I apologise for the delay, but it was difficult to write with all the tiredness and dizziness. I will try to update the next chapters sooner.

Chapter 28 ~ Eyes do the Speaking

Abhinandan POV

I would never talk to her. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, waiting for her to call me and say something.

She had to say something.

I saved her from getting married to Shantanu. He was not into her. How could she be angry over not getting married to someone she hardly knew?

He was a stranger and a soldier; for me, he could not be trusted.

However, I was someone she knew, a prince, and could be trusted.

She could trust me.

I would never hurt her or do anything she did not like. What was her problem?

I kept waiting for her to amend her mistake. She could not be rude to me. She was never like that. She always spoke with calm and delicacy with me.

I liked her that way.

As time passed, I felt dizzy and almost fell asleep, but she did not say anything.

It hurt me. It broke something in me. I felt as if I had forced her to marry me. Or maybe she was just angry with the way I married her.

But she should not be. Her father accepted us, and our family welcomed us. What was the problem?

"Trisha," I called out slowly.

I wanted to know the problem.

Turning around, I looked towards her. She was facing the opposite direction. And I slowly pulled the comforter down.

My breath hitched as my gaze fell on her shoulder and the back. I immediately looked away. Her blouse was smaller. I could see everything.

But the colour looked beautiful on her, and I brought my gaze back.

Her braid rested between us like a snake, stopping and threatening me to shift closer to her. The hem of her blouse curved perfectly along her edges. Only a single knot covered her back. It was beautiful.

Her waist was small. I looked at my palm, and a smile appeared on my face. It was perfect for my hands.

And suddenly, my gaze noticed the mole under her nape. It was dark, pitch black, and tiny. She was tanned, and the difference was visible through her arm and waist.

"Trisha," I called again. My voice hardly came out. I did not know even if she would answer what I had said.

She never answered. And I gulped silently, staring at her, noticing every minute detail of her shoulder, back and nape.

I could not dare to touch her. She was way too precious. She was way too pure.

The fact that she was to be a saint meant that lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego never touched her. I did not even know how I would make myself go near to her, let alone make a baby, that too when she was this angry.

It was not like she was denying to sleep with me. But, her using the words and intention of sleeping with me was threatening, not welcoming.

Suddenly, she moved, and my heartbeats raced. I immediately closed my eyes with fear. I felt her changing her sleeping side, and I opened my eyes once she was calm again.

My breathing slowed down when I saw her sleeping face. It was the first time I had seen her sleeping. Her eyes were closed, and the curved, thick lashes rested on her cheek. The almond and spotless glow on her face were attractive. I never knew that she could be this beautiful. Her lips made me inhale deeply, and I could not help but remember roses.

They were just an inch away from mine that day.

It was not like I wanted to touch them, but I did want to touch them. I wanted to know how they would feel, what a man would feel touching a woman like hers, and how I could cover the distance of miles between us. Whatever it was was only in my head, and I could not bring it out. I looked away, gulping silently.

It was inappropriate to look at her like this when she was sleeping.

But I could not help but notice her hand between us. It was painted in attractive red. Her nails were trimmed, and her fingers were covered by that an inch. There was a big circle in the middle.

She was my bride.

She was my wife.

Knowing this, I touched her hand with my finger and gently tried to flip it. But suddenly, she opened her eyes and immediately sat up, pulling her hand to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a slightly frightened voice.

"Nothing," I breathed out. "I was just trying to see your palm," I added, and she shrunk a little. The way she brought the comforter to her chest made me look away.

I made her uncomfortable.

"I am sorry; I did not mean to frighten you," I said in a slow voice, and she sat still.

"Do you want to... do that?" she asked in a slow voice, and I exhaled deeply, closing my eyes and shaking my head in disbelief.

This was not why I married her.

I wanted to marry her because I wanted to talk to her, to hear her speak, to see her smile, to see her do her work. And nothing of that was happening.

Because she could not understand the actual reason, she could not digest that I wanted to marry her because I just wanted to marry her. She asked me for a different reason. What could it possibly be?

I did not say anything and turned my face around. She would never understand. She was not even trying.

She did not want to talk to me momentarily without being angry. It was like, suddenly, all she wanted was to leave me as fast as she could. All she was asking was for the act of making a baby, which was not that easy.

At least not for me.

I could not touch her until she would not make me touch her. I did not know what it was. But it was messed up.

After some time, I felt her lay back in the bed, and I fell asleep.

When I woke up in the morning, she was not in bed. Even so, she was ready in her fresh new yellow attire and had fruits with Daadisa in her tent.

I peeped a little and went away from there. At least she looked happy with her, unlike with me.

After I got ready and everyone had breakfast, we resumed our journey towards the temple.

And, by the afternoon, we reached the base of the mountain on which the temple was located.

The soldiers and attendees set up the tents, and we changed into regular clothes—the plain attires. Daadisa could not climb those stairs; she chose to stay behind with the convoy.

Only Trisha and I had to do the rest of the journey.

We both bid goodbye to the convoy and silently moved ahead. The way was through a slightly dense forest; it was cloudy, too.

She walked silently beside me, taking care not to slip on the damp and decaying leaves scattered around. It was silent here. The only noise was our footsteps and her wedding bangles and anklets.

I could not help but watch her. She looked like the old Trisha in plain yellow attire, but her face seemed upset.

"Trisha," I called out, but she ignored me and kept walking. We passed a few tall trees, and I tried to call her again.

"Trisha," my voice was louder this time. Yet she walked silently, and when the tiny puddle came in the way, she lifted her skirt a little bit. My gaze noticed her inked feet in the tiny bellies.

I wanted to know how she felt, what she wanted, and why she was not talking to me.

"Trisha," I called out again, and she walked ahead. I immediately raced up and said.

"Trisha, hamari baat to suniye,"

"Trisha, at least listen to me,"

She immediately turned around and looked at me. Her eyes were slightly red.

"Ji, boliye Yuvraj,"

"Ji, Yuvraj,"

Her voice sounded weak, and I could not help but stare blankly into her eyes. I felt lost for words.

"Why are you not talking to me?" I asked, and she gulped, lowered her gaze, and counter-questioned.

"What should we talk about?"

I looked away for a moment.

"Anything, nature, walking, why is it so silent?" I asked, and she lifted her gaze to me.

"You can tell me whatever you want," she said with a slight smile and turned around.

"Please do not be angry with me," I requested, walking beside her.

"I am not," she muttered slowly.

"Are you unhappy with our wedding?" I asked further, and she shook her head.

"I was getting married, and I am married. Why should I be unhappy?" She asked in response.

"Because I am not Shantanu," I said, and she inhaled deeply. "By any chance, did you love him?" I asked, keeping the heavy burden on my chest. My fingers almost shook with the consequences of my actions if she said yes. I would never be able to forgive myself.

"No," she muttered, and I lowered my gaze with a slight relief.

"Then why are you angry? Do you hate me that much?" I asked again, walking beside her, and she shook her head.

"I am not angry," she said, and I could not help but hold her hand. She turned around to look at me with questioning eyes.

"You are not happy either," I said, and she shook her head.

"Why should I be happy?" She asked, and I immediately stepped closer to her.

"Because you are married to me," I said, and she smiled weakly.

"Only for the child," she muttered, and I gulped, shaking my head.

"That is not the only reason I married you," I said, and she knit her brows.

"I simply wanted to marry you," I clarified, and she chuckled all of a sudden.

"Ji, Yuvraj," she said, and I did not know what it was. All of a sudden, her laughter made my stomach ache.

"And I was angry that you hid all those things from me. I wanted to punish you," I said, and she smiled even wider.

"That's great," she said, and I tried to look into her eyes.

"Trisha, do you not want to talk to me?" I asked again, and she kept focusing on her feet.

"I am listening to you," she answered, and I lowered my gaze.

"What do you want?" I asked further, unable to digest her silence. It was painful.

"I have everything," she said, and I gathered my courage to walk near her. She did not even look at me, but I wished to hold her hand.

"Trisha," I spoke slowly and touched her wrist. She slowed down and did not do anything.

I stopped, and she turned to look at me. "What?" she asked and sighed deeply. "We will get late,"

"I do not care," I said, pulling her closer. I cannot see our Gods see my newlywed bride with a sad face," I said, and she smiled weakly.

"I am not upset. I do not feel anything," she said, and I shook my head.

"Trust me, I know you enough to distinguish if you are sad or not," I said, holding her hands in mine.

She shook her head. "That means you know nothing about me. I am perfectly fine," she said and tried to pull her hands away. And do not worry if I am upset or not. We are not the real husband and wife," she added, and I lowered my gaze.

I could not say anything else and just walked silently beside her. I knew she was still angry but not showing it. All I wanted was to see the reason. It was because she did not want to marry me, or the way we married, or there was something else.

I knew that I should hate her for whatever she did to me. I knew she deserved to be upset, but I just could not see her being upset.

Because if I did not, nobody would ask her how she was doing. Her father did not talk to her well, and she was not very open when talking. But she was the best listener.

Suddenly, my sight fell on a blackberry tree.

"Trisha," I immediately called her, and she turned to look at me.

"Blackberries," I said, picking one from the ground, but she did not show any interest.

"You can eat," she said and continued walking.

I sighed deeply, wondering what else I should do. I could not see her like this. She was not showing interest in anything.

I threw that blackberry away and kept walking after her. We trekked for a while and finally reached the temple's den. It was almost late evening, and the priest was to begin the evening Aarti.

It was a different kind of silence here. The bells rang, sending a wave of peace into my body.

I noticed Trisha kneeling and placing her forehead on the floor. I could not help but follow her. 

As we both walked inside, the smell of incense and the soothing vibrations of the temple gave me goosebumps on my arms. There was a different energy here. Amid the coldness, I could feel the warmth of a Godly presence. It was like something was alive here, and I could feel closer to the Almighty.

As we approached the deity's statue, Trisha kneeled and joined her hands. I followed her silently but could not keep my eyes away from her face. I noticed the silent tears rolling down her cheeks with her eyes closed.

It ached something in me.

I immediately looked away, waited until she finished praying and stood up to her feet again. We both took part in the evening Aarti and, after that, did the offerings.

"Pandit ji, she is Trishalini," I said once the priest noticed us. He knew me already, and when I bent down, I looked at Trisha bending down to touch his feet.

"God bless you," he said, placing his hands on both of us.

"The new member of Mahableshgarh," he said with a weak smile, and Trisha straightened up after me.

"Ji," I said, looking at him, seeing her face.

"A great deal of patience you have," he muttered, placing his hand on her head. "Keep it that way, and it will lead you out of the darkness, my child," he added, and I knit my brows with confusion.

And, suddenly, he looked at me. "Take care of the eyes; they always tell the truth,"

I gulped and nodded.

We both did the rest of the rituals and by the time we were done, it had turned dark.

"I think you both should spend the night in the nearby den. It is good to step down the forest at this time," the head priest said, and I looked at Trisha, who looked at me with questioning eyes.

I simply nodded. I could not take any risk with her. We could leave early in the morning.

"Okay," I said, and one of the temple members guided us through a small way to show us the dens meant for priests and members.

"Here it is," he said, and I noticed Trisha holding my hand. I immediately lowered my gaze to our hands. So, she was finally holding my hand.

She looked at me, slightly afraid, as no woman was there. I could sense her discomfort, so I held her hand firmly while shaking my head at her.

There was no need to worry.

I had been here many times. It was absolutely safe except for the wild animals making the noise.

"There is no one around. So, you can rest well and keep a fire torch lit all night in case any wild animal walks in," he informed me, and I nodded.

Hooking the fire torch in the hanger, he left, and we both looked at each other.

"Are you okay?" I asked, and she gulped frightenedly.

"It's scary," she said, and I could not help but chuckle.

"So, the scary was meant to make you talk," I said, taking her further into the den. We both noticed a single mat on the floor. It was utterly empty—just a water pot and a glass inside.

She glared at me momentarily and walked inside with slow steps. I could hear her anklet bell echo in the den. I silently followed her and asked.

"Trisha, are you hungry?"

She turned around and looked at me. "It's beautiful and so silent here," a timid smile on her face. "Like you love," she added, and I sucked on my lips, nodding slowly.

"I like coming here and spending time. It brings me closer to what I want," I said, and she nodded.

"Do you want to eat something?" I asked again, and she stared at me briefly before slowly shaking her head.

"So, we should sleep?" I asked, and she lowered her gaze to the single, small mat on which we would hardly fit.

"You can be comfortable here. I am okay with the bare floor," she said, and I took a few slow steps towards her.

"We can adjust," I suggested and stood before her. She inhaled profoundly, looking into my eyes, and nodded, looking away. "Okay," she breathed.

"I will take the right side," she muttered, and I nodded.

"As you wish," I muttered, seeing her sitting to the right side. I walked around and sat at my side, too.

I saw her taking her bellies off, and I noticed her red, swollen toes.

"You are hurt," I said, and she immediately shook her head.

"It's alright. It's just that I am uncomfortable with wearing toe rings. They are heavy and really big," she muttered. I immediately turned towards her and touched her feet. She flinched before pulling them back.

Her eyes widened with shock.

"You do not have to wear them if they hurt you," I said, and she shook her head.

"Maasa said that I cannot take them off since I am married," she explained, and I knit my brows.

"You can," I said and took my hands closer to her feet.

"Yuvraj," she tried to stop me, and I pulled her feet towards me. She hissed in pain when I touched her toes. There were three silver toe rings in her three middle toes. It was covering her tiny toes from tip to end, and I could not stop myself from firming my grip around the first one to take it off.

"Yuvraj, you cannot," Trisha warned me and held my hand.

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Chapter 29 ~ Mere Touching

Trishalini POV

I felt his fingers touching my feet. I tried to pull my toes out of his hold, but he looked determined.

And, speaking of determination, I could not help but notice his desperation to know what was bothering me.

Truthfully, I was in a constant battle with myself. I couldn't quite grasp what was bothering me. It felt like I was entangled in a web of his expectations, unable to break free. The thought that he married me for his father's sake was a heavy burden, making me feel like I was just a means to fulfil his desires.

I was just a way to bring his child into the world—nothing more and nothing less.

Remembering it, I tried to pull my feet back again, but suddenly, he lifted his gaze and glared at me. I could see the slight anger on his face.

"You do not have to do this. I'm fine. This is not your problem," I asserted, and he averted his gaze.

"Everything related to you is only my concern, Trisha," he said, and I looked away. The thunder of emotions caged me, the brutal reminder that the foundation of our marriage was revenge and punishment. And, he must never cross that. Neither should I.

I knew his family was welcoming and good to me. But they were mostly doing it to keep him happy. They did not want to lose their son. And somewhere, I was the way in that. By accepting me, they proved that they loved him.

So, technically, no one cared what I was thinking or wanted. Especially myself.

I was missing my father insanely. I was missing my cottage and the cows. I was missing everything about my old life. It was like I never existed. No one knew me, and I was happy about that. But suddenly, everyone was paying attention to me, wanting to see and judge how beautiful I was.

I did not ask for any of this, but I did desire to be near him. It was only to be near and talk to him, but not a strong one or something I was serious about.

"Isshhhhhh," I winced in pain all of a sudden and came out of my chain of thoughts. My sight fell on him, taking the toe rings off. The swelling and thrushes were terrible and painful.

"Why did you not tell me that you were hurting?" he asked, and I blinked silently, fighting my tears not to roll down.

"Why does it matter to you that I was hurting?" I asked, and he gulped, staring into my eyes.

"You are my wife, my friend, and it does matter to me that you are hurt," he said, and I tried to pull my feet back.

He held them firmly, and I shook my head. "We are not friends. Friends do not threaten and punish each other," I said, and he replied in the same tone. "Friends do not hide things from each other, either,"

"That's why we cannot be friends anymore," I clarified and looked away.

"As you wish," he said, pulling the other toe ring from my toes. "But, since you are here because of me, It's my responsibility to take care of you," he added, and I lowered my gaze.

He also pulled the third toe ring out, and I looked at my foot.

"You do not have to wear them anymore. I will talk to Maasa," he said, and I gulped to hear him. "This holds greater significance in married life, Yuvraj. It tells everyone that I am your wife," I said, and he looked at me.

"Everybody does not need to know that you are my wife. Only I have to know that you are my wife, and I know it. I do not need this materialistic reminder to know that I am married to you, and you are married to me," he said, and I gulped silently.

He caressed my feet, and I could not help but feel odd. Husbands were not meant to touch their wives' feet; he was not just a husband. He was the Prince, the next King, and seeing him touch my feet made me feel odd at best.

"It must be hurting badly," he said, caressing the tip of my toes, and I slowly pulled my feet back.

"I am perfectly fine," I tried to say, and he lifted his gaze to look into mine. I could not help but feel the untold warning behind his intense eyes. I knew he would not like it if I did it one more time. He was born stubborn.

"Show me the other feet," he said before touching the toes of my other feet. Slowly and gently, he pulled out the toe rings, and I looked at my feet. They looked horrible.

"Thank you," I muttered, but it did not seem like he was done. As he stood up and walked to the burning oil lamp, my heartbeat stopped when he held the hot lamp in his hand and dropped the oil in his palm.

"You will get burned," I warned him, but he did not listen and came back to me.

"This will ease the pain," he said, waiting until the oil in his palm cooled. Then, he rubbed his palms together and placed my feet in his lap.

"You can lay down," he suggested, and I shook my head. How could I lay down in front of him, and that too, keeping my feet in his lap?

"No one is watching," he assured me, and I could not help but feel comfortable under his protective eyes. I knew, over everything, he would never hurt me. I knew that whatever he said was his anger. And, because he expected more from me. He expected me to tell him the truth.

But it was not my place to tell him about the King's health. He himself did not want his family to know about his health, and I could tell his son, against his wish.

"Trisha," he said, and I blinked silently and lowered my gaze before lying down. Exhaling deeply, I kept my gaze fixed on him because I could not see anything else.

I winched in pain when he touched my feet. But, the pain felt good, coming from his hands. They felt slightly rough against my feet. But my feet were nothing against his hands. I was ugly.

My lashes were forced low, and my heart began to calm down when he gently massaged my feet with the oil. It sent a sense of ease through me. My feet hurt the whole way.

I could not help but find him insanely beautiful in the dim lighting of the den. This was the most precious thing about him. He never made me feel low. He never behaved like a prince before me until recently, when he asked me to marry him.

The way he stopped me from calling his name and corrected me with 'Yuvraj', a part of me ached.

His fingers moved from my toes to my heel. And suddenly, I could not but feel a slight tickle, and a smile appeared on my face.

"That's enough," I said once he was done applying the oil to both my feet, and he looked up at me.

"You should have told me that it's hurting you," he said, and I slowly moved aside and shifted to the ride side of the old mat.

"And, what did you have done?" I asked before sitting up, and he looked at me, shifting beside me.

"I would have picked you up," he said, and I chuckled.

"What? You cannot think that I can pick you up," he asked with the knit and challenging brows, and I shook my head.

"You can pick up the whole world on your head. Who am I?" I said, and he looked at me with questioning eyes.

I gulped, waiting for him to look away so I could take the dupatta off me and use it as a comforter. It was getting cold here.

"What?" he asked, finding me looking at me.

I cleared my throat. "It's getting cold here," I said, and he lowered his gaze with confusion. "Oh, so?" he asked in a slow voice, and I looked away.

I did not know what he was thinking, but I really hoped that he was not thinking that during this time. We were around the temple.

"Should I go and fetch a comforter?" he asked, and I lifted my gaze to look at him. He also looked at me. His eyes were soft, and in no condition I could leave him alone. The wild animals would be out, and I did not want to be alone there.

I shook my head slowly and lowered my gaze. I knew he was watching when I untucked the dupatta from my waistband and opened its pleats.

"We can use it," I tried to say, but my voice hardly came out. I did not know, but it made me feel timid. And, somewhere good.

He immediately looked away and cleared his throat before laying back.

"I do not need it. You can... use it," his words lost their strength, too, and I could not help but lay down silently. The mat could hardly fit both of us, so when we lay down, our arms touched.

I immediately shifted on my side and faced the other direction. My dupatta covers me to my shoulder. The rocky and uneven floor beneath us was uncomfortable.

Suddenly, I felt him shifting to his side, too, and he blocked the coldness from behind without touching me. It felt good.

I closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to come and take the awkwardness between us away. Even Daadisa was not here, so I could avoid him. 

The sleep was nowhere, and it was pure silence. I could not hear anything but the noises of our breathing. My slight movement would make my anklet bells and bangles tickle, causing a painful and embarrassing disturbance.

The more I wanted to sleep, the more awake I felt. Knowing that he was asleep behind me was different. What would I say if he tried to touch me?

And, to make it worse, it was getting even colder.

Suddenly, I felt him shifting closer, and my eyes widened with shock. I could feel his chest closer to my back.

There was a brutal silence between us. It was threatening me. But, he would not do anything, I knew.

I kept waiting and waiting, but he did not move any further.

So, I closed my eyes.

When I was about to fall asleep, I felt him shifting closer to me again. This time, his chest touched my back, and he slowly moved inside the dupatta, which was not very big to cover us both.

I gulped silently and asked.

"Are you feeling cold?"

"Umm-hmm," he hummed almost against my ear, and a shiver ran through my body. His voice felt deep, something that could bring goosebumps all over.

It was not always like this. His voice was soft and soothing when he was young. But now, it was manly, kingly, and, most importantly, seductive.

"I want to hug you," he muttered in a slow voice, and I lay frozen. My eyes were always shut, but my skin could see as clearly as theirs.

He shifted closer, and I inhaled deeply, feeling his warm chest against my back.

He slowly pushed his bicep under my head, and I could not help but gulp timidly.

"Are you okay?" he asked slowly, and I tried to behave as if I were asleep. I did not reply, nor did I open my eyes.

I did not have the courage to talk in such a situation.

Suddenly, I felt his hand under my head, reaching for my left hand. I opened my eyes slowly and noticed his fingers opening my closed finger and looking at my palm.

He shifted his face closer and placed his cheek on mine. He was not putting all his weight on it, but it felt comforting.

I could hear his breaths even clearer now, and his warmth was soothing me.

"Seeing you wearing bangles and anklets for someone else is maddening," he whispered slowly, only for me to hear. I blinked silently, watching our fingers touch each other.

My hand was relatively significantly smaller for his. He could crush me in moments.

"Why?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"I do not know," he muttered slowly, and I felt him putting his other hand on my waist over the dupatta.

"I do not know why it ached my heart. It felt like I would lose you forever," he said, and I slowly moved my head to look upon his face.

"Why were you scared of losing me?" I asked, staring into his eyes. They were closer to me, more than ever. His thick brows were attractive, along with the dark lashes. He had an exquisite manly face that people could watch for long.

He gulped, and slowly, I felt his hand on my waist, holding my right hand. He pressed my fist with him, and I could not help but inhale sharply.

He was way too more muscular than me.

"I do not know," he muttered, and I noticed his gaze dropping to my lips. I was caged.

My heartbeats raced, and I could not help but feel my lips quivering. He could not stare at my lips like this. It did not feel suitable for a few reasons. Or it felt different. I did not know what exactly it was.

He lifted his gaze back to my eyes as if he was questioning something. It twisted my stomach badly. I could feel my heart coming out of my chest at any moment. I could not even run from here. And he did not have any reason to stop.

But my heart did not feel good. It's not exactly well, but it's not very bad either.

Suddenly, he brought his lips closer to mine, and I immediately pushed my face back, pressing against his bicep even more. My lips parted, breathing heavily with the fear, and my eyes fell close.

I was shaking.

His lower lip quivered between my lips, and his upper lip almost touched me below my bose.

Our lips merely touched each other's. But they were dangerously close, and we both could feel each other breathing into each other.

My fingers of both hands had fisted tightly against his, and I could not help but lay frozen.

He pressed his forehead against mine, and I could feel that he was stopping himself.

Or I stopped him.

Suddenly, he lifted his face a little up, and I immediately looked away. It was very close. I could feel my heartbeats audible. My cheeks had turned red, and he gently pressed his lips behind my ear, and I shut my eyes closer.

I heard him groan inaudibly and whisper very slowly. "I am sorry. Your lips are... inviting," his words made me feel even more timid.

I could not believe he was the same man who did not even dare to look into my eyes. How could he make me feel this?

I had never felt it before.

It was like lightning had struck me all of a sudden.

"Have you always felt like this about me?" I could not stop myself from questioning him, and he replied against my ear. "No,"

"Even I do not know why I feel all of this all of a sudden," he added, and I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down.

"We are in the temple," I reminded him, and he sighed deeply. It sent shivers all across my nerves if it was so deep.

"I know," he muttered.

And I did not say anything else. Neither did he. We both lay frozen like this, not talking to each other, not looking at each other, but at each other.

His body did not make me feel cold, and in a few moments, we both calmed down.

His hands were still touching mine, and his cheek was still against mine, but it was calm.

And thankfully, after some time, we both fell asleep.

I woke up at my usual time and found his weight slightly discomforting. My lashes battled to open as I was dead tired from the trek.

But, we could not sleep much; otherwise, we would be late to reach the convoy. Also, I was hungry.

His cheek was still on mine, and his hands were also holding mine. I could not help but slowly pull my hand out of his hold.

"Yuvraj," I muttered in a slow voice and shifted a little to lie on my back. But the dupatta slipped off my stomach when I tried, and his hand felt warm against my belly.

I immediately felt alert.

"Yuvraj," I said again, but he seemed to be sleeping with all sorts of comfort.

I could not help but hold his hand and gently push it away. Suddenly, he inhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

His sleepy eyes met mine, and he asked.

"What happened?"

His voice flipped something inside my stomach, and I shook my head.

He immediately placed his head on my shoulder, and I could not help but exhale deeply.

Why was he so young?

"Get up; I am not your mother," I said, referring to the way he had his head on my shoulder and trying to push his hands away from my stomach.

But he immediately pulled me closer, and I felt him snaking his hand around my belly. My eyes widened with shock.

"Do you not dare bring my mother between us," he warned me, and I could not help but stay frozen. The way he touched the curve of my bare waist fearlessly sent shivers into my body.

"Okay, I am sorry," I muttered, holding his wrist, trying to push him away.

"If you keep sleeping, we will get late," I said, and suddenly, he placed his leg over mine.

"What are you doing?" I immediately asked, trying to push him away.

"Sleeping," he whispered in a sleepy voice, and I shook my head.

"Yuvraj, we will get late. Daadisa would be worrying for us, and the soldiers might begin searching," I told him, and he opened his eyes, inhaling deeply.

"It took me six years to place my head on your shoulder and you cannot even stay shut for a while," he muttered and immediately pushed me away.

What the hell?

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Chapter 30 ~ The Fight

Trishalini POV

He pushed me away, and I sat up, looking at him with shocked eyes. He had my dupatta wrapped roughly around him. And I shook my head in disbelief.

"Akeli chali jao. Hume nahi jana,"

"Go alone. I do not want to go," he said, and I immediately looked at him.

"I did not come here a. one. How can I go alone?" I said, trying to make him understand. He looked at me with sleepy eyes.

And suddenly, I realised he was seeing me without anything wrapped around me.

"Give me my dupatta back," I immediately leaned forward to grab it, and he pulled it back.

"You did not let me sleep," he said. And I could not believe it.

"How old are you?" I asked, and he sighed deeply.

"Ab to hum bilkul nahi denge, ese hi jao wapis,"

"Now, I will never give it back to you; go back like this only," he said, and I looked away. How could he be like this?

"You want me to go like this?" I asked, unable to believe that he was a royal.

He nodded slowly, and I could not help but close my eyes.

"Or let me sleep for a little more time, and we can go together," he said, and I shook my head.

"No way, once awake, I cannot sleep again. You can wake up, and we can walk around and see the beautiful morning," I suggested, and he closed his eyes and rolled the dupatta around his fist.

"Go alone," he said, and I sighed deeply.

"Yuvraj, give my dupatta back," I said, but he ignored me.

"I cannot go out like this," I said, and he opened one eye and patted his chest.

"Then, come here and sleep with me," he said, and I looked away.

"This is not happening," I said, leaning forward to fetch my dupatta. But he immediately extended his hand away from me, and my eyes enlarged with anger.

"You will regret this," I warned, leaning forward to reach his hand. My braid fell forward and danced on his chest as I tried to get his fist.

"Yuvraj," I said, and he chuckled, looking at me.

"How old are you?" he asked, and I sat up, failing terribly. He was taller than me. I could never reach his hand.

"Fine," I said and inhaled deeply before laying beside him.

"Let's sleep for a little more time," I said, and he placed his hand on mine and placed it over his chest. I saw him opening my fingers, and he said while looking at my henna.

"Does this darkness mean that Shantanu loves you a lot?" he asked, and I sighed deeply.

"What a stupid question it is?" I asked, and he looked into my eyes.

"Or does it mean that I have stronger feelings for you," he said, and I looked into his eyes.

"You can never have feelings for me," I said, and he knitted his brows.

"Why?" he asked, and I looked at his fingers holding my fingers and asked.

"How difficult was it for you to say that, Trisha? I want to marry you because I like you?" I could not stop myself from saying it, and he turned silent. I noticed his finger tracing the henna design in my palm when he muttered slowly.

"Very difficult,"

I gulped and lowered my gaze.

"Why? Am I that ugly to be likeable?" I asked and looked into his eyes. He looked back into mine and shook his head.

"I hate you," he said, and I blinked silently. "You proved yourself as a terrible friend. You never wanted to see me. You never wanted to know how I was doing. You only came to meet me in Pratapgarh because you were following the King's order. And you lied when I asked you. You lied right to my face. Amid everything that happened, I trusted and let you walk into my shell, but you betrayed me. But, still, I tried to understand your point and found it valid. But, again, I found your betrayal. You did not tell me about my father's health. You had so many chances, but you did not speak it out," he said, and I slowly pulled my hand back.

"I know," I muttered. "That's why I do not deserve you. I was okay with getting married to Shantanu. I thought you would forget me some time. I thought you would never get over the hate. And, honestly, we are poles apart. No matter that I am married to you, I will never be not a commoner. Also, you have punished me enough. My life had always been a joke to everyone, but now it's an even bigger one. So, it does not matter," I said and sat up.

"All my life, I kept accepting what people expected from me. First, my father, I did whatever I knew he would like me to do. When I was married, he did not even apply Haldi to or bless me. Then your father. I told him that we had not talked to each other for years, yet he asked me to convince you. I could not deny how he took his... turban off and requested me. And he told me that his family did not know about his health, so it was sure that he did not want you to know. Also, even if I had told you, it was not like you would have listened to me. You hardly wanted to talk about your father," I said, lowering my gaze. I felt him sitting, and I added.

"And then you," I inhaled deeply, standing on the verge of emotions, controlling my tears to not invade my vision and show me weakness, yet again. "And then you and your revenge. You made me marry you because your father wants grandchildren, and according to you, I care about him the most, and I must fulfil his wish," I said and bit my lips, trying not to break into my cries.

"I hate all of you. Each one of you. My father, your father and you. I was happy in my life, and you made me feel worse. My father would not like you but liked Shantanu; I tried to make him happy. I did not want to talk to you, but since your father requested, I tried to make him happy. And, I expected different things from you, but you asked me to be the mother of your child, and here I am trying to make you happy," I said, and the tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Trisha," he said, and I shook my head.

"Do not try to show the sympathies. I do not want them. I know how to cope with the heat because I have been burning since birth," I said, turning around to take the dupatta from his hand.

"And, one more thing. I wanted you to tell me you wanted to marry me because you liked me. It was when it was raining, and you came to meet me. Now, I do not want anything from you, and I will never want anything from you. It's better if we stick to the reason why we are married and do not pretend that there could be anything else," I said and rose to my feet.

"You ordered me to marry you as a Prince, and I married you for a purpose. Nothing can change it," I said, wiping the tears off my cheek. He was staring at me silently and nodded.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me," he said, standing up to his feet.

"It's better we should go back," he added and walked past me towards the exit of the den. I silently followed him.

We both trekked down without talking to each other. He was walking ahead, and I was silently following him. I knew he was hurt, but so was I.

He did not even care about my emotions. If I were wrong, how right he was?

By the time we reached our convoy, it was late morning. Daadisa smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"What took you so long?" she asked, and I bent down to touch her feet. He also touched her feet.

"God bless you," she muttered.

"We got late, so we stayed there for the night," I said, and she hugged me tightly.

"Have you rested well?" she asked, taking me to her tent, and I sat down after she did.

I nodded slowly, and suddenly, she placed her hand on my chin and asked.

"Did you two fight?"

I immediately lifted my gaze and shook my head slowly. "No," I muttered, and she looked at me with disbelief. She nodded with a smile.

"You must freshen up, and I will look after your lunch. You must be hungry," she said, and I held her hands.

"Daadisa, you should rest. I will see it," I said, and she shook her head.

"I cannot burden my newlywed granddaughter," she said, and I stood up and gently made her sit up.

"Trust me, I can take care of it. Otherwise, I will not be able to travel back peacefully," I assured, and she chuckled.

"Alright,"

Walking out of the tent, I immediately looked over the lunch, and once I was satisfied with it, I went to take a bath.

I asked Meenakshi to take care of lunch; meanwhile, I took my clothes and walked towards the bathing arrangement.

I had to hurry up. I parted the curtains and stepped inside. The smell of bathing oils immediately wrapped me. All of these were still new to me.

And the moment my sight fell on him sitting on a low-height stool. He was facing the opposite side, and I could not help but look away immediately. He was half naked.

But, my eyes betrayed me and turned back towards him. I could not help but see his naked back. He had three moles on it.

I turned around to walk out, but he stopped me.

"It's okay. I am almost finished," he said, standing up from the stool.

I gulped nervously and blinked silently when he turned around and looked at me. My eyes widened with slight shock. He looked even bigger when half-naked. The muscles in his body were visible, and his abs were. He looked different.

"Umm, I did not know you were here," I tried to say, lowering my gaze. But his approaching footsteps made me look up again.

"Of course; otherwise, why would you be here," he said, wrapping the cotton cloth around his chest. His foot-length loincloth was wet, too. His feet were bigger, way too manly.

"I must leave you alone," he said, walking past me. I lowered my gaze when he walked out.

Ignoring him, I focused on taking the bath and quickly changed into fresh clothes. I was feeling better without toe rings. I could hardly walk in them.

After taking the bath, I came back to my tent and found him all dressed in a new white pair of clothes. He lay on the bed with an apple in his hand. He looked at me as I walked in, and I sighed deeply.

"Have you had lunch?" I asked, opening my towel and letting my wet hair fall.

He did not answer and stared blankly at me.

"Your hair is so long," he commented with a ruffled mouth, and I looked away.

"Have you seen them before?" I asked, gently tapping my hair and brushing my fingers through it.

"Had you ever let me see you before?" he asked. I placed the towel on the bed and walked towards the table. I had to wear all my jewelry.

"I did not think about it," I said, picking up the bangles from the table.

"Why are you still hungry? Shall I bring your lunch?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I do not feel like eating," he said, finishing his apple and lying on his stomach.

I tried to slip on the bangles quickly, but the golden, thick one stuck to my hand. I looked at him, watching him, and he forwarded his hand, offering his help.

I inhaled deeply with frustration and walked towards him.

"I am new to all these," I said, sitting beside him, and he held my hand. I saw him gently pushing the golden bangles in my hand and said.

"Patience is the key to everything,"

I immediately chuckled. "And where was this knowledge on the day of our marriage?" I asked, and he smirked, looking at me.

"I take breaks often," he said, and I smiled. Once he was done with the first, I gave him my other hand. He shifted on his back and slowly pushed the bangles into my hand.

"How do you know this?" I asked, and he smiled.

"Growing up, Nandani used to bore me with all these things. She loved them and used to ask me to help her often. And that's how I know it," he said, and I looked at him.

"You love her so much," I said, and he smiled weakly. "I cannot help that," he replied.

He finished slipping the bangles into my hand, and I stood up from the bed to reach for the anklet bells.

And suddenly, I heard him standing up from the bed, and he said, catching my attention.

"Let me help," he offered.

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