When Monami didn't answer lost in her awe which the youngest Pandav Kumar was ignorant of, the latter began fidgeting nervously with the flowers in his hands.
He observed Monami's stunned and somewhat blank expression, and he couldn't help but notice the unusual aura that enveloped her. Her fair complexion, in stark contrast to the norm of dusky skin, intrigued him. Mata Gandhari and Dushala were the only two women he had known up until now with such fair skin but this girl's was even lighter.
He noted the thick, black waves of her hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her face like a veil. Her eyes, adorned with long lashes, held a certain depth that beckoned curiosity.
Intrigued by her unconventional beauty, Sahdev couldn't suppress the nervous energy that coursed through him. He cleared his throat, feeling an uncharacteristic shyness creeping in. For a moment, he forgot about the royal decorum ingrained in him since birth, and instead, found himself enchanted by the simple beauty before him.
"I hope you weren't hurt by the thorns of the stem" Sahdev finally spoke, breaking the brief silence. His voice, usually steady and composed, betrayed a hint of uncertainty.
Monami blinked, realizing she had been lost in her thoughts.
"Oh, no, I'm not hurt. Just surprised," she admitted, a faint smile playing on her lips, "Besides this is new, this what you are doing right now..."
"What am I doing right now?" Sahdev asked with, with a curious smile.
"This... Asking me if I am alright...royalty that is you and I am just working here..."
Sahdev chuckled nervously, his eyes never leaving hers, "I am a healer and before every other thing my dharma is to cure people and help them take care of their health."
"Ah I see that's very nice of you" Monami murmured not able to think of a better reply, "Monami, by the way."
There was an unspoken connection of curiosity that lingered between them.
"I haven't seen you around the palace before," Sahdev remarked, attempting to keep the conversation flowing.
"I'm... uh, relatively new here. Working as a maid," Monami explained, a tinge of hesitation in her voice.
"In that case, I must thank you for rescuing my experiment from an untimely demise." He gestured to the flowers, emphasizing their importance.
Monami couldn't help but smile at the dedication he showed to his work "Your experiment, huh? What kind of experiment involves flowers?"
Sahdev's eyes lit up with a spark of passion. "I'm an aspiring botanist. These flowers are part of a hybridization experiment I'm conducting."
Monami raised an eyebrow, genuinely interested, "How are you going to combine the genetics of the variants? What tools will you use?"
This time Sahdev's eyebrows shot up high. Apart from Nakul and his teachers he had never had someone take a keen interest in his not so ksatriya pursuits.
"How do you know all this?" he asked, looking at her with some wonder and awe.
"I just know...um you see I like gossip and I pick on things here and there" shr tried forging a good excuse, her own explanation sounding so lame to her ears.
Sahdev's gaze on her intensified while his eyes suddenly seemed to deepen, whether it was out of curiosity or suspicion she couldn't figure. Crossing her fingers she desperate hoped she hadn't triggered his suspicion and thus hostility.
YOU ARE READING
Teardrops on Roses
Historical Fiction"I am the eldest daughter in law of the Kurus and barring my husbands and sons, I await their complete annihilation." "Draupadi please don't do this, please don't say this." "Why?" "Because I am the eldest daughter in law of the Kurus" A Mahabharat...
