Stepping into the library, I spread the Mehrangarh map wide on the table.
I stared blankly at it, unable to comprehend how to lead the war and disrupt the invaders’plan without harming anyone. They’d cross the river and approach Mehrangarh, where their cannons awaited them. We had to contend with three challenges: the cannons, the enemy soldiers, and the uninvited problem.
I sighed deeply and leaned over the table to gaze at the image of the mountains, while the vision of the empty underground water channel blurred my thoughts.
However, my mind seemed too preoccupied with Suman.
I shook my head. She didn’t need me. I reminded myself to focus on the war. I couldn’t jeopardise everyone’s lives just because I was hurt.
I didn’t know, but she said she wouldn’t judge me. I understood her pain; no wife would want her husband’s past to be like that. Yet, our marriage didn’t unfold in wonderful ways. It wasn’t even a complete marriage.
“Agastya,” a sudden, girlish voice caught my attention, causing me to furrow my brows in confusion. At that moment, my mind recognised it immediately.
Rashmika.
I immediately rolled the map, hearing the anklet bells. Panicking, I hurried out of the library and stood before her.
“Hey,” I said, and she knitted her brows in confusion.
“Why are you panting?” she asked, and I narrowed my brows, trying to act normal.
“Oh, I was just masturbating,” I blurted the first thing that came out and chuckled.
She rolled her eyes and slapped my chest before turning away and sitting on the couch.
“What happened?” I asked, taking a seat beside her.
“Everything is falling apart, Agastya,” she replied.
“What happened? Is everything okay?” I asked, and she suddenly burst into tears.
“I don’t know. It’s getting complicated, and I feel hurt,” she sobbed, covering her face.
I gritted my teeth, wrapping my arms around her shoulder.“Did you two fight about something?”
She hiccuped and nodded.“About what?”
She lifted her tear-stricken face and looked at me.“I told her everything about our plan regarding life, and she said she doesn’t trust me. I don’t know what to do. She keeps asking me why I’m getting married to you, and she isn’t even trying to understand.”
I sighed deeply, asking,“What did you tell her about us?”
She washed her cheeks, sobbing.“I told her we have nothing romantic between us. I’m marrying you to be closer to her. But she asked how she would know you wouldn’t touch me. She said we could both fool her. I mean, why on earth would I fool her? She can’t see what I’m doing to stay close to her. All she cares about is herself,” she whispered through her tears, and I couldn’t help but stroke her arm.
“Hey, she will understand. She’s different; she can’t grasp what you’re experiencing. The pressure from your family, your father, and your brothers. She needs to trust you,” I said, and she shook her head.
“Yes, that’s what I was telling her. I told her to trust me because that’s the only way I could stay here in this palace, and I didn’t know how to express just how much I loved her. She’s doubting me. Tell me, what other options do I have? Will my parents ever let me stay in Suryagarh without getting married? Or will they allow me to remain in Mehrangarh without getting married? You know how these men are. No one would understand if I were to marry someone else. You got me; you understood what I was going through and agreed to this wedding to help me, even knowing we wouldn’t have anything between us. But she thinks I will forget her once I’m married. I don’t know, Agastya. Sometimes, it feels like no matter how much you do for someone, it’s never enough,” she said, and I didn’t know what to say.
Well, as a girl, she had feelings for another girl and couldn’t tell anyone. She confided in me as a good friend, and that’s where we found ourselves. At first, she tried to act childish in front of her parents to hide her disinterest in the marriage.
But they were determined to get her married to some random man without a second thought. She feared a man would force and hurt her, as no one understood her.
And since I needed to enter Mehrangarh and couldn’t bear to see her sad, I agreed to marry her for convenience.
If she married me, she would come to Suryagarh and enjoy her life with her loved one.
“Hey, it’s all right. She’ll understand if you give her some time or explain yourself better,” I said.
Suddenly, she leaned in, and I couldn’t help but hug her. She had been there for me when I needed her the most. She was the one who helped me overcome the rejection I faced from that princess.
