Nayantara pov:

Slipping through the hidden stone passage behind my wardrobe, I made my way back into my chambers. Stepping up to the heavy oak door, I tried to turn the brass latch, but it was firmly locked from the inside.

I gave three quiet knocks.

"The Princess is taking a bath right now!" came Pallavi's instant, loud response from within.
I smiled softly at her quick thinking. Her unyielding loyalty and friendship were nothing short of a blessing in my life.

"Pallavi, it's me. Open up," I called through the wood.

The door cracked open just an inch, and Pallavi peeked through the slit. Seeing me standing there in simple commoner clothes, she breathed a massive sigh of relief and pulled the door wide open.

"I genuinely thought you wouldn't return before dusk!" she whispered frantically, handing me my heavy royal dress. "You have no idea how nervous I was. What if Chhote Hukum had decided to walk in?"

I couldn't help but laugh as I unfastened my simple tunic, loosening my hair so she could comb it out. "Please, Pallavi, stop living in fear of my younger brother. I can assure you Pratig won't step a single foot out of his private quarters until every trace of that henna has faded from his face."

"How can I not be terrified of him?" Pallavi countered, running the wooden comb through my long tresses. "Chhote Hukum carries himself like a strict, formidable King! He only ever acts like a silly child around Princess Arundhati and you. That's why only Rani-sa, Arundhati, and you dare to call him by his name!"

I rolled my eyes at her grand exaggeration. "Tum toh aise baat kar rahi ho jaise ki tum uske aankhon ke saamne aate hi tumhara sar dhar se alag kar dega." 

(You speak as if he will sever your head from your shoulders the moment you step into his line of sight!)

Before Pallavi could defend herself, a sharp knock echoed against the chamber door. She immediately set the comb down and walked over to inspect the intruder.

"Who are you?" I heard Pallavi ask defensively.

"Step aside," a muffled voice commanded.

I recognized that tone instantly. Turning around from the vanity table as I adjusted my crimson kumkum bindi, I watched a figure draped in a heavy maroon veil brush past Pallavi and enter the room.

"Arundhati, please stop roaming the palace corridors with that ridiculous veil wrapped around your face," I teased gently. "You look like a foreign spy."

"Jiji, I bring an urgent, secret message!" she announced, throwing back her veil with dramatic flair.

So, if not a spy, she was playing royal messenger today.

"What is it? Speak," I said, leaning closer to the mirror to fix my gold nose pin.

"Alone," Arundhati insisted, darting a pointed glare toward Pallavi.

Understanding the unspoken royal protocol, Pallavi bowed slightly and stepped out into the hallway, pulling the double doors closed behind her.

A subtle knot formed in my stomach. Something felt completely off—Arundhati had never demanded private audiences like this before. She stood in silence, waiting until the sound of Pallavi's footsteps faded down the corridor.

"Jiji... Rudra Jijasa is here to see you," she whispered conspiratorially.

My hands froze mid-air over my jewelry box. I blinked rapidly, struggling to process her words and mask the sudden jolt of shock running through me.

King Rudra is here?

Just days ago, he had rejected my formal request for a meeting. What could possibly explain such a sudden, unannounced visit? Did he somehow find out I was wandering the woods with Raj? But how could he know? Raj was merely a low-ranking soldier in his royal army. Does the King keep tabs on every single foot soldier? Did Nanda inform him? No... Nanda didn't even know my true identity, and there was no way he could have reached Rajgarh so quickly.

Arundhati's hushed voice cut cleanly through my frantic train of thought.

"Jiji, Rudra Jijasa asked Pratig to inform you that he has arrived," she murmured, a teasing smirk curling the corners of her lips. "He wants to meet you in secret... like secret lovers!"

"Where is he waiting right now?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain calm as I adjusted the heavy borders of my silk dupatta.

"In the Royal Garden," she informed me.

"Go tell Pratig to accompany me," I instructed, standing up to smooth the pleats of my grand dress.

I had never placed much importance on mere appearance, but since this was to be our official first meeting, I needed to present myself as the royal heir of Indragarh. Today, I was not simply Nayantara—I was the Crown Princess. He needed to see the future Queen of Rajgarh standing before him. I deliberately chose not to switch into a heavily embroidered, jewel-encrusted ensemble. True royalty is defined by one's grace and presence, not the weight of one's garments.

Arundhati fidgeted nervously, avoiding my gaze completely. Her fingers began twisting the loose edge of her dupatta into tight knots—a telltale sign she always exhibited whenever she was anxious or hiding something.

"Pratig... Pratig cannot come with you, Jiji," she stammered. "You know he refuses to show his face to anyone today."

My suspicion deepened. It was certainly odd for King Rudra to show up unannounced and demand a clandestine meeting prior to our wedding. But Pratig would never refuse to escort me—even if he were on his deathbed, he would have dragged himself up to accompany me. Why choose to stay locked away now?

I pushed the lingering doubts to the back of my mind. Meeting the King was something I had sought for a long time.

Reaching into my side drawer, I picked up a small, sharp dagger sheath, slipped it securely into the waistband of my lehenga, and concealed it beneath the heavy folds of my veil. Arundhati watched my swift movement with wide, surprised eyes. I wasn't entirely sure why I was arming myself, but caution was a trait embedded deep within my royal blood.

Arundhati walked beside me through the stone archways, stopping just at the grand porch leading into the private Royal Garden.

"Enjoy yourself, Jiji! Jijasa must be dying of impatience!" she whispered with a mischievous wink before turning around and hurrying back toward the residential wing.

Draping my veil lightly over my face, I stepped into the secluded haven. The Royal Garden was strictly forbidden to commoners and servants, and royals rarely frequented it without specific purpose—especially during the warm afternoon hours. It was, indeed, the ideal location for a private meeting.

I scanned every shadowed marble pavilion and blooming flowerbed, but the garden was completely deserted.

I waited.

Ten minutes turned into thirty, and thirty into a full hour. The afternoon sun beat down relentlessly, and with every passing minute, a cold, sharp anger began to coil tightly in my chest.
Why demand a meeting if he had no intention of showing his face? Was this elaborate setup designed purely to humiliate me? To make a fool out of the Princess of Indragarh?
Why would he send Pratig with such a message...

I froze as realization struck me like a physical blow.

Pratig.

A surge of fury rushed through my veins. Spinning on my heel, I marched out of the garden, striding directly toward the Crown Prince's private wing.

Reaching Pratig's chamber doors, the sound of muffled giggles and boisterous laughter echoed from within. I pressed my ear against the heavy carved wood, listening closely.

"...I have no idea how much longer Jiji is going to stand out there waiting for King Rudra, considering he isn't even in Indragarh!" Pratig wheezed, dissolving into fitful laughter.

"Jiji was so utterly excited to meet her fiancé!" Arundhati chimed in, giggling uncontrollably.
"Arundhati, you better help me think of a good excuse for when she returns," Pratig added, his laughter dropping into mild panic. "What are we going to say when she demands to know why we lied just because we were bored out of our minds?!"

"You had better think of an exceptional excuse," I declared, throwing the heavy wooden doors open with a deafening thud. "Because if you don't, the punishment waiting for both of you will be absolute hell."

Pratig and Arundhati jumped out of their seats in sheer terror, spinning around to face me. Their laughter vanished instantly, replaced by wide, terrified eyes and ghostly pale faces.

They were dead, and they knew it.