Married To The Devil

In Love?

"Raani-ji!" Vikrant snapped from the hall. "Open this door! We aren't supposed to let you out of our sight."

"I'll open the door as soon as I finish my bath," Uruvi said calmly as she made her way across the room toward the tub, where Surili was softly chuckling as she checked the temperature of the bathwater.

"Oh, now, Uvi," Shivam coaxed, making Uruvi's eyebrows rise at the use of the nickname only Abhay had ever used. "You're going to get us in trouble. Open the door, girl, and let us in. We promise not to look."

Uruvi snorted at what he was saying as she hurriedly removed her kurti.

She would have liked to think that Vikrant might not look, but Shivam? Most likely would.

The man was as ruthless as a bull and with every single female around as far as she could tell.

There didn't seem to be a single woman the man didn't like.

She had seen him with the young, the not so young, greys, dark blacks, brunettes, and foreign women with blonde hair.

She had seen him with slim women, curvy women, and women of all shapes and sizes in between.

She felt he was filling the void left by his mother's obvious withdrawal when he was young, but she couldn't be sure.

And it didn't really matter. He could never satisfy that void by hopping from woman to woman.

"In you get, love," Surili murmured as she finished helping Uruvi remove her kurti and petticoat.

After thanking Surili, Uruvi stepped into the tub, releasing a little sigh as the warm water closed around her ash-stained skin.

The temperature was perfect, and it would have been a lovely bath if not for the continued screams and shouts from the men in the hall.

Their increasing volume and panic over her refusal to let them in just ruined the whole experience for her. Uruvi sighed and moved quickly to finish her bath, washing away the ash covering her as quickly as she could.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who found their screaming annoying.

Surili had never washed her hair in such a hurry, and it felt like a matter of seconds before Uruvi was hurrying out of the tub, draping dry linen over herself, and changing into fresh clothes.

"It's long past time we figure out who's causing all these accidents," Surili grumbled as she helped Uruvi with her laces. "I think I will ask some questions myself. Maybe I can learn something useful from the other maids here."

"No," Uruvi responded firmly. I am not going to let you put yourself in danger like that."

"But..."

"No," Uruvi said firmly. "Leave it to me. I'll figure it out and handle the situation myself." 

Surili's mouth tightened, but she didn't argue further, and Uruvi moved toward the door.

Her hair was still damp and needed to be brushed, but she was bathed and dressed, so that would be good enough.

She couldn't take the noise Vikrant and Shivam were making any longer.

If they were so determined not to let her out of their sight, they could stand around and watch the boring show of her brushing her hair by the fire to dry it.

Uruvi believed it would be like watching wheat grow for them and hoped it would bore them to tears.

It was afternoon when Uruvi finished drying her hair and they went downstairs to the great hall.