Page 86 of Sumanika

"Okay, I’ll tell Rajmata," he said.

I immediately stood up and said, "But please don’t tell her what I shared. She would be devastated to know."

He nodded weakly, and I watched him walk out of the room.

I stayed there until I saw Daadisa walk in with a sad expression. I waited quietly, and she hugged me tightly.

"It's okay, but we’ll find another man, one even better than him, for you. He was an idiot," she said, and I tried to look upset. She released me from the hug and cupped my cheeks.

"You must be tired. You should rest, and I think you’re getting rashes too," she said, and my cheeks warmed up suddenly. I cupped my neck and shook my head, which made her furrow her brows in confusion.

"Are you okay, Suman?"

I nodded silently and said slowly, "Umm, Daadisa, Nandani must be looking for me."

Then I walked away from there, honestly running away.

I went to the kitchen and busied myself with work. I didn’t meet anyone after that because of the red bruise visible on my neck. I didn’t care about the guests, but I couldn’t let Nandani, Princess Aishwarya, or even Ranaji see it.

After everything, I returned to my room, exhausted.

The night grew darker, but the chaos remained. The melody of music and dance had enchanted the Kingdom to another level. Nandani didn’t send anyone to call me. Maybe she knew I was with Daadisa.

And I did not encounter him after our minor incident, which was not small at all. Strangely, I felt something different in my gut. It was a happy moment in the kingdom, yet a kind of war was raging in my head. I did not feel hungry; rather, I sensed that something was wrong.

Did he go somewhere? He acted differently today. There was an unusual silence on his face. It seemed like he was worried about something.

I could not rest amidst the rustling thoughts and stepped out of the room to keep myself busy with various tasks. The more I occupied myself, the more I thought I would find peace.

But, moment by moment, my peace morphed into worry and panic as I searched for him throughout the kingdom and couldn’t find him anywhere. I even tried asking a few attendees on behalf of Ranaji, but nobody had seen him. Where the hell did he go?

Agastya

I watched the orange hues of the early morning blend into the bright sunlight with each step we took to figure out the directions to Suryagarh. Our wet, dirty clothes covered in mud dried.

We had walked several miles away from the river opening we had discovered. The mountains were close by, and so was the threat.

The sound of the river flowing was noticeable, and we walked toward it to catch a glimpse.

"There it is," Eklavya's voice caught my attention, and I swallowed to moisten my throat. I was hungry, too. But we kept climbing the small mountain until we finally spotted the sparkling blue water running through the hills.

I sighed deeply as my heart sank with fear.

It was a wide river capable of accommodating many boats without issue. The rain wouldn’t come for another three months, meaning the season was non-flood, and the water passage would be safe.

"We are done," I said, sitting on the muddy hill against the tree, taking in a view that could soothe many but felt like heartbreak to me.

I didn’t know what to do now. I hadn’t imagined it would be this significant; the entire planning and our people conspired against us for power.

I closed my eyes, unable to process the sensation. A tightness in my chest and a chill crept over my skin.

Amid all this, only two good things had happened in my life: my niece and my wife.

I thought I would spend time with them today, but it seemed like we had little time left. The threat turned out to be more dangerous than I had envisioned.

"We should head back home," Eklavya said, catching my attention. I looked at him with a faint smile.

"Yes, we should."

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