He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before gently shaking his head. Overcoming my emotions, I gazed at his face and squeezed his hand tightly, asking,“What’s wrong?”
At that moment, I forgot our roles, our titles. I overlooked the world beyond these drawn curtains—just him and me.
“I went to a… brothel last night,” he broke the silence, causing a sudden tightness in my chest with his words.
Words hung in my throat as I struggled to ask,“Did you cheat on your fiancé?”
After a brief pause, he shook his head and murmured,“I’m sorry about last night. I did not intend to raise my voice at you.”
“I know,” I replied, but the word‘brothel’kept lurking in my mind.“Why did you go to the brothel, then?”
He moved closer.“Will you promise to keep this between us?” he asked, and I swallowed nervously.
“Yes,”
“I suspect Mehrangarh is conspiring against us, and its chief commander possesses vital information,” he said.“Last night, he visited the brothel, and I went there to gather information.”
I furrowed my brows.“But you’re marrying the Princess of Mehrangarh, and the commander must have seen you. Didn’t he recognise you?”
He shook his head.“I couldn’t meet him directly. I sent an old frie… I mean, someone I know, to him, and she got this information for me,” he said, gently caressing the back of my hand with his thumb.
I bit my lower lip and tried to speak in a slow, calculated voice,“Someone you know means a girl, and you know her because you have a history with her?”
He opened his kohl-rimmed eyes and gave me a slight nod.
“Oh, so you have feelings for her?” I asked again, and he shook his head.
“No, I’ve met her only a few times before,” he added.
I blinked silently and asked again,“So what happened then?”
He squeezed my hand gently and closed his eyes, hiding his face like a baby.“Um…” he mumbled.“I asked her to get that information, and she asked me to sleep with her in return.”
I felt a slight lump in my throat at this revelation.“So, you slept with her?” I asked calmly, but to my surprise, he shook his head.
“No, I denied it, so she asked me to fuck her with my dagger,” he spoke, and I felt a knot in my stomach; the words hung in my throat.
“But you left your dagger with me. How can you… I mean, how do you do that with your dagger?” I asked, watching him gulp. I could see his Adam’s apple move in his throat as he swallowed.
“Yes, because I didn’t want to be involved with anyone,” he said.“But she drugged me with something to make me lose control and heighten my desire,”
I felt my palm growing colder with his words.“So, you…” I couldn’t say anything; I just stared at him. He shook his head, looking again at me.
“That’s why I asked you to leave yesterday,” he said.
I inhaled, realising the gravity of the situation.“Oh,” I said, trying to calm my pounding heart, and continued.“But you didn’t have to do it. I mean, Mehrangarh is close to you. You could’ve gone to your fiancée. Bearing that drug would’ve been difficult. She could have hel…” I cleared my throat slightly and continued,“Helped you.”
He turned around, staring back at me blankly.“You’re stupid,”
I gulped silently, lowering my gaze.“Am I?” I muttered, straightening up and locking my eyes with him.
I felt my cheeks burn under his gaze, and the memory of seeing him half-naked in my dream overwhelmed my mind.
“So, are you still under the influence of drugs? Am I in trouble?” I asked slowly, and he smiled, shaking his head.
“No,”
I bit my lip, uncertain about what to do next. The memory of the previous night warmed my cheeks, but his revelation about a woman he had slept with stirred something else within me.
