Manik was taken inside a room and shortly a team of doctors arrived to tend their Boss. Cabir ordered the guards to inspect the electricity as well as the barbed wire around this building.

This building is Manik's office and not his house so I am kinda unfamiliar with the surroundings. I stood rooted at the same place, the same window where I last saw Manik.

Manik is nowhere to be seen and my eyes were desperate to have a close look at him. The bunch of soldiers running around sending orders didn't help me either. Please be safe, Manik.

I saw a heavily guarded room and understood Manik's location. As I walked the guards stopped me. "I have to meet Manik. Let me go."

They looked at each other before replying to me. "Only close ones to the Boss are allowed, Princess. It's an order from the underboss."

"And I am one of those close ones to Manik. You have to let me go." I explained.

"You are not on the priority list, Princess. You are a member of the territory and come under the guest list." His words were like a cold splash of water on my tired self.

They are basically saying I am a nobody to Manik and just a average person living in his territory. I don't even have a rank or status to be close to the Boss.

I tried to ignore them and took a few steps towards the closed door where Manik was lying with a strong hope but I was stopped by Cabir's maddening eyes.

"Where the hell do you think you are going? Isn't your heart satisfied? Or is there anything left?" He shouted for the first time.

"Stop shouting at me! Otherwise I will complaint about you to Manik." I said trying not to get scared of his voice.

"I can't believe your guts to take Manik's name from your mouth. It was your planning, wasn't it? Diverting his attention and making him weaponless?" His voice isn't getting slow anytime now.

I shook my head negatively. "Why would I try to harm Manik? I can never harm anyone and especially not Manik."

"You don't have any reason because you are stupid enough to help anyone. I have warned him that people like you are dangerous but for fucks sake he did not hear me and brought it on himself." Cabir ran his fingers through his hair.

"If I am stupid then what are you and your Boss? You are monsters who killed my entire family and tortured my life." I answered him back to match his anger.

"You took your revenge, didn't you?" His voice was calm before pulling out the gun from his belt and pointing it at my forehead. "In the entire world there's only one important person for me, it's my friend. Tonight you have dared to harm him and now you will be dead in my hands."

I shook in fear as his men stood behind me preventing me to escape from this situation.

I heard another click of the gun behind me and turned my head to see the women pointing their guns towards Cabir and his men. Instantly, the other soldiers pointed their guns at the women. This room was filled with trainer shooters with guns in their hands while I stood a spectator.

"One slight scratch on the princess, I wouldn't hesitate to pull this trigger on you." The woman whom I used to address as Nandini 4 said pointing her gun at Cabir.

"Are you warning the AUB (Associate Under Boss)? Look around, newbies, you are surrounded by my men." Cabir warned them.

"This is the order from the Boss to protect our Princess. I don't think it would be nice to see the AUB disobeying his orders." She said standing infront of me letting his gun point on her forehead. "We don't hesitate to kill or die for the Empire. You should know this by now, Associate Under Boss."

After a long minute of intense staring Cabir ordered everyone to put their guns down. "Take your princess away to the mansion. Because if she stays here I am surely going to press the trigger and I won't regret getting any punishment from this territory."

The women bowed to him and pulled me along with them towards a room. "Please retire for this night here, Princess. We have arranged your bedroom in this headquarters and we shall move to the mansion in the morning." Player 4 said it showing me my bedroom.

The room was spacious and freshly cleaned as it smelled of citrus which usually calms me but it did not tonight. The clock on the wall showed the time to be 2 am and there are only few more hours before the sun will be in its complete power. Surprisingly, I don't even feel like laying down on the bed let alone having a peaceful sleep.

I turned towards the woman and opened my mouth to speak but closed it immediately not knowing how to form the words.

"Don't worry, Princess. We shall stand right outside your door and guard you all night while you sleep. So, have a worry free sleep and trust us." She smiled.

These women looked completely different while they speak tonight. They are still dressed in their  long, black maid uniform dresses and their hair tied in a bun but the confidence emanating from their faces made them different from their earlier versions.

"It's not about that, I just ... I have a lot of questions to ask you, Player 4." I said still holding Manik's jacket in my arms.

"Player 4?" She laughed. "I don't think we are still participating in the competition, Princess. You have your identity now." She took a few steps back and bowed her head before saluting her palm to her chest. "Salute. MESW 174565, Soldier Anupama, 2 Artillery Battalion, reporting Princess."

I was taken aback with the reporting duty infront of me. I got one on my 18th birthday party when I was introduced to the Mafia world but it felt awkward in this closed environment.

I nodded. "So, were you all always soldiers? Or were you appointed recently?"

Anupama waved her hand and the other women went outside to guard the door while she and I were in the room to talk.

"Would it be alright if we have this chat in the morning, Princess? You look tired and you need to rest after witnessing horrifying incident." She tried to request but I was adamant.

"No. Sleep is a far thought for me right now. I need to know how and why you all, who were running around the mansion to marry Harshad turned out to be such skilful soldiers. I need to know why you all have to endure all the torture by Navya and Niyonika while you were being lashed by the whips? You could have easily outnumber them after seeing your skills tonight I am confident on it, then why did you all stay silent? Why?" I continued to question while moving from one foot to another.

"Princess, before I answer your questions could you atleast sit on the bed?" She requested.

"No. I want my answers now." I said stomping my feet.

"In that case, I can't stand matching you, so I will just kneel down while I speak." She proceeded to bend down and I felt bad to see someone in hard situation.

"No need. I will sit." I sat on the bed and she smiled shaking her head while standing infront of me keeping a distance.

"We endured everything for you, Princess." Her words shook the floor beneath my feet.

"What do you mean for me? I never saw you working at my territory nor did my father mention anything about you." I said being confused at her answer.

"The order was from the Boss." Her one-liners shook me.

"Manik?" I thought back to those times when I met these women and Manik. "But you all came to the mansion at the same time as me. And Manik appeared after a long time, after Navya made her entry and even after the arrival of Harshad. How is it possible that it was Manik's order?"

"Because the order wasn't passed at the Malhotra mansion. It was passed in the same place you are standing now, The Malhotra Empire Headquarters. The order was passed as soon as you tried to escape from here to meet people from the mansion in the pantry supplies vehicle." She paused to look at my white face.

"The Boss executed the plan to send us to the mansion and pretend as Princess Nandini Murthy so that your identity wouldn't be revealed. We were ordered to mimick you as far as possible till the far end and make sure you wouldn't marry Mr. Harshad Malhotra." She said everything with an ease while creating a havoc inside me.

Why wouldn't Manik want to reveal my identity? Why didn't he want me to marry Harshad? He was planning everything from the beginning and I fell into his trap as expected. Or was he trying to protect me from something or someone?

I expressed my thoughts to Anupama. "What if one of you won the contest and got married to Harshad?"

She shrugged. "Soldiers of this Empire are loyal all because of The Boss's leadership. His era will be remembered in the history of the Mafia world and the mainland as well. We do not hesitate to die if it brings the wellbeing of The Boss so marrying Mr. Harshad is nothing to us."

"But why is Manik doing all of this? Why didn't he want to reveal my identity and didn't want me to marry Harshad?" I questioned her expecting some answers from her.

"Unfortunately, only the Boss can answer your questions, Princess. None of us are given any other details. Our sole task is to protect you and we shall do that by putting our lives at stake without any hesitation." She said bowing slightly.

"But..." I began only to get interrupted by her.

"It's 3 o'clock, Princess. Please, lay down for a while as we make your preparation to take you to the mansion." She said bowing down finally and walking out of the room leaving me alone.

Though her answers filled a huge gap of my story there is still a lot and lot to know about Manik, his family, his mansion, his leadership, his behaviour and every single thing related to him.

I changed into a clean pair of clothes arranged for me on the side table and thanked the soldiers in my mind. Having a warm shower helped me clean all the blood stains on my skin and the sound of running water helped me cry more.

I wore Manik's jacket over my clean dress as I tried to remember his strong arms holding me safe and consoling my petite frame as I cry.

Will he hold me close to his heart tomorrow? Is Manik alright?

...

How is the update?

What do you think of the Cabir?

What about Manik's plan with the soldiers?

Anyone from NCC who can guess what MESW meant? Special shoutout for anyone who can guess it right?