Page 79 of Sumanika

Until I met a pair of eyes that looked at me from the other side. The gaze seemed worried for me, happy for me, not questioning, but she still didn’t know everything about me.

“What do you mean?” she asked, and I couldn’t help but gaze into her eyes, attempting to dissolve the memory that still haunted me with a smile.

“One is dead for you, the other is dying for you, and one is waiting outside to die for you,” I murmured slowly, gazing into her hazy eyes, flushed cheeks, and those beautifully red lips that appeared a thousand times more alluring after an orgasm.

She gulped nervously and furrowed her brow, her face filled with questions.“What do you mean? Please don’t tell me you’re going to kill him,” she whispered slowly. I pulled her closer in a gentle hug, saying,“You need to make a choice for yourself. Everyone deserves better.”

I didn’t come here to act on impulse. I wanted to see her before leaving for Mehrangarh. However, things slightly spiraled out of control, and it occurred. The soft spot I had for her was growing. It was taking up so much space that I could barely remind myself that I might end up disappointing her.

But that will never change the fact that I care for her. I always will.

“Suman,” Daadisa’s voice caught our attention again, and I knew she had something to say. She looked at me with confusion, so I nodded and put a smile back on my face.

"I hope you find it interesting,"

She rolled her eyes in disbelief and pushed me away.“Go,” I bit my lower lip. I didn’t know why, but my heart felt as if it were breaking as I watched her leave. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her, to listen to her, and to keep her close, but that didn’t seem appropriate right now.

I wanted to keep her, but not because I could. I wanted her to stay, to remain even after knowing everything about me, after seeing all of me: my broken self, my worried self, my angry self, my careless self, my childish self, my mature self— all the versions of me that had barely been seen by anyone.

I wanted her to stay after everything and with a choice.

The choice that was waiting outside for her might be better than me. Still, I couldn’t keep her just because I could.

I wanted her to express her refusal to this marriage proposal on her own.

Nothing is more beautiful than having a choice; otherwise, there is no point.

I made my own choices and stood here before her. If this was the opportunity God was offering me after the heartbreak, I wanted her to make her own choices and stand before me.

I intertwined my fingers with hers. My heart was aching to claim her lips, to make her mine, to taste every inch of her, and to make her feel that she owns me—though she needed to know she owns me, not just that we are tied together.

She widened her eyes, giving me a silent signal to leave, and I nodded, stepping away from her. I walked outside through the window, stealing a few glances at her, savoring the exquisite taste and scent of her presence.

My heart ached. Perhaps this was the last time we would meet. I had desired this for a long time. I wanted to learn about all the pain she had buried inside her. I wanted to make her feel special.

But, for that, this bridge needed to be crossed.

I walked back to Eklavya and saw him waiting at the main entrance of the Kingdom. The palace buzzed with visitors, the feast still ongoing, and joy seemed to fill the air.

This was the perfect opportunity to reach Mehrangarh before the head commander came back.

Everyone was so busy that they wouldn’t even notice we were gone.

I mounted my horse, and we both began racing toward Mehrangarh, hiding our faces.

We needed something real as evidence now.

The sun descended in the west to rest, and we reached the outskirts of Mehrangarh just as darkness enveloped the light like a blanket.

We both dressed in the clothes of a Mehrangarh soldier that Eklavya managed to steal from the soldier who visited Mahabaleshgarh for the feast with Princess Rashmika.

We could not enter through the main door; instead, we walked toward the back of the Kingdom. It was darker, and people were heading back to their chambers to sleep, so we chose a stop that would connect us directly to the weapons warehouse.

During my previous visit, I understood most of the infrastructure of the Kingdom. The warehouse was in the back, so if a war occurs, they could break the large wall for easy and quick access to the weapons while pretending to be unarmed to all the visitors.

It seems we couldn’t break through the two—foot—thick wall, but we could dig down.

We both started digging, choosing a safer spot away from the watchers. The plan was to dig and create a small cave under the wall that would open on the other side.

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