Parushi snorted. “I never thought you a coward.”
I knew she was goading me, but I couldn’t ignore her barb. “Have you considered that perhaps I haven’t spoken to you because I have nothing more to say? Your... situation... is one of many that I must handle. That I have handled. You may remain here so long as your secrets don’t cause me any more trouble.”
Parushi pursed her lips. “It wasn’tmysecret. It was my mother’s and the ra?—I mean, my father’s. I had no choice but to keep it.”
There were too many ears here for me to speak openly. “If nobody else had known, that might have been true. But other people knew. And they tried to exploit a weakness I didn’t even know I had.”
“Yes,” Parushi said softly. “But there was no perfect solution.”
“Your ‘solution’ left me vulnerable. So long as you’re here, I’m less safe.”
“That’s not true! I have always kept you safe! How many times have I fought by your side? And I tried to warn you about Shalini. I told you not to trust her.”
She was right. Parushi had warned me, and she glared at me now with indignation snapping in her black eyes.
“So long as I am by your side,” Parushi said, “I will always do everything I can to keep you safe. I have no interest in being anything more than a soldier.”
I said nothing as we kept walking, but I didn’t dismiss her either. Parushi had only ever wanted the same thing that I did: to serve Ullal with Ektha as our rani. But now that position was mine, whether I wanted it or not. Just as she had been born the daughter of a raja, whether she wanted it or not. While I couldn’t hold the actions of others against her, we also needed to make sure their actions wouldn’t cause me any harm.
We.I had already begun to trust Parushi to keep me safe again.
I gave her a nod. “Then you best stay by my side.”
Parushi’s shoulders relaxed and she kept pace with me, but she maintained the extra space between us as we continued forward.
After my thoughts settled, I couldn’t help but notice the buzzing energy of the marketplace. A royal visit always caused a bit of a stir, especially with my wedding in less than a moon, but this was something different. People huddled together in groups and bowed respectfully as we passed but then returned their attention to whatever they were discussing before. We passed the fabric merchant’s stall, and it was practically bursting at the seams. Most people were ignoring the cloth, but for some reason, the merchant didn’t seem to mind. I tried to get Thevan’s attention to see if he had noticed too, but he kept his eyes forward and refused to look back at me.
Soon, we arrived at Chetan’s stall. The young man out front scrambled into the shop when he saw me, stopping only to grab the large basket of flowers at his feet. A few of the guards followed him inside to ensure we would have privacy. They nodded at Thevan as they came out with Chetan close behind.
Chetan bowed deeply. “Welcome, Rani. You honor my humble shop.”
“Your humility does not change the fact that you have the best flowers in all of Ullal.” I made sure the people around us could hear my compliments. If Chetan had bothered to write to his sister and request that I come here, he must have information for me?—sensitive information that he hadchosento share. It served me well to thank him both with my coin and my compliments so others would be encouraged to give him their business.
Chetan smiled widely and waited for us to enter, bowing deeply as I passed and giving his sister’s hand a small squeeze when she walked by. The shop looked as it always had, filled to the brim with every flower you could possibly imagine?—and some you would never have dreamed of?—displayed in clusters and garlands. Time had stood still here, except for one thing: On the wall behind Chetan’s stool there was now a large portrait of my uncle with a fresh white floral garland draped in a graceful U that dipped below the lower edge of the painting.
“Would you like to sit, Rani?” Chetan asked, gesturing at the tallest chair in the room.
I couldn’t hide my wry smile as I sat down. No need to trick him into giving me this seat anymore. Now, it was offered.
“I came to discuss the flowers for my gajra.” I started the conversation, trusting that Chetan would guide it in the right direction when he was certain nobody was listening. “I want to finalize the design and make sure Chaaya knows exactly how to arrange it on my hair.”
“Of course.” Chetan clapped, and the gangly young man who had alerted him to our presence positively bounded into the room. “Go get the jasmine I showed to Adesh but bring the crossandra and barleria as well.”
As the young man sprinted out, Chetan pulled up a chair and sat down across from me. “I must apologize. We were just commissioned for another wedding. Nowhere near as important as yours, of course, but unexpected and happening rather quickly. Adesh, the textile merchant a few stalls down, has announced the engagement of his daughter.”
“We will have to congratulate him as we return to the fort.” That explained the crowd around the stall. But why would Chetan call me to chat about the wedding of a merchant?
“I’m sure he would be honored,” Chetan said. “Especially since his soon-to-be son-in-law used to work in the fort.”
I forced a smile. This was why he had brought us here. “Then congratulations are most certainly in order.”
Chetan nodded, eyeing the walls of the stalls as if they had ears of their own. But then he caught sight of my uncle’s portrait. He bowed to it with folded hands, and continued, speaking more to Thevan and Parushi than to me. “The rani is far too busy to notice everyone around her, but perhaps you might recall a man with long hair and golden eyes. He was a server.”
My mouth went dry. I could feel every little bump from the top of my tongue as it clung to the roof of my mouth and refused to let go. I knew exactly who Chetan spoke of. It was the same young man that I’d jumped to defend when Vishwajeet was ready to strike him. I pried my tongue loose and cleared my throat, forcing each word out and hoping nobody would notice my sudden hoarseness. “A young man? Usually wears his hair in a low ponytail?”
“The rani has an eye for detail,” Chetan said, visibly impressed. He reached for a nearby pot of tea and poured a cup for me. “And a good memory.”
Chaaya nodded at me, but I hardly paid any attention as I gratefully took the cup from his hand and sipped it. The memory of a young man holding out a platter of food for my uncle with so much fear resurfaced in my mind’s eye. I’d brushed his agitation off as a new servant’s nervousness around royalty, both during the Porcugi attack and later when Aru had come to visit.
