Agam POV

When I entered my room to take an important scroll, I saw Mohini rummaging through my bookshelf, trying to find something.

Earlier I was feeling guilty for treating her like a whore. She looked so innocent standing there, looking at me with desire.

I couldn't control myself and gave in to my temptations. She tasted like sunshine and honey, one taste wasn't enough and I craved for more.

The desire and attitude left me when she slapped me, and I saw hurt and humiliation in her eyes.

Instant regret hit me. I was trying to think of ways to apologize to her during my short walk to my room.

Viraj and Ekansh had left last night to handle some issues in their kingdom but they will be back here because they don't know about the deceit.

I have to plan my next move carefully towards Pankaj Rao.

But right now, I am infuriated and say in a menacing voice,

'What are you doing? What are you trying to find?'

She whips around fast, looking scared, which only solidifies my suspicions that she was trying to find something valuable.

I took angry strides towards her, which made her eyes big, and she backed into the bookshelf.

I hold her by the arms tightly and shake her while asking,

'Yahan hum soch rahe the ki hum aap par kathor ho raha hoon lekin aap hamari sthiti ka fayada utha rahi ho.'

'Here I was thinking that I was being harsh on you but you are taking advantage of our situation.'

I bring both her hands behind her back when she tries to free herself from me.

'Hume batao aap kya dhoondhane ki koshish kar rahi thi? Kya apne sach mein socha tha ki hum aapke khojane ke lie kuchh bhi asurakshit chhod doonge?'

'Tell me, what were you trying to find? Did you think I would leave anything vulnerable enough for you to find?'

With one hand, I hold her hands, and with the other, I hold her chin to meet my eyes while I say,

'You don't deserve anyone's compassion and sympathy.'

I press her further against the spine of the shelf, and she closes her eyes tight like she is in pain, trying to hold her pain.

Seeing her in pain, I instantly release her. She takes a deep breath and tried to touch her back. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she did not let them fall and looked at me with hurt eyes.

A tightness built in my chest, which twisted painfully at her reaction.

I hear the sound of anklet bells entering my room, I look to find the girl I had hired as translator, Swati.

She bows at me, apologizing,

'Kshama karen Yuvraj, hume nahin pata tha ki aap yahan hain.'

'Sorry, Yuvraj, I didn't know you are here.'

She scaredly asked Mohini,

'Bai-sa, did you get pen and paper?'

She does something with her hands and turns around to rumage the books in my shelf and find the blank paper.

She looks at me does something with her hands and pick up the ink, dragging shocked Swati with her.

I don't know what she just did. I am stunned and ashamed of coming to conclusion so fast without trying to know first.

I don't believe in her, but she deserves a chance to explain herself before I jump on her.

I shake my head, take the scroll from my trunk, and return to my office. I don't dare to meet her eyes now.

I am in the library going through books to avoid going out and by chance collide with her because her expression of hurt will surely kill me with regret.

Suddenly Ekansh and Viraj enters the library both looking very serious. I hadn't told them about anything because I wanted them to solve the issues peacefully and then tell them in person.

So I asked them,

'What happened? Why do you both look like someone snatched your favourite toy?'

They both looked at me, looks like my poor attempt at joke didn't gone unnoticed, I cough to clear my throat and embarrasment.

I shouldn't crack joke and people neither likes it but dirty jokes, now at that Mohini surely reacts and that reaction is very responsive.

I like her reaction, not those cold reactions. I shake my head lightly to clear out her thoughts from my mind.

Ekansh and Viraj sit on the couch while Ekansh says,

'Hum aapke baare mein bhi yahi baat keh sakate hain. Yahan aane se pahale hamari mulaqat Raja-sa se hui, unhonne humse kaha ki mandir mein pooja karane ke baad aapne pustkalay chhodi hi nahin hai.

'We can say the same thing about you. We met Raja-sa before coming here; he told us after worshipping in the temple, you haven't left the library at all.

Kya hua? Kya aap apni hi patnee se chhipane ki koshish kar rahe hain? Kya mahilaon se aap itna darate hain?'

What happened? Are you trying to hide from your wife? Is women that intimidating to you?'

At the end, his voice becomes mocking, and a slight smile comes upon his face.

I scowled at him and said in a grumpy voice,

'I am neither intimidated nor scared of her. But some shocking things happened last night because of my foolishness.'

At that, the smile left his face, and he leaned forward to know more.

'We underestimated Pankaj Rao more than we thought. He played a card against us that we never expected.'

Ekansh asks worriedly, 'What do you mean by that?'

'Uski beti Mohini goongi hai. Aur usane na keval satya chhupaya balki hume dhokha bhi diya.'

'Mohini, his daughter, is mute. And he not only hid the fact but also deceived us.'

Ekansh sputtered not knowing how to lead as this is also partly our fault that we didn't even cared to find about the princess.

Viraj doesn't look surprised like Ekansh, but distress is visible so I ask him,

'Why don't you look surprised?'

Suspicion coated my question but he doesn't even bat an eye. They both are used to my doubts and suspicions.

Suspicion has become my second nature. They both are my friends, and I trust them not with my life but to support me and stand with me in every situation.

For saving my life, I always trust myself only.

It was my father's closest friends who robbed me of my mother, my unborn brother/sister, and my grandparents. I am not dumb enough not to doubt the people around me.

Viraaj replies,

'Hum ashcharyachakit nahin hai, kyonki jis tarah se Pankaj Rao is shaadi ko betabi se chahata tha, hume hamesha kuchh gadabad ki boo aati thi.

'I am not surprised because I always smelled something fishy the way Pankaj Rao desperately wanted this marriage.

Apne taraf se humne sab kuchh janch kar liya tha, humne sirf iski ummeed nahin ki thi aur hum is shaadi ko radd bhi nahin kar sakate the.'

From our side, we covered everything; we did not just expect that, and we also couldn't cancel this marriage.'

Ekansh nods his head, saying,

'Raja-sa wanted this marriage. If you had disagreed, he would have found a way to get you to say yes to this marriage.'

He is right my father wanted to end this rivalry and it was golden opportunity that he gets a treaty and a relation for security of treaty.

My father will be sad that this arrangement didn't work out.

Viraj sees me worried and says,

'Don't worry, Raja-sa is not the least bit bothered by this new development instead he looked happy and joyful.'

I frowned. Ekaansh agreed, saying,

'Hum abhi Raja-sa ke kamare se aae hain, vaha Naina ke saath aapki patni ke lie rasoi ki rasam ke lie ratri bhoj par dene ke lie kuchh upahar le rahe the.'

'We just came from Raja-sa's room. He was there with Naina to pick out some gifts for your wife to give her on dinner for her kitchen ritual.'

My father not being disappointed and sad now that's worrisome. But I will talk to him tonight.

Suddenly, Ekansh stands up and says,

'Maybe she isn't Mohini. Because a father can't stoop this low to use his daughter against his enemy.'

I reply,

'My gut says she is Mohini, and my gut feeling isn't wrong.'

Viraj ponders in thought and says,

'She is mute, so maybe that's why she couldn't tell you.'

The idea always niggled but I remember our interaction and glimpses.

I shake my head while saying,

'No, it's not that. Remember I told you about my mystery girl in Malwa?'

They both nod, looking confused, and I say,

'My mystery girl is Mohini. We met, and she had many instances to tell me by letter or anything. But I can't say she is guilty, and I know she won't open her mouth against her father. So right now she is neither guilty nor innocent.'

They both look stunned but recover quickly and nod their head in agreement.

I turn to Ekansh, asking,

'Now tell me what put you in a foul mood?'

He takes a seat and says,

'About that, we had some issues with our kingdom to deal with, and we found two spies of Malwa here.'

I become enraged,  so that's what he wanted to do, plant spies. Seeing my anger, Viraj puts his hand on me and says calmly,

'Those spies have been here before your marriage, and it's our fault that we didn't notice.'

Ekansh continues,

'We interrogated them about why Pankaj Rao sent them here, but they swore up and down that he didn't send them.'

I asked, 'Oh, really?'

Ekansh says,

'Believe me, I don't think they are lying here, but it gets interesting when I ask them who sent them here. Any gusses?'

I am annoyed with him playing games on such a serious topic, but I glare at him and grumbly reply,

'Ramaji Rao, his son.'

Ekansh says,

'Ab aap yahin galat hain, unhe yahan Sripad Rao dwara bheja gaye the aur wahi hain jo aadesh jari kar rahe hain, ladaiyon ka netritv kar rahe hain aur sab netritv kar rahe hai jaise vahi Yuvraj ho.'

'Now that's where you are wrong. They were sent here by Sripad Rao, and he is the one who is issuing commands, leading battles, and more or less running the show like he is Yuvraj.'

I remember Sripad, Mohini's father, was introduced at our wedding. I ask,

'Then what about Ramaji?'

Viraj answers me,

'Now here it gets interesting, according to spies, Ramaji doesn't give out commands and leave it to Sripad Rao and have been missing since your visit and nobody knows where he is.'

So I ask,

'So that means-'

I stop because I hear a light sound of anklet bells. I signify with my hand to be quiet as I near the far shelf near the door. I hear a voice,

'You are carrying out your father's work, aren't you?'

I round the shelf to see Avantika holding Mohini's hand tightly while she tries to free herself, so I announce my presence to them,

'What are you both doing here? And Avantika leave her hand now.'

Avantika looks at her with furious eyes but leaves her hand, then turns to me and says with anger,

'Good, that you are here. You can see for yourself that she was trying to listen in on your conversation, trying to gather intel against us to help her father.'

Mohini shook her head with panic in her eyes, denying the allegations, so I asked her,

'Tell me, Mohini, what are you doing here?'

She points at the paper and ink in her hands she had taken earlier and then points at me,

'So you mean that you came to give me this paper and ink when you could have just kept it in our room?'

I ask sceptically. She hides her eyes but nods her head.

'Jhoothi', Avantika said angrily.

I raise my hand at her and ask Mohini,

'Then why didn't you come inside?'

She slowly points at her anklet and then at her another leg which doesn't have anklet and looks here and there.

'Your anklet got lost?'

I ask her suspiciously. She nods her head but doesn't meet my eyes.

Avantika speaks while I try to find her anklet,

'Uss par vishvas mat karo, Agam. Wah sirf masoom dikhati hai lekin andar se bahut chalak hai.'

'Don't believe her, Agam. She just looks innocent, but from inside, she is very cunning.'

I don't respond to her and continue my task because right now, her words are angering me and I don't want to upset her by taking out my anger.

I found her anklet and turn around when Avantika speaks in frustration,

'Aapne inse shaadi kyun ki ye jante hue ki ye dushman ki beti hai? Barbaad kar diya aapka jeevan, aap inse bhi kisi acche ke layak hai.'

'Why did you have to marry her knowing she is the enemy's daughter? Destroying your life, you deserve someone better than her.'

'AVANTIKA!!', I roar in anger.

Her words have Mohini wrapping her arms tight around herself as if to protect herself. And I don't like seeing her like that.

Avantika and Mohini look at me with shock. I come closer and speak in a deadly, calm voice,

'Humari patni hai. Humari patni, apni bhavi raani, aur ek dushman ke beech antar karna samajhe. Aapko unhe wahi samman dena hoga jiski vo hakdaar hai.'

'She is my wife. Try to differentiate between my wife, your future queen, and an enemy. You will have to give her the respect she deserves.'

She shuts her mouth. I got on one knee in front of Mohini and take her empty leg on my other knee.

When she realizes what I am doing she panics and pushes me to standing up, shaking her head while looking around for someone to stop me.

She is embarrased. Everyone is looking shocked to see me like this. I tie the anklet around her ankle, place her feet back on the floor and stand up.

I take the paper and ink from her saying,

'Now you can go.'

She flees as if she is on fire. I turn to Avantika with hands behind my back and say,

'Keep an eye on her and her activities, but don't disrespect her like you just did.'

She frowns, but a small smile creeps out. She nods her head and leaves.

Viraj says with a darkened face,

'Why are you giving her this new hobby? She can hurt Mohini if she is angry.'

I look at him and say,

'If I didn't give her the order, then she still would have done, maybe hurt Mohini, but like this she will be regulated by my order and it can also help me.'

Ekansh nods and says,

'We now just have to find the truth about Pankaj Rao's deceit and desperation behind this marriage.'

Viraaj continues,

'And Sripad Rao's roles in all this.'

I continue,

'And disappearance of Ramaji Rao. Too many questions but all will be answered in due time.'

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