Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

XXXV

Mriga snorted and said cynically, "Yes, I can imagine how daunting the task was. Vindhya seems almost perfect, doesn't she?"

In the descending twilight, Yash missed the expression on his face and replied very seriously, "You've overcome the problem. She is not only perfect but also has a great possibility of becoming our next Queen. Now you can imagine why my mother was like that because she was so interested in this association."

Mriga looked at him as she absorbed the implications behind his words.

After a short pause, she asked gently, "So, you mean I'll be the queen, your mother will gladly accept me?"

He looks confused.

"What's? Wait, no. That's not what I meant. My mother has always valued one's genealogy and abilities. In his eyes, Vindhya met all those criteria and hence he insisted on that match. But you don't have to worry about that. I know how to win her approval," while brushing her clothes, she stood up and extended her hand towards him.

Ignoring his support, Mriga also got up. There was a wave of anger within him that was slowly gathering momentum. In the past few years of his relationship with Yash, he had never seen this elitist side of him.

Eyes lit up, she asked in a deceptive soft voice, "In other words, regardless of what I do, I will never be good enough in her eyes for her son, right?"

"Why are you intentionally making me wrong at every point? I told you I'd handle it. All you need to do is give me time and trust me" he said, trying to maintain his composure.

He knew that he was upset right now but the situation before them needed to be handled patiently, not with anger or misguided emotions.

"really? So, I wonder how exactly are you going to convince her? From what you told me, I don't see any possibility where he'll say yes to us" Mriga challenged him.

Yash blinked at him and said, "I have an ace up my sleeve. Just leave it to me. And if you want to check the above with Vindhya, you can do it. I've already told you everything there is for Now, please can we not talk about this any further. We barely have any time left to be together in this period of time. I don't want to waste it on things that are out of our control right now."

Saying so, he pulled his stiff body into his embrace.

Mriga initially fought back but he did not let go.

After a while, he sighed and placed his head on his chest. Yash was relieved as he did not struggle to get out of his embrace anymore. But he misinterpreted his movements.

Mriga's mind had been detached from her other limbs at this moment. His actions are not a reflection of what he thinks.

I shouldn't have fallen in love with her. I'd rather be single, she recalled the confusion during her previous vacation as she considered whether to continue and take the next step with her.

"I'm tired and want to go to bed early. Good night!"

Mriga told him in a neutral voice when they got outside his dorm.

They walked back inside Gurukul almost without a sound. Yash sensed that he was still in shock after today's episode so he didn't push it any further.

"I understand. Don't think too much and go to bed early. Tomorrow is the last day we can be together before we go on holiday. Pack your things early so we can spend maximum time together, hmm?" he said with a soft tone.

Her heart was filled with fear as she confronted him about Vindhya. Although he had tried to remain calm and rational, the fear of losing him had hit him hardest at that moment.

He swore to himself that he would go and talk to his mother first instead of waiting for an opportunity, later. He could not allow any more misunderstandings with Mriga at this point of their relationship.

To everyone, she looked gentle and friendly but she knew for sure how resolute and firm she was, once she made up her mind.

Mriga was just sitting on her bed when Ishani came looking for her.

"Where have you been all day? Aren't we supposed to go and face Yash today?" he dropped himself on the bed and asked her.

Mriga raised her sad eyes and replied, "Well, the confrontation happened unexpectedly. I just got back from there."

Ishani saw his pitiful expression and immediately sat down.

"Tell me everything" he ordered.

Although Mriga did not want to relive those moments, she recounted the episode obediently to her friend. He knows that Ishani is worried about him.

"P*l*cur it! Look, you may have been convinced by everything but I'm not. I'll look for concrete answers now" he said hotly.

Mriga stopped her friend from getting up and asked,

"Where are you? He explained everything to me. I don't want to hear any more explanations."

He removed his hand from his friend's grasp and said,

"I'm not going to talk to Yash. I'll go to that haughty girl, Vindhya. He's the one with the answers."

Without waiting to hear any more objections from Mriga, he got up and walked away.

Mriga shook her head looking at the reaction of her hot-headed best friend. He felt too tired to get up and chase after her. Nothing's gonna change...

He knew that he had to get up early and replace Abhirath.

So, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But even after an hour of back and forth, sleep eluded him. Well, that's not a surprise, is it!

He got up in a huff and walked towards the pot of soil that was kept by the window to drink water.

"Ohhhh!" Mriga banged his toes hard against the wall in the dark interior.

Sensing his wound carefully, he realized that his big toe nail had been badly broken. Jumping on one leg, he walked towards the exit, to go to the public bathroom where the P3K box was stored.

"Oh!"

"You back?"

Ishani and Mriga meet at the door.

"I... uh," Ishani had spent the last thirty minutes thinking about how to tell Mriga about her conversation with the condescending girl.

He even called Vandit from his dormitory for advice.

But now that he was in front of her, Ishani did not know how to tell him.

"Please help me go to the bathroom. Looks like I need to apply Neem oil on my big toe," Mriga grimaced in pain and moved her weight to Ishani's shoulder.

After wrapping her toes, Mriga looked at her friend who was busy putting the P3K box back in the closet.

"So, how did it go?" he asked in a relaxed and gentle tone.

When Ishani and Mriga first became friends, they made a pact not to hide anything from each other. In addition, Ishani is the type of person who can't keep things for too long.

He grabbed Mriga's arm and helped her walk into the corridor. Standing beside one of the pillars, he said, "I met him and his faithful son right outside his dorm."

Mriga waited patiently as she saw Ishani struggling with words. It was clear from his attitude that he did not have any good news to convey. He took a deep breath and asked his mind to calm down.

"The girl was not surprised to see me and she did not pretend to be a stupid girl either. In fact, it felt like he had been waiting to say these things to someone. He told me that Yash was going through a tough time in the first crush. Being more mature and farsighted from him, he did not mind his actions because it was only a temporary phase. He knows how to wait for the right time. He also told me that he would spend his entire vacation at his house. Apparently, he's going to help her prepare for the Queen's contest. Her attitude was very demeaning, like she was already the Queen. Good Lord! I almost hit him." Ishani's voice was full of unspoken anger at the moment she said the last sentence.

Mriga put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Just tell me everything at once. Don't hold back. I'd better know everything in black and white, wouldn't I?"

Ishani's heart was broken seeing the expressionless pale face of her friend at this moment.

There was absolute silence in the corridor. It seemed that even the buzzing insects were holding their breath because of Mriga's reaction.

"Did you remember the Dean's office timings?" Mriga asks Ishani, surprising her with a change of topic.

"Huh? What is the Dean's relationship to this matter?" he asked his friend confusedly.

Mriga remained expressionless and waited. Ishani is not sure why she is asking about an unrelated topic at the moment, but she still answers.

"I think it operates between 7am and 7pm. Why?" he asked curiously.

Nodding her head, Mriga straightened up and said, "Thank you. I'm going to sleep now. You coming?"

Ishani's mouth was wide open looking at her friend's attitude.

It was as if he had not heard or understood what Ishani said just a moment ago. He stood there motionless, trying to understand his reaction.

Mriga started to limp towards the room. He stopped after a few steps and spoke without turning his head towards his friend.

"I don't want to talk about Yash and his future fiancee anymore. Do you agree?" he asked gently.

His words made Ishani faint. He ran to where Mriga was standing and grabbed her shoulder.

"Who? I don't know the person you're talking about. Let's go and sleep now. There's still a lot to be done before we go home, right?" with that, he squeezed a small amount on his friend's shoulder.

...****************...

03:30

Mriga's internal clock woke him up despite his sleep not soundly the night before. He got up and went to take a shower and changed his clothes before heading to the Admin building. His legs feel better now and he's not limping anymore.

...****************...

Shaurya Room, Admin Building

"You're on time. Sleep well?" Abhirath met him outside the room.

Mriga smiled slightly at Abhirath and asked, "How are you doing now? How's it going tonight?"

He tells her that Shaurya is agitated when the effects of the drug begin to diminish.

"He thrashed his arms and muttered indistinctly, but became calm when I gave him a dose. The effect of the drug will last until late in the morning. So, you don't have to worry about anything, "Abhirath finished it with a reassuring smile.

Mriga told him to go and sleep for a while and come back later. Although Abhirath was reluctant to leave her there, she knew that she was sleep deprived and would probably add to her workload here.

He said goodbye to her and entered the room. As usual now, he first went to check Shaurya's forehead.

The touch was cool and his breathing was not difficult either. His face looked childish in sleep, now not marred by frowning or pain. He went around the room, tidying up whatever was there.

Then he went to the kitchen to wash the jug and fill it with fresh drinking water.

He came to put it beside his bed and tiptoed out of the room again. Surveying the hall, he picked up a broom and other cleaning supplies.

After half an hour, he sat back down on his thigh. Sweat dripped from his forehead. During her stay with Shaurya on guidance days at the store, she realizes that cleansing is therapeutic for her chaotic mind.

Since last night, his head's been fucked. He had maintained a calm facade but everything slowly collapsed within him.

After listening to Ishani's words, she has formed an almost accurate idea of the real situation and not her DNA to run from facing the facts.

Any illusions he might have formed about his future with Yash had been shattered last night. He may like it but as it turns out, he is not allowed, according to his family's rules.

In Chandragarh, it is not mandatory to ask for parental consent before marriage as long as the legal age is met. But those who are afraid of their parents or depend on them to make decisions on their behalf, will not go out of the limits set by their families.

He was disappointed and hurt. Disappointed with himself for being so gullible and allowing his emotions to overwhelm his rational mind; hurt on Yash for being dishonest or brave enough.

And then there was a slowly burning anger burning in his mind, at Vindhya and Yash's mother as well as the 'ideology and values' they represented.

He got up and went to wash his hands and face before returning to Shaurya's side. Peering at his face from up close, he was satisfied with everything being fine with him. Fatigue overwhelmed him and he slid to the bedside and sat on the floor.

With her back resting on the bed, she covered her face with her hands. Before he knew it, streams of tears began to flow from his eyes.

It feels like the tap has been turned on. No matter how hard he tried, he could not stem the flow. Surrendering, he let a wave of misery take over him.

"Whaaaa.." a surprised screeches came out of his mouth as a hand coiled around his neck a few seconds later.

He tried to turn his head to look at Shaurya, who seemed to have woken up due to his sobs but his palms stopped him.

"I'm. I'm really sorry. I didn't realize it. I didn't mean to wake you up" she said with great embarrassment, facing away from him.

His voice was hoarse and his face was red.

Shaurya's index finger reached his lips and stopped him from speaking any further.

He could feel her moving on the bed.

'WHAT is he trying to do???' he thought with fear.

"Don't say anything. Don'tdon't move. Don't look at me. Just let go.." his voice sounded rusty, as if he had not used it for a long time.

Saying so, she gently pulled her head towards herself with her arms, making her lean on what looked like her chest. Keeping his arms tied around his shoulder, he let out a slow sigh and then calmed down.

Mriga, who had been prepared to die of humiliation a minute ago, found herself caught in the half-warm embrace of the last person from whom she had expected something akin to comfort. But that's what he offers – unconditional comfort.

At this moment, his identity, his relationship with him. He closed his eyes and let the tendons in his neck relax, leaning into the warmth of his body. He could hear his steady, faint heartbeat. It calms her down and helps her calm down.

The rushing pouring had stopped but the few remaining tears were still coming out of his eyes and landing on his forearm. None of them spoke for the next few minutes which could not be accounted for.

Sniffing, he finally said, "Ahem, I want to wash my face."

Wordlessly, he removed his arm and walked on the bed to turn his face to the other side as he stood up.

He looked at his back facing towards her with gratitude and relief. He was amazed by his sensitivity.

...****************...

Fifteen minutes back

Shaurya regained consciousness and blinked quickly to clear his vision. He was in his room and seemed to be injured, judging from the pain in his limbs.

He carefully touched his chest to find an ointment that might have been applied to the wound there. Also, the back of his throat was burning and felt like it was being dragged.