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Abhinandan POV

"Let me help," I offered, stepping down from the bed to pick up the remaining pieces of her jewellery.

My emotions were a tangled mess, a storm raging within me; despite my disdain for her, or perhaps because of it, I found myself yearning for her. And in the midst of this turmoil, I ended up causing her pain.

I knew it should not have been that way –the kind of wedding we had. When she asked me how difficult it was to accept that I wanted to marry because I liked her, I felt like lightning struck me. I could not think of it.

I was lost in a sea of uncertainty. Did I truly care for her? Did I even know what I felt?

But seeing her shed tears, I could not help but realise that I behaved like the most selfish man ever present. How could I not see her pain?

Closing my eyes, I sighed deeply and bit on my lips. It was all messed up, more than it already was. People were hating on me. I was hating on them. I had reasons imprinted on my mind to hate each one of them. And Trisha was one among them.

I had reasons to hate her, too. But, the shell of those reasons, the egg, the lining was slowly shattering, shaking my peace. I could not help but feel that hating someone, her, was relatively easier than facing the truth that now she was hurt. Actually.

I wanted to hurt her. It was as simple as that. Maybe the reason I showed up was one of the fools, but she did not give me any options.

"Yuvraj," her voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to find her standing beside me and lowering her gaze to the anklets I was holding.

"You do not have to do this. The Princes are meant for the bigger duties, I assume, rather than lowering themselves to their wife's feet," her words made me blink silently. I could understand the taunting behind her use of the word 'wife'.

I bit the inside of my lower lip and firmed my hold on the anklets when she tried to pull them off my hold.

Trishalini POV

"When I was little, my father used to call my mother for many things, and I used to feel irritated. I wanted her to be with me all the time. So one day," he began and looked into my eyes before continuing in the slow voice. "I went into the court and raised my issue. I told the King that my father was separating my mother from me, and the whole court laughed. Because he is the King and my father. But my father did not laugh. Instead, he stepped down from the throne and walked to me. Kneeling to meet my height, he looked into my eyes. And he said that he was sorry to do so knowingly or unknowingly. But, he was bound to take advice from my mother, he was bound to listen to her, he was bound to spend time with her. And when I questioned why. He smiled weakly and said that a King can rule a Kingdom like a man. He can win the wars, he can protect, he can be a fatherly figure. However, a queen serves as a mother not only to her children but to thousands of others. The decisions taken by a man are relatively rigid, direct and practical, whereas a woman is known to be emotional and caring, and these both things must go side by side so that the Kingdoms are protected and... provided," he said, I just stared blankly into his eyes.

His voice was low, and I did not know what to make of this. Our hands were holding the silver anklet on either side. "So?" I breathed, gulping nervously.

He sucked on his lips, gulped nervously, lowered his gaze for a moment and then spoke with a pleading voice. "So, as much as I understood, a man must lower himself before his wife to... make the balance," he lifted his gaze, and I inhaled deeply. His words were making me feel weak in my knees. I shook my head slowly.

"Balance is not what we seek. I am here for a purpose, and I must adhere to that," I said, and he stepped closer. My heartbeats raced, and I immediately turned to take a step away.

"What if the purpose cannot be served until there is a balance?" he asked, and I closed my eyes and lowered my face.

"I am not fit to be the one you intend to seek from me. I know nothing of being someone you should lower yourself to," I tried to say, and I felt him walking closer to me. His hand touched my arm, and I looked into his eyes.

"How about I lower myself first, and then we can find out?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"The throne is not what I desire. It is not what I am made for. It scares me,"

"It scares me, too," he cut me off, and I could feel my heart beating. It was making me weak. His words were weighing too much that I could handle.

"My grandfather said that a great King is one who holds a vision for the future and works according to that. And I know nothing of visions. I cannot even see what I will do tomorrow. But I know one thing, and it is that the crown will come for me sooner or later. And with it will come the grief and loneliness and shattering," he said, and I blinked silently.

"You know it, what will come with it. And I have never said that to anyone, but it frightens me. No matter how much I hate him, I can never even become the quarter of King he is. And, I cannot; I will not be able to stand alone there. I lack... courage," he said, and I immediately lifted my gaze to look into his eyes.

"I knew what I wanted to do but kept finding reasons to avoid it; I knew what I should have done but kept depending on others to begin. No matter how much I deny, I know where I lack, and..." he inhaled deeply. "And, I cannot help but feel that with you, I... feel better. With you, I forgot things, but now I understand a little bit why my father used to love spending time with my mother. Because when the responsibilities threaten, and the crown calls for action, even the Kings need the escape," he said and held my hand. I stay stunned, silent, tongue-tied.

"And, there is no better..." he gently pushed me down to sit on the bed and kneeled before me. I could feel my heart coming out of my chest at any moment. "There is no better escape than a Queen to a King—a wife to a man. You to me," he muttered, and I looked into his eyes. I could not understand, could not comprehend what he was saying. Did I understand it rightly?

"Be the other half of the balance," he said, and I shook my head. "I cannot," I breathed, and a lone tear rolled down my cheek. "I am weak," my voice broke. "I myself is the definition of dependency. I fear..." The lump in my throat killed my voice. "I fear to even speak of my own desires. I cannot stand up for someone else," I tried to say, but he lowered his gaze and held my foot.

My toes rolled, feeling his hand touching me. No one touched me there except for the water, sand, and sunlight. It felt different. His touch felt encouraging.

"Then let me lower myself to you, and we both will stand up together," he said, and I inhaled deeply.

"Yuvraj," I leaned in forward and touched his wrist.

"Abhi," he muttered slowly.

"I am... nothing," I tried to say, and he wrapped the anklet around my ankle and muttered.

"I have already made the mistake of thinking that once," his words made another tear come out of my eyes, and I closed my eyes.

He placed my foot on his knee, and I opened my eyes. I was shaking.

I saw him putting one end of the anklet into the hook of the other end. "The people will never like me acting what I am not, what I was not born for," I tried to say, and he gulped before leaning into my anklet. I immediately tried to pull my foot back, but his hold was firm enough that it made me shut my eyes.

I inhaled deeply when his breaths tickled against my ankle.

"Yuvraj," my voice came out shaky. This should not be done. His father would never like it, and no one would ever like it.

Suddenly, I could not help but bite my lip a little as he pressed his lips against my ankle, and I felt teeth tightening the hook.

It sent goosebumps into my body.

"No one knows what you are born for," he whispered, and I opened my eyes.

What did he mean?

He lifted his gaze to look into my eyes. Since I had leaned forward, clutching my fingers on his wrist, our faces were only inches apart. The curtains of my wet hair casting to the one side prevented the light from falling on his face, and he breathed. "I am sorry for hurting you,"

His words trembled my lips, making me feel weak. "Let me amend my mistakes," he took a slight pause. "Because only after seeing you cry, I realise that while hating on everyone I forgot... that I was making them hate me too,"

I could feel my breathing turning heavier. His eyes were dropping to my lips. The words were struck into my stomach. My mind had stopped thinking.

And, suddenly, he brought his face closer, and I shivered, moving back a little. My eyes widened, pulling my foot back from his knee.

He shifted closer, standing on his knees, almost meeting my sitting height and darting on my lips. This was the third time it had been the weakest one of all. My fingers fisted on the bed sheet, fighting for my life.

His breaths were uneven. I could see the fright in him. My lashes felt way too heavy to keep looking into his eyes. I could not comprehend what they held. They never looked like this. He never looked at me like this. And it was making me weak; it was making me feel vulnerable.

"Yuvr...," I could not even breathe. And my stomach twisted when he brought his lips even closer. His face angled a little sidewards, and I sat frozen. My mouth parted, and my breaths were audible. I would die any moment.

This was not what I thought about the consummation. I did not expect him to look into my eyes for that long. I did not expect him to stare at my lips like this. I thought... suddenly he leaned forward, and I fell back on the bed.

My eyes widened with the sudden movement. My heartbeats were audible. My chest was rising up and down, and he was breathing heavily, too. My toes rolled, barely touching the floor.

He inhaled sharply before he brought his lips closer. I immediately shut my eyes and turned my head to the side.

"Not here," I breathed, almost inaudible. "Not like this," I spoke out.

This was not what I thought. I just... thought... it would be night, he would not see me and... and he would not do this, not like this.

I could not stay alive after this, like this. It was beyond my capabilities. It was tough.

I heard him inhale deeply, and suddenly, he stood off me, and I placed my hand on my stomach. He scared me.

"I am... I am waiting for you outside," he spoke before he barged out of the tent. And, I lay frozen.

My fingers were shaking. There was goosebumps all over my body. I was this close to losing my heartbeats. I was about to die.

Oh My God!

I could not even move for a few moments. My mind could not shake off the memory of his lips this close and the way he laid over me. Our bodies were close.

"Bai-sa,"

Oh My God!

I could feel like sweating. How could he make me feel so lost for words?

"Bai-sa,"

He was a man. I immediately closed my eyes. I never thought that this would happen to him. I palmed my face.

"Bai-saa," suddenly Meenakshi's voice shivered me, and I looked at her immediately.

"Ye... yes," I sat up, seeing her standing in front of me. She knit her brows with confusion, watching me.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, and I caressed my chest, soothing my heart. I nodded.

"Yes, it seems so," I muttered.

"Daadisa is asking for you. Everyone is waiting outside," she informed, and I nodded weakly.

"Okay," I muttered.

"I should help you get ready," she said, and I nodded.

"Come, you should sit here," she said, and I absentmindedly stood up and sat on a small stool.

I felt her fingers work as she combed my hair and braided it. Afterwards, she slipped the rings, the necklace, and all the jewellery I had came with.

Once she was done, I stood up and placed the dupatta on my head. I could not see him in the eyes. He saw me vulnerable. What would he think of me?

I was scared. But, of what?

"Shall we go?" Meenakshi asked, and I lifted my gaze to her and nodded.

"Yes," I said as I walked out of the tent. The attendees immediately began working to disorient it and pack it up.

"Trisha," Daadisa's voice caught my attention, and I walked towards her. He was around, and when I rolled my eyes, I saw him talking to someone.

Speaking of talking, I heard him talk the most today. This was the most he had ever spoken to me. It seemed like a different man after marriage. He refused to give me the dupatta back, and the way he came closer to me.

I never knew I could be scared of this boy.

I quickly moved my head off him and stepped towards Daadisa.

"What happened? You look... flushed?" she said and I touched my cheeks.

"No, I am okay," I tried to say and she asked with the knit brows.

"Is it too hot in here?"

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