The Last Princess (18+)

0.5. Prologue

"Nayi rani sa ko dekha? Jitna roop hain, utna hi ghamand hain. Samrat ko naam se pukar ti hain!" One of the maids of the Raj Mahal informed another. The other woman widened her eyes in disbelief. "Suna hain Rani sa ne aapni maa ko bachpaan mein hi who diya tha." Both women sighed. (Did you see the new queen? She is pretty, but egoistic. She addressed the king by his name!) (I have heard that she had lost her mother in her childhood)

"Suna hain, Samrat ko unse barra lagav hain. Palki se utar te waqt Samrat ne khud un ki madat ki" (I've also heard that the king is really affectionate towards her. He even helped her while getting down from the palanquin)

"Unke roop ke bohot charche sune hain. Suna hain, Singhall se hain" (I have heard gossips about her beauty and that she's from Singhall)

"Kal subhe dekhenge, abhi woh Samrat ke kaksh mein hain. Chalo ab" (we will meet her tomorrow. She is in the king's chamber now)

*

Anika sat on the bed, dressed in the heavy red sari and the traditional jewellery. While her husband and the Samrat, Chakravarti Samrat Shivaay Singh, sat on the kursi before her, his eyes refusing to move away from her.

"Aapki khoobsurti ke baare mein toh bohot suna hain, kitno ke dil ko zakhmi kiya hain, Rani saheba?" Shivaay smirked, his gaze fixed upon her face (I've heard a lot about your beauty. Mind telling that how many hearts have been the target of this enchanting beauty?)

"Kisike liye khwaab hain, toh kisike liye chahat, hum zakham ahi chunke karte hain, Shivaay" (Many dream of me while plenty want me, but I'm been picky about whom to hurt)

Shivaay chuckled, the feisty woman before him was tough, all the more reasons for him to fall for her.

"Hum chahte hain ki aap hume hamari behen ko dhundne mein madat kare" (I want you to help me find my sister)

"Iske badle hume kya milega?" (What will I get in return?)

Anika shot him a glare.

"Humne aapse vivah kiya, iske aage kya kar sakte hain?" (I've married you, what more can I do?)

"Aap hamari Rani hain, aap hamre liye bohot kuch kar sakti hain, hain naa?" (You're my queen, you can do a lot for me, right?)

"Hume aapki har shart manzoor hai." (I accept every condition of yours)

"Aapni zubaan se mur mat jayiye ga." (don't cower away when the time arrives)

"Maidan chod bhaag ne ki hame aadat nahi" (I don't have the habit of running away from the battle field)

Shivaay smirked in response before picking his hookah up. Anika turned to look at the large windows on the other side of the room. The sound of rain, as the heavy drops hit the ground repeatedly reached her ears. Her heart yearned to go outside, but she stopped as her Dayi maa's words echoed in her ears,

"Ek Rani our Rajkumaari mein bohot fark hota hain. Nayi zimmedariyan hogi, aapko aapka bachpaan yaha chor ke jaana hoga. Aap zubaan dein, ki aap apni behen ki tarha hume sharminda nehi karengi"

(There is a difference between a princess and queen. There'll be new responsibilities, you'll have to leave your childhood here. Promise me, that you'll not make me ashamed like you sister did)

Anika had vowed to not let her down.

Anika turned to look at the man, who was supposed to be nothing, but her brother-in-law. Also the man, she was insanely attracted to. She avoided looking at his captivating eyes. One look would cause her to fall for the dense jungle of greenery.

"I want to continue my swordsmanship and archery."

"I would surely speak to Guru ji. Go to sleep, tomorrow would be a long day for us"

A smirk etched on his face as he watched her proceed to change for the night.

"I've arranged such a prodigious game for getting you, Anika, how should I let down such a small request?"

In the midnight when she slept soundly, he took his place beside her. Not before running a finger though her cheek.