Page 25 of The Royal Contract

Sanjana was suddenly curious about the clutch Aish had given her to carry some essentials and wondered why the two women seemed to talk about it like it was a living thing.

The two women looked up when Sanjana turned and stepped toward them. “Your Highness, would you mind taking a picture of us with this masterpiece?” The woman held up the clutch, a dreamy smile on her face.

Stumped by the woman’s strange reaction, she nodded and took the phone that was given to her and clicked a few pictures. All along, she wondered what it was about that small bag that made it a big deal.

“Thank you so much, Princess Sanjana. It’s a pleasure to meet you and your treasured jewel.”

The woman handed her the clutch holding it ever so gently, and Sanjana had no option but to mimic that hold. The two women rushed into the open stalls like they suddenly remembered they had to pee, leaving Sanjana staring at the clutch.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she started searching online. She put in some of the words the two women used to describe the small bag. She kept her eyes on her phone as she made her way back to the party and nearly dropped her brand-new phone when her search results popped up on the screen.

A-Rare-Vintage-Hard-To-Find-French-Made-Designer-Bag?

Her eyes bugged out when she then caught the discrete engraving of the designer’s name on the small buckle of the clutch. And it was worth a ton.

Why the heck did the queen give her such an expensive bag to carry to a somewhat casual party? Funny enough, one of the searches did mention that theMaharani of Devarayaowned one, and that it had not been spotted on her yet.

Her palms started to sweat, and she frantically tried to blow on them, worried the moisture might damage the bag. What in the world did she get herself into?

“Hey, you okay?” The familiar voice made her look up, and as always, she was relieved to see him. In her frenzy to not ruin the clutch, she had no idea where she was headed.

She swallowed nervously. “I… I don’t want to ruin this.” She held the bag out to him.

His eyes went to the small bag, and she saw his brow furrowed before he looked back at her and shrugged. “Why will you ruin it, and even if you did, what is the big deal?”

“This is rare and costs a lot of money, and I’m scared—” She lost her voice when he stepped into her space, hushing her gently, his breath warm on her cheek.

“Not a big deal. Just relax.” He stepped back, flashing one of his charming smiles at her before leading her back to join the others at the party.

Somewhat relieved, she joined in on the conversations. She could not get over the fact the small bag was worth so much and her husband didn’t care that his fake wife could ruin something so valuable and unique.

Chapter 10

The following morning, Sanjana woke up to the sound of continuous pings from the corner of her room. It took her a while to realize it was her new phone crying for attention.

The room was dimly lit, and she was all alone with no sight of her husband. She walked to the dresser where she had left her phone and saw her sister had been calling nonstop.

A sudden worry gripped her as she answered the call. “Deepika, is everything okay?”

She heard her sister laugh and let out a sigh. “No. Not okay. My little sister is India’s hottest celebrity now.”

Sanjana rolled her eyes. “Seriously? First thing in the morning?”

Her sister let out another laugh. “First off, it’s almost afternoon, and I’m not kidding. You and your husband broke the internet this morning.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sanjana pressed two fingers into her temple, trying to push away the dull headache that threatened to ruin her day.

“Just go to any of the social media sites. The hashtag SanJai is trending like crazy. People have never been so crazy about a royal couple in India. Now, after social media came into existence, people want to know about the royals.” Her sister sounded ecstatic. “And the dress, just stunning, and the clutch, that shook the fashion world. There were only a hundred such clutches ever made, and you held one of them. I should have been there with you to take more pictures.”

Sanjana was overwhelmed and sat in one of the chairs set to one side of the large bedroom. “You got to slow down. I’m still not fully awake.”

Her sister tsked. “Poor you. Must be hard to party with celebrities.”

“You have no idea.” Sanjana shook her head.

“Anyway, where are you now? Back in the palace like a good girl after partying all night?” her sister teased.

“No,” Sanjana said, looking around at the modern setting she was in that morning. “We are in his apartment in the city. We will head back later today, I guess.”

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