HIS FIRST QUEEN

Chapter 14 [Anshuman]

The morning sun filtered through the heavy drapes of our chamber, casting a golden hue over the lavish surroundings. I watched Tara as she lay beside me, her breathing soft and even, her face serene in sleep. My queen. My love. My everything. The news of her pregnancy had filled me with a sense of purpose, a reason to protect her more fiercely than ever before.

And yet, a knot of unease twisted in my gut. I had sensed it last night in the way she looked at me-a shadow of doubt behind her eyes, a questioning that I couldn't quite place. She had agreed to stay, to remain by my side, but something in her seemed unsettled as if she were battling her own thoughts.

I leaned closer, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. "Tara," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "You and our child... You are my entire world. I will keep you safe. Even if it means caging you within these walls."

She stirred slightly but didn't wake. I allowed myself a moment longer to savour the sight of her before carefully slipping out of bed. The responsibilities of the kingdom called, and I needed to meet the council.

A servant knocked softly on the door, breaking my thoughts. "Maharaj," she said, bowing low, "the council awaits your presence."

I nodded, my gaze lingering on Tara one last time before I left the chamber. The corridors of the palace were quiet, save for the soft rustle of servants moving about their duties. But as the day wore on and the weight of ruling pressed down upon me, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

By late afternoon, that gnawing suspicion had grown into a full-blown fear. I had to see her to reassure myself that she was still where I had left her, safe and sound within the walls of the palace. I made my way back to our chamber, my heart pounding with an inexplicable sense of urgency.

When I pushed open the door, the sight that greeted me sent a surge of anger and fear crashing through me. The bed was empty. The room was eerily quiet, save for the soft fluttering of the curtains in the breeze. Tara was gone.

A cold dread settled over me as I turned to the servant stationed outside the door. "Where is she?" I demanded, my voice sharp and commanding.

The servant paled, bowing her head in fear. "Maharaj, the Maharani left a short while ago. She... she did not say where she was going."

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. Disobedience. After everything I had done to keep her safe, she had defied me. I could feel the rage bubbling just beneath the surface, a storm threatening to break free. But beneath the anger, there was something else-fear. Fear for her safety, fear of losing her.

I stormed through the palace, questioning every guard, every servant. No one seemed to know where she had gone. The corridors blurred as I searched, my mind racing with possibilities. Had she gone to the gardens? The temple? But no, none of those places felt right.

And then it hit me-the dungeons. The one place I had explicitly forbidden her to go. She would go exactly to places where she wasn't allowed. I quickened my pace, my heart pounding in my chest as I descended into the dark, cold depths of the palace.

The air grew colder as I descended deeper into the dungeon, each step echoing off the stone walls. My breath quickened, my heart a frantic drumbeat in my chest. She was here. She had to be.

When I reached Dronav's cell, the dim light from a single torch revealed the unmistakable figure of Tara, standing just outside the iron bars. Her hands were clenched around the cold metal, her posture rigid as she faced the prisoner inside. Dronav was hunched over, his back to her, his face obscured in shadow, but I could sense his presence-his defiance even in chains.