The Promised Queen

𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎 𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑒

HRUDAY

The silk sherwani hung heavily on my shoulders, a suffocating reminder of a ceremony that never happened. 

I pulled it off in frustration, throwing it over the chair in the corner of my room. My mind was elsewhere, consumed by the weight of everything spiraling out of control.

Ridhima. Avni. Missing.

I yanked open the wardrobe and grabbed a simple t-shirt, slipping it on with sharp, impatient movements. The fabric felt lighter, but the pressure in my chest remained unbearable.

As I adjusted the cuffs, a soft knock echoed through the room. Before I could respond, the door swung open and Ishaan and Nishi entered.

Their faces said everything before their words even reached me.

Nishi looked pale, her eyes wide with worry, and she seemed on the verge of tears. Ishaan's usual carefree expression was replaced by something far more serious—grim and tense.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice colder than I intended, the tension making my tone sharp.

Nishi opened her mouth to speak, but her emotions betrayed her. Her hands trembled, her breath hitched, and she couldn't get the words out.

Ishaan, standing beside her, glanced at her with concern. Then, in a move that caught my attention, he reached for her hand.

Their fingers interlocked, gently but deliberately.

I watched them silently, noticing the way Ishaan's thumb brushed over her knuckles in reassurance. There was something simmering beneath the surface between them—something unspoken, something raw.

But I didn't have time to think about that. Not now.

I stepped forward, my patience wearing thin. "What is it? Tell me."

Ishaan gave Nishi a brief look before turning to me. His jaw was tight, his words careful.

"The last time we saw Ridhima," he began, "she was... she was coming to see you."

My breath caught. "What?"

I felt the weight settle deeper into my chest, pressing harder than before.

"She was coming to see me?" I repeated, the words sinking in slowly, their implications twisting through my mind.

Ishaan nodded. "She wanted to clear some things up... about a letter."

The letter. The one that had fueled our argument.

I opened my mouth to ask more, but Nishi stepped forward, her voice soft and trembling. "She was really torn, Hruday."

I glanced at her, my eyes narrowing as she continued.

"She said she had no idea about the letter," Nishi explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "She didn't know why you were so angry."

My heart twisted.

"But... all she wanted was to talk to you," Nishi added, tears welling up in her eyes. "So we... we organized for her to sneak around the palace to see you."

Ishaan's hand tightened around Nishi's, grounding her as she struggled to continue.

"But then..." Her voice broke. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears, but they fell anyway. "Then... she didn't come back."

Nishi broke down, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

Ishaan wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "We've been looking for her ever since," he said softly. "But... she's gone."