𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧

10⚚ Mess with me

Vencie POV:

Viraj chuckled nervously, his fingers tapping against the table. "Secret? What secret, Princess?" He gave Daksh a pointed look, silently begging for backup.

Daksh immediately picked up on the cue and smoothly said, "Oh, Princess, you asked me for the recipe to your favorite dessert, right? Come on, I'll write it down for you right now."

Amaira's face lit up with excitement. "You will? Thank you so much, bhai!"

Viraj sighed in relief as Amaira followed Daksh to the kitchen. While Daksh busied himself scribbling down something random on a piece of paper, Viraj leaned against the counter, regaining his composure.

Once Daksh handed over the recipe, the duo left the restaurant, as Viraj drove them back to the palace.

The drive was mostly quiet, with Amaira scrolling through her phone until she abruptly broke the silence. "So, what's the secret you were talking about, Vijulu?"

Viraj froze, gripping the steering wheel tightly. He thought she'd forgotten about it, but clearly, her sharp memory had other plans.

He chuckled nervously, trying to buy time. "Secret? You must have misheard, Vixen. What secret?"

Amaira chuckled, narrowing her eyes at him. "Oh, don't play dumb. I know it's about my birthday, isn't it? Just spill already."

Viraj blinked in confusion and pulled the car to a stop, turning to look at her. "Birthday? What birthday? What are you talking about?"

Amaira pouted, crossing her arms. "So it's not about my birthday then? I thought you and everyone were planning something special for me."

Viraj sighed, realizing she'd jumped to conclusions but was now giving him an unexpected opportunity.

Carefully choosing his words, he replied, "Well, you see, Princess... I overheard the king and Vijendra talking earlier today. They mentioned some kind of secret and said it shouldn't be told to anyone, not even Sripad. That's all I know."

He added an innocent look for good measure, hoping she wouldn't dig deeper.

"Oh, so that's what kept you so lost in your thoughts?" Amaira asked, raising an eyebrow at Viraj, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

Viraj nodded, keeping his face neutral. "Yeah, something like that."

Amaira sighed dramatically. "Next week is my birthday, Vijulu. Every year, my father and Vijay uncle plan some very grand surprise for me. They try so hard to keep it a secret, but I've figured out their routine by now. I just act shocked to make them happy."

Viraj frowned slightly, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Then why would Sripad need to be kept out of it?"

Amaira chuckled softly. "Oh, that's simple. If Sripad uncle knows, Ruhi will find out. And if Ruhi knows, you can bet I'll find out in no time. Papa and Vijay uncle think they're geniuses, but they're just bad at hiding surprises!"

Viraj pressed his lips into a thin line, his frown deepening. Something about her explanation didn't sit right with him. But before he could probe further, Amaira let out an exaggerated whine.

"Now stop overthinking everything and drive already, Vijulu! I'm starving here!"

Viraj gave her a side glance but didn't argue. He started the car again and focused on the road.

Deep down, though, his instincts told him the secret wasn't about her birthday. Something felt wrong, like a nagging itch in his gut that he couldn't shake off.