His words suddenly felt heavy in my heart.
I blinked and stepped back from him, with tears blurring my vision.
“Good night, Kunwar-sa,” I wished, and he nodded before returning to work. After returning the plates to the kitchen, I fell asleep in my room.
He was in the palace, and so I could peacefully fall asleep.
?????
The next few days had passed similarly, but unlike during his absence, we had several encounters since he had been in the palace. Sometimes, we would bump into each other in Nandani and Ranaji’s chamber; other times, we took strolls. As always, we pretended not to recognise each other outside our roles as a prince and a servant.
A week later, after cleaning her bedroom on an ordinary day, I returned to Nandani’s courtyard. Soft peals of laughter came from the garden side.
Curious, I walked over and noticed them chatting and laughing. Leaning against a pile of pillows, Nandani gently caressed her big belly while talking with Princess Aishwarya, Prince Ranvijay, and Kunwar-sa.
As I stepped closer, I saw him lying on his back, his head perched on Prince Ranvijay’s lap.
“And, Bhabhi-sa, do you remember when we tried to sneak out of the palace?” Kunwar-sa said, and laughter erupted. Prince Ranvijay joined in, too.
“What is this? When did that happen?” Princess Aishwarya asked, and I smiled, watching them laugh attentively at him while he spoke.“Choti Bhabhi-sa, Bhabhi-sa was planning to visit the people of the kingdom. She was sure that Bhai-sa wouldn’t let her, so she came to me, and we made a deal to sneak out,” he chuckled heartily.
“And you know what he asked in return, Aishwarya?” Nandani asked, looking at Princess Aishwarya, who replied with amusement.
“What? What did he ask for in return?”
Nandani’s eyes sparkled with joy as she spoke, gesturing animatedly with her hands.“He asked me to make someone jealous in return.”
Princess Aishwarya’s eyes widened.“You mean a girl?”
Nandani nodded and laughed.
He playfully palmed his face and shook his head.“No, no, no, that wasn’t real, Bhabhi-sa.”
A smile spread across my lips.
“Devar-sa, you’re quite a man. I mean, how many girls?” Princess Aishwarya teased, and he just laughed.
“Hey, don’t mess with him like that, Aishwarya,” Prince Ranvijay said, and they all laughed again.
“Does Ranaji know about all this?” Princess Aishwarya asked, glancing between Nandani and Prince Ranvijay while Nandani shook her head.
“It’s nothing serious,” Prince Ranvijay said.“He just jokes around,”
“He’s full of secrets, Aishwarya,” Nandani added.
They chuckled softly, and he laughed, glancing up at Princess Aishwarya.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on me, and I shivered.
My smile shrank, and I lowered my gaze.
“Nothing was serious, Bhabhi-sa.” His voice was now serious, and laughter was long gone.“I was just trying to see how popular I was with girls.”
“Suman,” I heard Nandani’s voice and looked in her direction.
He was watching me, piercing me to my bones with his gaze.
“Huh?”
