❝ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀ ʟɪᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴜɴʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇᴅ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ. ❞

❝ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴɢ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏғ ᴠᴇɴɢᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ. ❞

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

"There are three rules that you're to follow throughout our marriage." The sharp voice of his echoed through the room made of mud and straw. His eyes smoldered with anger and jaw clenched tight.

His face was concealed with a silver mask covering his forehead and half of the face till his high cheekbones.

The mask itself was the mark of a high ranking general of the empire's army, had intricate designs carved delicately on it, each describing the story of it's own pride and honor.

The emblem of the roaring lion on the center of his forehead carved on the mask, looked like spitting fire present in the being of it's adorner.

His black eyes with gray surrounding ring like a storm on the darkest of night glanced straight at her with pure rage and hatred.

He stared straight at her honey brown orbs, with gold surrounding her iris like licks of fire. Burning with an overwhelming urge of vengeance. Her face was covered with a sheer veil of red, which was a part of her elegant yet simple wedding lehenga.

"Number one, always remember your place. You're nothing more than a liability in the name of unrequired responsibility for me. Our marriage was nothing more than a mere inconvenience for me. Which I was forced through to save my and my family's honor." Were his first words to her as a husband.

"Number two, you will have no rights on me as a wife. In return, I will not touch you as a husband. I was already betrothed to another woman. A princess at that. And a harem of women to manage. Though you will be the first wife for a namesake, never once dream to rule like a queen." He cleared.

"Number three, you are bound to some responsibilities that I expect you to fulfill. As I will protect and provide for you as I deem fit, you will learn and help to assist me in matters of the kingdom. Because that is what my maasa expects from her first daughter-in-law." He stated.

The conditions were as clear as day. His every word was firm and filled with cold authority.

Listening to him and by observing his posture and elegance, no one can guess him to be just a boy of sixteen summers.

She stood there with strength and elegance. His each word pierced her heart. After everything, he has the audacity to throw these rules at her face. But she was not a common woman herself.

Her pride radiated off her body like a true kshatriya lady. Her body containing minimum jewelry on a simple red lehenga represented the lack of preparation before the wedding. Her eyes held the fire which was not at all possible for a girl who had seen just twelve springs to possess.

"I agree," she replied with her soft yet firm voice ringing throughout the sanctum.

"But I too have some rules. That you must follow in respect to me agreeing to your conditions." She further added.

"Do state them." He bit back. If there was a flash of surprise in his raging eyes, then he was good enough to conceal it.

Even before seeing each other's face or any knowledge about names, they were standing before each other after just a few hours of their marriage.

"First, I will not be accompanying you to your mansion. I am aware that you're a man of high-status and a close friend to the crown prince. I am also aware as of now, that you're betrothed to a princess and possess a harem. So this is my first condition, I do not want to get myself entangled in the game of women politics," she said.

"I will abide by all the rules and customs of a married woman and daughter-in-law to a prestigious family. I will fulfill my duties and responsibilities. But I will not enter your house as a play-thing destined to be forgotten in the corner of your big mansion." Her pride dripped with every word of her reasoning.

He nodded curtly with a smirk. Even better for him. He would not have to see her face and no problems will further arise in his family.

Also his mother's words will be kept of the first daughter-in-law shouldering the responsibilities of politics and harem. None will she be the chief of his harem.

This was like appointing a personal maiden to serve his mother, reducing her stress and responsibilities. While nothing will come in between him and his betrothed wife. Was what he thought.

"Second, I have completed learning Ayurveda. And I want to further learn Charak Samhita and Shushrut Samhita. I want to serve the subjects of this pious land and make myself valuable to this nation. I will be learning Arthashastra, Niti Aayog and Shastra-Vidhya too." She added firmly.

"I don't want anyone to be a hurdle between me and my knowledge. I will earn and learn on my own. I will serve this land and it's subjects all my life living here, in between them." She completed her words.

"I agree," he replied. He was amused by the guts of the girl. A least bit pleased that she too belongs the sense of service and renderence towards his maatrabhumi as deeply as him.

He loved and was devoted to his motherland more than anyone else and even kept his nation before his mother.

"Rakt bahe toh shaan hai," he spoke strongly, gazing straight at her honeyed eyes which seemed to blaze fire.

"Bhumi pe abhiman hai," she replied with equal ferocity and devotion to their kingdom.

"Sheesh katte toh maan hai." Was his final reply seemingly content that she will serve his motherland and has the same sense of respect and reverence towards it.

He saw the same passion in her eyes which he felt in his own heart with every breath he takes towards their motherland.

With a curt nod, he left the room without giving a backward glance. Not knowing about the fire of vengeance seething in her veins. The ferocity in her eyes was not only her passion, but her promise for revenge.

Revenge for every bit of her pain. Today, her pride was played with. Her aatm-sanman was on stake. And she would take her revenge.

She remembered the stories told by her teacher, how a queen was capable of killing the king single-handedly in the flames of vengeance.

But she was not going to harm him physically, her own husband and one of the best and bravest warriors her motherland has seen in the past century at just the tender age of sixteen.

And she smiled serenely with her fire blazed honey orbs telling a different story of their own.

Death of the king is not the only way of vengeance.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

sʜᴀʙᴅ ᴋᴏsʜ :- ᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʀʏ.

sᴀ : ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴜsᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ.

ᴍᴀᴀsᴀ : ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ

ᴋsʜᴀᴛʀɪʏᴀ : ᴄᴀsᴛ ᴏғ ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɪɴɢs.

ʟᴇʜᴇɴɢᴀ : ᴛʀᴀᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏғ ɪɴᴅɪᴀɴ ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ.

ᴀʏᴜʀᴠᴇᴅᴀ, ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴋ sᴀᴍʜɪᴛᴀ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴜsʜʀᴜᴛ sᴀᴍʜɪᴛᴀ : ᴍᴇᴅɪᴠɪᴀʟ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴏғ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ.

ᴀʀᴛʜᴀsʜᴀsᴛʀᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ɴɪᴛɪ ᴀᴀʏᴏɢ : ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴏɴ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs.

sᴀsʜᴛʀᴀ-ᴠɪᴅʜʏᴀ : ᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴏɴ ᴡᴀʀsʜɪᴘ.

ʀᴀᴋᴛ ʙᴀʜᴇ ᴛᴏʜ sʜᴀᴀɴ ʜᴀɪ : ɪғ ᴏᴜʀ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ɪs sʜᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ,ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪᴛ's ᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ.

ʙʜᴜᴍɪ ᴘᴇ ᴀʙʜɪᴍᴀɴ ʜᴀɪ : ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ ɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴜᴅ ᴏғ.

sʜᴇᴇsʜ ᴋᴀᴛᴛᴇ ᴛᴏʜ ᴍᴀᴀɴ ʜᴀɪ : ɪᴛ's ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ʙᴇʜᴇᴀᴅᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ.

ᴀᴀᴛᴍ-sᴀɴᴍᴀɴ : sᴇʟғ-ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛ.