𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧

52⚚ Finally

Author POV:

"Your Highness," every guard bowed deeply as Amaira entered, her presence commanding the kind of silent reverence that could only come from genuine love and respect.

Amaira smiled back at each of them, soft and kind, her warmth radiating through the cold palace corridors.

Once they stepped into the grand gathering hall, the air shifted. Serious. Focused. The moment they were all inside, Amaira turned slightly to Viraj, her voice gentle but firm.

"Vijulu, ask someone to inform Agastya bhai that we're here."

Viraj gave a small nod, already halfway across the room before she finished speaking. While he disappeared through one of the side corridors, the six shadows materialized as if summoned by the very walls—silent, deadly, precise.

They fell to one knee before Amaira and her brothers, heads bowed in absolute submission. Bagheera raised his head slightly and saw with unwavering calm.

Amaira offered them a sweet, proud smile. "Is everything alright here?"

Bagheera nodded once. No words. No fuss. Just quiet assurance.

A moment later, Viraj returned. The shadows didn't wait for a command—they dropped to both knees this time, bowing their heads as one voice echoed in a chillingly synchronized tone, "Master!"

The sheer weight of it—of six elite beasts, silent watchers of the kingdom, calling him Master—sent a wave of goosebumps through the hall. Daksh involuntarily stepped back.

Even Ash's usual calm was momentarily disrupted. Rithvik's eyes flicked toward Amaira, gauging her reaction, but she just reached out instinctively and placed a hand over her stomach.

Only Viraj remained utterly unbothered, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Bring in Amaira's father," he said in a tone that left no room for discussion.

And just like that, the six vanished in a blur of black—gone, like shadows swallowed by the dark.

Amaira turned to him, eyes slightly wide. "What did you teach them, Vijulu? Magic? I swear they disappear in the blink of an eye."

Viraj chuckled, sinking into the couch beside her. "Don't stress your little brain, my highness," he said with a smirk, gently flicking her nose. "Some things are better left mysterious."

All her brothers scoffed in unison.

"She got herself a devil, not a man," Daksh muttered under his breath.

Rithvik sighed, "At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if that six people starts walking through walls."

Ash leaned closer to Gaurav. "You think they ever sleep?"

Gaurav deadpanned, "No. They meditate upside down while hanging from the ceiling like bats."

Amaira giggled at the back-and-forth, but her eyes flicked to the doors.

As Agastya entered the hall, his gaze immediately fell upon Amaira, seated comfortably on the couch—her usual spot since childhood.

However, this time, she was nestled beside Viraj, laughing freely, surrounded by her brothers who chuckled along. Viraj's calm demeanor only intensified Agastya's discomfort.

To him, Viraj is merely a bodyguard, unworthy of such intimacy with his sister.

A surge of resentment welled up within Agastya. Despite being her blood brother, he felt like an outsider in this gathering. The others, all orphans in his eyes, shared a bond with Amaira that he longed for but couldn't grasp.