The Crown Prince and His Love

Chapter 11 |A Petty Quarrel|

No matter how brave a man is, he must fear his family. He could've won wars and sliced hundreds of heads but he must fear his family. One such person who Adithan feared and respected was Kundavai. 

"Anna!" Kundavai called out as she barged into his chambers. Adithan opened his eyes and rose up from his meditation. Kundavai smiled at her brother as she approached him.

"I was just wondering 'why my dear sister' hadn't come to see me yet," Adithan said jokingly. He sat on the dhiwan, Kundavai sat beside him.

"What to do Anna, I wanted to see you but I got stuck in a pooja at the temple," Kundavai said in a convincing tone. But Karikalan knew the real reason why she went to the temple. 

"Did the Pooja go well?" Adithan asked.

"Haan," Kundavai nodded. "Went really well," She scratched her eyebrows.

"Don't lie to me Kundavai," Adithan said in an accusing tone.

"W-what?" Kundavai's words stumbled. Her covers were blown.

"I know when you lie to me," Adithan muttered. "Your mouth might lie, but your eyes don't,"

"That Nandini told you everything, didn't she?" Kundavai scoffed, She knew Nandini would snitch on her the first chance she got, She was trying to turn her own brother against her, this made Kundavai's blood boil. "That snake," she snarled

"Kundavai!" Adithan raised his voice. Kundavai jerked back, She had seen her brother get angry with other people, but was never on the receiving end of his anger. "Don't--" 

"Don't what?" She talked back to him. "Look what she made you do! Have you ever gotten angry at me or raised your voice? after you started talking to her, You and I always fight!" Kundavai got up and went up to a window.

Adithan calmed himself down and approached her. "I'm your brother, don't I have the right to get mad at you?" Adithan asked. Kundavai turned her back to her brother and folded her arms.

"You don't understand, today you shout at me, tomorrow she'll manipulate you to do....something worse," Kundavai said.

"The only thing I don't understand is your hatred towards her," Adithan said biting his teeth to control his anger. "How could you hate someone as pure as her?" 

"Don't you see! She's using you to reach the simhasanam," Kundavai said with fury.  (Simhasanam - throne)

"Kundavai stop with your baseless accusations!" Karikalan's voice shook the room. Kundavai arched her eyebrows and looked at her brother with a disgusted look. Look how he had fallen into her trap, Nandini was like a fly trap according to Kundavai, First, it presents the fly with sweet honey, then it tortures them, making them suffer bit by bit before fully eating them. Kundavai was scared, what if her brother ends up in the same situation as the poor fly?

"My accusations are not baseless okay?" Kundavai said. Adithan laughed.

"So what proof do you have then? did you overhear Nandini conspiring against me or the empire?" Adithan asked laughing at Kundavai's face, Kundavai didn't find it funny. Her face reddened in anger

"The Jodithar warned about her," Kundavai said. Adithan's smile melted away. "He said, that a girl would stir up a storm in your life," Kundavai explained.

"So you immediately assumed it was Nandini," He asked rolling his eyes.

"Who else could it be?" Kundavai asked.

"Could be you," Adithan said casually, as if he was joking, but Kundavai didn't take it as a joke. Her face stiffened, why would her own brother say something like that to her? Would she think of any harm to him?