Dusky Moonlight

31(1)

31.

Kayanangai's eyes were transfixed on the grant door, imagining how and when Aathiyan would emerge from that. For the last few days, she kept thinking a lot about him and starts to miss him so badly because of an incident that happened yesterday.

She kept doing this and she didn't feel bored at all because while waiting, she can only think about him, and dwelling in his thoughts is kind of bliss.

Even Though she's upset with him, she also sees the situation he is in. His father is sick, his mother is good for nothing, his brother is trying to pull his legs so that he can watch him fall and these demanding and cunning ministers are so critical about his small mistakes. Even now Aathiyan has traveled somewhere to find a healer to cure his father's ailment. No one knows which way he went and this information was revealed by his mother two days before. Kayanangai wondered why he didn't say anything to her.

He doesn't trust me? But she convinced herself that he might have a reason for that.

Kayanangai pities him; it's so hard for her to face her appalling mother-in-law but Aathiyan is facing many people who are worse than her. So her heart goes for him. She prayed for him every day, that he should get whatever he wished.

To pass this lonely time, Kayanangai started learning pottery from the palace potter. He's a kind man and must be around the same age as her father.

Her mother-in-law said it's a waste of time but she insisted that she wanted to learn something.

Everyone hates these curious, talented women in the family. Others used to gossip and spend their time with their maids but Kayanangai always wanted to stay alone and learn something each day. She starts to not mind these women because she wants to do whatever she desires.

When she's looking solemnly, someone walked in through the door. She thought it's Aathiyan but to her dismay, it was the maid but she came up with good news that the King had arrived at the palace with the healer.

Kayanangai's face lit up in a big smile, she didn't wait for any further and starts to walk to meet her husband. She's so tired of waiting for him and she wants to see his face. When she went to her father-in-law's place, they didn't allow her inside and she waited outside being so frustrated by this.

Inside, Aathiyan was with his mother, Veera, and Narenthiran's mother. Nilakaran was examining Aathiyan's father. Aathiyan looked at his mother and his brother. He didn't want to start anything now so he kept mum but inside he's fuming in anger.

Nilakaran came outside and asked Aathiyan to come aside. Veera found that strange and he starts to feel anxious too.

"What can't you say in front of us?" Veera asks.

Aathiyan glared at his brother.

"I don't trust anyone except the King," Nilakaran said.

"Oh, he's my father too," Veera grits. Aathiyan rolled his eyes. As a son, he didn't do anything until now but this silly anger irritates Aathiyan.

"Veera, let them go," his mother calmed him.

They came inside a private room and Nilakaran said, "You might think I am crazy if I tell you this but... I think your father is cursed,"

"What curse? It's just a disease," Aathiyan frowned. Now he's utterly pissed off, he risked everything to hear this foolish thing.

"No, this isn't a normal disease. He could have got cured with all those medicines he had taken. There's something wrong in his blood and he's getting poisoned," Nilakaran said with a slight hesitation in his voice.