Do you think Vaishu can convince Adi to not punish the smuggler?
Do you think she should?
Who do you think smuggled the book into the black market?
What are your thoughts on the chapter?