𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧

06⚚ Vijulu

Vencie POV:

True to her word, the next day, Amaira made her way to the head commander's cabin, excited to spend the day with Gaurav as she'd promised him the night before.

But her smile faded into a pout when she found the cabin empty. Spotting a few guards passing by, she asked, "Where's Commander Gaurav?"

The guards quickly bowed. "Your grace, he's on the training field."

"Thank you!" she replied, perking up as she headed toward the field.

As she reached the training area, she saw Gaurav standing by the ring, watching as the guards sparred. Some were shirtless, while others wore only shorts, so when Gaurav spotted Amaira approaching, he shouted, "Everyone, ten-minute break!"

The guards, understanding the silent warning in his tone, scrambled to cover themselves properly. They cleared the field as Amaira bounced over to him, her excitement showing.

"Your grace," Gaurav greeted with a bow, because they were in outdoors.

Amaira scrunched her nose and playfully slapped his arm. "Oh, come on, bhaiyya! I came to spend time with you, not to be treated like some grand royal."

Gaurav sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Princess, today I have to train the new recruits and assess the current guards' skills. There's a lot to get through."

She pouted, but then a sly smile crossed her face. "Fine, do your job. I'll just sit here and watch."

"Prin—" he began, but stopped when he saw her giving him those infamous puppy eyes.

He sighed, relenting. "Alright, but where's Viraj? Isn't he supposed to be following you everywhere?"

Amaira smirked, clearly pleased with herself.

"Oh no," Gaurav muttered, recognizing that look. "What did you do this time?"

Amaira just shrugged, enjoying the little mystery she'd left behind for Viraj.

"Calm down, bhaiyya," Amaira said with a grin. "I just poured a little oil on the stairs... which seems to have resulted in a broken nose."

At that moment, Viraj appeared behind her, sporting a bright white plaster across his nose. His expression was unamused as he glared at Amaira.

"Yes, and while I was busy cleaning up and nursing my injury, she decided to lock the door and run off here." He looked straight at Amaira.

"Very smooth, Vixen."

Amaira laughed, shrugging. "Well, vijulu, I did promise the king I'd punish you for that mess yesterday."

"Oh, right," he scoffed, crossing his arms. "How noble of you. Guess I'll have to keep an eye out for more princess pranks."

"Well, vijulu," she replied, her voice sugary sweet, "maybe if you did your job better, you wouldn't have to worry about 'pranks.' Besides, aren't you my sworn protector?"

"Sworn protector?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't sign up to guard against childish antics."

Amaira gasped in mock offense. "Childish? Says the guy who's still sulking over a little oil on the stairs."

Viraj leaned in, smirking. "Trust me, I'm just getting started, vixen. Better keep your guard up."

Amaira rolled her eyes, unfazed. "Bring it on, Vijulu. You'll need more than a plaster to keep up with me."

Gaurav finally stepped in, holding back his own laughter. "Alright, alright, enough, you two. Princess, go sit over there while Viraj tests out a few of the new guards."