The Village Girl

Chapter Thirteen - [Seetha]

Then Aaryan surprised everyone by walking in behind them, a brow raised as he looked at the thing. The men who were carrying began to struggle, trying to set it down so they could bow for their Crown Prince, but Aaryan waved the pleasantries away. The men looked relieved, continuing to carry it in. "What was wrong with the old one?"

"It was getting a little small," I said, letting Aaryan take our son from me.

He held the boy up as Aathavan kept his fist in his own mouth, examining him as he hung there. "Hmm... he has gotten bigger."

I gave Aaryan a silly smile before looking back at Lady Suhanya, who was looking at the crib with complete satisfaction.

"Though," Aaryan continued, cradling Aathavan in one arm and looking at the crib with a still raised brow. "Did it have to be so... extravagant?"

Lady Suhanya scoffed at the question. "You handle your war nonsense, son," she said. "We'll handle the baby nonsense."

Aaryan smirked as I laughed.

Once the crib was set up and Aaryan and I were alone again, Aaryan began to remove his jewelry as I fed Aathavan. He was beginning to eat certain solid foods, like rice porridge, which he loved, or puddings of sorts, but I continued to breastfeed him. Lady Suhanya suggested I breastfeed him at least for a year, and my mother suggested the same. Of course, most others were unhappy with my decision to breastfeed, since while I was breastfeeding, I could not get pregnant again.

I didn't really care anymore.

One happy, healthy child first. Then we'll think about the rest.

"Lady Suhanya," Aaryan started. "Has been acting strangely recently, hasn't she?"

I hesitated. "Why do you think that is?"

I didn't realize he was looking at me until he didn't respond to me immediately. When I looked back at him, I saw a look of suspicion on his face.

"What?"

He shrugged. "What?" he repeated, walking over to the washing room. "I can't look at my wife?"

I frowned at him as I lifted Aathavan, who had finished feeding, up. I pulled my blouse over my shoulder and looked at my rather smiley son and frowned. He was at a stage where he was copying faces a lot, and I saw almost instantly that when I frowned, so did he. So I smiled.

He responded by smiling again.

And as I feigned the smile, I noted that I knew that Aaryan knew that I was holding something back about what I knew of Lady Suhanya's mood. I wasn't necessarily a bad liar... I just... never lied much.

When Aaryan returned a little while later, looking all washed up and fresh, and smelling like flowers, I lifted Aathavan up and helped him stand on my knees. "He's six months now, you know?" I said, trying to change the subject. "Time flies..."

"I know how old my son is," Aaryan said, sitting next to me and giving me a strange, slightly humored look. "I also know that he's sitting up on his own now, and that he is eating some regular food, and that he's beginning to understand his name. I also know that he seems to not like it when you frown."

I was frowning again, and when Aaryan said it, I looked at Aathavan and once again, I saw him frowning too.

I sighed.

"Don't think I don't pay attention."

He pays too much attention, frankly.

"What I didn't know, was that we kept secrets from each other," he said.