Page 53 of A Royal Deception

With a groan, Diya pushed herself out of her chair.

“I’m going to find my husband and head home. Think about what I’ve said, Shivina, and ping me if you want to see the collection. Come along, Isha. Let’s leave the lovebirds alone. I’ll get you some jalebi and rabri to make up for the watermelon.”

Shivina stared at the table thoughtfully after they left.

“What’s the real issue here?” I asked her softly because I wanted to know why she was so averse to me buying her some clothes.

She looked around to see if we could be overheard and spoke softly.

“The real issue is that all of this is temporary, Your Highness. Why should I change my life to the point where I have to change the way I look if we’re going to split up as soon as I have your heir? It just seems like a waste of money.”

Wow! She was thinking of a future without me when our present was just beginning. It shouldn’t have stung so much, but it did. I blew out a sharp breath and ignored the sting of rejection.

“What do you think is going to happen after we have the baby? Do you think you can go back to your old life?”

She stared at me uncomprehendingly.

“Well…”

“Once a Maharani, always a Maharani, Shivina. Even if you divorce me, you will still be the mother of my heir. You will still live in one of my properties. You will still be a loved and respected part of our circle. If we have a child together, you can never exit our world. There’s no going back now.”

CHAPTER 20

SHIVINA

His words hit me like a blow.

There really was no going back now. One small deception had hit my life with the force of a tsunami and had made it almost unrecognisable overnight. And the sooner I accepted it, the happier I would be. His Highness’s wife wasn’t just a title. It was a role. And I had to either step into it fully and embrace whatever came with it for however long it lasted, or I had to walk away right now.

When I agreed to stay married to him, I thought my new role was small and temporary and that once I had the baby, I could finally begin to live my own life that I had put on hold ever since my father died, but birthing the Mirpur heir apparently meant that my own identity was going to be obliterated for good. I was going to be a mother, nanny, and sister with no hope of ever being anything more.

And as I saw Zarna chattering away at the centre of a group of strangers who had accepted her unconditionally, I knew Icouldn’t walk away so easily. Not when I had the chance to make a better life for us. Of course, it remained to be seen if any of these people would bother with us after the inevitable divorce.

That was the other thing that bothered me. I wasn’t really his wife. Not in the real sense of the word. The very fact that our marriage came with an expiry date made it feel more like a job. And you couldn’t allow your boss to buy you expensive things. That was unprofessional. I was already lusting after my new husband, and I had no business making it worse by turning our arrangement into anything that resembled a relationship.

I decided to take the Rani Sa of Trikhera up on her offer. It seemed very far-fetched to me that anyone would care about what I wore, but I could try it out for a bit until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. If there was one thing I knew, it was that I was not going to turn into one of those aimless page 3 women who depended on their men for financial support. I was going to fight for my independence because I never again wanted to be in a position where I was forced to do something that went against my principles just because I had nowhere to go.

Before I could express this to His Highness, Rani Ma brought Zarna over to us.

“Shivina, I’m giving Zarna a tour of the palace. Would you like to join us?” she asked kindly.

I stared at her, wondering if she resented my presence in her home. She had been very kind to me since I had arrived, but surely she couldn’t be happy about it. She hadn’t even flinched when I threatened to attend the puja in my nightclothes rather than wear the outfit she’d picked out for Kavya Baisa. I had never thrown a tantrum in my life, but the thought of stepping into Baisa’s shoes yet again made me want to throw up all over the fancy Persian carpet in our room. His Highness’s aunt had stared at me in horror, but Rani Ma’s eyes had held nothing but compassion and understanding.

Which was why I followed her willingly now. She wanted to show me her home. Maybe it would help me understand His Highness better. He looked very grumpy to see me leave, which sent a thrill down my spine. I turned around to look at him one last time and found his gaze fixed on me. My heart stopped and jumpstarted on its own, and I turned bright red.

“Ohmigod! Stop ogling each other in public,” cried Zarna, making gagging sounds.

“Shut. Up!” I snarled, now turning purple with embarrassment, wishing the ground would open up so I could do a full Sita Maiyya.

His Highness shot me a cocky grin, and I stumbled, making my embarrassment complete. Damn him!

“Come along, girls,” said Rani Ma, not even bothering to hide her smile.

I turned around and followed her without sparing him another glance, and as soon as we were out of sight, I reached out and swatted Zarna on the head. She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head.

“How old is the palace, Rani Ma?” I asked.

Rani Ma began the story of the first Mirpur royal, Sardar Sumer Singh Rathore, who had built a haveli on this very site seven hundred years ago. After years of war-mongering and weapons dealing, Sumer Singh’s descendants had amassed enough wealth to build this palatial palace, but it was only when his great-grandson had successfully defended the village of Mirpur and its immediate neighbours from marauding invaders seven times that Emperor Akbar had finally recognised him as Maharaja.

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