Page 114 of Sumanika

“Someone’s coming here,” I said, quickly pulling him inside the room.

His eyes widened in shock as I asked.

"What are you doing here again?" My voice came out a whisper, and he pouted, looking at me, and said.

"I did not want to hurt you," he said, and I inhaled deeply, silently, and stared at him blankly.

After a brief pause, I managed to speak in a slow voice.“I know,”

He gulped and closed his eyes while holding my arm and pulling me closer to him, slowly.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” his words made me shut my eyes.“I just want you to respect yourself. Because if you don’t respect yourself, people won’t respect you. Respect your boundaries, your timing, and everything. There’s no need to overburden yourself. You’re already doing more than enough for us. Why do you always think that if you don’t do something, the chores won’t get done? Trust me, they will get done.” He said in a slow voice, and I inhaled deeply and nodded, gulping silently before speaking.

“This isn’t overburdening, Kunwarsa. I care for Nandani, Ranaji, Prince Ranvijay, Princess Aishwarya, and the people of this kingdom. I don’t mind staying up late or getting up early to take care of them,”

He remained silent and kissed my forehead before saying,“Alright, as you see fit.”

I smiled before releasing the hug, and he said. "Alright, change,"

And my brows thinned in a line with confusion and disbelief. "Still?" I asked, and he nodded shamelessly.

“Yes, you didn’t want to change in front of me because we were fighting. Now it’s resolved. Change,” he said.

I blinked silently, trying to find something to say, but nothing came to mind except,“And you would watch me?”

He leaned back against the door and nodded.

"Of course, I am your husband, and I have already seen enough, and I want to see you naked. I do not see any problem in that except if you do not want me to," He said, and I nodded, appreciating that my consent did matter to him.

So, as a reward, I nodded.

"Alright," I said, inhaling quietly as I picked up the bag in my arms.

I removed the top and bottom of my menswear and looked at his grey, shameless eyes, which bore into mine. A tint of shame was climbing up my cheeks, and I lowered my gaze to hide it amid the candlelight falling over me.

Standing in front of him in a small, closed room, I moved my hand to untuck the end of my Dupatta from the band of my skirt. I lowered it to the floor, letting it fall off my shoulder. I felt a slight tightness in my lower abdomen as he watched me silently, taking my hands towards my back.

I lowered my gaze, trying to find the end of the blouse's strings, and pulled it low. At that moment, I could not see his eyes, especially since I knew that he was watching me, not from afar but just from three feet away.

The strings of my blouse loosened, and I felt my nipples erected in the heat of this moment, and just when I was about to pull the shoulder of my blouse down, I heard the slight movement of his turning his face opposite to me.

A timid smile crossed my face, and he noticed my discomfort, which he acknowledged in a slow voice.“Just because, we still have to make it official,” he said in his typical Agastya-coded voice, and I smiled.

But he had already seen me enough.“That’s okay, you can watch me change,” I said in a slow voice, and the last thing I expected was for him to turn back.

But he shamelessly turned back and smirked, looking at me.

"Since you said that I do not listen to you, I am listening to you,” he said in a slow voice, and I pulled the blouse off my body.

I felt timid with his gaze on me, and I could not help but shake my head. "You are impossible," I said.

He chuckled softly.“And you are beautiful. The ink on your skin is the most stunning thing I have ever seen,” he said in a slow, deep voice as I felt his gaze become intense. His breathing slowed slightly, and I bit my lower lip while slipping my arms into the sleeves of my top.

I tied the strings of the top to secure it, then looked at him. He unfrozen from his position and began walking towards me.

"Let me help," he said slowly as I looked into his eyes, focusing on the knots at the top.

“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have said that,” I agreed, and he lifted his gaze and shook his head.

“You don’t have to apologize. I should be,” he said, his fingers moving to the next string.“But I’m not sorry for the other day—watching you change without your awareness,” he continued. I blinked nervously, feeling his fingers silently gliding toward the side of my waist. I felt his fingers hook into the knot of my skirt.

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