“Alright, then, let us know more; I’ll lead the army of Suryagarh,” Rudra Bhai-sa said, smiling at his princess and Ranvijay Bhai-sa.
“I’ll try to contact the other states and ask the people to shift to the outskirts of the kingdom for their safety,” I nodded.
“Alright, I’ll see you later,” I said, leaving them to walk into Bhabhi-sa’s chamber.
The moment I entered, I saw Suman and Bhabhi-sa talking.
“Agastya,” Bhabhi-sa noticed me.
I ran my fingers through my hair and said,“Suman, we need to talk.” I tried to keep my cool, but she frowned lightly.
“Yes,” she replied, and I glanced at Bhabhi-sa watching me.
“In my chamber,” I added, and she gulped nervously.
“Agastya, be calm,” Bhabhi-sa advised, and I nodded.
“I’m calm, Bhabhi-sa,” I assured her, and she nodded back.
“Okay, I’m coming,” she said.
“I’ll be waiting,” I replied, and looked in Bhabhi-sa’s direction.“Also, she is going out with me,” I added, and Suman’s eyes widened.
“Um… actually, just to go around,” she explained, and Bhabhi-sa smiled.
“That's fine, I don’t need to know. You deserve a life; if he gives it to you, I couldn’t be happier,” she said, patting her hand.
“You should go now,” she instructed, looking at me.
“Agastya, we need to talk,” Bhabhi-sa said, and I nodded, watching her, leaving us alone.
I walked toward her and sat beside her on the couch.
She smiled weakly and said,“It’s in her blood, Agastya. It will take her time to understand the line between a prince’s wife and a royal servant.”
I nodded and inhaled deeply.“I don’t want her to do anything. Not anyone’s, not even yours,” I said, and she smiled at me.
“I know. I’ll talk to her,” she assured.
“No, I will talk to her; it’s our responsibility to understand this,” I insisted.
She nodded.“It couldn't be better than this,” she said, inhaling deeply before continuing.“Agastya, she had a difficult past. I’m not sure how much you know, but as a woman, I can tell she has experienced the worst. And no matter how much time has passed, it still affects her. Be humble, kind, and understanding towards her. Just don’t do anything that might awaken her past. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen her smile effortlessly like that. And protect that smile, because while it's easy for a child to smile, it's hard for a wounded soul to do so,” she said, and I nodded.
“I understand, Bhabhi-sa, don’t worry; I know what I’m doing,” I replied with a smile.“Also, thank you for earlier.”
“You’re my brother-in-law. That’s the least I could do,” she replied as I stood up from the couch.
“I should head out now.”
Suddenly, Bhai-sa walked in with the princess.
“Agastya, you still don’t want to hold your niece?” he asked softly.
I chuckled and shook my head.“I’m not ready yet, Bhai-sa. She’s so fragile,” I said, moving toward him and admiring the beautiful sleeping charm in his arms.
“By the way, what happened to your lips?” he asked, and suddenly, Bhabhi-sa chuckled.
“Aa jao, Rudra, main karke bataati hu kya hua hai,”(Come in, Rudra, I’ll show you what happened.)
