Page 9 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I closed my eyes as my grieving heart told me something entirely different. He loves me. I tried to remind myself and timidly unrolled the letter.

“Ek chhot aapke parivaar ne humaare parivaar ko di thi, uttar mein ek chhot hum aapke parivaar ko dete hain!”(A scar your family gave to mine and a scar I give back to yours!)

It read.

I read it again.

Again and again. Until it shattered me into millions of pieces.

My grandmother embraced me as I wept my heart out.“Daadisa, I loved him so much. How could he do this to me?” I sobbed, feeling clueless about what to do. How would I face my father and the people of the kingdom?

“Get dressed, Nandani,” Suddenly, my mother jerked the gown onto my face, and I looked at her.

“Maasa, I’m sorry, please. I truly didn't know that he was conspiring against me.” She glared at me sharply and ordered again.

“GET DRESSED,” I nodded. As I stepped down from the bed, I felt my bones hurt and yelped in pain.

Tears streamed down my face as I realized he had indeed done it. I didn’t remember anything after he touched my thighs, but the pain I felt told me a completely different story.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I turned to face the bed.

Something in me broke, like those bangles I wore last night, which were now shattered into pieces, scattered across the bed.

?? ? ? ?

? Rudra ?

Isneaked out in the middle of the night, leaving her sleeping figure alone on the bed because I couldn't do it. I just had to spend one night with her, and I could not do that.

Coward.

I cursed myself, trying to calm my heart, which was hammering outrageously.

I couldn't do it for many reasons. One of them was my conscience.It kept arguing with my brain.

I felt great for the last two years. I tried to suppress and control this feeling because it wasn’t how I was supposed to feel on the path I was walking. However, as soon as I looked at her, my calm composure went down the drain, my emotions spiralled out of control, and my heart began to pound again.

I could not stand her. She was becoming my weakness. Her face, her smile, her kindness—I thought I could control it all, but she was clearly winning me over.

She was so undeniable.

To prevail over her, I had to feed her a sleeping herb. I knew we couldn’t get married because of our enmity, and I certainly couldn't keep her for myself, even in my illusions. Her father hated me, and I hated her father; we were no match.

I thought I'd use her as bait, but she wrecked everything. EVERYTHING.

I pulled the reins tighter as I had to run fast. I could feel her lingering smell tormenting my insides. It was galvanising,gripping me in its essence, and I wanted to get away from it. Only when I crossed the borders of her Empire did I breathe.

I didn’t want to see her again. We were enemies, and we could never be together. I reminded myself of this once more.

I couldn't forget about my father and the childhood I lost because of her parents.

Her father would never have let me marry her. Moreover, I wanted to kill her father and brother, and if I married her, it’d be difficult to do so because I’d be bound to her and probably have to think of her happiness and all.

Why was I even thinking about marrying her? Where did that thought come from? What the heck was happening to me?

I gripped my head in frustration and pulled the reins of my horse to stop him.

I stepped down and moved closer to his head, stroking his neck firmly. Patting his chest in appreciation, I let him find some grass to eat.

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