-• a princess •-

I can only stand back and watch as he lets out an obnoxious scoff directed at me before walking past us, towards the ride waiting for him. He gets inside the buggy car parked under the thick shade of a tree and drives off.

"This is bad," I hear Tarun say. My nose scrunches in confusion.

"What?"

He shakes his head. "This is gonna take a turn for worse," he looks at me in fear.

"What do you mean?"

"He saw us!" Tarun exclaims disbelievingly.

"So? We weren't doing anything scandalous." I shrug incredulously.

"But didn't you see how he looked at us? What if he goes and tells your father? Or worse! The Crown Prince!"

"He'll not! And even if tells them, what is he going to say? I saw Taranya at the riverside with Tarun? Doing what? We were just having fun!"

"You don't understand," Tarun looks up tiredly at the sky.

"Then make me understand!"

"Tara!" He looks down at me. "People like you, don't hang out with people like me!" He points at himself aggressively. "We're from two different worlds. And yours is powerful."

"Don't panic!" I grab his shoulders. "Take a deep breath," I say softly.

"God, Tara!" He brushes off my hands.

I step closer and hold his arms once again. "Nothing will happen. Trust me. And if anything does happen, I'll take the fall for it, okay?"

"And what's changing?" He meets my eyes. "You'll be excused. I'll be the one held responsible. God, I should have known." He looks away from me.

"Tarun," I call for him desperately. "Please, don't panic."

"My future is on the line!" He widens his eyes at me in disbelief. "What do you mean don't panic? It's not a news that Prince Agastya doesn't like you. He'll use this for his advantage. I won't it put it past that man. He's petty."

"Look, when we sneaked out, we knew it's a possibility someone would see us-"

"But not him!"

I exhale loudly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He steps away and rakes a hand through his dark hair. "Tara, do me a favor and let's stop this. I can't be your friend. I'm sorry."

I look at him with tearful eyes. "You just said you're glad that I'm your first friend." I whisper in a weak voice.

"Yeah, I know. And I still am. But I can't throw my life away for something as stupid as friendship. My mother has worked hard to get this job. I can't do this to her. Not for a friend I met three days ago." He waves his hands around.

"Right," I nod, swallowing the heavy pill of being cast aside without a second thought. Then again, he's worried for his mother. I should have known. "It's my fault. You're right. Let's stop this. I'll treat you like you're used to. Let's go back," I say and start walking.

He sighs and falls in the step beside me. We reach the main gates in five minutes. I scan the card and the metal doors open with a thick grunt. I walk inside, halting when I find Tarun walking along with me.

"What?"

"Aren't you supposed to walk one step behind me?" I ask him bitterly.

His face flushes red in embarassment. "Right. I apologise, Princess Taranya," he steps back and bows his head in respect.

We enter the palace through the back doors. The long corridor leads us to the second living room, where surprisingly, everyone is present. My feet skid to an abrupt halt and that results in Tarun slamming into me from behind. I stumble forward a little, taking the hold of the vase table that makes it screech, successfully catching everyone's attention in the room.

Tarun gasps softly behind me.

Yuvraaj is sitting alone on the center sofa, clad in a white shirt and black slacks. The sleeves rolled up until his elbow, revealing the hint of black ink on his arms. Busy on his phone with his long legs crossed elegantly, an arm draped across the headrest, a thick gold band shining on his ring finger.

"Where are you coming from?" His deep voice reveals no emotion.

My eyes dart across the room, locating Agastya at the end of the staircase, leaning with his arms on the handrail, a sly smirk playing on his full lips.

I swallow thickly.

"I uh," I let out a shaky breath.

"Library, right? I saw you asking Tarun about the library on the ground floor." Vivaan jumps in unexpectedly, his eyes convincing me to play along.

"Ye- Yeah, the library." I nod rapidly.

"But you have one on the third floor." Yuvraaj reminds me.

I look at Vivaan in need of help.

"You know how Ayush is. He needs pin drop silence when he reads." He forces out a chuckle. "So, did you show her the library, Tarun?"

"Yes, Prince Vivaan," he agrees immediately.

"Good." Vivaan smiles tightly at me. "Do you like the library?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful." I answer vaguely.

"So, what did you read there?" Yuvraaj questions nonchalantly.

"Uh?" I narrow my eyes, playing dumb.

"Did you read something there?" He cocks a brow at me, casually focusing back on his phone.

"Oh, yeah, I did." I say hurriedly. "I mean, not read. Just picked out a few to read later." I tell him.

"Tell me the names," he asks.

"Are you interrogating her?" Dad asks in amusement.

"Just curious," Yuvraaj shrugs. "Yeah, so, the names?" He looks back at me.

I lick my lips, trying to remember any fucking book I've read in my lifetime. Should I rant off the popular ones? Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice. Nah, he's smart. He'll know I'm stating off the names of famous books.

"The Ruler of all Directions."

Yuvraaj stops looking at his phone and pays me attention. Even Agastya stops smirking. Ayush on the other hand can't resist a smile while Vivaan looks relieved.

"Queen Ahilyabai Chauhan and History of Jaigarh." I add, blowing softly through my mouth.

"Come here," he beckons me to his side, his voice softer now. I heave a relieved sigh and make my way to him. He pats the space beside him. I glance up at Agastya, slightly surprised he didn't call me out on my lie, but still a little grateful. He simply looks away. Smoothening the back of my dress, I settle down beside my eldest brother. "You must already know," he brushes the hair behind my shoulder and traces the path down my head before spreading his arm on the headrest. "But let me tell you, we're arranging a huge party this Saturday. Five days from now on." I nod, encouraging him to go on. "And we'll be introducing you as a part of this family." He looks into my eyes. "You understand what that means right?"

I stay silent, my heart practically in my mouth. He speaks with no emotions. It's absolutely a guessing game with him. You can't ever know his intentions behind the words he says. It's like trying to understand the meaning with the correct interpretation of it.

"What?" I whisper.

He leans in and cups my chin. "It means, that once you're acknowledged as a Chauhan in front of the world, there's no room for...." He glances toward Tarun before looking back at me. "Mistakes."

I clutch my dress in a fist.

"Or lies,"

My breath hitches in my throat.

He knows.

Agastya told him, didn't he? Fuck.

"I was at the river," I go out with it. I have no courage to lie in front him. He scares me so much.

I hear Tarun gasp.

Yuvraaj's grip on my chin tightens.

"I'm sorry," my eyes tear up immediately. God, I'm terrified of this man. "I'm sorry. I did not want to lie. I thought after what happened with Sam, you'll think wrong of me. But it's not Tarun's fault." A tear rolls down my eyes. "I forced him to take me to the river. I really wanted to see it. I'm sorry." I look down at my lap, my chest tightening in fear of his reaction.

His hold on my chin fades, and the same hand rises to cup my cheek fully. I lift my head, sniffling softly. He wipes off the tears with the pad of his thumb and sighs softly.

"Remember what I said when something similar to this happened last time?" He tilts his head to the side.

I nod.

"Words." He enunciates. "I need to hear you in words."

"The next time you do something like this, or lie to me for someone else, I won't let it slide." I repeat.

"Good," he nods. "You do remember. That means you must have mentally prepared yourself for the consequences."

That jolts me from the self-wallow. I look at him in confusion.

"Tarun, is it?" He looks at my friend.

Tarun lowers his head to the ground. "Yes, your highness."

"Does your mother work here or your father?"

"My mother," he answers.

"Go and get her," Yuvraaj commands.

Tarun looks up in terror. "Sorry?"

"Your mother. Get her here. Now."

His eyes meet mine and he lets out a shaky breath.

"It's not his fault -"

"Shh," Yuvraaj warns me.

I clamp my lips shut.

"Do you need a written statement?" He snaps at Tarun. My new friend shakes his head hastily and scrambles off in the direction of the kitchen. He comes back a few minutes later, with his mother on his tow. The middle aged woman walks with her eyes on the ground, her hands interlaced tightly on her stomach, as though she was struggling to hold in her posture because of the anxiety.

"You called for me, Your Highness,"

"What school does your son studies at?"

I frown. Does he not sponsor Tarun's education? Tarun looks a bit surprised too as he blinks at my eldest brother.

"You- You sponsor his education, Your Highness. He studies at Saint Teresa Private School due to your benevolence." She answers.

"Oh," Yuvraaj mumbles. "I didn't know. I sponsor a lot of kids' education. He must have slipped my mind."

"You even said his talent is too special to be wasted," she smiles softly at him.

"Did I now?" Yuvraaj hums, nodding thoughtfully. "I guess, it's really not that special it I don't remember it already." He leans back relaxed.

The mother looks panicked. Tarun swallows visibly.

"Bhai," I go out of my way to hold his forearm, trying to make him feel pity for me.

He taps the back of my hand gently, but that's it. He doesn't offer anything else.

"But he must think he is, considering how he caught my sister's eyes," Yuvraaj wraps an around my shoulders, stiffening me in discomfort. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Tarun collapses to his knees. "I'm sorry, your highness. I'm really very sorry. For a moment I forgot my place is behind her and not beside her. But I swear, I never once looked at her with wrong intentions. She was nice to me. And she wanted to be friends-"

Yuvraaj raises his hand.

"St. Teresa has a boarding school plus University in Darjeeling. Until he turns twenty five, he'll stay there." He dismisses them with a wave of his hand.

"Bhai!" I feel tears quickly gather in my eyes. "Bhai, it's not his fault. He didn't do anything. I forced him to be my friend."

"You can always demand what you want, Princess," he strokes the side of my head gently. "But that doesn't mean people forget their place." He eyes Tarun blankly. "It was his duty to draw the line. You are just exploring the world, it's okay."

I shake my head at him in a plea.

"Please don't do this," I beg him. "Don't seperate him from his mother." I whisper, closing my eyes in regret as I hear the mother sobbing quietly while she drags her son away. "Bhai, please," I grip his hand tightly. "Please,"

He removes his hand from mine and sits straight, focusing back on his phone.

"Dad," I look at my father.

He sighs helplessly.

"Vivaan Bhai," I turn to my second eldest brother.

He drops his gaze in defeat.

I groan into my hands, almost unable to stop myself from displaying my frustrations. "You're heartless!" I spit angrily and get up to leave. Unexpectedly, he grabs my hand and yanks me back to his side.

"Sit," he commands. "To punish your new friend is not what we all gathered here for." He states in a hard tone.

"I want to go back to my roo-"

"Bring them in," he announces loudly.

Before I can say anything else, a door opens and out comes a group of ladies dragging three heavy racks along with them. My face morphs into confusion.

"Go and choose whichever you like," he juts his chin forward.

"Can't this wait?" I deadpan.

"No. Now go." He commands.

I get up unwillingly and drag myself towards the racks, looking through the options for something lightweight and simple. There is none. All are two pieces, made from heavy work over an expensive fabric, lavish but ethnic Indian dresses.

"Is there nothing western?"

"You're Indian," he reminds me.

"But I'm not used to these dresses!" I tell him. "What if I trip and fall!?"

"You don't have to worry about that. I've hired a few instructors to teach you the royal etiquettes and mannerisms. They'll prepare you for the party." He informs.

"This is so ridiculous!" I grunt under my breath.

"Taranya," Dad calls out, shaking his head at me in a warning.

Whatever.

I'm already in your son's bad books. One new page for me makes no difference.

"Either you choose one of them, or I'll come and choose it for you." Yuvraaj says firmly.

I sigh in defeat and look through the options, choosing a blue two piece dress. One of the young lady escorts me to the room she came from with this Alibaba's treasure they call dresses and helps me put it on.

The blouse is sheer work of crystals and sequins. It's sleeveless, but she pins a long and soft fabric to my one side like a side cape.

"What is this thing called?" I ask her.

"It's a dupatta," she smiles at.

"It's so heavy," I comment.

"Yeah, the borders are made of Zari. It means, using threads that are traditionally created from finest gold." She tells me.

"Oh," I say in surprise. "So this is real gold?" I ask her, looking down at the heavy skirt.

"Yeah," she nods. "Let's go," she holds out her hand towards me.

I lift mine and place it in hers, taking a step forward and immediately tripping.

"What the heck!? It's so damn heavy! How much does it weigh?"

"Seven kg," she answers sympathetically.

"This is ridiculous!" I grumble under my breath, taking her help to walk out of the room. The door opens slowly and I step out, capturing everyone's attention in the room.

All the men in the room look at me as though they've never seen me before. Yuvraaj stops talking on his phone and hangs up, Dad looks at me in open awe, making me blush slightly. A soft smile plays on Vivaan's lips. Yuvaan blinks slowly, as though not believing his eyes. Ayush and Arush look the same, with their eyes wide open like saucers. And the most funny of all is Agastya's reaction, because the moment his eyes fall on me, his elbow slips down the railing.

I can't help but chuckle.

"You look absolutely divine, my little star," Dad gets up from his position and walks up to me. I fiddle with my fingers nervously. "The color of the gown makes your eyes stand out so beautifully," he compliments.

"Thank you,"

"Is this the one then?"

Yuvraaj tears his eyes off me and looks at the woman. "No, let's explore some more options."

"No!" I reject the idea vehemently. "This is already so heavy!"

"Let's try some more colors," Vivaan suggests.

I groan but obey nonetheless. Not that I've any say in this anyway.

"I'll choose," Yuvraaj gets up from the sofa and comes over to the racks. He goes through the options before grabbing a white and gold one. "This one," he hands it to the girl who takes me back to the room.

When I wear it, I realise why he chose it. It has boat neck and full sleeves. She pins the heavy dupatta to my side, and I sigh, rather suffocated because of all the weight clinging to my shoulders and waist. This one's heavier than the first one. It has that silver and gold work done all over the blouse and skirt.

"Let's pin your hair in a lose bun,"

I sit down on the chair while she fixes my hair in a messy updo and removes the small strands to frame my chubby cheeks.

"You're so gorgeous, Princess Taranya," she sighs at my reflection. My cheeks heat up and I look down at my lap. "Shall we? Your brothers must be waiting."

I nod and slowly walk out of the room given the weight and momentum of the skirt.

"Yup, pretty!" Ayush blurts out a little too quickly.

We all look at him in surprise.

"I- I mean, this one's- this one's good." He nods in embarrassment.

"This one's perfect," Vivaan grins broadly.

I look at Yuvraaj and see the approval in his eyes. Then my eyes move to my father's. He looks mesmerized. I try to hold back my smile but fail, my eyes accidentally landing on Agastya. He stares at me so intensely I've to look away from him. My gaze locks with Yuvaan and he smiles at me looking impressed. I chuckle.

"Is this the one, your highness?"

Yuvraaj nods. "Yes. This is the one."

I fiddle with my fingers shyly. This is the first time I'm getting so much male attention, and it is from my brothers. I've always seen Eliot calling Janet fat or ugly, but my scenario as a new sister is completely different. I feel like the most beautiful right now, not because of the compliments, but because the ones who claim to not like me, are also the among the one to look at me like I'm truly a princess.

Yuvraaj gets up from his chair. "Your classes will start tomorrow morning. Practice with all your heart and if you do good at the party, I'll reward you."

My attention perks up at that. "A reward!?"

"Yes," he nods.

"Whatever I ask for?" I test the waters.

"Whatever you ask for," he says and walks out of the living room.

"Yes!" I cheer softly.

Hang in there a little bit, Tarun. I promise I'll not seperate you from your mother.

"C'mon, Princess Taranya, I'll help you out of the dress." I nod and follow the girl back to the room. She helps me remove the heavy dress and I put on my previous white dress before rushing out of the room to go find Tarun.

I ask a maid for his whereabouts and she tells me she saw him in the kitchen a few minutes ago. I nod and make my way there.

The head chef greets me when I enter the kitchen, catching everyone's eyee. They all bow to me in greeting. That captures Tarun's attention who's washing the green vegetables at the sink.

I walk up to him.

He sighs and drops the cabbage in the tub. "What is it now?" He asks me in a whisper.

"Bhai said he'll reward me if I do good at the party. I'm sorry for everything. But he promised me he'll give me anything I want. I'll request him to not send you to the boarding school."

Hope blooms in his eyes and he looks at me in surprise.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course!" I nod earnestly. "You're the first friend I made here. I'm really sorry for the problems I caused in your life in such short period of time. But I promise you I'll make everything go back to normal. Just trust me."

He lowers his head and nods slowly.

"Thank you. And sorry again. For everything." I say from the bottom my heart. "It was really great having you as a friend. I regret it ended so soon." I murmur and walk out, ignoring the eyes on me.

I find Ayush in the corridor leading to the main foyer and rush up to catch up with him.

"Hey!"

He lifts his head from the phone. "Hi," he smiles and looks back at the screen.

We climb the stairs to the third floor and our paths cross with the pair of troublemakers coming down.

I roll my eyes at the sight of Agastya, ignoring his existence as I continue alongside Ayush.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" He stops in front me. Ayush halts too.

"Yeah, I do that when certain things or people annoy me."

He lets out a scoff. "I annoy you?"

"Do you have a problem understanding simple English? Should I dumb it down for you?"

"You did not just say that," he grits out in rage, descending a stair in a threatening manner.

Yeah, you're not as scary as Yuvraaj. Fuck off.

"I did not stutter," I retort sharply.

"You think I told him, don't you?"

"Who else in this house has a problem with me besides you?" I ask him angrily. "To be honest, I'd have tolerated your shit if it was towards me. But you involved an innocent boy. You're so worse." I scowl and walk past him upstairs.

"Fuck, yeah," Ayush rushes behind me. "That was slick." He smiles widely at me.

I shrug nonchalantly. "You advised me to return his shit ten folds to him. And what he did was so inhumane."

"You really think he told Bhai about it?"

"Who else? He was the one to see me with Tarun at the riverside."

Ayush hums with a nod.

We seperate on the third floor and depart to our own rooms. I stay inside for the remainder of the day, just scrolling through my phone, surfing the internet, talking to my best friend and playing games. The only time I opened the door was to let the maid in with my lunch. Then she returned to take my plate after which my door didn't open until it was completely dark outside.

I go down for dinner with the maid that comes to inform me about it.

This time when the huge doors to the dining hall opens, my eyes fall on all of my six brothers and father. I walk in and take my seat, greeting everyone with a nod and smile except Agastya and Arush. Yuvraaj extend his hand to serve himself and we take the queue to begin.

"Bhai?" I call out softly.

Yuvraaj, Yuvaan, Vivaan and Agastya lift their heads.

Oh the audacity of the last one.

The younger three find my eyes on Yuvraaj and look back down.

"Yes?" He gives me his attention.

"The classes, will I be doing them alone?"

"Yeah," he nods.

"But the girl who was helping me put on the dress told me I'll be making an entry with all of these," I glance at my remaining five brothers.

"Yeah, you will."

"Then won't it be easy and convenient for me to practice with them?" I ask him. "Well, of course, Vivaan Bhai doesn't have to come since I know he's busy at the hospital. But the remaining four are free to join me, aren't they?"

He looks down thoughtfully, his hands clasped together.

My only intention to do this is because I want to get to know Ayush and Yuvaan more, and annoy Agastya and Arush. And by the looks on the two's faces, I can tell I'm on the right track.

"Is it necessary?" Yuvaan questions tiredly.

"Think of it as a bonding time," Dad chimes in positively. "It'll give you more time to understand each other. You're siblings now."

"Alright, sounds good." Yuvraaj lifts his head and looks at me.

I try my best to curb the smile.

"I'm not joining the circus!" Agastya shouts out vehemently.

I look down to hide my smirk.

"Excuse me?" Yuvaan snaps. "What do you mean by circus? Even if you multiply your IQ with that useless piece of shit we call Arush, it'll be still lesser than that of a fly sitting on that wall!"

I take a deep breath to stop myself from bursting out in laughter.

"Hey!" Arush looks up all offended. "Speak for yourself!"

"He's already doing that, hon," Ayush adds sympathetically. "Take my suggestion and keep that advise to yourself. You definitely need it more than us."

"Shut up, you nerd!" Agastya says with a snarl.

"Wow, so original. Now you're capable of giving that fly a tough competition. Good job." Yuvaan nods his head sarcastically.

"You little-"

"Enough!" Yuvraaj slams his hand on the table.

Everyone settles down in their chairs and so does their voices.

"Except for Dad and Vivaan, all of you are joining her for the classes tomorrow." He states. Agastya goes to open his mouth but Yuvraaj raises his hand. "It's final."

Nah, this is going to be so much fun, lmao.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.