Page 73 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“Nandani, don’t even think of walking out on me,” I said, but her walking away just like that heightened my fury.

“Nandani,” but she chose not to listen to me. I heaved an exasperated sigh.

Fine!

I returned to work, and for the entire day, I didn't meet her; I didn't see her, nor did she come to talk to me.

I went through some official documents and discussed them with Ranvijay and Agastya.

By the evening, Bhabhisa had arrived from her maternal home, and I had gone to meet her.

She was happy to adopt Hridhaan. Once done, I left her chamber to let her rest.

After finishing all my work and meeting the royal courtiers, I had dinner with Ranvijay and Agastya.

Later in the night, I retired to our chamber, which was strangely completely dark, with no lamps lit around.

I headed towards the courtyard, but she wasn’t there or anywhere around. The moon had already risen, scattering its light all around the place, but I couldn't find her.

I saw her attendant, Suman, coming out of the bedroom, so I asked her,“Where is Nandani?” She answered in a polite tone, with her head kept low,“Ranaji, she's in the bedroom.”

“Did she have dinner?” I inquired, and she nodded,“Ji, Ranaji.” She left after answering me.

I felt bad for fighting with her. But, somewhere, she had to understand me. Her mother was promised to my father, and both her parents betrayed him and killed him later, because of which my brothers and I suffered for all our lives.

I sauntered towards her bedroom and found her lying on her stomach, playing with her flowy hair scattered at her side on the bed. It seemed like she was so immersed in the book that not once did she turn her eyes away to look at me.

I cleared my throat to get her attention, but there was no response. I could see her slender, fair legs dangling up in the air as she moved them swiftly, playing with the toes of her other feet.

Her anklet’s bells rang in the quiet chamber as I tread further. The room was dimly lit with a few lamps and candles around.

She was trying to seduce me.

I could feel her intense stare on my open back as I removed my kurta and lit more candles.

If it's a game she wanted to play, why shouldn’t I play along?

After lighting a few candles and lamps, I settled on the couch and placed a few papers on the table. Leaning forward, as I went through them, I could see her peeking glances at me from myperipheral vision.

She did not say a thing, and neither did I. She continued reading her book until midnight, while I kept going through the papers.

The tension was palpable in the environment. It seemed like a war about who would talk first.

Suddenly, I saw her climbing out of bed. Her long hair, swaying above her small waist, came into view as she ambled towards the bookshelf in the corner to return the book.

She stood there, softly brushing her hair with her fingers, detangling the curls at the end and tying them into a loose bun.

Something flickered in my chest when I saw her lean arms for the first time as she made the bun. Her backless blouse tempted me with a view of her exposed back, highlighting her shoulder blades. I instantly turned my eyes back to the papers, blinking uneasily.

I wasn’t supposed to look at her in that way. She was my wife. But, unintentionally, my eyes again stared at her as she moved back to the bed.

“Nandani,” I called her slowly, but she didn't reply and went towards the dressing room. I inhaled a deep breath and waited for her to come back.

Stepping out, she closed the door behind her, and I felt my heart elevate at an unusual rate when I saw her in a white nightgown that reached till her mid-thighs.

My insides flipped, seeing her bare legs and arms, and I immediately stood up from the couch.

I stopped her mid-way as she approached the bed and cornered her against the bedpost.

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