“How thoughtful of him.” Strange that Aru would insist I be present to receive a gift for others, but perhaps he just wanted me to see his magnanimity. Or his wealth. “Please convey my thanks. I will make sure that the sweets are distributed. I, too, am eager to see our union begin with the Spirits’ blessings.”
Vishwajeet bowed deeply, and I stepped down from the dais and onto the path that pointed back to the fort, grateful for the chance to leave. The air in the gardens had never felt so stifling.
“One more thing, please, Rani,” Vishwajeet drawled from the steps behind me.
I turned back, and he held out an intricately carved box. Now he stood above me, so the box was at the level of my nose.
“The raja also sends this as a gift to his future rani on your wedding day.” The wooden box’s carvings of vines and roses were so detailed that the box alone would have been gift enough, but Vishwajeet lifted the lid to reveal a tuft of red fabric inside.
There, on a bed of silk, lay a gift worth more than all the goods the five ships coming into port had just traded: A gajra made of pearls.
Chapter 26
I sat on the rooftop and stared at the reflection on my curved sword, watching the sun race from hilt to tip as I twisted it. After receiving Aru’s gift, I’d shut the doors to my room, declared that I was not to be disturbed, and climbed through my window. I prayed nobody would see me as I scrambled up to the fort’s faded red roof for the first time in years.
It was easier to breathe up here. There was no wedding preparation clutter or last-minute negotiation or fretting about an imperfect hem. Here, I could find some peace. Some order. Here, I could control the reflection of the sun on the blade and keep it confined within its edges.
“There you are,” Parushi huffed from behind me. She grunted as she hoisted herself onto the rooftop.
“You shouldn’t be up here.” I kept my eyes on the blade and forced the sun’s reflection to race even faster. The bright yellow orb stayed perfectly balanced, never slipping beyond the edges as it flashed from one end to the other.
“Who else is going to come to find you?” Parushi dusted herself off. “Chaaya is buying us time. She’s convinced everyone that she’s started getting you ready, but they’ll insist they need to come help soon. And you’d better be there. The whole fort will turn itself upside down and inside out if there’s even a whisper that you’ve disappeared on your wedding day.”
“Fair.” I didn’t want to imagine the ruckus if I went missing.
There was more than enough noise already. Below us, countless people came into the fort and through the gardens bearing trays of food, flowers, and fabric. The small army of people was preparing for the arrival of our many guests. Not only had Banghervari brought a large contingent, but surrounding kingdoms showed their respect with their attendance as well. Even my father’s homeland, far to the south, had sent eight representatives?—twice as many as they had for Ektha’s wedding. The union of our powerful nations had forced our neighbors to clamber for our favor, and their royal families came with extravagant gifts and proclamations of allegiance.
Despite all the colors and scents swirling below, my attention went back to the single red square of cloth that sat in front of me. The breeze from the ocean lifted its corners, but the center was weighed down by the gajra from Aru. Its strands of white pearls swirled together and gleamed with a shining luster as they basked in the sun.
Parushi pointed to the hair ornament. “That’s why you’re up here instead of getting ready? Those little white stones?”
I nodded and tapped the corner of the cloth with the tip of my sword, carefully avoiding the gajra’s many twisted rows. “They’re not stones. They’re pearls. My mother had a single-strand bracelet, and she never let me touch it because it was so valuable.”
“Oh, you think it’s too extravagant.” Parushi waved off my concerns and gestured for me to join her closer to the edge so we could climb back down. “Your soon-to-be husband is the ruler of a very wealthy nation. This is probably just his way of showing you how much he cares.”
“It’s not the expense that bothers me.” I laid my sword across my lap and spoke carefully. “Pearls come from the sea. They’re incredibly difficult to come by, and collecting this many would take... generations. Unless they were found by someone?—or something?—who knows the seas very well.”
Parushi stared at the gajra as if it had suddenly grown three heads. She came and sat down across from me, making sure to keep the distance between us that she’d maintained since we spoke in the market. “You think they’re from the Porcugi?”
I pretended I didn’t notice?—or appreciate?—the space. “I can’t be sure.”
“But you think so.” Parushi wouldn’t let me off so easily.
“Yes,” I admitted with a grimace. “I think they’re from the Porcugi. I just need to figure out why my future husband has them. And how to put an end to whatever he’s using as an excuse for working with them.”
“Starting your marriage with realistic goals, I see,” Parushi said. “You know, most people wait a little while before they start trying to make their husbands change. You’re plotting before you even set foot on the mandap.”
“Patience was never one of my virtues.”
“Oh, I know.” Parushi smiled wryly. “Which is why we’re especially lucky that your instincts are usually right. You’ll figure this out. That poor man has no idea what he’s in for.”
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed, and then so did she, and soon we were giggling like we used to when we’d hide from our instructors. For a moment, I was not the rani, and she was not the next?—unwilling?—heir. Instead, we were both children snickering together on the rooftop as our tutors searched desperately for us below. When I managed to catch my breath, I sighed, relieved that things were finally feeling more normal between us again. Parushi had a knack for making the impossible feel possible. She could make me laugh in the face of my enemies and would never let me cower.
Words tumbled out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. “I need you to come with me to Banghervari.”
“Obviously.” Parushi raised her left eyebrow as if to ask why I even bothered stating it. “But you need me here too, so I can help care for Ullal while you’re gone. And I can’t be in two places at once.”
“You’re coming with me.” Taking Parushi would give me an ally in the Banghervari court and would also keep her away from the throne in Ullal. I gestured at the gajra. “We’ll take care of this while we’re there. I’m sure I can sort it out with Aru after we’re married. He’ll listen to me.”
