THE ENEMY IN MY BED

The Girl Who Belonged in the Palace

The palace of Suryagarh had a strange habit.

It remembered everything.

Every whispered conspiracy beneath carved marble arches.
Every queen who cried behind silk curtains.
Every prince born beneath the sound of temple bells.

And somewhere between those ancient walls...
it remembered two children running barefoot through royal corridors as if the kingdom belonged only to them.

"GAURI!"

A loud laugh echoed through the courtyard.

The little girl shrieked before breaking into another sprint, her tiny anklets ringing wildly against the marble floors. The ends of her crimson lehenga dragged behind her while jasmine flowers slipped from her braid one by one.

"Shiv! Stop chasing me!"

"Give me my dagger back first!"

"You gave it to me yourself!"

"That was before you threw it into the fountain!"

The ten-year-old prince leaped over the low marble railing with effortless arrogance, landing right in front of her.

Gauri gasped dramatically.

"You cheated!"

"I am the prince. I make the rules."

"You are horrible."

"And you talk too much."

She narrowed her eyes before immediately trying to run again.

Shiv grabbed the end of her dupatta.

She stumbled backward with an offended squeak.

The young prince grinned triumphantly, dark eyes glittering beneath the golden afternoon sun.

For a moment, neither moved.

The palace servants passing by smiled softly at the sight.

Everyone in Suryagarh knew one thing:

Where Shivbhaan Pratap Singh was found... Gauri was never far behind.

Childhood companions.
Future husband and wife.
A match decided by destiny before they even understood its meaning.

The future Maharani of Suryagarh.

Gauri hated when people called her that.

Mostly because Shiv laughed every single time.

"Maharani Gauri," he mocked dramatically, placing a hand over his heart before bowing. "Please spare this poor servant."

She kicked him in the shin.

Hard.

Shiv hissed in pain.
"You little demon—"

"You deserved it!"

"You are violent."

"You are annoying."

"You're still going to marry me."

The words came casually.

Naturally.

As if there had never been a world where it wouldn't happen.

Gauri froze.

Heat rushed to her cheeks instantly.

At ten years old, Shivbhaan already carried the arrogance of royalty like it had been carved into his bones. But sometimes... sometimes he said things so simply that they settled directly into her heart before she could stop them.

"I will not marry you," she lied.

Shiv snorted.

"You cried for three hours when Rudra bhai sa said I would marry a princess from another kingdom."

"That never happened!"

"You threatened to poison the princess."

"I was eight!"

"You are still terrifying."

Gauri looked away furiously while Shiv laughed again.

God, she hated that laugh.

No.

She loved it.

The sound echoed through the palace like sunlight.

From the jharokha above, Maharani Kamal watched the two children with soft eyes.

Beside her stood the crown prince, Rudrabhaan.

"They fight like sworn enemies already," he sighed.

"And yet," the Maharani smiled faintly, "they would burn the world for each other."

Below them, Gauri suddenly slipped near the fountain.

Before she could fall—

Shiv caught her wrist instantly.

The teasing vanished from his face.

"Careful."

His voice became quiet.

Protective.

Gauri stared at him.

And for one strange second... the world around them disappeared.

Temple bells rang in the distance.

A warm desert wind swept through the courtyard.

Somewhere deep inside the ancient palace walls, fate smiled silently.

Because love stories born in royal blood never arrived gently.

They arrived like storms.

And storms, no matter how beautiful—

always destroyed something first.



hey guys!!!!!!!!! i've been working on this story for a while
i hope you guys will love itttttt