Warrior Hearts

Worship

"How dare she speak to my wife in that manner?" Manik growls, his voice full of enough menace that I feel my skin line with goosebumps even though his anger is not directed towards me. Stepping out of the bathroom, Manik yanks the cords of his robe together, tying them in an unforgiving knot at his waist.

"I believe it is you who has fooled Anusha into disillusioning herself that she has the freedom to speak to a queen - your queen," I add as an afterthought, "In such a crude way." I remind Manik, raising my eyebrows at the sight of his clenched jaw. Perhaps now is not the ideal time to further instigate my already heated husband. However, that doesn't mean I won't poke his cinders regardless.

"As much as I hate to agree with you, Princess, you're right." Manik concedes, his voice tight. Judging from the tick in his jaw, I can tell that he's exercising every last ounce of self control into refraining himself from making a drastic, rash decision that he will regret later. "But if I am capable of giving her the freedom, then I am well able to rob her off it, too."

And just like that I can tell that Manik has lost the battle of restraint to his anger that's waging a storm inside him on my behalf. Pivoting on his heel, Manik stalks his way towards the chamber door with a single-minded goal in his head that I am fearful of finding out.

"Manik, wait!" I call out from behind him, kicking my feet off the bed.

"I'll be back in a while, Princess." Manik casts these words at me over his shoulder before yanking open the door and storming his way out.

"Dammit," I hiss, yanking the corners of my peignoir together to cover the front of my translucent laced-up night gown. Lord, please let the hallways be empty, I pray as I bolt after my husband. The palace is currently swarming with guests from lands far and wide, and the last thing I need is to bump into one of them - especially a gentleman - and for them to ogle at my revealing attire, and rotate the gossip mill with talk about the queen who cannot dress herself decently.

"Manik," I hiss, not wishing to yell and draw unwanted attention towards the two man circus we are currently conducting. "Manik Malhotra, I swear to the heavens above - " I'm cut off by my own yelp as I run into something, someone. Calloused hands reach out to stabilise me, my feet stumbling backwards at the unexpected force.

"Easy there, lady." The voice belongs to the owner of the hands that are still wrapped around me, holding me firmly in place. Taking a step away from the man in front of me, I shrug his hold off from around me. Trailing my gaze upwards, across the length of a dark robed chest, I come face to face with the man who requested my second dance for the night at the ball.

"Oh, Your Grace," he says, recognition dawning across his face. As is required of him, the man in front of me drops into a bow. "Do pardon me, but the shadows prevented me from seeing the light of our kingdom." Frowning, I tug at the corners of my peignoir, folding my arms in front of my chest.

"The mistake is all mine," I say, my gaze flicking towards the empty hallway behind the man's shoulder. Manik is nowhere in sight. "I was in great haste, and failed to realise that the other hallway opened out here." Distractedly, I wave my hand towards my right from where the man materialised.

"You're too gracious, Your Grace." The man says, shadows dancing across his face from the lanterns that are scattered along the length of the walls. For some odd reason, the dance of light surrounds the man in front of me in a sinister aura, making me wary of him. "Sebastian," the man says, offering me another bow. "At your service," he adds, his gaze trailing along the length of my partially exposed front as he rises.

"It's a pleasure," I say, turning around and heading back the way I came. The chances of me finding Manik now that I've lost sight of him are slim to none. Moreover, I do not wish to be loitering around in the hallways, only to have yet another guest bump into me.