The Royal Nightmare

She knows.

"May I come in?" I asked pushing the door open to Dhruv's cabin as he looks up from his file and then nods with a smile.

"Ah yes, Mr. Ghuman. Please come in. Have a seat." He said getting up to shake hands with me. I shook his hand a little harder than intended and then sat across him. "You're early." He said, looking up at the time.

"I had some business to deal with." I say with a smile as a bob of saliva slides down his throat almost unnoticeable to a novice.

"Sure. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Why would you let a senior officer investigate a missing person case?" I came directly to the point.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were here for your business and not mine. I don't think the prince should be bothered with something as little as how a police department delegates work."

"It concerns my wife, and hence it is my business." I say as he shakes his head, his back stiff and unmoving.

"I don't think so. If your wife had a problem she would say it."

"Do you love her?" I asked as the question seemed to have caught him off-guard.

"What... why would you..." he chuckles and then nods, "Actually you know what... I do love her. I've seen her struggle and I've seen her work hard for everything she has achieved today. I admire her and I would stand in harm's way for her even if it costs me my life or in this case, my job."

"Then you should have married her when you had the chance. Now she's my wife and the mother to be, for my kids." The answer seemed to have caught him off-guard and the news shocking as his eyes widen. "The way you are going, it actually might cost you your life, officer." I say as he chuckles in response.

"She's not as dumb as you think." He says, as I shake my head.

"No, she's not but there are things she shouldn't know. Things she wouldn't be able to live with."

"Things she'll leave you for." He says, as he seemed to be running fast across the line that nobody dare cross.

"It's been almost months. She's knocked up, knows nothing about what I do and she's still my wife. I don't see why or how this little stunt would make any difference. If she hasn't left already, I think she isn't leaving but you know who might... be transferred in the next few days?" I say, as he doesn't even seem bothered by my remark. "You should have stopped this match earlier if you actually care about her." I say and get up from the chair.

"I would have, If I knew the depth of it all. I really thought she deserved a prince." He says, and almost chuckles.

"And I deserve someone brutal to help me run things, not an emotional fool from the other side of law. But we don't always get what we deserve. Do we?" I say and turned to get out as the door slides from the other side to reveal Divjyot standing behind it.

"Div..." I was saying as she raised her hand to stop me.

"You've said enough. They are ready for you." She says, and turns to leave before pausing to turn to Dhruv. "With your permission, can I conduct this?" she asked as my mouth fell open. I was at the mercy of this asshole and I had no time left to call Ambar uncle and change the course of things.

"No, I think you should sit this one out and let me take this." He answers as I relaxed. I can get through him questioning me but not sure about Divjyot though. My body reacts to her in uncertain ways. I knew he had planned something. He would never involve himself or Divjyot in this and let a junior level officer handle it otherwise. She just nods and salutes walking out of his cabin as I turn to look at him.

"Your job or your life?" I ask, as he chuckles.

"For her... take either." He shrugs and I just shook my head at his obsession before I walked out towards the committee room modified for the test today.

"Considering your previous work experience..." Divjyot says as she takes out a small vial from a insulated container. "We'll also be using truth serum."

"Since when does the state government have access to it?" I asked a constable nearby as he looks down while the inspector near him answers.

"Mam went to great lengths to get it." He said, as Divjyot loads the syringe and I couldn't help but think how much of the conversation she had heard.

"Can I be left alone with my wife for a minute?" I asked, as they both looked at each other and were about to leave when Divjyot spoke.

"No, they're staying but you can speak whatever you want to."

"This is a family matter. We can sit down and talk it through, Divjyot." I say as she didn't answer instead handed the syringe to the constable. "Divjyot?"

"I said you can speak, I never said I'll answer." She said, as I just closed my eyes.

It's all on me now. My freedom from prison, my marriage, my respect, the crown in my family... everything is on me.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"When did you last saw Raj Chautala?" Dhruv spoke after the basic questions were done with. There were two people in this room with me. Dhruv and the inspector.

"The oasis. I had called him there to convince him to give up the pictures of my brother."

"Answer what's asked." He spoke, but I already knew it. The longer the answers the easier it was to stabilize. But the serum was slowly starting to take effect and make my brain fuzzy. The clarity was leaving my mind, as I held onto the last inches of it.

"How did the meeting end?"

"Well. He agreed to give up the picture in exchange for 20 lakh rupees for which he never send me his bank details." My answers had been rehearsed well.

"Where were you on the evening of 7th this month?"

"At my brother's old apartment."

"And your old lady friend visited you. Any reason you would contact dangerous people from your past? Maybe you needed help with getting rid of somebody."

"I can get rid of people alone very well. I don't need anybody's help for that." I looked daringly into his eyes.

Oops. Did I say it?

"Did you get rid of Raj?" he asks, as I chuckle.

"No." I was drugged but I was better than that. In that moment the machine beeped louder as a small shock was delivered to my body. In that moment I heard the door being pushed open.

"Stop it right now." It was Uncle Ambar's voice. "The use of electrocution along with the truth serum is not tested or used. I am not answering to the king that his son died like a lab animal. Remove the electrodes." He said, as he came to hold me removing the first one from my chest and then the haziness just amplified.

"Divjyot did this. She planned it, uncle." I spoke louder as I didn't realize what was happening to me until the antidote was injected and I was soon thrown in the back of a car. Nausea set in and I puked my way back to the palace.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I woke up near the time to dinner and down the stairs hoping to find Divjyot considering she wasn't upstairs.

"Where's Divjyot?" I asked dad, as he shook his head.

"She went to her mother's house but your mother thinks it's a routine visit. Don't tell her anything that happened and go talk to her."

Ofcourse he cares more about his wife, than he does about mine.

"Any idea about when she's coming back?" I asked.

"How many days does it take for the divorce notice? She'll be back with it." Raavi whispered coming to sit on the other side. Looks like she knew everything. Everything?

"The prenuptial won't let her. She can't say I cheated on her or... was violent with her. Other than that the person asking for divorce has to pay 1.5 crores in lump sum to the other." I say as my mother entered the corridor with the servants bringing in the dishes as we changed the topic.