Page 316 of A King's Oath

“Hukum was in Loire two months ago. We met at Valmont Club… where Brahmi goes for her polo lessons?”

Samarth’s eyes widened. He gaped at Hukum, then at Rajmata. She looked equally shocked. Which meant…

Hukum broke into a laugh — “See, Samarth, in my very short life I cannot say many things with full authority but one thing I can — men are dense.”

He gaped, still reeling from the shock.

“If you had listened to me eight years ago and just talked it out… who knows? Things would have been so different. That is why this time I had to convince Tara. God knows women sense the earnestness from a mile away.” His eyes cut to Samriddhi bhabhi, then Rajmata, and then to Ava — “They can sense, grasp and change the course of history quicker than men.”

“You manoeuvred the course of my life long before then, Hukum,” Samarth asserted, recovering from the shock. “It took me all these years to fully digest what you said to me in that stable in Arezzo.”

Hukum’s face softened into a smile — a rare, tender, silent smile. His hand wrapped around both of his — “Today’s generation needs to be taught to be selfless, to fulfil their dharm to their families, to their society, to their kingdom, their country. You are a unique man, Samarth. You needed to learn that your first dharm is to yourself.”

“Mama!” Brahmi came weaving through the family gathered around, her hand in Sharan’s. “Look what Kaka let me have!” She held up a flute.

“Is this the future polo sensation?” Hukum smiled down at her.

“Yes,” Samarth declared proudly. “Hukum, meet my daughter — Brahmi. Brahmi, this is Giriraj Hukum, Dada Sarkar’s friend.”

Rajmata tapped her shoulders — “Fold your hands and say Jai Dwarkadhish.”

“Jai Dwakadeesh,” she folded both hands with the flute in between them. Hukum went down on his haunches — “Jai Dwarkadhish. Look at that! Do you know how to play?”

She shook her head — “Sharan Kaka will teach me.”

Hukum glanced up at Sharan — “Then we’ll have to soundproof the room.”

“I’m not that bad, Hukum.”

“I know how to do this —” she held the flute in front of her mouth and blew, hard. Thanks to the loud classical music, it got lost in the waves.

“Ok, enough, now, did you eat dinner?” Rajmata took the flute out of her hand and passed it into Hukum’s open hand.

“She had a snack before we came,” Ava informed her.

“Then I’ll take her up and feed her…”

Samarth’s eyes fell on Hukum, still on his haunches, his fingers moving on the holes of the flute as if in a melody. Rajmata left with Brahmi, but Hukum remained on his haunches, his eyes now far away in the distance.

“Do you play, Hukum?”

Giriraj Hukum’s startled gaze raised to his. And he smoothly rose to his feet, flute held reverentially between both hands. He looked down at it and chuckled — “Not really.”

He returned the flute to Sharan and nudged his chin at Papa, Maan bhai and Samriddhi bhabhi — “Let’s go have our youngsters’ party now. Let these oldies do their thing.”

The lull of the moment broke. Samarth stared at their retreating backs, Hukum’s back the most rigid among them all. His eyes met Sharan’s and he looked stunned as well, the flute frozen between his hands. It seemed they both had the same thought.

“Samarth?” Ava called him hesitantly.

“Hmm?”

She gestured to the incoming royal family of Patiala.

“Why are you whispering?”

“I don’t know if it’s ok to say your name out loud in public like this.”

“Call me whatever you like. You own me, not the other way round,” he declared before pasting a smile on his face to greet the Maharaja of Patiala.

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