ARJAV's POV:

(Prince of Vardhanpur)

The first rays of the morning sun slipped through the carved windows of my royal guest chamber, gently pulling me from sleep. I exhaled slowly and walked toward the jharokha.

Devgarh Palace looked breathtaking at dawn. The gardens shimmered with dew, fountains sparkled beneath the golden light, and cool morning air carried the fragrance of blooming flowers.

My gaze wandered aimlessly... Until it stopped. There they were. Walking hand in hand through the gardens.

Shivanya & Rudransh.

A faint smile found its way to my lips as I saw them together.

People often say, "I don't love anyone."

I've never believed in that theory.

Because every person in this universe has someone living in their heart. Maybe not their whole heart..

Mine still belonged to the little girl who once placed a smile around my heart without even realizing it.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped away from the jharokha and stood before the mirror. As I adjusted the collar of my kurta, a maid bowed respectfully.

"Rajkumar, your bath has been prepared."

I gave a small nod smilingly. "I'll be there shortly." The moment she left, my eyes drifted to the silver locket resting against My neck, My fingers unconsciously reached for it.

A small smile crept onto my lips. It wasn't made of gold or studded with precious gems. It was just a simple silver chain with a tiny jalebi charm hanging from it.

Yes... A jalebi.

Shivanya had found out that it was my favorite sweet. So, on my eleventh birthday, she gifted it to me with the brightest smile on her face, proudly saying, "Now you'll always have your favorite jalebi with you.... Hehehe"

That's still one of the most romantic moments I've ever experienced with her. There have been countless moments between us since then. But this one... This one was my first. And firsts are always special.

My little shivu had given it to me on my birthday. She was only ninth then..Just an innocent little girl with messy braids and the cutest smile I'd ever seen.

That was the day I unknowingly began falling in love with her.

People think loving someone means possessing them, but I don't agree. Because if you have to get someone by hook or crook... That's not love. It could be obsession, It could be possession or maybe just the stubbornness of wanting something at any cost... But that's not love for sure.

I loved shivanya

I still do..and

I always will.

I never want to move on from the memories I had with her.

Okay, but that doesn't mean I'm going to become a sage!

She was never my obsession. I never wanted to make her mine out of stubbornness.

Love should be like your most favorite flower.

You love it so deeply that you're afraid to pluck it, fearing your own hands might be the reason it withers.

So you admire it from afar... Even when it blooms in someone else's garden.

A sudden knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Come in." The door opened, revealing Saanvi standing there with her usual bright smile. The moment our eyes met, she grinned even wider.

"Kuwarsa!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Get ready quickly. The baraat will be here any moment."

Her eyes widened with excitement, making me chuckle.

"Alright... I'll be ready soon," I replied smiling. Without waiting for another word, she turned around and rushed out of the chamber. "Ohh! I'm sending someone with your bathing oil!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Okayyyy..." I called back, shaking my head with an amused smile.

Ever since childhood, saanvi had stayed by Shivanya's side like a shadow. If Shivanya was somewhere, Saanvi wasn't far behind. And over the years, that friendship naturally extended to me as well.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I walked towards the bathing chamber. Removing my kurta and lower garments, I wrapped a thin white cloth around my waist before stepping into the stone bathing pool.

The moment the cool water embraced my body, every tense muscle seemed to loosen on its own.

Scooping water into the brass lota, I slowly poured it over my shoulders, and head, washing my hair too.

Just then... A faint chiming sound reached my ears. The delicate melody of anklets. As if someone is coming running towards me. I frowned slightly and turned around.

Time seemed to stop for me because infront of me... Rajkumari Meersha stood frozen near the stone pool, a brass bowl clutched in her hands.

For a long second, neither of us reacted and then her eyes slowly widened in horror. The bowl slipped from her fingers and hit the marble floor with a loud clang and she gasped.

"Heeeyyyy Rammmm!"

In utter panic, she spun around to leave. But the marble floor near the bathing pool was so wet that the very next second...

"Ahh-!"

Splash!

She fell straight into the pool, sending water splashing in every direction. I stood there for a heartbeat, too stunned to react.

Before I could even move, she pushed herself out of the water, her soaked clothes clinging to her as she stared at me with wide, terrified eyes.

Her lips parted, she was about to scream. Acting purely on instinct, I crossed the distance between us in two quick strides and covered her mouth with my hand.

"Shhhh..."

She continued staring at me with wide, frightened eyes, trying to scream or say something but it was nothing more than a muffled protest under my hand.

Realizing she wasn't actually going to scream now, I slowly withdrew my hand.

The very next second, she took a deep, shaky breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she looked at me... She was looking at me ..up and down.. up and down... Up and.....

...and when the third time her eyes went down, she froze. Her eyes grew even wider. She quickly looked back at my face, her eyes more wide, she wasn't even blinking now.

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

Cute!

I took a slow step towards her. Almost immediately, she took one step back. I took another. She matched it with another step backwards.

Again and again and again until... Her back gently met the cold stone wall surrounding the bathing pool. A soft gasp escaped her lips as the chilled marble touched her back skin.

Now there was nowhere left for her to go. She stood completely still, her breathing uneven, her flustered eyes darting over my uper body.

I slowly placed both my hands against the stone wall on either side of her, leaving her caged between me and the cold stone wall of the pool.

She was considerably shorter than me. Looking down at her, I realized she was doing everything possible to avoid my gaze. Her eyes wandered to the water... then to the pillars then somewhere over my shoulder... Anywhere but my eyes.

The smirk on my lips only grew wider looking at her face. Teasing her was surprisingly entertaining. I leaned forward just enough for my voice to reach only her.

"Rajkumari..."

She continued staring at the water as if she is finding fish in it. May be she didn't hear me. I called her again, this time a little louder.

"Rajkumariiii..."

She lifted her head abdurbptly. Her cheeks had turned a deep shade of crimson. Whether from embarrassment or anger, I couldn't tell.

Her clothes were soaked, tiny droplets of water trickling from the ends of her damp hair. A few loose strands clung stubbornly to her flushed cheeks, while the droplets resting on her long eyelashes....

STOPPPP!!!!!

I blinked once, forcing my thoughts back where they belonged.

"If you're done panicking, would you mind telling me why you're here?" I asked calmly.

She opened her mouth trying to speak "W-woh... hum... hum..."

I gave her a small encouraging nod.. signalling to speak further.

Instead, she merely pressed her lips together again, looking at me with complete helplessness, as though every word had abandoned her.

A laugh escaped me. Shaking my head, I stepped back. Then scooped up a handful of water and playfully splashed it towards her.

I said with a grin "Vivah ki umar ho gayi hai aapki, Jaiye... apne Bapusa se kahiye achha sa koi Rajkumar dhoondhe aapke liye."

(You are of marriageable age, go... tell your father to find a good prince for you)

For a heartbeat, she simply stood there. Then she glared at me, clenching her teeth tightly.

Without saying a single word, she climbed out of the pool, gathered the edge of her drenched attire, and stormed out of the bathing chamber as fast as she could.

The sound of her anklets faded away as she left the chamber. And for reasons I couldn't quite explain why the smile refused to leave my face.

I looked at the brass bowl on the floor which she had brought with her.

Bathing oil

.

.

.

AAHHHHHHHH!!! I'M SO EXITED....!!!

And don't be shy with the comments! Write as much as you want... In the end, every single one of them excites me to write more and more.