The King's Woman

Chapter 13

"Khush. Khush!" He groaned scowling.

"Kitna baar kaha hai tumse ke mujhe bister par akela chor ke mat jaya karo. Ab wapis ao. Nashta baad mai banaana!"

(How many times have I told you not to leave me alone on the bed? Now come back. Leave the preparation for breakfast for later!)

"Khush! Khush! Khu..." His eyes snapped open as his words halted.

His hand was stretched to the empty side of his king-sized bed and he shut his eyes tight letting out a resigned sigh.

Opening his prickling eyes he stared at the ceiling blankly.

DAMMIT!

It's been total ten months since that night. Ten whole months they have been apart. Yet his habits which he has developed living with her refused to change.

He was amazed at himself that how was he still alive after going through that kind of destruction? How?

Every morning he would reach out to pull her closer, call for her, get pissed when he doesn't feel her near him, open his eyes and as everything came back to him he would just stare blankly at the antique intricated roof of his master bedroom with his hands and jaws clenched. With his arms empty and so was the space beside him!

This was the reason that he could never sleep with anyone besides him lest they hear him taking her name and all hell break loose.

This was the reason he would leave the flower manor in the middle of the night itself after his concubine would go into slumber with whomever he was supposed to spend the night with.

His maids there then take care of the rest as to not make the princesses suspicious by his odd behaviour by informing them when they wake up that Maharaj usually leaves for his workout in the wee hours of the morning so he has had.

Thankfully this tactic worked everytime. Till date. In the morning he would go back to flower manor just to see her. HER. The vulnerability on her face and the shaking of her body. The composure she still kept despite the breakdown she must have been going through from inside.

He has himself watched her from inside the flower manor standing at the entrance's side window when the very first time he threw the red pouch full of gold coins at her feet which she in return distributed to his own guards angering him and shocking Aaron.

"She is really something." Aaron has said impressed.

"This woman!" ASR has gritted out. "So infuriating!"

"Maharaj, you need to go inside. Princess Lavanya is waiting to have breakfast with you." Aaron has interrupted then.

"Make some excuse. I'm not in the mood." He said nonchalantly and from the other side of the manor left back to his court hall to indulge himself in official work. That was the only thing that kept him sane these days.

Next time after the night with Sheetal she has had the audacity to whisper his name out there at the open courtyard and let out the shocking information which was such a top secret official matter about Alaska's envoy. When Aaron came back after meeting her and informed him the whole scenario he has extremely cursed out loud making Aaron flinch.