Page 38 of A Royal Deception

“I mean… I’m not looking for a wife in the traditional, happy-ever-after kind of way. I’m looking for something more… well… temporary.”

“Then you’re looking in the wrong place,” she said bluntly. “You need a womb for hire. A surrogate.”

I sighed heavily. I wish we lived in a world where I could get away with having a baby by surrogacy, but I couldn’t. I had to do it the old-fashioned way.

“What I need is a temporary marriage. Once I have my heir, you’re free to live your life on your terms. Of course, you’ll have to raise the child right here, but I won’t interfere in your life. I can promise you that right now. I can even build you another house on the palace grounds to give you full freedom.”

“So basically, you’re asking me to sign away the next eighteen years of my life just because you want an heir?”

“Not at all. Like I said, you’ll have your freedom back as soon as you give me an heir. A neat, clean divorce with a generous financial settlement.”

“But I’m supposed to raise the child in your palace?”

“In the palace… or near it… whatever you’re comfortable doing,” I said.

I was proud of how accommodating and reasonable I sounded right now. It boded well for our relationship.

“And what if I marry again? Would you expect my new husband to move into your palace, as well?” she asked caustically, and all reason flew out of the window.

Over my dead body would she live with another man! And I couldn’t believe she had the cheek to suggest bringing him into my house! I’d rip his head off and stuff it into his mouth if he so much as looked at Shivina.

Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed her by the shoulders again and shook her hard.

“Who is he?” I roared.

“Who is who?” she asked, looking at me as if I’d lost my head.

“The man you want to shack up with under my very roof,” I snarled.

Shivina shrugged out of my grip and rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.

“Thereisno man, Hukum. It was a hypothetical question. And I have to point out that your neat and clean divorce doesn’t look so neat and clean from where I’m standing. Can you imagine how dirty it will get if we actually go through with this ridiculous idea?”

“It’s not as ridiculous as you standing in for my bride,” I felt forced to point out.

Shivina flushed brightly and scowled at me.

“One time! I did a mad, impossible thing only once in my life. So why am I being made to relive Alice in Wonderland’s six impossible things in a day?” she asked.

“Because it’s not something impossible. I’m suggesting a marriage of convenience, something that’s very common in our culture. Look at all my ancestors hanging up in the picturegallery. How many of them do you think married for love? Marrying to beget heirs was kind of their modus operandi,” I pointed out.

“But this marriage comes with an expiry date,” she argued. “That’s hardly traditional.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Shivina. I don’t believe in love because I’ve learnt the hard way that while romantic love sounds wonderful in books and movies, the reality is very painful. I married for love once, and I’m never making that mistake again. But while I cannot promise you love, I can offer you something far better. Friendship and security. What do you say?”

My phone rang before she could reply. I was relieved to see Raksha’s name flash across the screen.

“Hukum, I have news,” she said hesitantly.

“How bad is it?”

“Very. I’d like to explain what I found in person because I don’t think we should discuss it over the phone.”

Raksha was a woman of few words, so if she wanted to discuss it in person, it must be very bad. I asked her to come upstairs and ended the call before I turned to Shivina.

“Raksha has some news for us. I’ll need an answer soon, Shivina. But we’re going to rescue your sister first.”

“Even if my answer is a resounding no?”

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