“I’m slicing mangoes for you,” I said politely.
“We can wait for you.” Nandani insisted, patting my knee.
I shook my head.“No, no, please, go ahead; I have other things to take care of,” I said, slicing mangoes for them, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. He stared back at me.
My heart sank into my stomach.
“Aap bin bataaye kahaan chale gaye the, Devar-sa?”“Where did you go without telling us?” Princess Aishwarya asked Kunwar-sa with a smile.
He rolled the dice, palming them.“Nowhere,” he replied.“Just for a hunt,”
I passed the plate to them, and Nandani took a slice.
“Oh, you mean to meet a girl?” Nandani laughed at him.
A smirk appeared on his face.
“Pata nahi kya samajh rakha hai aap sabne humein,”“God knows what you take me for.” he said, moving his piece forward.
“We can’t help it, given that you’ve turned down so many girls for this one,” Princess Aishwarya said with a soft laugh.
He bit his lower lip, a blush tinting his cheeks. I couldn’t look away from the dagger beside him.
He’ll kill me someday.
I could feel it in my bones, especially in how I spoke before him, and how he glared at me.
After slicing some mangoes for them, I got back to my chores.
I entered her bedchamber with the other attendants, made her bed, and set up the couches.
Serving as the chief attendant to the kingdom’s queen involved many responsibilities and high accountability. My day typically began with bathing and getting ready, often before she woke up. However, as her due date approached, we expected the baby’s arrival, making things even more hectic.
After getting ready, I asked the attendants to prepare her bath, her clothes for the day, breakfast, and everything else she would need. When quicker-than-expected results were necessary, I occasionally handled that work instead.
However, my responsibilities increased because Ranaji relied solely on me for her food and belongings. Occasionally, I had to cook for her myself.
Honestly, I loved it.
She never saw me as merely an attendant. To her, I was always her best friend, so I could never overstep my boundaries or betray her trust.
However, her Devar-sa had to apply the symbolic vermilion to my hair, making it difficult for me to feel at ease.
I wanted to tell her, but it would’ve just complicated everything.
The previous year, the rules regarding marriage had changed, prohibiting a man from marrying more than one woman without his first wife’s consent.
Ranaji was even stricter about these matters in his household. He had clearly instructed his brothers to be loyal to their wives. I could never ruin the life of the person who saved mine.
“Suman,” suddenly, another attendant’s voice caught my attention. Pulling my gaze from the bedsheet I had been blankly staring at for what felt like an eternity, I looked in her direction.
“Ji,” I responded, and she knitted her brows in confusion.
“You’ve looked pale since you got back,” she said, prompting me to touch my cheek, and I shook my head instinctively.
“It’s just… I’m tired,” I replied.
“What happened to your wrists?” she asked. I looked at my wrists and noticed the graze marks.
