Rags To Royals (Royal #1: Book 1) | ✔

53

-• mission •-

"Why do you think he didn't come to school today?"

Anagha and I are on the same track, but what she doesn't know is that, our reasons to seek the truth are different. She is still speculating about him being the prospective murderer, while I'm on a completely different tangent.

There are so many mysteries revolving him, it's not easy to believe he's a good person. And yet strangely, I still want to. Because some way or the other, my brother's name is associated with his. And I don't want to think my brother can be involved in shady things, or if I need to be blunt, then crimes, more precisely, a murder. There I said it.

Yuvraaj looks like an icy cold monster on the outside, as if nothing can faze him, and as Janet put it so meticulously, he's morally ambiguous. But despite evolving in shades of grey, he still has his own moments when the lighter, more brighter colors in him glow through the crevices. Like when he sprayed water on us through the hose, or when he was adamant on throwing me a huge birthday party, and the one that stood out the most, when he hugged me, even if for a few seconds, but he did.

I refuse to believe my brother would help a criminal. And that's the very reason I'm being so curious about this whole thing. All I'm trying to prove to myself is that no matter how many times Yuvraaj has shown how ruthlessly unaffected he is of the world, he would never dip his feet in anything that could ruin his reputation.

That's it.

"Maybe he's sick?" I shrug, jutting my lip lower out. I'm as clueless as her, and yet she still expects me to know everything.

"Do you think," she trails, piquing my curiosity as she leans in, then says the most ridiculous thing to ever exist. "He's out there murdering someone else?"

I scoff. "Anagha, he's not a serial killer."

She sighs. "I know. I'm just guessing."

"Don't," I gritted out. "Didn't we agree on forgetting about this?"

Her face turns sheepish, and I harden my glare, my face forming a look of disappointment. "Listen me out!" She justifies and sits down facing me, her upper body twisted in my direction. "I'm not saying he's the killer or anything. But c'mon, considering the things he has done, do you think we can put this past him? I just want to know if he did it or not-"

"And how do you think we find that? By asking him?" I deadpan sarcastically. "Do you want me to go to him and be like, Shourya, remember the murder case I asked you about two days ago, did you do it?"

"Wait," she frowns. "You asked him about it?"

I bite my lower lip in regret. Now she'll know I'm into this just as much as her. But unlike her, I'm also petrified of finding out the truth. On one hand, I want to know the secrets he's hiding, but at the same time, I want to run away from him as far as possible.

"What did he say?"

I shake my head.

"Tara!" She snaps, demanding a reply.

I rub a hand over my face, frustrated out of bounds. "What!?"

"Tell me!"

"Fine," I give in. "I asked him but he was clueless about it."

"Do you think he was lying?"

"How would I know?" I retort. "He sounded genuinely disinterested in the topic."

She leans back, lips pursed and eyes squinted in a thoughtful gesture. "I've a plan!" Her fingers click, a victorious smile growing on her face. I tilt my head, suspecting her excitement. Why do I have feeling that the main character of her master plan is going to be me? "Remember how obsessed he was with you prior the accident?"