The Royal Nightmare

Partners.

Divjyot POV

I sat at the coffee table in the guest room as I heard a knock on the door. "Come in." I said as the hot prince from the room next door stepped inside in his grey sweatpants.

"What do you think?" he asked and I closed the book and kept it on the coffee table. He had told me everything that Pallavi told me, in the car on our way back. He had asked me for advise and I was at lose for words.

"It's your decision. Did you talk to Dad about it?"

"Ekansh... He... He will never call off the ball. He has a different take to things. He will be willing to sacrifice everything for his family name. No matter what, plus the ball is in honor of his mother. She was a woman of her word. He won't let us go back after the invitations are sent. If I say the ball is off, he will have no choice but if I go to him for opinion, I know what he will say."

"So what does it matter what I think?" I stated, as I leaned back in my chair.

"If you say it, the ball is off. One word that's all it takes." He was still standing 2 steps from the door. It made me feel special, like maybe we could have something. He was asking for my opinion.

"You can't put your cowardice on me." I stated as I felt a back pain originate and decide to get up and walk a few steps to straighten my spine.

"I'm not... Wait. Does that mean you want to go ahead with the ball?" he says reading between the lines and I shrug.

"With honor and Valor. That's what we want to teach our kids?"

"Yes. Ofcourse. Thank you Divjyot. You have no idea how lost I was. I love you, damnit." He spoke a little excited, or as excited as a posh sophisticated prince is trained to be, and turned to walk out but paused. Then taking a deep breath, while I stared at his toned back from the well fitting tshirt, he turned back. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

"Some things happen out of habit... It's okay." I said, as he nodded and looked like he wanted to say something but decided not to. For a minute I wanted to forgot what Tejpratap had told me at the hospital.

"Do you want to go for a walk? I got the stables cleaned and sanitizer sprayed, if you want."

"Do we sanitize stables?" I asked confused.

No, we use disinfectant but you hate the smell of phenyl lately." he said, as I nodded wearing my slippers.

"Yeah, I would like that." I said, knowing his less words and clear answers made it clear that he wasn't faking this conversation. He turned to leave again when I called out. "You can join me, if you're free."

He didn't deserve a chance as a husband, I thought to myself. But he had a right to prove himself as a father. Every paternity book I read told me that kids recognize their father's voice and react to it. I would never want the kids to come into this world and see him as a stranger. It would set him back a few months. I would never want that when he holds the kids after they are born, he feels like he had felt them for the first time. He should know them at a deeper level already.

They need to build a bond.

Somewhere deep down, I know I was giving an excuse to my overworking brain. I wanted him to have this chance. I wanted a second chance in my marriage, and that meant giving him a chance.

"Sure, I just have to make some calls for the ball." He said and paused. "I'll do it later."

"Or you can do them while walking alongside me." I say picking up a dupatta and even taking it over my head. He noticed and was kind of pleased but didn't say anything. It was an honor to the elders of the house and the public if I covered my head as a daughter-in-law and a royal. I would see it as a burden at first, but was now leaning into it.

We walked out of his section and down the stairs to the way leading to the stables. "Who's your favorite horse?" I asked trying to stir up a conversation, as he went quiet in response. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the grief was barely there at the way he masked his expression. But it was there. "Diana."

He nodded as I kept walking. "But you've never met Sultan. He's a part of her as well." I knew he blamed him for her death.

"I named him for the little Arabian prince that he was and the king he will grow up to be." He had spoken a sentence that spoke a little about his emotion. Was this fake? My senses warned me.

"Something wrong?" he asked, and I couldn't understand if I was so easy to read or he was just good at reading people. The latter most probably.

++++++++++++Tejas POV++++++++++++

"I want my kids to grow up with Sultan." She said, and I cleared my throat addressing the elephant in the room.

"Tejpartap talked to you about it?" I asked looking at the path unable to meet her eyes.

"About our kids?" she asked puzzled and then it hit her. It felt like I had burst her bubble. "Pregnancy brain. Sorry." She said as I shook my head.

"Don't apologize. I'm half responsible." For more than just the pregnancy.

"I'm... I'm sorry. You should go make the calls." She said as if pushing me away. I couldn't even be upset. I deserved it.

"Divjyot?" I pleaded. I needed to talk to her about this.

"What?" she spoke, her footsteps pausing.

"Do you want to give us a chance?"

"Do you think you deserve a chance?" Her question caught me offguard. I was speechless as a worker passed us, bowing and wishing us, and Divjyot was quiet for a minute until she was out of earshot. "Yes, I wanted to give you a chance, but if I take one step towards you, you push me away by a hundred. I can't keep doing this all my life."

"I'm sorry." I say trying to figure out what to say.

"What are you apologizing for?" she asked and I had to think for a minute. There was so much. "You don't even know. Do you?"

"The... divorce."

"No, Tejasveer. It's not about the divorce. I wish I could give a damn about divorce, but the relationship we already have is no better." She was already on the verge of tears. I was thankful this part of the palace was quiet today. "I think if you came to me, and asked what our next step is, I might have said it as well but the point is you didn't even think it was something to discuss."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. I am not your goddamn playtoy. I wasn't when you treated me like a sexdoll. I wasn't when you knocked me up like I was an incubator, and I AM NOT, now that you want to pass me on to your younger brother like a worn-off ragdoll."

Is that what she thinks, I treat her like. "You're my queen."

"I don't want to be your queen dammit. I wanted to be your wife. The  need was to be included in important decisions of your life, like every wife. But you don't even let me decide what affects us both or even affects me." She spoke, and I had no words. "I can't decide if your fake chatty self was better or this real one that can barely express himself."

There was so much anger in her against me, and I couldn't even blame her. She had let it all out.

"How can I make it right?"

"Do you want a life with me?" she asked, and I nodded, not even taking a minute to think. "You have till the ball or we finalize the divorce." Tejpratap had told her the recent updates as well.

"Is that... final?" I asked, as she looked away.

"Start the paperwork for the trial period. I know you can get it done." She commanded and took a step towards the stables.

"Okay." Her biggest complaint was that I didn't ask her, involve her and respect her decisions. So this time, I decided to do so. It hurt me deeply, but she had been on the other side of this all this time. I deserved this pain. "I'll make the calls." I said, as she nodded and walked forward, as I take a step back towards the palace.