Page 12 of Sumanika

I shook my head.“No, no, please, go ahead; I have other things to take care of,” I said, slicing mangoes for them, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. He stared back at me.

My heart sunk into my gut.

"Aap Bina bataye kaha chale gae the? Devarsa,"“Where did you go without telling us?” Princess Aishwarya asked, smiling, looking at Kunwarsa.

He rolled the dice, palming it between while replying.“Nowhere, just for a hunt,”

I passed the plate to them. Nandani takes a slice from it.

“Oh, you mean to meet a girl?” Nandani laughed at him. A smirk appeared on his face.

"Patani kya Samajh Rakha hai aap Sabne hume,"“I don’t know what you all think of me,” He said, moving his piece forward.

“We can’t help it, given that you’ve turned down so many girls for this one,” Princess Aishwarya said with a soft laugh.

He bit his lower lip, a blush tinting his cheek. I couldn’t look away from the dagger beside him. He would definitely kill me someday.

I feel it to my bones, mainly how I spoke before him, and he glared at me.

After slicing the mangoes for them, I stood up to do some work. I entered her bedroom and, along with the other attendees, began smoothing her bedsheets and couches.

Serving as the head attendant to the Queen of a kingdom involves numerous responsibilities and a high level of accountability. My day typically begins with bathing and preparing for the day, often before she wakes up. However, as her due date approaches and we anticipate the baby’s arrival soon, things have become even more hectic.

After getting ready, I updated the attendees on her bath, clothing, breakfast, and everything else she would need. When quicker-than-expected results were necessary, I occasionally handled that work instead.

However, my responsibilities have increased lately because Ranaji relies solely on me for her food and belongings. Occasionally, I have to cook for her myself.

Honestly, I love it.

She never viewed me as merely an attendee. To her, I was always her best friend, so I could never overstep my boundaries or betray her trust.

However, her Devarsa had to apply the symbolic vermilion to my hair, making it difficult for me to feel at ease.

I wanted to tell her, but it would just complicate everything.

Last year, the rules regarding marriage changed, making it illegal to marry more than one woman unless proper consent is obtained from the first wife.

Ranaji was even stricter about these matters in his household. He had clearly instructed his brothers to have only one marriage. I could never ruin the life of the person who saved mine.

“Suman,” suddenly another attendee’s voice caught my attention, pulling my gaze from the bedsheet I had been blankly staring at for what felt like an eternity.

"Ji," I responded, and she knitted her brows in confusion.

“You look pale since you got back,” she said, prompting me to touch my cheek and shake my head instinctively.

“It’s just… I’m a bit tired,” I replied.

“What happened to your wrists?” she asked. I looked at my wrists, noticing the grazed marks.

“Oh!…I pulled the water out of the well a little too hard,” I lied.

“Okay, anyway, Ranisa is calling for you,” Reva informed before leaving.

Even though I had only met her at Suryagarh, she felt like a friend; she had been incredibly helpful from the start. We took turns handling responsibilities whenever we felt tired.

I arranged the dupatta over my head and walked out. They were still playing.“Yes, Nandani,”

“Suman,” she looked at me.“Ask someone to make something for Devarsa.”

---