“I know. Did you two fight about it?” she asked, and I explained everything.
“So, is this the first fight?” She asked, and I furrowed my brows.
“Why are you romanticising it? Are we a happy couple, and is the first fight a moment to be remembered?” I asked, but she said no.
“It’s a moment. I mean, the way you two got married looks like progress,” she said, pausing for a moment before asking,“By the way, who won?”
I shook my head, unable to believe her.“I don’t know,” I said, rising to my feet.“You’re not helping, Nandani,” I said, and walked away from there.
“Where are you going, by the way?” She asked from behind, and I turned to look at her.
“To see what’s for dinner because I’m the head maid of the palace,” I responded, leaving the chamber.
I didn’t realise that throughout my time in the kitchen, my mind was stuck on the moment he pulled the bedsheet off the mattress and handed it to me with a‘sorry’.
Dinner was ready, and I looked after everyone’s plates until my gaze fell on his. I searched for everything he liked and looked at the attendant.
“Add jaggery to this one,”
Once she was done, she left to serve dinner to everyone.
I had dinner and was about to return to Nandani with her milk when I noticed an attendant coming back with a dinner plate.
I frowned.“What happened?”
“Kunwar Agastya is not in his chamber.”
I looked at the plate for a moment and asked,“Where is he?”
She shook her head.“I don’t know. But he’s not in his chamber.”
“Okay.”
I walked back to my room after giving Nandani the milk.
I slipped under my comforter in my room, illuminated by the lamp’s soft light, peering at the walls. They were as bare as my life. There were no floral designs like those in the royal chambers.
I understood what he was trying to convey, but he failed to see that my room wasn’t a chamber; the walls lacked floral designs, and sunlight didn’t fall directly on them.
I didn’t have a kingdom to run alongside a king or a business to finance, either. All I had was extensive experience working in the kitchen and cleaning rooms, and I excelled in both areas.
I refused to abandon those tasks because I wasn’t being forced to do them. It felt like taking care of my family and the people around me.
I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes to catch some sleep.
I didn’t know where he had gone, but we had plans. He promised to take me out. Maybe he was angry with me, but why? He had no reason to be mad at me. I never asked him to change anything he liked to do.
A soft knock at my door jolted me out of my thoughts.
I looked at the door, wondering who it could be at such a late hour. However, dismissing the thought, I pushed aside the comforter and went to open the door.
I gasped at the sight of a tall figure dressed in black, with kohl lining his eyes and a black turban wrapped around his head.
I was startled but recognised him when I saw his green eyes illuminated by the lamp’s yellow glow.
“You… here?” I asked softly, quickly pulling him inside and locking the door behind us.
“What are you doing here? What if someone spots you? Men aren’t allowed here; these quarters are only for women,” I whispered, my heart hammering anxiously.
