“Are we just going to let this insult go? Pretend this never happened?” demanded Virat.
“I’d be upset, Virat,” said Veer, his voice quiet and serious, “if someone attacked my future father-in-law.”
Silence fell over the group.
“He agreed to your choice?” asked the courtier in a hushed voice.
Veer’s smile was all teeth and triumph, despite the crack in his lip.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I should congratulate or caution you, Veer,” Shota said once everyone had left after offering a round of congratulations. “What the king has said about the princess rings true from what I’ve seen. Are you sure about this? This will not be an easy marriage.”
“But so worth it. You wouldn’t understand, Shota.”
“You are right. I don’t understand. Why Chandrasena of all people?”
Veer had a faraway look in his eye. “She is…worth it.”
* * *
Veer had given Chandrasena a lot of importance all those years ago. No wonder he was upset to discover she had murdered his best friend.
Upset was such a mild word for what Veer went through after that incident. The incident of Ilavu happened right after their return from Amaravathi. Not only had Veer lost his best friend but had also discovered how much his wife, for whom hehad fought and went against a lot of people’s advice, hated him to that extent.
Shota didn’t understand the affairs of the heart. Or rather, preferred not to peer too deeply into them. He was under a vow of bachelorhood and at times, he was glad he was free from the messy entanglements of the heart. Although he’d taken that vow under duress and for reasons of his own, he didn’t regret it. But there was no denying the loneliness and need that plagued him at times. Thankfully, those times were rare.
He gazed absently at one of the sculptures on the walls of the sanctum, a scene where two women were pleasuring a man. No one paid any mind to the shockingly erotic sculptures. The saying behind it was that one had to be above such pursuits if one comes to seek the divine.
A flash of red caught his eye. He turned to see a woman in a red saree walking toward him. And just like that, her presence calledhisdiscipline into question. Her hands were joined in prayer, her eyes on the religious sculptures set at intervals on the outer walls.
As if feeling his gaze, she turned to look at him.
His first instinct was to flee. Shota groaned under his breath. Of course, Sameera would be here. He had been expecting her, but he had thought of setting their meeting at a place of his choice. But she took the matter out of his hands by coming first. Outwardly, though, he remained calm, waiting until the woman reached him before speaking.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he remarked pleasantly, like he was commenting on the weather.
Sameera smiled serenely. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I arranged it so we would meet here today.”
Shota frowned. She appeared none the worse for wear for making the journey from Amaravathi, and fetching as always, in that shade of red. But then, red had always suited her. He wishedhe could say her smile was as false as his lack of surprise but that would be untrue.
It was one of the first things he had noticed about her, her delight in everyday things. In the direst of situation, she found a ray of hope. And for a man jaded by his chosen profession, that quality was incredibly refreshing. He felt a pang, easily stifled, for the happier times of the past.
“I suppose you have some information for me?” he asked, eager to be done with this task.
She nodded.
“Well, tell me.”
“In case it escaped your notice,” she said in dulcet tones. “I am in the middle of apradakshina.” It was the practice of making rounds around the temple a set number of times.
Shota nodded, coming to a decision. “All right, I’ll accompany you on the rest of the rounds and then we can go to the back of the temple. There is a shed where we can talk in peace.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” she asked archly.
His brows lowered. “Why wouldn’t I want to do that? I don’t want to lose sight of you. This place is just as good as any other for having a conversation.”
“I still have seven rounds to complete. Are you sure you want to walk them with me?” she said, tilting her head to the side, her eyes lighting with laughter.
