The Cursed Princess of Suryagarh: Book 1

7. Ordinary

The series of questions popping in her mind were not getting quelled irrespective of the fervour she displayed for receiving those answers. The crowned prince was once again unmoved by her demands and requests to tell her at least the basics of the story of Suryagarh so that she could make sense of all the happenings around her. Meera was not a Chauhan, but she was a princess. Meera was not even a royal, but her portrait did find its place in a sequestered location of the museum, and the tales of her broken heart and untimely demise cascaded down numerous generations.

However, Aarush chose not to give her any straight answers and rather led her out of the palace. They were supposed to go to the erstwhile not-so-Chauhan princess's chambers in Agni Bhawan to carry out the blood ritual. Once again, she was unsure of the entire situation, but she gingerly followed him, twiddling with the ends of her green kurti and creasing the fabric.

They egressed the gates of the palace, ambled down the same alley they had taken the previous evening, walked past the resort's entrance, and began strolling down the now familiar path to Agni Bhawan. Again, they didn't need tickets to enter the premises as the government officials and the security guards flashed their toothy grins at the prince, bowed deep, and parted the bustling crowd for them to enter without any checks or inspections.

Once she was past the threshold, her heart thudded with ebullience. She had nearly gone into the old palace the previous day, but Aarush took her to the museum instead. Now that she knew she was indeed heading inside the regal palace she had only seen in pictures, she couldn't rein in her excitement.

The edifice fashioned out of sandstone stood tall in front of them, proud of its heritage and history. The golden hue on the structure had the ability to capture anyone's attention, and the fine inlays on the walls and pillars—very similar to what she had seen inside the royal quarters—had her gleaming with joy. However, there was a tiny impediment in her endeavours. She had barely taken her device out to take a photo of the facade when her companion's phone began vibrating in his hands.

He glimpsed at the screen and furrowed his brows. "I have to take this," he muttered. Glimpsing at the girl, he said in a very stern fashion, "I am stepping away for just a minute. You will stay right here. Do not go anywhere else. I will be back in a jiffy."

Before she could respond with a nod or utter a word, he rushed back to the gates and exited the premises within the blink of an eye. She stomped her foot. "What does he think of himself? Has been issuing orders since yesterday. 'Come with me to the old palace', 'Be nimble', 'Keep waiting here'." She huffed. "I am not supposed to take orders from him. He can be the prince or whatever of Suryagarh, but I am not one of his subjects."

Twisting her lips, she frowned and contemplated. For a change, it would be His Highness Prince Aarush Chauhan to receive a shock.

***

She gloated at the stunt she had pulled. That of disobeying him and slipping away not into the palace but rather to the museum she didn't get the chance to explore the previous day. Giggling and simpering at the mere thought of him getting astonished upon not finding her where he left her, she pranced around the hall.

The multiple chambers dividing the museum on the ground floor had the artefacts received from the royal family as well as from the excavations in the area to dig up structures older than even Agni Bhawan. The glass cases protecting the relics from the tourists had LED lights illuminating the insides, and while the sparse crowd walked past the antique pieces after casting one look at them, Shreya couldn't help but stop at every display, read through the plaque highlighting what the artefact was and who it belonged to, and murmur words of appreciation each step of the way.