Yashika The uncanny puzzle of KING[ 18+]

27 - Betrayed?

"But why?!" Nayantara stood from her chair with a look of shock on her face.

"Nayan, listen," Ratan tried to calm her, but she wasn't ready to listen to him.

"How can you say this to me? He is my brother." Her mind was going hazy. At first, they weren't telling her about Yashika, even though she kept insisting until she finally gave up when both Digvijay and Ratan promised they would make her meet him soon. And now this.

She was about to leave when Ratan Singh pulled her back, holding her wrist. "Nayan, please," his voice was so soft that she couldn't ignore him.

"All right, I'm listening." He made her sit back in her place and knelt in front of her.

"Nayan, you have no idea what danger you are walking into. The farther you stay away from it, the safer you will be. I do not want anything to happen to my king and best friend, just like I do not want anything to happen to my love, to you. I cannot bear to think what could happen if those people find out you know the truth." Ratan Singh's head was hanging low. All he could do was request Nayantara. It was all up to her whether she wanted to agree.

Nayantara's eyes welled up as she put her other hand on Ratan's cheek and made him look up. "Alright, I will do as you say. But you have to promise me something." He nodded once. "Whatever makes you happy," he replied.

"You will take care of yourself and Bade Bhaisa, and you will bring Yashika and Bhaisa together. Promise me, no matter what, you will come back for me. You will take care of yourself. Do you give me your word?" She waited for Ratan Singh to speak. He was having his own internal struggle, but in the end, he made a promise. "I promise to make your wish come true."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Nayantara with her thoughts.

———————

DIGVIJAY'S POV

It was midnight when some shuffling happened in the chamber I was in. Being a light sleeper, my senses were alerted, and I was ready to teach a lifetime lesson to whoever entered.

Very slowly, my hand went to the dagger on my left, and my grip tightened.

I could hear someone getting closer and closer to me, and then, "Let go of me." Someone was almost choking on his breath, and that someone was none other than Ratan.

"Are you out of your mind? Why would you sneak in like some enemy?" I removed my knee from his chest and my dagger from his neck.

"Gosh, it's impossible to fool you. With your sensitive hearing, there's no way someone can fool you to kill," Ratan's statement sounded a little off to me, but I decided to ignore it.

Offering him my hand, I pulled him from the bed. "What are you doing here?" I asked, putting my dagger back on the bed.

"We need to plan our next move, remember?" I had almost forgotten. Shutting my eyes tight, I took a deep breath.

"My apologies, I was occupied with other things," I said, taking a place next to him.

"It's alright. So, what do you want to do now? Are we ready to come out?" Ratan Singh asked, and I had no idea what to say. Before, I thought I was ready, but after what I found out today, I wasn't sure if I could expose myself.

I was lost in my thoughts when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Ratan Singh looking at me with pity?

"Ratan, do not give me that look," I said irritably. He feigned cluelessness. "Look? What look?"

In return, he earned my eye roll, and I shrugged his hand away. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, I won't, but you have to tell me what happened," he insisted. My throat was getting dry as he asked me for the truth. Even though I had heard and seen everything myself, my heart still didn't want to accept it.

Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and decided to tell Ratan everything.

"I went out in disguise to see if I could find something in the castle," I started. Before Ratan could say anything, I raised a hand to stop him.

"Before you say anything, just listen." He sheathed his sword and listened carefully.

———————

LATE IN THE EVENING

Putting on my disguise as a soldier, complete with a fake beard and a mole, I started strolling the grounds as a guard. A few of my most trusted people were also there, which helped a lot.

I saw Nayantara leaving Maasa's room. I really wanted to go to her and tell her everything, but it wasn't possible. She could get into real danger.

I continued my patrol, blending in seamlessly with the other guards. My heart ached with the weight of the secret I carried. But I had to stay focused. For Nayantara, for Ratan, and for the kingdom.

As I turned a corner, I overheard a conversation between two guards. They spoke in hushed tones, but I managed to catch snippets of their dialogue.

"...the advisor... meeting... midnight..."

My ears perked up. This could be the lead we needed. I made a mental note of their words and continued my patrol, careful not to draw attention to myself.

After a good time I couldn't hold it back anymore and decided to go and see Maasa for once . Through one of the windows on the back side of her chamber I. Sneaked in and hid behind the curtains.

Still standing there, I was looking at her when my father and younger brother walked into her chamber.

I might not have done it, but the way they looked suspicious pushed me to do so.

"Maasa..." Before Ranvijay could say anything, Maasa showed her palm, signaling him to stop right there.

"You have already created enough problems. There is nothing else to say now." When he tried to talk, she gave him a glare that shut him up.

Maasa turned and walked to the other side of her bed, which was also my father's. Taking her seat, she leaned back, supporting herself on her elbow. She was behaving very unusually.

"You do not talk until I ask you to." Then she brought the Sheesha (hookah) and took a big puff from it. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was beyond shocked. She took a puff and then very proudly released the smoke from her mouth.

"Maasa..." Ranvijay tried again, and this time Maasa did not stop him. She was waiting for him to talk, and so was I.

"What happened one year ago, I mean...." "TALK FASTER!" she slashed, giving me another shock. My Maasa would never yell at her own children for no reason. But here she was.

"Sorry, I mean what happened with Bhaisa...." "It was a mistake. We can't change it, so the best we can do is learn from it and move on." The moment I heard those words, something in me shattered completely. I did not know how to react or what to do. Should I go out? Should I run away? Leave everything here? She is my mother, isn't she? How can she be so heartless? This is all like one scary dream.

I could not hear anymore. I did not wish to know what they did or if they even tried to kill me. I just ran from there, not caring if I might get caught. I needed to be somewhere far from these people.