Echoes of the Moonbound Hearts... {BL}

Tum jo Aaye... (When You Came...)

**At the Rose Garden**

Aashish saw a girl sitting at a table near the fountain, her back facing him. Taking a deep breath and asking the moon goddess for help, he moved towards her. He stopped four meters from her and called out, "Princess!"

Princess Kavya got up and curtsied, "Prince Aashish! You're finally here!" She simpered at him.

Aashish replied in the most uninterested voice, "Hello princess, nice to meet you." He forced a fake smile.

Kavya, acting shy, played with her impeccably made hair and pouted. "Nice to meet you too! Why were you so late? I was waiting alone for the past 20 minutes!", she lied.

Weirded out by her childish act and voice, Aashish thought, 'Isn't she 18? Why is she acting like an 8-year-old?' "My apologies for being late, princess. I was talking with your father on some business-related matters." He apologised - his acting skills developed over the years to endure royal parties and balls coming handy.

"It's fine!" Kavya leaned in closer, putting her elbow on the table and her face on her palm to show off her cleavage. "What kind of girls do you like? Intellectual? Beautiful? Kind? Sexy? Adorable?"

Aashish sat down on the chair opposite her with the table as a partition in the middle. "I am not interested in girls and especially not in you at all," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say anything? Can I be of some help?" Kavya batted her fake eyelashes.

"Nothing, princess! Actually, I need your help. Can you help me?" Aashish asked, giving her a smile to make the work easier.

"Just ask, Prince. All our resources are at your disposal!" Kavya gave a small, shy, fake laugh.

"Actually, I met a boy when I arrived here. Do you know who he is? Like, what is his name?" The Prince enquired.

Kavya, disgusted that he was asking about a boy when a treat like her was in front of him, managed a fake smile. "We actually have many workers here. Could you describe him for me?"

"Hmm, a boy with a short height, maybe around 4'9" or 4'10", very thin. Actually, I want to meet him because he collided with me and ran away without any apology." Aashish added that detail, thinking it would help him get the information sooner because there was no way this girl would tell him about him if he told her that the boy was his mate.

"That bastard!" Kavya fumed. "How dare he! Prince Aashish, I am extremely sorry for the atrocities the bitch committed. I'll arrange for him to be punished at the earliest! Or.. would you like to punish him yourself?" She thought offering him the chance to teach the boy a lesson would show how eager they were to integrate him into their pack.

"That's alright, princess. There's no need to engage anyone else in this matter! I will deal with him in my own way. Kindly tell me where I can find him!" Aashish could feel Vicky getting excited to meet his mate.

"He must be in the quarters of the strays, but that's a very filthy place for you, Prince. I'd rather arrange for him to be brought into one of the punishment cells for you to deal with."

"No need for that, princess. I will go there only!" Aashish got up from his seat.

"But our date..." Kavya started but was cut off by him.

"My sincere apology, princess, but I have to inform my father about today's meeting as it is very important! I hope you understand my situation!" Aashish faked a sad voice as if he was also sad that their date got cancelled.

Kavya pouted and said her goodbye before leaving.

Aashish didn't waste a second after she left and ran straight to the quarter for strays, asking for directions from the guards, in the hope of meeting the boy. He still didn't know his name. Reaching the quarters, he knocked on the iron door, which was locked from the inside.