271 Marking the territory

Himprayag

"G… greetings to the queen. I am sorry. I didn't know that you were in here. I will come back…" Gayatri started retreating while she spoke.

She found out about Shaurya getting abducted half an hour ago and she had run to Ahilya to report about it. The princess had still been in bath at the time. Hence she had instructed Gayatri to get him released immediately.

"Stop right there. Did my daughter send you? Is she so worried about her new lover? And you, her faithful dog came running to do her bidding? As her most faithful pet, does your heart not hurt due to all the attention that she is bestowing upon her new puppy? For him, she even changed her gender preference. He must be really special, no?" the queen was openly mocking Gayatri.

Even though the attendants had left, Shaurya was still in the room and could see the blood leeching out of Gayatri's face with every word. But the queen didn't seem to be bothered about it. Looking at Gayatri standing there mutely, Shaurya wanted to protest strongly against the queen's unjust assumptions and unfair name-calling.

He was literally cursing the moment that the princess had come across him, next to the river.

How dare Queen Nayantara suggest that he was the one who seduced that whacko? Her daughter was the weird one, and also an infidel. Lover? Who wanted to be that woman's lover? Puppy? From what angle did he look like a dog?

"Tsk tsk… mother, are you bored? Playing with my people… are the king's concubines not keeping you occupied enough that you came to meddle in my business?" though the voice was lazy, her words were sharp enough for the queen to stiffen up.

Ahilya sauntered in and took stock of the situation through the corner of her eye. Her first glance was at Shaurya. After seeing that he wasn't hurt, her facial muscles relaxed a little. The queen and Shaurya may be oblivious to these small changes but Gayatri's eyes registered each and every nuance on Ahilya's face. Her heart which had been hurt many times already in the recent times, broke one more time at this moment. But by the time Ahilya turned to look at her, she had her emotions under check and presented a respectful demeanour.

When Ahilya had first heard about him getting caught, there was an impatient unease inside her. She wanted to get out of the bath immediately and run to this place. But she told Gayatri to do it instead. Once she left, Ahilya stared at her reflection in the heated water pool. The agitation on her face could be seen despite the ripples on the water's surface.

"It's because I can't afford to have the deal fall through with Chandragarh. If they come to know that I have treated their person wrongly, it might affect the proposal," with that logic to herself, she had calmed down and quickly gotten ready.

She was just in time to hear her mother's cutting remarks to Gayatri. Ahilya may be upset with her girl but that didn't mean that someone else could insult her.

"You are truly your father's daughter. One lover at a time isn't enough for you, right," the queen flung the venomous words at her daughter cruelly.

She didn't even bother about the audience in the room. Within an instant, Ahilya's expressions underwent a drastic change. Gone was the languid look, instead, she fixed a fierce stare at her mother.

"Gayatri, release the guy and send him to my chambers after the Vaidya looks at his wounds. Find the royal guards who dared to abduct my person and enslaved him. All of them will receive fifty whiplashes each. Since this was my mother's first 'mistake', don't execute the offenders. But next time…" she deliberately stopped speaking and smiled as her mother's face blanched.

Even though the guards had left the cell, they were stationed outside the cell and had been able to hear everything inside. Ahilya wanted to send a message to each one of them with this gesture. She didn't know the reason behind her mother's stupid actions but she couldn't afford a loss of face when in the middle of competing with her bast*rd brother for the throne.

"Mother, the snow has frozen the lake, making it look beautiful. Should we take a walk there and enjoy the view at this hour?" Ahilya's invite was more an order and the queen sniffed in anger but followed her out of the cell.

The minute that they reached the lake, Queen Nayantara spun on her feet and cried in anger, "You stupid girl! Your father is on the death bed and you want to play gender games at this moment. If the news about your actions spreads out, who will be willing to marry you? You will have enough time to expand your harem once your position is secure. Till then, keep your head straight. The royal family of Chambal will be visiting us this weekend. The crown prince has been brought up with all requisite skills of a good monarch. If you manage to impress him, we can pit him against that bas*ard of your father, Mithilesh. I have personally vetted him. He has all the requisite skills to make the king feel assured about passing on the throne to him once you are his lawfully wedded wife. Chambal needs our financial help badly, so it be a win-win for both of us."

"Haha…" Ahilya's harsh laughter rang out, echoing across the open expanse.

"So, my mother thinks that my capabilities are only limited up to being able to secure a political marriage. It appears that father seems to treat me better than you. At least, he deemed me worthy of receiving an equal chance. But in your eyes, I have never been good enough which is why others are needed to come and play on my behalf," she said bitterly.