Cittaja || Indian Historical Romance

20.

Shakra noticed the closeness between them. She cornered him to a wall. Her little peacock feather tattoo peeked through her to see him.

"What should I say? I'm not particularly fond of anyone else eyeing my prize."

"Prize?"

"Of course. When a man works hard, he is given a reward. You, sparrow, are my reward."

"Sparrow is a reward for Eagle as the food."

"Oh, I do want to eat you but in a whole different way. Just like how an eagle plays, I too have in mind quite the games we can play."

"His Highness might be careful. I'm not quite a fair player. I do cheat a lot in games."

"That's how I know that the game is going to be fair. You cheat a little, I cheat a little. That's how the game is equal."

She chuckled.

"I presume I should explain the reason why I'm here." She pulled out a pouch of coins and handed it to him. Shakra was confused.

"I have a little financial score to settle."

"With me?" Shakra gave no signs of facial expressions but was almost worried that Mayurakshi had figured it out.

"Oh, it is for your friend, the raven of death."

"My friend?"

"Of course, he is great at hiding tracks but somehow loose ends always match with yours. I figure that he should be your friend. A close aide of yours."

"Preposterous."

"Not at all. I would begin to doubt that you are somehow involved deeply with him. Guess why?"

"Entertain me with your theories..."

"Every single one who Maukali got killed even in Kalika Empire had a bone to pick with you. Mysterious but yet true. Raakini Kumar, the minister who was mysteriously murdered by mercenaries hired by Maukali was previously noted to have a heated debate about not accepting you as the Crown Prince. He was even found to be aiding the cousin of your Gajendra to be the Crown Prince on account of his docileness. He even threatened to bring rebellion in the court."

"He did later accept me as the Future King, Bangaram."

"Yes, but surprisingly he was killed the next day. Too late I presume or scared and hoped that it would deter his impending death. Then again, even Rajvardhan, the general who sent a marriage proposal to your aunt Rajkumari Kalyani and then disgraced her by refusing to marry her at the last moment. Personally, I think he deserved it but again, the man was opposed to you and almost demanded a certain area of the Kingdom as his grant. The area that was specifically under your control."

"Two can be a coincidence."

"So much a coincide if it happens five times? Somehow even with every incidence of him being involved in a state murder, all of them are those not in favor of you or indifferent to you. Never in those who are favored to you." She wondered.

"Don't get too involved with him, Bangaram. It is going to be bad for you."

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, "I supposed you are right but I still wonder how close is he to you. If you're in danger, will he come to save you?"

"That is if he is even my friend. Why would a mercenary hirer care whether I live or die?"

"Hmmm..."

"I hope you're not contemplating on hiring him to kill me, Rajkumari..." Shakra watched her face carefully with a playful smirk.

She was impossibly hard to read but Shakra was observant and sharp-eyed like a hawk. He could almost see a question mark or an exclamation on her face.

She was deciding if he had got to her or not.

"Because you don't really need a mercenary to kill me. The day you walk towards me and leave a kiss on me, I might die with the shock."

"Then I shall religiously refrain from such a scandalous act, Your Highness. After all, we are the students of the same Guru. By that association, we are sahashishya and they are considered siblings."

Shakra scrunched his face in disgust. "Don't pollute my love with such incestuous relations. You and I far from any relation except that of lovers."

"Now, you're heavily mistaken. I never said you are my lover."

She started treading down the staircase. Giving him one last look, she walked out.

"Yuvraj, she is dangerously close to our secrets." Manas appeared.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"It is a necessary part of keeping you alive. You don't know any logic when it comes to that woman."

"Woman?" He questioned the tone which his general used.

"She is a woman, isn't she?"

Shakra grabbed his throat, anger flaring in his eyes, "Note your tone when you speak about her."

Shakra could see a retort emerging in his eyes but he quickly quenched it into silence. Shakra gained a doubt. Manas is open with his opinions and quite vocal about it. Why did he shut it?

"Manas?" he asked.

"Your Highness?"

"This dare not be a warning."

"Me warning to you, Your Highness? Quite funny. I wouldn't ever betray you."

"I sense an if in your statement."

"What if? There is no if in my statement."

Shakra quickly ran behind Mayurakshi. Manas stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"Your loyalty is doubtful, Manas."

"My loyalty, Your Highness? Order so and I will lay down my life for you."

"Yes. You will also kill so if needed."