Princess Nandini's POV

I stood outside the room anxiously looking at the closed door. The physicians were treating father inside the chamber. When I heard the news I felt like I was about to faint. I don't understand what's happening around. Queen got poisoned out of nowhere while father got injured. Imperial physicians were called immediately and they started to check on him. I have seen father bathed in blood when he was brought in. It looks like he was harmed badly.

I anxiously turned my head and saw Queen, Hansika and Varusha were coming towards me. I frowned at them.

"Why did you come out like this?" I asked as soon as they got closer.

"What do you mean why did she came? Her husband is injured, how can a wife rest in such a situation?" Varusha replied before the queen with a glare. I choose to ignore her existence.

"Your body is still recovering, if you move like this, it might hurt you internally" I said to the Queen.

"I couldn't rest when I heard his majesty was injured. So I had to see him before I could return. Even if I stay in the room I couldn't rest fully and would be worried about his condition" Queen replied with worried expression. I can understand her feelings. Even if their relationship is platonic, she still likes father.

"Bring a chair for the her highness, she couldn't stand for long" I said and two servants immediately brought a chair. Queen sat down with the help of Hansika.

"I don't understand what's happening? How his majesty got injured like this?" Varusha sighed. "His majesty should have been more cautious when he knows there are dangers around. It's such a bad omen"

"Aunt, it's not the time to talk about it" Queen frowned at her.

"Even if you don't take this matter seriously, I can see everything. You fell ill and now his majesty is injured. If it wasn't the bad omen then what it is. People should know things before it's too late, or the jinx would eat everything before you know" Varusha uttered.

"Aunt what are you trying to say?" Queen asked again. She looked at her with confusion.

"Why are you so dumb?" Varusha let out a sigh. "You have been living in here all these years but still don't know about it?" She turned her head and slightly glanced at me "with a jinx in the house how do you think there will be anything good. Those who eats people will always be the curse. If you don't discard them in time, it will not only harm you but the whole family. I am telling you Saanvi, you need to take action before anything bad happens"

"Aunt stop it. It's not a time to talk about such thing. Please see the situation before you say anything. Pray that his majesty could survive this hardship" Queen hissed lowly.

"You can ignore it but I can't. What I want id best for you. See how badly hurt his majesty is. Won't you still consider it?"

I closed my eyes trying to control my anger. This woman is really a headache. She couldn't keep her mouth close yet blabbering nonsense here.

"Stop it" Queen said again but this time her time was quite cold.

"Humph" Varusha stopped and turned sideways.

After sometime imperial physicians came out. They were still discussing about something but stopped when they saw us standing outside.

"Your highness" they bowed to the Queen.

"What happened? How is his majesty?" Queen asked instantly.

"Your highness it's difficult to say. Though we saved his majesty's life it's still hard to give any confirmation. His majesty is unconscious and his injury was bad. He has several cuts in his body but it was fortunate that the sword didn't pierced his heart but it stabbed near it or  it would have been hard to keep his life. Currently we are trying and could only say that unless his majesty wakes up, we are not certain about his condition" one of the imperial physician replied with a sigh. "We have things to discuss, so we will leave first" then they left the place.

Father is still unconscious. I held my breath. Even if I try to give myself comfort I couldn't. The anxiety was rising inside me. I stopped there looking at the door. Where did you put me father? What I am going to handle everything alone like this?

"Didn't I tell you, there is a jinx in the palace which is creating all these problems? See now what happened now. His majesty is unconscious" Varusha spoke again.

I turned to the Queen, "please return back to the chamber, I will keep informing you about father's condition. It's not good for your health to be here like this"

The Queen looked hesitant but she nodded her head. Varusha looked like she was about to say again when Queen got up from the chair and asked Hansika to return back. Before following them Varusha turned towards me and threw a glare before leaving abruptly. I am watching her closely. She has been hostile towards me the moment she arrived. I frowned as I looked at her retreating back. There was more than an intention for her visiting here. But this is not the problem I want to look at now. First I need to handle the current situation.

Later I went to see father in the chamber. The whole room was filled with thick medicine scent. Father was lying on bed while the room was deadly silent. I sat on the bed looking at him. His upper body was covered in white gauze. I touched his hand and felt it cold.

"Situation is really hard father, I don't know what I should do now" I said as I rubbed his hand trying to warm it up. "How everything fell into calamity, if this goes on, how I am going to handle everything? Father you have to get up, you have to. I can't do everything alone. Please, get up" my voice chocked and I felt my emotions were pricking at the edge.

"Great Princess?" I heard a call and turned around to see few ministers were standing behind.

I placed father hand on bed and got up "what happened?"

Those ministers looked at eachother then to father before looking back at me, "we have an important news to share"

I nodded and led them out of the inner chamber to the guest meeting room, "what happened? Why do you all look so dull?" I frowned.

"Great Princess there's a bad news. We just got the information from the secret informer that willards are rebelling. We heard they were instigated by the marchent who was discarded from the capital. Now they are rebelling because they felt injustice"

I clenched my fist. I often heard father to say that the willards were the refugees staying outside the city. They never created any problems but now they are rebelling out of no where? Such a court matter needs good strategy to solve but how come I am going to handle this now. The situation in the palace is already hard and now another problem raised out of nowhere?

"How that happened?" I frowned, "Marchant Bilas was already discarded from the capital yet he went to form a group of rebelling refugees? He is clearly taking Sagala for granted" I said and thought for a while. We moved to a meeting room to discuss about your matter.

"Great princess, this matter is not simple. How come those refugees got convinced by the marchant Bilas and accepted to rebel when they were feed by Sagala all these years? They are truly disgracing the kindness his majesty shown to them" war minister said angrily.

"Yes, they have been under Sagala's care. His majesty though didn't let them inside the capital but he didn't discard them too. He let them stay and built their residence outside the city and provided food and water yet they are now rebelling when his majesty is injured. It's clear they are the one who suits the word ❝जिस थाली में खाते हो उसी में छेद करते हो❞. Such impudents"

I looked at the General who was fuming in anger. His eyes were red and he used such words to describe the refugees. I rubbed my temple. It looks like they are more angry than me.

"Father is not in good condition but we can't let others know about it" I said slowly.

"Great princess, the news of his majesty getting injured might have spread over. There are many enemies who would try to take advantage of the situation. Besides Prince Dhanuk is also not here and with his majesty's condition others would think Sagala is weak now and at such vulnerable point they would -"

"YOU THINK I AM DEAD?" I slap the table hard as I got up. I glared at the land minister.All the ministers looked at me with wide eyes. "If you, the royal minister of the Sagala court would say such thing then how will an outsider will respect the court and it's ministry? Do you think I am oblivious of what's going on or what could happen? We are here to discuss what should be done to avoid all the ugly prediction you all have in your mind"

I took a deep breath "spread the news outside that father is fine and there's was no major injury"

"But great princess, what if others know it's a lie?" Another Minister asked.

"No one will know unless anyone of you couldn't seal their lips well" I eyed everyone. They looked at eachother then cried out altogether.

"We don't dare"

"I don't want any mistakes to happen. We have to keep father's condition secret for a time being. As for Dhanuk, he might return soon. We will talk about the rebel in the evening again" I said and they all nodded getting up. They left one by one. Once the door was closed I leaned on the chair with sigh. Dealing with those ministers was hard. And putting authority without a solid position was even harder. It was lucky that I have a unruly title in the past which helped me a lot today. The were scared about my unpredictable attitude. But.... I closed my eyes. How I am going to handle this rebellion?

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This is first time I used Hindi. 😅 I hope I have written without mistake.

Royalty was never a easy life. Nandini is helpless to handle everything. It was huge responsibility to keep Balance in the palace and state, then keep peace in the capital, to keep balance in the court and command. How she is going to perform all the duties alone?

No matter how strong a person is, there's a time when the strength finnally gives up and unable to search for way out.