Siddharth's POV
I'm on my way to the maid's quarter to check upon Nandini.
Last night I had to let her stay there because of her miserably injured hands, as I and Nandini together had witnessed and overcome a grave danger once again.
I had agreed and confessed this before that she never fails to surprise me, but what she did last night was beyond my imagination. I know that she is an owner of a kind heart who never hold back herself to help anyone and a bearer of not only a beautiful body but also an impeccably beautiful soul, but last night what she did could have just got her killed.
The memory of last night flash on my eyes where I was stunned to see Nandini standing right in the middle of that killer and me. Holding the sharp blade on her delicate hands while her blood dripped out. Poor Nandini. She must have felt so much pain only to save a man who had just tormented her like anything.
I don't know what was her reason to save me, but the fact is that if I am right now alive and kicking, that's only because of her.
Reaching at the entrance of the room in the quarter. I saw Ushaji sprang up on her feet as soon as she spot me there. Nandini was sitting on the bed with both her palms wrapped with a white bandage. She, too, erected herself a little, being conscious.
" I have lots of pending work to look upon. I'll be back soon." Ushaji said softly to Nandini, but by the expressions reflecting on Nandini's beautiful face it was not difficult for me to read that she hated Ushaji for leaveing her alone with me.
Ushaji greeted by bowing a bit to me.
" Your Majesty ".
I, too, accepted it with a quick nod and a humble smile while she passed by to get out of the room.
Standing on my spot, I glanced at Nandini's bandaged hands again. Looking at poor her injured hands tore my heart into pieces.
Oh !! It really pains to see her like that, but I guess...... I will never be able to say it to her ever in my life.
" It's paining? " I asked a dumb question as I felt a little nervous to speak to her, especially when I was here to meet her only.
She nodded a little, looking down as her reply when I noticed a lock of her hair kept waving on her face due to the mild winds blowing. She tried to tuck it behind her ear but due to her bandaged hands it was not quite possible. So I went inside the room and stood closer to her. I leaned a bit, stretching my hand and With the help of my fingers I gently shift the lock of her waving hair behind her ear while Nandini grew conscious due to my closeness to her. Before pulling myself away , I looked at her and found her blankly staring right back at me. Our eyes stayed locked for some split seconds when she decided to look down. I than shifted two steps backwards and stood looking down at her.
"I couldn't sleep last night after whatever happened." I stated.
"Not because of the attack........ But because of YOU." I said, looking straight into her eyes. She too looked at me for a moment while her brows did a nose dive and again looked down at the bed.
" As far as I know, I am the most hated man in your life. And you see, by letting me die you would have easily gotten your freedom back. So, I want to know that why did you save me ... ?? " I asked.
"When I ask you questions, you never bother to answer atall. And now you are asking me one?? " She calmly gave a mean reply, looking elsewhere.
I could make out from her reply that just like me in the past, she too didn't wanted to answer my question.
What can I say ..... karma just hits back like this?
Sighing I slightly nodded my head in disappointment for remaining answerless. I just bowed my head and turned back to walk away, but before I could step out of the door she spoke.
" Unlike you. I don't believe in killing......... and ' PUNISHING' someone for no matter what." She emphasised the word 'punishing' giving me a verbal pinch through her words.
I took a deep breath and turned to listen to her as she continued
" You are right, I have never hated anyone like the way I hate you."
Hearing this my heart bled and burned at the same time causing me an extreme internal pain, which I somehow gulped it in, without letting it reflect on my straight face.
" But, You are a good King who has a kind heart for your people. You have been harsh with me for your reasons, but I am not blind to not notice your care and affection towards your people. They, too, respect and love you the same way you do. And if you ask me, I would say 'A good King is always worth saving'."
As she just now said, that she hates me which was a painful fact, the thing which I already knew but as a king, she sees me as a good man too, and that just sounded like honey to my ears. She noticed something good in me, in spite of hating me, was actually kinda achievement for me. I stared at her, being dumbfounded after hearing her.
After a long pause, I spoke, " Good to know that from you." I said that from the core of my heart.
She thought that after getting my answer I would vanish from her sight, but instead I walked a further inside the room and sat at the edge of the bed keeping a good distance between us while facing the wall.
" After I lost my mother due to a rare incurable disease, It was just Me, my father and my aunt Priyambada were left behind as a family. My aunt was my father's only sister whom he treated as his daughter and loved and cherished her dearly. I used to call her priyambu. She was my aunt in relation , but even though she was my aunt due to our lesser age difference, I always took her as my elder sister. Many a times we ended up fighting with each other like any other siblings. Why won't I, I was just a nine-year-old boy." I spoke and side glanced at Nandini who was too looking back at me, listening carefully. She understood that today, right now, I was answering her questions which I have never answered her before. I was answering the question she always kept on asking about our past family history. The reason why she was held captive by me.
I continued,
" Both of Our fathers were once very close friends to each other. They both met in their Gurukool (School of that era) and ever since then they were friends. Before your father got married to your mother he use to frequently visit our palace."
" Just like that, one day he visited my father but on the same day my father got an urgent message for an immediate visit to the neighboring Kingdom. My father left, living me, your father and my young aunt Priyambada behind in the palace. Your father, instead of being responsible, he drank to his core and was soon out of his stable senses and to satisfy his sexual appetite of lust, he made his way towards my aunt's room."
"The one who was suppose to protect her. He ..... He .... beat her and raped her . When my father returned. He found my innocent aunt's wrist bleeding. She was no more alive as she took her life out of shame. Your father was so drunk that he was found unconscious on the very same spot, shamelessly lying on my aunt's bed. The sudden loss of my innocent aunt drove my father crazy with rage. Finding his daughter like sister dead, he lost all his control upon him, and so he hit his rapist friend. The wrestling fight gradually grew bigger and graver. Later they ultimately uncovered their swords which clinked so hard that either of their swords could have broken by their forces. Nobody was to stop. For the matter of fact, my father wouldn't have been stopped by anyone at that time as his head was on fire. While fighting, my father accidentally was disarmed, and he fell on the ground on his back. I knew what was about to happen, so I rushed in the middle to save my father, but your father pushed me away so hard that my head dashed to the pillar nearby. I was in the verge of fainting but before closing my eyes, I saw your father relentlessly thrust his sword into my father's gut and snatched both my aunt and my father from my life on the very same day." To this I stopped narrating her the entire tragic story of my family. I actually kind of relieved those dreadful moments of my life, which I never ever wanted to.
Every scene was just alive again and was playing in front of my eyes. My chest suddenly tightened with uneasiness. The sadness engrossed me so much so that I was finding it difficult to breathe anymore. I just shot up on my feet and without looking back or uttering a single more word to my only audience; I just rushed out and headed straight for my room.
Reaching in my room, I threw everything I found near. My rage bursted out on every object which was within my reach. After a few moments of throwing and tearing things apart, I got drained out and finally sat on the ground in the middle of my room.
And as I feared, it was happening again with me. The guilt of cheating on my father again took on the possession of my me, and at the same time I did not wanted to kill the feelings for Nandini. Even with all my rage and anger I did not wanted to let the feelings for her drift away, but I knew one thing for sure that, revenge and love cannot sail in the same boat, especially when they are interconnected to each other.
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🧚♀️: At last Siddharth told his painful story and the reason behind his revenge ......
But what will Siddharth do as he hangs between his love and his revenge ??
Will he turn his back to Nandini, or will he fight back to get her ??
What do you think about this chapter ??.... Do let me know in your comments
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