The Inseparable Princes

15. The Bet - 2

(Continued)

First day done, and the score was 1-0, Rama leading, and Shatrughna was terribly tensed by this. It was him who had placed the bet in the first place, and if he lost now, it would just make a bad, bad impression on said people. The girls, but mainly Shrutakeerti.

"Laksh, why are you doing this?" Shatrughna said as he continued his twin.

"What did I do? I want you to win," he said.

"If you do, then why did you give up so easily at one instruction from Ram bhaiya?" he questioned.

"Because I can't possibly do anything about it. What if I said something and it hurt him? I can't do that!" he stated.

"What logic is that, Laksh!" said Bharata, randomly pitching into the twins' conversation.

"You just want me to lose, don't you?" yelled Shatrughna.

"No, I don't!" he retorted. "Okay, you tell me what I should do so that you win, and I'll do exactly that, alright?"

"Yes!" said Shatrughna, before pulling the two of his brothers into a discussion huddle.

★★★

"What can I do if he isn't talking to me?" said Urmila, partially sorrowful, as she thought of a plan.

"Urmila, it's all because of you. Why should you do-" Sita started.

"It's alright Sita. Honestly, I'd feel fairly jealous if Laksh started to become closer to Bharata than to me and he confided in him instead," Rama admitted, his head hung down shamefully.

"But I just said one sentence siding with Lakshman, and now, this girl wants you to support her in all of her nonsense!" Sita explained. It almost sounded like Rama was giving lectures to Lakshmana, but they were both in the female form!

"Okay bhaiya, you may side with him. Anyway, I'm just another girl, not as great as Lakshman," she said in mock sorrow. And Rama, innocent as ever, fell for it exactly the way he fell for Laksh's puppy eyes.

"Oh Urmi!" he exclaimed. "Who told you that?"

"Raghunath! She's jus-" Sita tried to reveal.

"No, Siya. I'm not listening to anything you say, now," he decided. "You tell me, Urmi. What is the plan?"

"Just force Lakshman to speak to me, and that is all I need," she said.

"Sure, that'll be done, ma'am!" he said, and laughed, while Sita sighed helplessly.

★★★

"Go on, Laksh!" Bharata gestured. "She's right there,"

"Hmm, yeah. I think it's the right time to go now," Lakshmana said with an emotionless tone but a eager face. It's always fun to do things like these. After all, he loved fighting.

"Urmila, why did you put sugar in the dal, for me, in particular? And then you put tons of chillies in my kheer?" he scowled.

"Wh-What?" she stared, startled. "I-I nev-never did that!"

"Urmila, I'm going to tell your parents that you, after your wedding has been fixed, are doing such things!" he threatened.

"I-I r-really d-d-didnt!" she said, looking genuinely frightened and unable to speak clearly. Lakshmana quite enjoyed it at that point, because he knew that it was merely an excuse.