Ch19The Curse and the Queen-to-Be #3
She looked at the lotus again, then back at me, and suddenly her eyes were shining not with tears this time, but with something warmer, something far more dangerous to my carefully built walls. “No one has ever done something like this for me,” she said quietly.
I shrugged it off, pretending it was nothing. “It’s just a flower.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s not just a flower.” Holding it close to her chest, she added softly, “Now it is special.”
For reasons I didn’t want to examine too closely, her words stayed with me.
The morning breeze passed between us, carrying the faint scent of lotus and damp earth. Rivanya smiled an unguarded, genuine smile and for a brief moment, everything felt… still. Peaceful. As if the world had paused just for us.
Then, as if remembering herself, she looked down at my soaked clothes and frowned. “You’re going to catch a cold,” she said, worry creeping back into her voice. “Come on, let’s go back.”
I watched her carefully place the lotus inside her dupatta, as though protecting it, and turned toward the car beside her.
As we walked back together, I realized something unsettling.
I had stepped into cold, muddy water for a flower…
and hadn’t regretted it even once.
Rivanya walked beside me, still holding the lotus close, when her gaze finally dropped to my soaked clothes.
Her lips twitched, and despite herself, a small laugh escaped her.
“You know,” she said lightly, “people usually admire flowers from a distance. They don’t jump into ponds like some heroic fool.”
I stopped walking and turned to look at her expression unreadable, voice calm. “If you’re done with the commentary, Mrs. Vardhan, shall we proceed?” I said coolly, as if nothing she said had any effect on me at all.
She blinked, clearly expecting a reaction. “I’m just saying,” she added, trying again, “you’re drenched. If you fall sick, don’t blame me.”
“I won’t,” I replied flatly. “I’m not that careless.”
Her brows shot up. “Really? Because five minutes ago, you were standing in mud and freezing water.”
“That was intentional,” I said, adjusting my watch, completely unfazed. “And calculated.”
She huffed. “Calculated recklessness.”
I ignored the remark and continued toward the car. Stopping near it, I opened the back door and spoke without looking at her. “Wait here for two minutes.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because,” I said evenly, “I always keep a spare set of clothes in the car.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You… always carry extra clothes?”
“Yes,” I replied simply. “Habit.”
Before she could say anything else, I added, “Stay outside. Don’t come inside the car. I’ll change and come back.”
She stared at me for a moment, clearly taken aback. “You’re strangely prepared for everything, aren’t you?”
I met her gaze briefly, my tone steady. “That’s how I survive.”
Without waiting for her response, I closed the door and walked to the other side of the car. Inside, I changed quickly, efficiently no unnecessary thoughts, no lingering emotions. This was routine. This was control.
When I stepped back out, she was standing where I had left her, absently turning the lotus between her fingers. She looked up as soon as she heard my footsteps.
“Done?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Let’s go.”
There was a pause. She studied me for a second longer, as if searching for something some crack, some softness but found none. And that was exactly how I intended it to be.
I walked past her toward the car, composed as ever.
If she thought I was melting…
she was wrong.
Suddenly, Rivanya stopped in her tracks, as if something had caught her attention. A familiar spark lit up her eyes the kind that always appeared when a mischievous thought crossed her mind. After a brief pause, she turned toward me and asked casually, “Have you ever tried the chaat from Kashi?”
I looked at her in surprise and replied, “No. Why?”
Instead of answering, she pointed toward a nearby roadside chaat stall and said with visible excitement, “Come on, I’ll make you try it.”
I immediately refused. “Absolutely not, Rivanya. Roadside food is unhygienic. I’m not eating anything from here, and neither should you. Let’s go home. You can tell the chef to prepare whatever you want.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically and said, “You and your rich lifestyle are impossible. The taste you get from roadside food can never be found in a five-star restaurant, Mr. Vardhan.”
This girl never misses a chance to test my patience. On one hand, I was already worried about what Gurumaa might say to her, and on the other, this reckless girl wanted to eat roadside chaat. Ridiculous. I wondered why I was even stuck in this situation.
Before I could say anything further, Rivanya ran toward the chaat vendor. I had no option but to follow her, calling out her name in irritation as I walked after her.
She greeted the vendor warmly. “How are you, Kaka?”
The chaat seller smiled brightly upon seeing her. “Oh, it’s you, child! I’m doing well. How are you? Where is your sister today?”
Did this girl know everyone in Kashi? Why did every person here speak to her as if she were their own daughter? She was unbelievable. My head was already aching because of her.
Rivanya replied cheerfully, “I’m very well, Kaka. Today I haven’t come with my sister I’ve come with my husband. Please make one spicy, flavorful chaat, but keep the spice level medium.”
The vendor immediately got to work, while Rivanya continued chatting non-stop with him. I stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the entire scene in silence and irritation.
I, Rudraksh Vardhan someone who never wastes even a second was standing on a roadside because of this tiny disaster of a woman. Shame on me.
Just then, Rivanya returned, practically glowing, holding a plate of chaat. She extended it toward me and said excitedly, “Here, taste it. I swear you’ve never had chaat this good. This is famous in Kashi.”
I first looked at the plate, then at her, and said firmly, “Do you seriously think I’ll eat this unhygienic junk food? Absolutely not, Rivanya. I value my diet, and I don’t intend to fall sick.”
She frowned slightly and replied, “You won’t get sick, Rudra. Dhara and I have been coming here since childhood. This is our favorite place. Just try it nothing will happen.”
I shook my head. “No, Rivanya. Don’t insist. I’m not eating this.”
Before I could say anything else, she suddenly poked my stomach playfully. Instinctively, my mouth opened in surprise and in that very second, she fed me a spoonful of chaat.
At first, anger surged through me, and I was ready to scold her. But then I realized something unexpected the taste. It was… good. Surprisingly good. And before I could stop myself, I admitted, at least to my own mind, that the chaat wasn’t bad at all.
Rivanya looked at me with a victorious smile and said, “It’s good, isn’t it, Mr. Vardhan? Don’t lie now. I know you liked it.”
---