Paintings and doorways slid by in the unfamiliar halls as we walked to Aru’s chambers. I desperately tried to remember something?—any detail at all?—from my conversation with Ektha, but I couldn’t. I knew exactly which sword I had taken with me as I stormed to the practice grounds, but I had no memory of anything Ektha said. Or tried to say. How many times had my past self ignored my sister’s warnings? And how many times would my future self have to pay?
In both a blink and an eternity, I was deposited in front of Aru’s door. It stared down at me, making me feel even more a visitor. Even though I was fully dressed and covered in jewels, I’d never felt so bare.
But there was nothing to be done. I was here, and there was nowhere to go but forward. So I took a deep breath and stepped in.
That night was not as terrible as I expected. In fact, it was not so terrible at all.
Aru was an eager teacher. He delighted in discovering ways to light me aflame?—exclaiming whenever he managed to draw goose bumps on my arms or elicit a new sound from my lips. We finally fell asleep in the deepest part of the night, when the smallest stars finally came to light, our tangled bodies nestled in tangled sheets.
I awoke at dawn, as I always did, but our night together had not sated Aru’s appetite. If anything, it seemed to have made him hungrier, and he eagerly pulled me back into bed when I tried to slip out. Later that morning, when Chaaya came to escort me back to my chambers, I left walking on air, the warm trail of his kisses tracing down my neck, to my breasts and stomach, and down farther from there.
A flurry of activity exploded as soon as I entered my room. Two maids escorted me to a bath, removing the smell of Aru’s sweat with their quick, efficient strokes. While they worked, another maid laid out a rainbow of saris and blouses. After I was cleaned and dried, Chaaya appeared at my side with a shawl and a warm cup of tea, which I sipped as I browsed the saris. I passed by an indigo one with striking turquoise embroidery because I thought it too ornate, but every option after that was even heavier.
I looked at Chaaya, knowing she’d understand my discomfort with clothes like this, but she gave a small shake of her head and said, “The rani will surely look her finest in these beautiful saris. The raja is most generous.”
Chaaya’s tact was admirable?—she’d managed to both compliment the raja and remind me that in Banghervari, it was important that I look my best.
After considering a few more options, I went back to the indigo sari. No sooner had I pointed to it than a group of three women set to getting me ready. They tugged on the blouse and the petticoat, smoothing away creases I did not even have a chance to see. After that, they tucked and folded the sari around me, pleating so quickly their fingers looked blurry, but the folds fell in perfectly parallel lines when they were done. They pulled out jewelry?—heavy, ornate pieces that I never would have imagined wearing in Ullal?—but I didn’t say anything about their choices. Chaaya had just finished slipping on my bangles so they stacked in front of Ektha’s when there was a knock on the door to my bedchamber.
Parushi came in, dressed in her uniform from Ullal. “The raja would like to introduce the rani to his council. They will be meeting shortly, and he asks that you join them.”
The maids gave each other sidelong glances when they noticed her attire.
“I would be honored,” I said. “Chaaya, put the last of the flowers in my hair. Parushi, I would speak with you privately before we go.”
The other maids bowed and left the room, and Parushi shut the door behind them.
I whispered to her as Chaaya decorated my hair with white blossoms. “Maybe you should wear something else. It’s different here?—they might not take you seriously if you’re not dressed as they expect.”
“I don’t expect them to take me seriously no matter what I wear,” Parushi said. “These council meetings are nothing like the ones we held in Ullal. Nobody speaks their mind here; they just wait to see what Vishwajeet has to say. He has the ear of the raja above everyone else. I was surprised we managed to negotiate your engagement since Vishwajeet seemed so against your terms at first. Nikith must have worked some magic.”
“They can’t all follow Vishwajeet in everything,” I protested. “Surely Aru would want to hear different opinions and make his mind up for himself.”
“I only ever saw one man directly contradict Vishwajeet: the raja’s so-called nephew,” Parushi said. “I believe he’s actually the eldest son of the raja’s first cousin, and he does have a few allies, but the rest of the council falls behind Vishwajeet in whatever he says.”
“Well, Vishwajeet will have to get more accustomed to hearing contradicting opinions,” I said. “I doubt we’re going to agree on much.”
Parushi’s eyes darted to the door, and she lowered her voice even further. “You’ll have to be careful. Vishwajeet likes his games, and he’ll use every trick he has to make sure he keeps getting his way. Men who have become accustomed to power rarely let it go without a fight.”
I licked my lips. It wasn’t like Parushi to worry about politics?—she was generally of the opinion that such silliness could be easily overcome by direct action.
Chaaya stepped away from me, having finished with the flowers. “You’re ready, Rani.”
I squeezed her hand in thanks, knowing that she was talking about more than my hair, and then Parushi and I left.
A guard waited outside the door, ready to take us to the council meeting. I’d expected him to lead us to yet another large room with lavish furnishings, but he led us outside instead. The breeze tickled my cheeks as we stepped out the doors and into the courtyard where Aru sat at the head of a long, rectangular table. There were a dozen other men, all dressed in silk panche with stylish kurtas and gold-embroidered angavastram. Together, they looked like a dazzling display of peacocks, flashing their shining feathers in the sun.
“My rani!” Aru rushed to embrace me.
His public affection startled me, but I tried not to show it. Most of the men looked away, abashed, and Vishwajeet appeared almost angry.
Aru didn’t seem to notice. He inhaled deeply as he leaned into the crook of my shoulder. “It isn’t fair. Your beauty lights up the day but only makes me long for the night.”
I flushed, and Parushi made a strange kind of noise from behind me.
Thankfully, Aru stepped away and led me to the rest of his advisers. “Rani Abbakka, I would like to introduce you to my trusted council.”
He introduced Vishwajeet first, followed by his nephew, Kamaraya. A quick glance at Parushi confirmed that this was the man she’d spoken of?—the only one that dared to contradict Vishwajeet. The family resemblance was obvious, though Kamaraya had deep brown eyes, a wider nose, and a rounder face. He was definitely younger than Aru?—probably closer to my age?—but he seemed confident in his position near the head of the table.
