RANISA-HIS FIRST WIFE

44.Touch of Fire

"DISCLAIMER: My mental health hasn't been great lately, which is why I've been avoiding writing. I'm feeling a bit better now, but I apologize if this chapter doesn't meet your expectations. If there's anything that needs improvement, please let me know. Your feedback is valuable to me.

Thank you for your understanding."

TARGET 🎯 - 100 VOTES AND 100 COMMENTS

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Abhirath pov :)

The royal court was bustling with activity, filled with the usual grandeur and formalities that came with foreign visits. Ornate tapestries lined the walls, golden chandeliers shimmered from above, and the air was thick with anticipation as the foreign dignitaries arrived. But all I could see—feel—was a seething, burning rage boiling in my chest.

Across the room, Vedanti stood gracefully, her every move the embodiment of elegance and regality. She greeted the foreign guests with her usual warmth, that perfect smile lighting up her face. But what made my blood simmer was the man standing beside her, his eyes lingering on her in ways that made my fists clench.

The way he spoke to her, the way she smiled back at him—it felt like a dagger twisting in my gut. I wasn't mad at her, not in the slightest. How could I be? She was being the perfect queen, the perfect hostess. But him... this man—with his nauseatingly slick charm, dripping words of flattery like honey—he was a dead man walking.

I shifted in my seat, my fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest of my throne, my leg bouncing with barely-contained fury. I could feel the weight of the crown on my head, the heaviness of the title "king" holding me back from what I really wanted to do: drag him out of this room and show him the meaning of fear.

Vedanti laughed softly at something he said, and my jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack. That laugh—it wasn't the way she laughed with me, but it was close enough to stir something primal inside me. Why wasn't it me making her laugh like that? Why wasn't it me who could draw that blush to her cheeks? The sight of her cheeks turning that soft shade of pink because of him made me want to shatter the room's fragile peace.

I wasn't angry with her, not really. But the realization that I wasn't the one causing her to blush? That I wasn't the one who could make her forget the distance between us, even for a moment? It destroyed me. I didn't even have the privilege of speaking to her informally anymore, not like this man—this insignificant worm—who had the audacity to think he could charm her.

I tapped my fingers harder now, trying to maintain the mask of calm authority, my knuckles whitening as I forced myself to breathe. I couldn't cause a scene. Not here. Not today. After all, I had just executed someone yesterday in this very hall. If I killed this man now, it would seem like an everyday occurrence, and the court might start expecting blood every morning.

But God, the lines he was throwing at her—old, tired, pathetic attempts at flirting.

"Your beauty outshines the sun, my queen."

I nearly gagged. Outshines the sun? Was he for real? I was getting nauseous just listening to his desperate drivel. What was worse was that it seemed to work—her smile hadn't faltered.

My fingers itched for the hilt of my sword. I could hear it calling to me, whispering to be drawn, to be swung, to end his miserable life right here in front of everyone.

No. I couldn't. Not yet.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, letting out a slow breath. Calm. I needed calm. But that calm was slipping through my fingers faster than I could catch it. Every glance, every smile Vedanti directed his way was like gasoline on the fire that raged in my chest.