Royal with Rebel (Royal #2: Book 2)

11

-• the plantation of an absurd idea •-

A Week Ago

Yuvraaj emits rage in crushing waves. It thickens the air, clouds the room, and hangs over the head of the man bringing forth the seething, untamed fury. But patience masks his face. He stays seated in his chair, eyes lazily dragging up to look at Rudra who stands behind his chair like a proper, guilty accused. He knows he has made a mistake worthy of inviting this doomed confrontation on himself, so he utters not a word to defend his past decisions. He hadn't thought of confessing ever, maybe this was the only way he could have gotten the truth out. Though he much preferred it stayed hidden forever. But you cannot defy the past, it's already done, and he has to bear the consequences.

"Are you not going to speak? Present your side?"

"I did what I had to." Rudra shrugs.

Yuvaan jerks out of his chair, storming up to the man to punch him across the face. Rudra is slammed into the wall behind with force, holding his head to stop his vision from spinning, feeling a warm trickle of blood run down the corner of his lip. Yuvaan grabs the young lad using the collar of his dress shirt, yanking him straight before pinning him to the wall. "You're lucky Agastya's not here. He's the kind to use violence in this household. If he was here, boy you really wouldn't be walking home straight tonight."

Rudra hangs his head low guiltily. "You approached all of us, made a show of trying to get our approval when in reality, you had blackmailed her into marrying you!? And you have the audacity to still stand here and say you did what you had to do!? You've got some nerve, you bastard!" He leaves him with a jerk, causing Rudra to crash into the wall behind.

"That's enough," Yuvraaj's voice cuts in like a siren, commanding attention. "Settle down."

Yuvaan stands glaring at the man murderously.

"To your seat, Yuvaan." Yuvraaj orders, his mouth set in a hard line.

Huffing, the man obeys.

"So what? You're saying she fell in love with you after marriage?" Vivaan finally speaks up, lines crowning his forehead. "Is it just me or does that sound like a case of Stockholm syndrome?" He looks at his brothers in panic.

Rudra almost rolls his eyes but resists, now is not the time to show attitude.

"Oh God, I always felt like she needed to see a counsellor after dad's death. I knew she always had some issues but they really escalated after we lost Dad." Ayush babbles. "Did you take advantage of her when she was vulnerable?"

"He really looks the kind to do that."

"You guys are being too hard." Arush breaks his silence. "They were in a relationship before Dad's death. She was really into him. And you cannot say you had no idea," he glances pointedly at Ayush.

"I mean, I knew she had low standards, but I didn't think they'd hit these low," his hand splays open towards Rudra. "Apparently they didn't, he tricked her into marrying him."

"Maybe she always had feelings for him?" Arush defends. "Maybe she was angry because of the whole Rudra/Shourya thing he played around with all of us?"

"What are you? His advocate?" Yuvaan squints at the man exasperatedly. "Or were you already aware of it but didn't tell us?"

Arush stutters. "No- no, I'm just saying we should hear his side as well before jumping to any absurd conclusions. They're obviously happy with each other. So let's consider the present while we're digging up the past. That's all I meant." He quietens down, arms folding on his chest as he embraces silence again.