“Does Ranaji do it often?” I asked, unsure whether I should let Kunwar Agastya do it as often.
“Often? If it were up to him, he wouldn’t let Rudraja anywhere near my breasts. He loves his daughter so much that he lets her feed from me,” she rolled her eyes, then added,“Oh, but this one time, we were doing it, and he got so out of control, he ended up sucking them.”
My eyes widened in shock.
“Really?” I asked, and she nodded.
We continued talking as I bathed. I also told her that Kunwar-sa had gifted me a beautiful pair of anklets, and she looked so happy for me.
Stepping out, Nandani and Princess Aishwarya, along with a few attendants, helped me get dressed. We had chosen an exquisite pink-and-maroon outfit, adorned with pearls and silver thread work. It was a gift from Daadi-sa.
When it was time to do my hair, Princess Aishwarya said,“You have such lustrous hair, Suman. No doubt why Kunwar Agastya is head over heels for you.” And a wave of giggles echoed in the room.
“You’re right, Aishwarya,” Nandani exclaimed with wide eyes.“But the man isn’t just head over heels for her; he’d literally lick the floor she’d walk on,”
She glanced at Princess Aishwarya once and added,“You haven’t seen the love he has for her in his eyes yet. It’s so mesmerising, yet so destructive at the same time. God… he’s impossible.”
I looked down, unable to contain the rush of heat at her words.
“By the way, Suman,” Princess Aishwarya chimed in, and I raised my eyes.“What was your first encounter with Kunwar-sa like? I mean, you know, after that incident, what exactly brought you two closer?”
I looked at her in the mirror and remembered how, after that incident, I had gone to his chamber and found him working on the grey powder in the courtyard. He was completely engrossed, and the way the flames framed his sharp features made him look breathtaking, yet dangerous.
A smile curved my lips, recalling how he always kept his dagger by his side. The attendants’fingers touched my head, pulling me back to the moment.
The smoke from the incense brazier, used to dry my hair, enveloped me, and my shoulders eased from its calming, herbal scent.
“Um…” my teeth dug into my lower lip.“After that incident, when we returned home, I wasn’t the same anymore. Fire or being near it frightened me, even when cooking, and he knew it,” I muttered in a low voice.
“Oh… Oh my God!” Nandani gasped.“That’s why he was teasing you not to cook.”
“Yes, I remember that too,” Princess Aishwarya added, her mouth agape.
I chuckled slightly, shaking my head.
“Yes, he was being rude back then, and now I understand why. I mean, we didn’t know what would happen. We feared that someone would discover the truth. He was engaged to Princess Rashmika. And I was terrified of everything; I couldn’t even tell anyone that my life literally changed over an incident,” I sighed, and looked at Nandani.
“It was when you were eight months pregnant, Nandani. I was having trouble sleeping that night, so I went to the kitchen to get some water. There, I found out he had returned to the palace and was asking for his dinner. So I took the dinner to him.” I explained.
“What???” Princess Aishwarya blurted out.
“Yes, I didn’t know what I was doing. It all felt good,” I said.
“Then?” Nandani blinked like a curious kid, settling on the table before me. Princess Aishwarya, too, grabbed a chair and sat beside me. While the attendants were busy doing my hair, I narrated the past incidents to them.
“Then, I took the dinner to him. He was in the courtyard with a grey powder, sitting before a heap of firewood,” I said.
“What was he doing with it?” Princess Aishwarya asked, and I shook my head.
“I don’t know. I just told him I brought him dinner, and then he ate in silence. However, what surprised me was that even though he had said that I could leave, I chose to stay and just watched him eat,” I admitted.
“And you fell in love?” Nandani asked, knitting her brows.
I shook my head.
“I don’t know…” I said, blinking away.“I honestly do not know when I fell in love with him. I mean, there’s not an exact moment,”
Princess Aishwarya placed her hand on mine.“I think you two are destined to be together. That’s why you both met,” she said, and the ladies nodded together.
