“What happened?” I asked near his ear.
He jerked upright, startled, and placed a hand on his chest.
“Agastya!” he exclaimed, panting from the shock.
I smiled and rested my hand on his shoulder.“What happened? Who’s she?”
He laughed through nervousness.
“Who?” he asked innocently.“No one, no one.”
I narrowed my eyes, unconvinced, then glanced at the princess as she passed by.
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking back at him.
He nodded.
“By the way, where were you for the last few months?” I asked, my tone turning serious.“How did your tour go?”
He smiled and pulled me into a tight hug.
“I’m good,” he said, patting my back.“Um… I was in a kingdom. It went well,”
I pulled away.“Which kingdom?”
“I travelled south,” he said, smiling.“The mountain ranges are insane there. Vast rivers—I’ve never seen such wide ones in my life. The temperature is relatively higher than ours. Two major seas and an ocean border it. And the most mind-blowing thing? The kingdom is built on the water. It’s amazing, really.”
I frowned.“Really?”
He nodded.
“And how do you know that, princess?” I asked.
His throat bobbed as he stared at me for a moment.
“She’s after me,” he said, glancing toward the group.“Wants to marry me forcibly. Actually, she’s from Sindh, but came here with her friend, under the alias of her appearance. Dressing like her and searching for me as if I wouldn’t know.” He snorted.
“Who’s her friend?” I asked.
He gulped.“One of Princess Aishwarya’s sisters.”
My eyebrows rose in shock.
“The guests are already arriving,” I said, and he nodded.“And why is she after you?” I asked, but before he could answer, my gaze fell on Ranvijay Bhai-sa, signalling to me from across the garden.
I smiled at him as Eklavya said,“This is your day, Agastya. Spend it with your love.”
I nodded, and together we made our way to the prayer hall.
There, I watched Suman arrive with a group of ladies, right after me.
I stood before the temple, waiting until she came beside me.
She glanced at me once and smiled timidly.
“Come in,” the head priest instructed, and we bowed to the stairs of the temple.
Everyone stood outside the garbagruha53while we stepped in after ringing the bell.
