I tried to focus on watching the maids make laddoos, but his thoughts consumed me. I just wanted to know if he was okay. I knew he wouldn’t tell me unless something was wrong. He had been tough on me lately, but he cared. It wasn’t as if he hated me or didn’t want to see me. If he hated me, why would he have met me before leaving the palace? Not just leaving, but leaving his dagger with me.
Yes! I should return his dagger.
He had asked me to keep it safe, so I quickly stood up, went to my room, grabbed it, and brought it to his chamber.
As I walked in, silence engulfed me. I attempted to call out“Kunwar-sa,”
The chamber was dark; all the curtains were drawn, blocking the sunlight. No attendants were present.
I narrowed my gaze at his bedroom curtains, and a knot tightened in my stomach. I hadn’t seen him with Nandani or Ranaji since this morning.
“Kunwar Agastya,” I called again, but he didn’t respond. I just wanted to check if he was okay since he didn’t seem well the night before. I couldn’t help but slide the bedroom curtains away and peek inside.
I felt increasingly anxious.
Nervously gulping, I walked inside and glanced at his bed, which was draped with curtains.“Kunwar-sa,” I called softly again, trying not to draw anyone’s attention to the fact that I was in his chamber when I shouldn’t have been.
He didn’t respond, prompting me to move closer. It was late afternoon, and he rarely slept for so long.
As I parted the bed’s curtains, I found him sleeping on his stomach, half-naked, covered only to his waist with a duvet.
The view made me bite my lower lip, and I blinked nervously.
Walking to the side of the bed, I noticed his closed eyes and steady breathing. His hair fell across his forehead, and his lips looked redder.
“Kunwar-sa,” I called again.
Leaning in, I touched his forehead to check his temperature.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, catching me off guard. Inhaling deeply, he looked at me from top to bottom, and his gaze softened with surprise before calming down and closing his eyes again.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded slightly. His green eyes, accentuated with kohl, were mesmerising, and his tan skin made my cheeks flush, reminding me of the warmth he radiated.
“I came to return your dagger,” I said, placing it beside him.
He stared at me silently, prompting me to step back and consider leaving.
“Suno,”“Listen,” he called, and I turned to look back at him.“Stay,” he demanded, and I bit my lower lip.
“If I will, you’ll say you asked me to stay because I wanted to.”
He inhaled deeply and lazily extended his hand.
I gulped nervously, unsure of what to do. My mind insisted this was wrong, but my heart wanted to surrender and stay.
“For me,” he whispered, locking his gaze onto mine as he brushed my finger. A tingling sensation coursed through my stomach as he clamped onto my hand and drew me closer. Slowly. Very slowly.
I sat nervously on the edge of the bed, my legs dangling down, watching him move closer to me. As he shifted, the comforter slipped, and I accidentally glimpsed the lower curve of his back.
“You’re naked,” I mumbled, looking at him as he brought his forehead nearer to my hip.
“That’s fine; you won’t be disappointed.” His words made me smile slightly, and I realised he was Kunwarsa Agastya—unapologetically, Agastya Dev Singh, who didn’t care.
I felt the rough texture of his hand intertwining with mine, sending butterflies to my stomach.
I noticed the slight cracks on his fingertips, which had healed considerably since I found him with the mortar and that grey powder.
“Kunwar-sa, are you really okay?” I asked in a serious tone.“I mean, if you feel like sharing,” I added.
