Page 135 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“Raaj mata44,” Suddenly, an attendant interrupted us, and we all turned to see her standing at the door.“Ranisa is asking for you,” she politely informed.

Daadisa clicked her tongue in mild irritation.

“Ye Abhi bhi na, humaare bina kuch nahi kar paati. Hum aate hain, unke kaan kheech kar,”(God, this Abhi, she can’t do anything without my help... I’ll come back after scolding her.) She spoke, and we both stood as she began to rise. I stepped forward to help her stand and walked her to the door.

“You stay here. I’ll manage,” she said and stepped out of the chamber.

As soon as she left, I closed the door behind her and leaned against it, trying to calm my horse-riding heartbeats.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, exhaling shakily. When I looked up, he was already looking at me.

Silence fell for a few long moments.

I could hear nothing but my wild heart, my uneven breaths, and I felt my knees trembling.

And when our eyes met, we burst into laughter.

I nearly rolled onto the floor, clutching my stomach, while he collapsed onto the couch, laughing uncontrollably.

My insides ached, my cheeks hurt, and tears streamed down my face from laughing so insanely.

“Oh, Nandani, I love her,” he said between laughs. And mine disappeared. Because at that moment, I realised... This was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh like that. So freely. So genuinely.

I walked over to him as he wiped away his tears, still smiling.

He looked so happy. So incredibly cute.

And I… I couldn’t stop myself from saying it.“Aap haste hue bahut pyaare lagte hain, Rudra,”(You look really good when laughing, Rudra.) He looked at me, and slowly, his laughter faded.

Straightening himself, he gazed at me as I stepped closer—our eyes locked in silence.

Then, in one swift move, he pulled me and shifted me beneath him.

I gasped, caught off guard, and stared up at him, stunned by the sudden movement.

“Humaari Ranisa ko pehli Holi ki bahut-bahut shubkaamnayein,”(Many heartfelt wishes to my Ranisa on her first Holi.) He said and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I looked into his eyes. I could feel his feet brushing against mine, our chests gently pressed together, and his body perfectly caging me under him.

“Aapko bhi Ranaji,”(You too, Ranaji.)

Suddenly, I shivered when a loud knock echoed against the door. He frowned, his eyebrows narrowing at the sudden interruption.

The knocking grew louder, more urgent. He quickly moved off me, and I slipped out from under him, standing up and straightening my clothes in a hurry.

As I walked toward the door, I could feel his eyes watching me silently from the couch. A soft smile lingered on my lips, as this was my first Holi with him.

I gently touched the lock, twisting it open, then reached for the handles.

And just as I began to pull the door open—before I could evenregister what was happening—a plateful of powdered colours came flying at me.

In an instant, I was covered from head to toe in a cloud of dry pink.

“HAPPY HOLI, BHABHI SA…”

Agastya’s voice, bubbling with excitement and mischief, reached my ears, and I started coughing like crazy.

I waved my hands frantically to clear the cloud of colour, dusting off my clothes as best as I could, and glared at him.“Agastya!” I shouted.

---