Page 53 of Sumanika

“No,” I answered,“She thinks I am helping her with good intentions.”

He inhaled deeply.“You’re going to break a heart,” he said.

I gulped, the old memories silently washing over.“This world is cruel,” I said.“It only cares about when you are going to break someone’s heart. No one cares when they’re tearing you to pieces,”

He raised his eyebrows and replied,“But I genuinely hope you provide her with something more meaningful than just a hollow relationship as a wife.”

I chuckled and glanced at him.“We can marry only once. There’s no chance.”

“You’re a gone game,” he laughed at me and blurted out after a few moments of silence,“You know, sometimes I think you went to kill her husband.”

I immediately looked in his direction.“Are you mad?” I asked, and he laughed a little.

But God knew.

“She’s actually sweet,” I said, and he smiled. "What else?"

I smiled, thinking about her.“She is strong. She doesn’t care that I’m a prince. If she has something to say, she’ll say it,” I told him, and he teased me a bit.

“Oooooohh, strong, hnn. Let’s see how strong she will feel after learning about your dirty games,” he teased.

My smile vanished.“She will never accept me, Eklavya,” I exclaimed.“She already sees me as disloyal and a fuckboy, and I know that if she ever finds out what kind of things I’ve done, she will be disgusted by me.”

We both entered the forest.

“Don’t tell her then,” he exclaimed.

I shook my head.“I don’t know. I’m messed up and confused. At some point, everyone will find out about us, and I know that after this thing with Mehrangarh, Rashmika will back out. But I don’t want her to feel trapped with me just because we are connected. For that, she needs to know what she wants to choose. I’m just waiting for the right moment,” I explained.

“Agastya, ensure the right time arrives before you both fall hard for each other; otherwise, it will hurt her greatly.”

I nodded. "I know,"

We continued talking, and the day almost ended. We were just a mile away from where we both needed to be.

“Do you know who he is?” I asked, looking at Eklavya.

He nodded.“But he might have seen me at Mehrangarh, so we both need to stay away from him,” he said.

I nodded.“Let’s stop here,” I said, aiming at a tree. We both dismounted our horses. After tying them up, we changed into plain black kurtas withPathanibottoms and wrapped turbans around our heads, using the loose ends to cover our faces.

They would see us as foreigners.

“Here, apply this,” he said, and I took the small box. As I opened it, I chuckled.“You brought kohl,” I remarked, taking a little on my index finger and applying it to my eyes. They wouldn’t recognize us at all now.

He also smudged his eyes, and we walked toward the brothel.

Nothing stupid, Agastya. You have a wife.

I reminded myself as we entered. Noticing the dim lighting and girls wearing revealing clothes, I inhaled deeply. The smell of alcohol and intoxication hung thick in the air. The deal felt substantial.

I signaled to Eklavya, and we both went our separate ways as we entered. I scanned the area for a familiar face and spotted Kalsi, whom I had known for a long time. I walked toward her.

She was a formidable woman when it came to men. She had the ability to bring any man to his knees, but there was one issue: she did not accept money.

I inhaled deeply and walked over to her. She sat quietly on a small couch, and I sat beside her.“How are you?” I asked, looking at her.

She looked at me with a hint of surprise. After a few moments, she recognized me.“Agastya,” a wide smile spread across her face as she stood up, took my hand and guided us through the crowd into a quiet space bedroom.

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