Page 56 of Sumanika

Suman

“Go back, please,” his words tightened my chest, and I stepped away from him. But he looked worried—not just worried, but troubled and unwell. What was wrong with him, and why was he wearing black clothes and kohl around his eyes?

Had he been somewhere? Why was he so hot? It seemed like he had a fever.

It was early morning, and I had woken up because of the racing thoughts in my mind. I sensed something was amiss when I saw him nearly sprinting to his chamber.

After following him, I realized that something was indeed very wrong.

But he threw me out of his chamber.

Since then, I had helped the maids in the kitchen, yet he still hadn’t called for breakfast. It was nearly afternoon now. I felt worried because he had given me that black thread the other day, and now it was missing from his hand.

I tried to focus on watching the maids make ladoos, but my mind was preoccupied with him. I just wanted to know if he was okay. I knew he wouldn’t tell me unless something was wrong. He had been tough on me lately, but he cared. It wasn’t as if he hated me or didn’t want to see me. If he hated me, why would he meet with me before leaving the kingdom? Not just leaving but handing me his dagger.

Yes! I should return his dagger. He asked me to keep it safe, so I quickly stood up, went to my room, grabbed it, and brought it to his chamber.

As I walked in, silence engulfed me. I attempted to call out“Kunwarsa,”

The chamber was dark; all the curtains were drawn, blocking the sunlight. No attendants were present.

I narrowed my gaze at his bedroom curtains, and a knot tightened in my stomach. I hadn’t seen him with Nandani or Ranaji since this morning.

“Kunwar Agastya,” I called again, but he didn’t respond. I just wanted to check if he was okay since he hadn’t seemed well the night before. I couldn’t help but pull back the bedroom curtains and peek inside.

I felt increasingly anxious now.

Nervously gulping, I walked inside and glanced at his bed, which was draped with curtains.“Kunwarsa,” I called softly again, trying not to draw anyone’s attention to the fact that I was in his chamber when I shouldn’t be.

He didn’t respond, prompting me to move closer to him. The afternoon was getting late, and he rarely slept for this long.

I parted the bed’s curtains and gazed at him—half-naked and covered only to his waist with a duvet with his chest facing the bed.

The view made me bite my lower lip as I blinked nervously. Walking to the side of the bed, I noticed his closed eyes and steady breathing. His hair fell across his forehead, and his lips looked redder.

“Kunwarsa,” I called again.

Leaning in, I touched his forehead with my fingers to check his temperature.

He opened his eyes wide, catching me off guard. Inhaling deeply, he looked at me from tip to toe, and his gaze softened with surprise before calming down and closing his eyes again.

“Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded slightly. His green eyes, accentuated with kohl, were mesmerizing, and the tan of his skin made my cheeks flush, reminding me of the warmth he radiated.

“I came to return your dagger,” I said, placing it beside him.

He gazed at me silently, prompting me to step back and consider leaving.

“Suno,”“Listen,” he called, and I turned to look back at him.“Stay,” he demanded, and I bit my lower lip.

“If I will, you’ll say you asked me to stay because I wanted to.”

He inhaled deeply and lazily extended his hand, asking for mine. I gulped nervously, unsure of what to do. My mind insisted this was wrong, but my heart wanted to surrender and stay.“For me,” he whispered, his gaze locking onto mine as he brushed my finger. A slight tingling sensation coursed through my stomach as he cradled my hand and drew me closer.

Slowly. Very slowly.

I sat nervously on the edge of the bed, my legs dangling down, watching him move closer to me. As he shifted, the comforter slipped, and I accidentally caught a glimpse of the lower curve of his back.“You’re naked,” I scoffed, looking at him as he brought his forehead nearer to my hip’s side.

“That’s fine; you won’t be disappointed. “ His words made me smile slightly, and I realized he was simply Kunwarsa Agastya—unapologetically, Agastya Dev Singh, who doesn’t care.

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