“Where have you been?” she asked as I sat before her and took the bowl from the attendant’s hand to massage her swollen feet.“I was so worried about you.”
“You should be more concerned about your baby, Nandani,” I reminded her, and she nudged me with her foot, prompting me to smile instantly.
“Just my baby? Nothing yours? Don’t you remember talking about this earlier? You are my children’s Maasi-maa8,” she said, and I nodded, chuckling lightly.
Not just Maasi-maa...
I quickly shoved that thought aside as she asked,“Is everything fine at your home now?”
I nodded.
“How’s your mother now?” she asked, and I smiled weakly.
“Better.” She knew nothing about what had happened, and I didn’t know the real reason before I left either. My parents sent me a letter telling me my mother was sick.
“You look upset, Suman,” she pointed out. Greasing my palms with oil, I touched her feet, shaking my head.
“No, I’m just tired from travelling,” I replied, and she immediately pulled her feet back.
“You don’t have to do that; just take a break,” she said, and I smiled at her.
“I’m alright, Nandani. You should rest,” I said.
Suddenly, she shivered and cried out in pain, and I chuckled softly.
“The baby kicked again?” I asked, and she nodded.
“Yes, this baby is driving me crazy,” she said, rolling her eyes.“He keeps kicking me even when his mother is resting, sleeping, or you-know-what—”
“Bhabhi-sa!!!” Suddenly, Kunwar-sa’s excited voice cut through the space.
I froze, daring not to pull away, and lowered my gaze to her feet, hiding myself as much as possible.
“Devar-sa9,” Nandani squealed with joy, and I heard his footsteps approaching closer.
“I brought you a ton of raw mangoes and the special pickle you asked for,” he said, setting a huge basket in front of her.
Her eyes widened with surprise.“Oh, my God!”
She immediately grabbed a mango from the basket, but I snatched it before she could bring it closer to her mouth.“No,”
He glared at me, and I gulped nervously.“After washing and slicing, I’ll bring you some,” I told her, standing up, and walked out of the chamber to move toward the kitchen.
I heard Nandani’s faint laugh. My primary responsibility was to ensure her health and the quality of her food. Ranaji wouldn’t hesitate to punish me if she ate anything dangerous to her and the baby’s health. Reaching the royal kitchen, I asked a few attendants to bring two bowls of water, then grabbed a clean plate and knife to take to her chambers.
When I reached back, I noticed Princess Aishwarya sitting there with them, too. They were playing Chausar10, laughing together.
Nandani’s pregnancy had been critical from the beginning, and the physicians had strongly advised her to avoid any stress. However, as the queen of a kingdom perpetually caught in wars and turmoil, she felt powerless.
As I sat beside her, she looked at me and said,“I’ve also placed your pieces.”
I shook my head with a smile,“I’m not playing.”
“I’m not playing either, Bhabhi-sa; I have some work to attend to,” Kunwar-sa said.
Nandani glanced at me, and Princess Aishwarya looked at him.
“What? You called me to play Devar-sa. You can’t back out now,” Princess Aishwarya said. I silently grabbed a few mangoes from the basket to wash them in the bowl.
