Page 85 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“Eat me then,” she said, swallowing visibly, and I pecked her ear.“Be as wild as you want with me and satiate your hunger of a decade. Devour me as you want until you are satisfied. Claim me and mould me the way you want,” she added, and I shook my head.

“No,” The silence followed for a moment, and she asked under her breath,

“Because I’m not a virgin?” The moment she said it, I felt like someone had wrung my heart. I inhaled deeply near her neck to get a whiff of her scent and calmly said.

“I don't care, Nandani. These things don't matter to me. This context of purity, virginity, seduction and all of that might matter to other men. I don't care if you are a virgin or not. If I did, I would’ve never married you after I saw you stepping out of that old man’s chamber,” as I finished, she immediately threw a series of questions at me.

“You don't care? Why? You said you are possessive about me.” I noticed a mole behind her ear, and tucking the strands of her hair behind her ear, I said,“No, I don't care. I’m possessive about you? Yes. Your body? No. You are more than just your body; you have a soul. There is a human in you, an element of the divine in you. There is love in you, and there is so much in you just apart from your body, little wife.” She blinked at me naively.

“This is so deep, Ranaji.” I kissed her bare shoulder and said,“I don't want to eat you, I want to win your heart. I'm attracted to you, probably because my control of ten years is slipping slowly off my hands now. But there is so much in me that I have for you. I look up to you for treating everyone equally. I respect you for choosing me, even when I was at my lowest, and I’m grateful to you for helping me realise my mistakes. I admire you for fighting against the world, and it’s only you who gave me the strength to face my fears. It is only for you whom I created all this mess for, my queen.” Tears pooled in her eyes.

She whispered,“Rudra.” I petted the side of her neck with my lips, leaving feathery kisses on her collarbones and said,“Be my strength, Nandani. I can't break my celibacy until my coronation. I've taken an oath to claim the throne rightfully. The old King is still alive, and I don't want to wear the crown until I kill him, anduntil every single person of Suryagarh accepts me as the king.” I moved towards her face and kissed her cheek and instructed,“And don't you dare change yourself for me. You are my Queen. Don’t cook unless it's for us. No wearing these servants’clothes and no stubbornness. I cannot fight the world after setting my own house on fire. You are my home, my strength. Don't make me weak, don't make me see you doing all these things. I love seeing you as a queen sitting beside me, who can conquer and rule the world. Don't just be my wife, Nandani, be my queen,” she nodded lightly, and a tear fell from her eyes.

“You want me to be a Queen, and also want me to see you sleeping on the floor, eating simple food, doing your chores on your own, see you punish yourself for no reason and suffer, controlling yourself for something so meaningless,” she spoke bitterly, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

“Alright, I'll do that,” she said, standing up from my lap. I fisted my fingers with the loss of her touch. She walked behind the room divider, and I followed suit. I pinned her against the wooden wall and said,

“Please try to understand,” I said, gulping. She fisted her hands on my chest.

“You want me to understand? What about you? I can’t see you controlling your emotions. I, too, have feelings for you, I, too, care for you, I, too, am possessive about you, and I am insanely in love with you, Rudra. What do we do about that?” She broke into sobs.

“But you go on with your goals. Make your empire, rebuild it, and do everything an ideal king should do. Who am I? Why does it matter what I want? You left me hanging in between, yet I understood. You played with my feelings, I understood. You used me for your game, I understood. After all of that you did, you wanted me back, I understood that too. But you don’t want to understand that I care for you, right? You wouldn’t care if it hurts me to see you in pain, right?” She exclaimed, pushing me away as she took her clothes out of the trunk.

“Nandani,” I tried to call her, but she showed me her palm.“Don't worry, Ranaji. I'll do as you say,”

I immediately pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly. She squirmed to break free, but eventually hugged me back. Her upper body was covered with just a dupatta, and I brushed her nape softly.

“It's so difficult to convince a stubbornkid,” I teased.

?? ? ? ?

Nandani

“D

on't call me a kid,” I slapped his back, and he tightened his hold on me.

“But, you look like a kid,” he again mocked me, and I pulled away from the hug.“Well, because I'm not a giant tree like you,” I said and dabbed my eyes with the end of my dupatta, cleaning my tears.

“Do I look like a tree?” He asked, ridiculed, and I nodded,“Yes. A tall, gnarled, controlling and such a rigid tree,” I replied and, stepping closer, he picked his clothes out.

“Come, my plant,” I looked at him, puzzled,“Plant?” He nodded, walking with me with his hand on my shoulder.

“Yes. If I’m a tree, you’re my plant. Tiny, annoying but cute,” I scowled at his logic, and he chuckled, making me stand in front of the mirror.

“Let me help you get dressed,” He said, standing beside me. I instantly shook my head.

“No, I don't think you should. You’re a king and my husband, and such work doesn’t suit you,” but he stepped closer and pulled the dupatta off my shoulder.

“So, you just want me to tear your clothes and not help you wear them. How considerate of my wife,” he said, flashing a phoney grin, and took the blouse in his hands. I glanced at him as he was trying to figure out the pattern of the blouse, and when he did, he slid the sleeves through my arms. I smiled, shaking my head at his silly fit.

“What's the use of you ripping my clothes when you can't doanything? I took you for a lion, but you turned out to be a kitten,” I said, biting the inside of my cheek, and he chortled at my statement.

“Kitten?” I nodded, adjusting the blouse on my shoulders. Holding the strings, he asked,“How tight do you want?” I smiled, remembering the last time he tied them.

“You can tie them as tight as you can. But, I want to know, how tight do you want?” I playfully questioned, leaning back, and saw him smirking in the mirror. Suddenly, he fastened the strings too tightly, making me squeak.

“Aaahhh…” My chest compressed, making my mouth drop open to breathe.

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