Page 6 of A Royal Deception

“But I’m just talking to you, Shivina. There’s nothing to scream about,” he replied huffily. “Besides, who’s going to believe you anyway?”

“I will,” snarled His Highness Ranvijay Singh Rathore from the open door.

Sangram turned around with a frightened yelp.

“Bhai Sa, I was just…”

But His Highness didn’t allow him to finish his sentence. He grabbed him by the collar and shook him like a rat before he threw him across the room.

“I know what you were doing, you swine,” he growled, advancing on the smaller man. “I warned you not to mess with her. You didn’t listen to me, and now it’s time to pay the price.”

“I’ll tell my mother,” cried Sangram. “And yours! She won’t be happy to hear you’ve been assaulting your brother for no reason.”

“Try it, I dare you! When my mother hears that you tried to assault a woman in our palace, she will slap you harder than I ever could,” retorted His Highness, just before he raised his arm to punch the snivelling rat.

But before he could land the punch, Sangram ducked and ran out of the room. I thought His Highness would follow him out, but he turned to me instead.

CHAPTER 3

RANVIJAY

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I asked roughly. “Did he touch you at all?”

Shivina shook her head slowly.

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, but I could see that she was wracked with tremors. Damn it, she was really frightened. I wished I had beaten Sangram to a pulp after all. He deserved it.

I took off the jamawar shawl I was wearing over my bandhgala and handed it to her. She shook her head, but I draped it around her shoulders gently and stepped away immediately.

“Keep it. You’re cold,” I insisted.

Her fingers clutched the edges of the blanket closer, and she averted her eyes, clearly waiting for me to leave. I knew that was the best thing to do. My place was out there, with my fiancée. But I couldn’t drag myself away from this frightened creature who had almost been attacked in my own home.

“Have you eaten something?”

She laughed bleakly, and I scowled at her.

“What’s so funny?”

“Servants don’t eat before the guests, Hukum,” she replied bitterly.

I hated the sound of that word from her lips.

Hukum.

It reinforced the difference between us.

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped and regretted my tone when she flinched.

I held out a placating hand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said gruffly.

Sometimes, I was more beast than human. Dheer would have dealt with this situation so smoothly. Meanwhile, here I was, almost reducing the poor girl to tears.

She covered her face with one hand as her shoulders began to shake, and a big wave of guilt washed over me. I really was a beast, I thought remorsefully.

But when she looked up, I was extremely offended to see that she wasn’t crying. Far from it!

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