Agastya
After meeting her, I returned to my chamber. Today presented an excellent opportunity to learn about Mehrangarh ’ s plans. However, one thing—only one thing—filled me with terror.
I glanced at Eklavya as he waited for me. “ How did it go?” he asked.
I furrowed my brow. “ What?” I asked while walking with him to the entrance.
“ The secret affair,” he teased, and I glared at him. However, I couldn ’ t help sharing. “ She hates me,”
“ Why?” He placed his hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath and looked in his direction. “ Bad reputation,”
He smiled, “ Interesting.”
I let out a deep sigh and mounted my horse. I didn ’ t mention this to anyone, but I felt I should share it with her.
“ Are things getting spicier?” he inquired as he mounted his horse while I glanced his way.
“ Can you tell me what spice is going on in Mehrangarh?” I redirected his question, and he chuckled. He had come here early in the morning to join our mission.
“ Nothing, just the letter exchanges,” He informed.
We rode toward the famous Mehrangarh brothel. Last night, Eklavya sent me a letter informing me that the head commander of Mehrangarh would arrive tonight. I had already sent a few of my spies there.
“ ,” Eklavya said, catching my attention, “ I don ’ t understand why she ’ s marrying you. If she loves someone else, why can ’ t she simply be with him?”
“ Because she doesn ’ t have options. She can ’ t tell anyone about her condition, and when it comes to men, she can ’ t trust anyone. However, she feels safe with me,” I answered.
He furrowed his brows. “ What is her condition?” he asked.
I shook my head. “ I promised her I wouldn ’ t tell anyone,” I said. He asked, “ So, she knows you ’ re plotting against her kingdom?”
“ No,” I answered, “ She thinks I am helping her with good intentions.”
He inhaled deeply. “ You ’ re going to break a heart,” he said.
I gulped, the old memories silently washing over. “ This world is cruel,” I said. “ It only cares about when you are going to break someone ’ s heart. No one cares when they ’ re tearing you to pieces,”
He raised his eyebrows and replied, “ But I genuinely hope you provide her with something more meaningful than just a hollow relationship as a wife.”
I chuckled and glanced at him. “ We can marry only once. There ’ s no chance.”
“ You ’ re a gone game,” he laughed at me and blurted out after a few moments of silence, “ You know, sometimes I think you went to kill her husband.”
I immediately looked in his direction. “ Are you mad?” I asked, and he laughed a little.
But God knew.
“ She ’ s actually sweet,” I said, and he smiled. "What else?"
I smiled, thinking about her. “ She is strong. She doesn ’ t care that I ’ m a prince. If she has something to say, she ’ ll say it,” I told him, and he teased me a bit.
“ Oooooohh, strong, hnn. Let ’ s see how strong she will feel after learning about your dirty games,” he teased.
My smile vanished. “ She will never accept me, Eklavya,” I exclaimed. “ She already sees me as disloyal and a fuckboy, and I know that if she ever finds out what kind of things I ’ ve done, she will be disgusted by me.”
We both entered the forest.
“ Don ’ t tell her then,” he exclaimed.
I shook my head. “ I don ’ t know. I ’ m messed up and confused. At some point, everyone will find out about us, and I know that after this thing with Mehrangarh, Rashmika will back out. But I don ’ t want her to feel trapped with me just because we are connected. For that, she needs to know what she wants to choose. I ’ m just waiting for the right moment,” I explained.
“ , ensure the right time arrives before you both fall hard for each other; otherwise, it will hurt her greatly.”
I nodded. "I know,"
We continued talking, and the day almost ended. We were just a mile away from where we both needed to be.
“ Do you know who he is?” I asked, looking at Eklavya.
He nodded. “ But he might have seen me at Mehrangarh, so we both need to stay away from him,” he said.
I nodded. “ Let ’ s stop here,” I said, aiming at a tree. We both dismounted our horses. After tying them up, we changed into plain black kurtas with Pathani bottoms and wrapped turbans around our heads, using the loose ends to cover our faces.
They would see us as foreigners.
“ Here, apply this,” he said, and I took the small box. As I opened it, I chuckled. “ You brought kohl,” I remarked, taking a little on my index finger and applying it to my eyes. They wouldn ’ t recognize us at all now.
He also smudged his eyes, and we walked toward the brothel.
Nothing stupid, . You have a wife.
I reminded myself as we entered. Noticing the dim lighting and girls wearing revealing clothes, I inhaled deeply. The smell of alcohol and intoxication hung thick in the air. The deal felt substantial.
I signaled to Eklavya, and we both went our separate ways as we entered. I scanned the area for a familiar face and spotted Kalsi, whom I had known for a long time. I walked toward her.
She was a formidable woman when it came to men. She had the ability to bring any man to his knees, but there was one issue: she did not accept money.
I inhaled deeply and walked over to her. She sat quietly on a small couch, and I sat beside her. “ How are you?” I asked, looking at her.
She looked at me with a hint of surprise. After a few moments, she recognized me. “ ,” a wide smile spread across her face as she stood up, took my hand and guided us through the crowd into a quiet space bedroom.
I glanced at a mattress on the floor. A lamp hung on the wall as I sat down.
“ Do you want something to drink?” she asked, and I shook my head in refusal. “ I need you to do something for me,”
She smiled broadly and closed the door. I clenched my fist and looked at her, lying beside me with her elbow supporting her head.
“ Of course; where have you been for three years?” she asked, and I replied, attempting to ignore her as she hiked her skirt up to her thighs. “ Busy,” I said, feeling her hand brush against my arm.
“ What do you mean? I heard your brother has become the King of Suryagarh. That makes you a prince now,” she said, and I looked at her with a fixed smile.
“ It ’ s just for you, and I ’ m in a bit of a hurry,” I said as she stepped closer.
“ What's the hurry? Kunwar Aga—”
“ Shhhhh.” I quickly hushed her, not wanting her to finish. I was relishing those two words from just one person.
Her expression changed. “ What ’ s happening?” she inquired.
I bit my lip. “ The head commander of Mehrangarh is visiting this place. I want you to know how he plans to use that gray powder,” I said, and she furrowed her brow.
“ Elaborate,” she requested.
I explained, “ They are making gray powder, and I suspect they intend to use it in a war against Suryagarh. Therefore, I want you to find out how they will use it.” I explained, clearly not being truthful, and she nodded.
“ Okay, consider it done,” she agreed. “ But what about my prize?” Her tone made me gulp, and I attempted to negotiate: “ Any amount.”
Chuckling softly, she shook her head. “ I have plenty of amounts. ” her eyes stared intensely into mine. “ How about a night?”
I knew this would happen, so I just smiled and shook my head. “ No, I ’ m swamped right now,” I said, and he cupped my cheek, making me look at her.
“ In what?” her tone was brutal. “ Fucking your wife? Are you married now?” She asked. The rage and jealousy dripped her tongue.
I shook my head. “ No, are you mad?” I grinned feignedly, “ Not this time, but maybe another time,” and proposed.
Her jaw tightened, yet she smiled, luring me by her hand to my waist. “ What about your dagger? I'm sure it ’ s not tired,”
“ I lost it,” I replied, and she clenched her jaw.
“ You lost your dagger? How is that even possible?” she asked, and I tried to avoid upsetting her, knowing she was the only one who could resolve this without complicating.
“ Umm, I need your help.”
“ Of course,” she replied, standing up.
“ Just wait here. Is he the tall, rugged one with the long beard?” she asked, and I nodded. “ Yes, that ’ s him,”
She walked out of the door, and I immediately palmed my face.
I am visiting this place for the very last time. I promise.
After some time, she returned. I observed her entering with two glasses in her hands. Sitting down, she passed a glass to me.
I tried denying it, shaking my head.
“ It ’ s fruit juice,” she said, and I took it.
“ What did he say?” I asked, and she sipped to rinse her mouth before me. After spitting into the corner, she spoke. “ That bastard came into my mouth.”
Because of my mother, I have always had a soft spot for women in the skin business.
“ I ’ m sorry about that,”
“ Don ’ t apologize,” she said, “ but you can stay tonight.” Her voice held intense sensuality.
I chuckled, saying, “ Maybe another time.” I didn ’ t want to upset her, as she was a complicated and generally short-tempered person.
“ What did he say?” I asked again, sipping my juice.
“ Umm,” she smiled. “ He said he would use that for explosions. Like it would be filled in balls, and when they are fired, they explode and kill on a massive scale.”
I took another sip. “ How do I fire them?” I asked.
She shook her head. “ He is smart. He didn ’ t explain much, but he mentioned something huge, as large as a mature elephant calf. However, he said that no one understands the design… yes, something like that,” she explained.
I took another sip, nodding. “ Okay, thank you so much,” I said, placing a pouch filled with gold coins before her.
Just as I was about to stand up, I began to feel hot.
“ Umm-umm. I told you, a night is all I need,” she said, and I immediately gazed at the glass.
“ What did you give me?” my voice loud and enraged.
She touched my cheek. “ Nothing you can ’ t handle.”
I tossed it aside and glanced at her. “ Are you out of your mind?” My body felt feverish, and sweat beads formed on my forehead.
“ Come on, don ’ t act like a coward. It ’ s not as if you ’ re a saint,” she yelled, and anger filled me. I quickly grabbed her neck and pushed her down beneath me.
“ Exactly,” I roared. “ I am not a saint, nor am I that old . You stupid woman.” standing up immediately, I intended to head home. I needed to be close to her, not anyone else.
As I walked out, I could see the blurry images of naked women and hear their sensual voices. I covered my ears. Trying to focus on my breathing, I rushed toward my horse. It was hurting a great deal.
As I mounted, I asked him to speed up and take me home, removing my turban to allow the cool air to soothe my head and calm my nerves.
Her vision clouded my sight, and I shook my head. “ No, not like this,” I cursed under my breath and rode back home.
It was past midnight by the time I arrived. I quickly dismounted my horse and rushed into my chamber.
As soon as I walked in, I took off my kurta. The heat overwhelmed me. My veins stood out more prominently on my skin, and I felt as if I would explode. My eyes became hot and watery.
Suddenly, my gaze fell on her as she entered my chamber late at night, gazing at me with worry and confusion.
“ Kunwarsa, what happened?” she asked, and I stamped back a few paces from her.
“ Not now…not now,”
Her face appeared frightened as she moved closer to me and examined my expression.
“ Go back,”
“ But what happened? Are you okay? Do you have a fever?” she asked, and I couldn ’ t help myself. “ I said, go back,”
She visibly shivered at my raised voice, and I noticed a tear slipping down her cheek.
“ Please, go back,” I requested in a slow voice, already feeling out of control. My fists clenched as she ran away. I fell to my knees.
Lying on the cold floor, the chill soothed my bare back as I tried to calm my breathing, but it didn ’ t work.
Finally, I stood up quickly, undid my pants, and walked into my bathroom naked. I sat in the pool until the last ounce of heat left my body.