Page 36 of A Royal Deception

“We’re going to need evidence of whatever Kavya was up to if we want to take down the Dodiyas, Shivina. What was your grand plan when you decided to march down there on your own?”

He had me there, and he knew it.

“Well, I’m prepared to break Zarna out of the palace if I have to,” I said stubbornly.

“Thereby cementing her culpability in whatever the Dodiyas have accused her of doing,” he said.

“Your lawyerspeak is very confusing. Can you please talk to me like a normal person?” I asked tearfully.

“If you both go on the run, the police will be convinced that Zarna did do whatever it is that she’s supposed to have done. And they won’t stop looking for you guys until they catch you. But if we do it my way, we can get the Dodiyas off our backs for good.”

“And what’s your way?” I asked sceptically.

“We face them with the evidence of whatever Kavya was doing last night and threaten them with a breach of promise lawsuit and negative publicity in the media if they don’t leave you and Zarna alone.”

“Finding such evidence will take time, and the police might be arresting my sister even as we speak,” I argued.

He pulled out his phone again.

“Rajiv, do me a favour. Find out who is in charge of the Sajjangarh police station, and beg, bully or bribe them to not act on any complaint made by the royal family for at least an hour. Do whatever it takes to make sure they don’t go up to the palace until we get there.”

He raised an eyebrow at me as he ended the call.

“Happy? Your sister is safe for at least an hour even if my team has to bribe and bully every man on the Sajjangarh police force.”

“Seriously? Is it so easy for you people to bend the law?” I asked in disbelief.

One phone call was all it took! Although I only had his word that his team could hold the police off.

“Hi, Pot! Meet Kettle,” he shot back. “At least I didn’t fool an unsuspecting man into marriage.”

“Enough with the victim narrative, Hukum,” I bit out. “It’s not fooling anyone. You lost your moral high ground when you kidnapped me.”

“Again with the sass?” he demanded angrily.

“If you have such a problem with women talking back to you, I’m surprised you agreed to marry Kavya Baisa,” I said dryly.

“Don’t remind me,” he replied with a shudder. “And how many times have I told you not to call me Hukum? I have a name, you know.”

I had made the biggest mistake of my life by agreeing to stand in for Baisa. And I had no intention of compounding it by getting any more familiar with my temporary husband than I had to.

“Thank you for your help,Your Highness,” I said pointedly. “I don’t know how to repay your kindness.”

I had wronged this man terribly. So it was a relief to know he hadn’t lost that core of compassion he’d shown me the last time we’d met. He had every right to be angry with me, which was why I didn’t hold his actions of this afternoon against him. For some reason, it made me very happy to know that my first impression of him was still correct. Under all that bluster and growl, His Highness Ranvijay Singh Rathore was a good man.

“I know exactly how you’re going to do it,” he drawled, and I went still at the coldness in his voice.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked warily.

“That’s not enough.”

“Hain?”

“I said, merely begging my pardon isn’t enough. I was promised a wife today and a wife I mean to have,” he declared, crossing his arms over that broad chest.

“Fine! If you don’t mind marrying a woman who’s lied to you, go ahead and marry Baisa after this,” I replied, a little annoyed that he was willing to give that horrid witch another chance. Didn’t the man have any sense of self-preservation?

“Umm, I’m already married to a woman who lied to me,” he said mildly.

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