Chapter 102

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Chapter 102

Prithvi looked at the name on the cloth for a moment. Then crumpling the material in his hands, he strode swiftly to the gate.

Snapping out of the shock, Nandini raced after him. Did the cloth really belong to the old saint? Had he left it behind intentionally? It was likely. He had done similar inexplicable things in the past. But what was he trying to tell them? Who had embroidered those letters? The same questions would be running through Prithvi's mind. And going by the harsh set of his features, his questioning would undoubtedly be rough. But she couldn't let him behave rudely.

Despite running, Nandini was two steps behind Prithvi when he came to an abrupt halt at the top of the steps. She restrained the dupatta that was flailing in the strong wind and gazed down the stone stairway.

The old man was nowhere in sight.

Nandini's mystified gaze moved to Prithvi's perplexed features. He glanced at her grimly, and then gestured to the guards.

Two of them sprinted to obey the summons.

"Where did the old man go?" Prithvi asked tersely as they bowed to him.

The men scanned the steps swiftly. The taller one murmured, "He was walking fast, your highness."

"Unless he sprouted wings, he couldn't have covered so many steps so quickly," Prithvi said irately.

The other guard zealously said, "We could follow him and bring him back, your highness."

Prithvi looked at the object in his hands. What was he going to ask the elderly stranger after hauling him back- Why was his name embroidered on a dirty piece of cloth found in the temple's compound?

No...he was not going to embark on a whimsical hunt for meaning where there was probably none. There were more important and practical things to do. If the cloth could find him, its significance could do the same.

Frustration spiked through Prithvi, and he threw the rag to the ground. "Bring the palanquins to the gate," he said curtly, and then walked back to the temple.

Nandini hastened to pick up the cloth before the guards decided it was trash. Its appearance was a mystery but its importance was unquestionable.

She would hold on to it, Nandini decided. She folded it into a small square and clasped it tightly.


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Prithvi halted at the temple's steps, brows knit. Nandini reached his side a second later, and she worriedly looked at the people inside the shrine.

Sumer Singh and the priest had gathered around Uday Singh, who was sipping water from a silver glass. Kadambari was standing at a distance, mild concern on her portly features.

Prithvi strode to his great-uncle, sharply asking, "What's wrong? What happened to him?"

Uday Singh handed the empty tumbler to Sumer Singh, and turned to Prithvi with a wan smile. "I'm alright. Aditya, let's go home."

Nandini, who had followed Prithvi into the temple, looked confusedly at the elderly man.

Prithvi, however, didn't miss a beat. "Yes, we'll leave right away," he muttered, and gently clasped Uday's forearm to support him as they walked out of the shrine. Sumer Singh accompanied them, careful to walk behind the family members.

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