Page 43 of A Royal Deception

I hastily threw my few belongings into an overnight bag and grabbed Zarna’s suitcase, which had all her clothes and books.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said briskly.

The miracle would come. I knew it. Somehow, my miracle would come.

And it did come. Bounding up the stairs to grab the bags out of my hand. Stopping to smile warmly at Zarna and put out a friendly hand.

“You must be Zarna. My name is Ranvijay, and I’m going to keep you safe, no matter what. Is that okay?”

Zarna let out a soft squeak before she put out a small hand shyly and shook his giant one.

“Thank you, Hukum,” she said, but he shook his head.

“Not Hukum. Call me RV,” he said sternly.

Zarna made big eyes at me before she turned and smiled widely at His Highness. And that’s when I knew that I would do anything, absolutely anything, to provide for my sister. Evenif it meant giving His Highness the heir that he wanted so desperately.

If that meant I was like a cross between a prostitute and a surrogate, so be it. For Zarna’s sake, I was going to say yes to my new husband. I was going to give him an heir.

I knew I was setting myself up for heartbreak because I was already halfway in love with this man. Making love to him and having his baby was only going to bind me to him with silken threads that would cut into my very soul when he left me eventually. Because that was the plan. I had to walk away from him and from this marriage with a smile, even if it shattered my heart.

It’s okay. It will be worth it, I told myself sternly. For Zarna’s sake.

She skipped down the stairs, happy to get away from this miserable palace, while His Highness and I followed her slowly. Kavya Baisa was nowhere to be seen, thankfully.

“Yes,” I whispered.

For a minute, I wondered if he’d heard me at all. Then he swung his head around in surprise.

“What?”

I took a deep breath and took a giant leap of faith.

“I said yes. To… what you asked earlier,” I clarified in a hushed whisper.

The granite cast to his face softened, and his eyes crinkled in the corners.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

The butler came running to take the bags he was carrying. Now that his hands were free, he held one out to me.

“Let’s go home, Rani Sa. Your palace awaits.”

CHAPTER 17

RANVIJAY

Shivina was silent on the short helicopter ride from Sajjangarh to Mirpur, but her sister talked enough for both of them. I wondered if my new bride was regretting her decision.

When her sister’s attention was diverted by the city lights spread out under us, I seized the opportunity to take Shivina’s hand. She jumped in her seat but kept her gaze firmly on the window. A little piqued, I ran my thumb gently over the soft skin of her palm. She exhaled sharply and turned to glare at me.

I raised an enquiring eyebrow, and she nodded toward her sister. With a sigh, I started to let go of her hand, but to my surprise, Shivina curled her fingers around mine before she let go. For some reason, it felt like she’d just curled her fingers around my heart.

I reminded myself that this was a purely business arrangement and told my heart to stay the fuck out of it.

“Where are we going, Di?” asked Zarna suddenly.

“We’re going home,” I replied before Shivina could speak.

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