Page 102 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“To aap humein bata dijiye ki humein kya kehna hai aur kya nahi. Paristhithi ke anukool, humaare paas kaunse adhikaar hai or kaunse nahi,”(So enlighten me, your majesty, tell me what I should say and what I should not. Depending on the circumstances, what rights do I have and what I do not?) He asked, his smooth words slicing through my heart.

“Rudra,” I approached his side of the table, and he inclined his head to look at me.“Ji, Ranisa-” I immediately cut him off.“Stop calling me that.” He nodded slightly and went back to reading the papers.

“Whatever you prefer,” I gulped and did not know what to say. Slowly stepping closer to him, I looked at the papers scattered on the table.

“What are you doing, by the way?” He remained still, not answering my question, and I leaned close to his ear.

“I know you’re upset with me, and I agree I shouldn't have slapped you,” I surrendered, and he looked up at me.

“No, it wasn't wrong of you. I deserved it, because I was wrong. I’ve always been wrong. You can try to marry my uncle for revenge, but when I objected, I was wrong. My brother jokingly calls you his wife. I objected, I am wrong,” His fingers were tightly curled around the paper, and suddenly he chuckled bitterly.“I don't even know who I am,” he kept chuckling, shaking his head.

“You’re my husband and you know it,” he began laughing, a dry, emotionless laughter.

“Alright,” he said, biting the inside of his cheek to restrain his laughter.“Jokes apart, there’s so much work to be done, so if you could please leave, I’d be truly grateful,” he added, and I moved all the papers on the table.

“No, I will not. Either you are coming with me to bed or I’m staying here with you,” I said, perching myself on the table, sitting right in front of him.

He leaned back on the chair, placed his hands on the armrest, and stared at me. Dropping the veil of shame, fear, and doubt, I looked him in the eyes, tilting my head slightly and resting my palms on either side of me.

It was an intense, heated battle between our eyes. I moved forward, intending to stand, but he beat me to it. Clasping the edge of the table beside my thighs, he tried to rise to his feet, but I immediately pressed my foot flat against his chest and shoved him back into the chair.

The sound of my anklets resonated in the hushed library, elevating the tension blazing between us. I could feel the muscles of his chest flexing beneath my foot.

With a firm push, I pressed him further back and whispered softly yet steadily, with a finality in my tone,“We're not getting out of this room until we sort things out. None of us is perfect. You make mistakes, I make mistakes. We cannot survive without each other. Our unity is our strength. We have a long way ahead, Ranaji. We cannot let our enemies sense our differences and give them a chance to break us apart.”

The way I could feel his heart pulsating fast through my feet made me realize that I was beginning to unmask his facade of politeness and break his restraint.

His chest puffed up as he inhaled deeply and landed his gaze on my foot. Slowly, he trailed his fingers on my foot, playing with my toe rings, but suddenly jerked my foot away to stand up.

“I’m done making a team with you. You play your part, and I play mine,” he said, and I strongly forced him back again, causing the wooden chair to squeak as it slid against the floor. I could feel the air thickening, coiling us in an undeniable warmth.

“And one of those parts says to listen to your wife,” I muttered, curling my lips lightly.“That’s the point, you’re not just my wife,” he said, and I glared at him, clenching my jaw.

“Now, you’re going beyond the boundaries,” I gritted.

He chuckled,“With you, my little wife.” Reclining his head on the backrest, he added,“I know no boundaries.” I gulped at his remark.

“He’s your brother. And it wasn’t deliberate; we just needed to hide our true identities to get through the checkpoint,” I explained.

Holding my gaze steadily, he asked,“What if I call Suman my wife on the same grounds?”

An instant surge of rage erupted within me, and I thrust my heel hard against his chest.“Dare you say so, and I’ll let you know,”

He smiled.“Exactly! You cannot bear any woman, even your best friend, being called as my wife for an act. Likewise, I, too, cannot bear any man calling you their wife, even if it is my brother, for a secret mission, as a joke, or as an act. I don’t care, Ranisa,” he stated.

“But, you can’t be jealous because of your little brother's joke,” I retorted, and suddenly he pushed my leg aside and hovered over me.

He instantly pulled me closer by my neck and breathed on my face,“You are not a joke, you’re my wife, my queen, my everything. And when I say you're mine, I don't mean in a way I have a possession over you, in terms of power. It means that your heart beats just and just for me, that there’s no man who, even jokingly, can call you his, not even in his dreams. Be it my uncle, my brother or anyone,” my lips parted, feeling suffocated, and I blinked with an urge.

“And, you have to promise me that you will never treat me like a slave. The way you dragged me to our chamber hurt me,” I choked on my words, and his grip tightened on my neck.

“I don’t do slaves, little wife. The only hand I ever held, of a woman, is yours. And the next time I’ll not be dragging you, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and bring you back if you try to sneak out of the palace without my awareness, understand?” hequestioned, inching closer, and I nodded rapidly.

“Yes,” I said, and he loosened his hold on me.

I gasped for air, trying to steady my breath. His anger had calmed down, and his eyes softened. He gently kissed my forehead and let his lips linger briefly.

My lashes forced closed as he mumbled,“I love you so much. I just got angry and anxious seeing you sneaking out like that. I worried that if I had not caught you, I might’ve lost you.”

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