Vāc

Daunting Duties

Disappointment dimmed his tender eyes and Abhijishya swallowed the fresh guilt that arose along with it.

His forehead came down to rest on her left shoulder as a heavy sigh ghosted over her arm.

"Can't this wait?" his tone reeked of slight frustration and weariness.

Abhijishya mulled for his words. Could this wait? Yes. Most certainly. It could wait till the sun rose tomorrow. Except she didn't want it to wait. She needed time to nurse the invisible burns of her heart and his affection now would feel like scalding water over them. So, she settled for a diplomatic answer instead.

"Maybe. If Rajkumar chooses so," she whispered aware of the grimace on Nakul's face as he immediately reared away from her.

Her chamber seemed to have grown colder. The grasp on her hand was bordering on painful or perhaps it was her hand almost crushing his- she was unsure because her eyes remained trained on the velvety bedsheet awaiting his reply.

"And a Rajkumar always chooses to serve his people," Nakul said flatly then added, "Pardon me, I slipped there for a moment Rajkumari Abhijishya. I forgot that my duties follow me everywhere."

"Even here" - It wasn't said but Abhijishya heard it all the same. Words of apology and appeasement almost bubbled up her throat but she exhaled soundly.

She bent her head, her chin touching the cool metal pendant and she breathed slowly refusing to let his calloused fingers escape.

"Such is the price of the throne," Abhijishya remarked.

'Forgive me, I am using it to protect myself.'

'Forgive me, I am unable to protect you from it.'

She didn't say. Nakul didn't deign her words with a reply.

The fingers entangled in hers slowly left her hold. This time she didn't try to entrap them.

"So?" One even word made her head look up at the familiar brown eyes. Nakul appeared composed, regal and unaffected. His posture was relaxed yet keen eyes like hers could decipher the coiling tension within. Infront of her sat Rajkumar Nakul, adept in politics both domestic and foreign.

Abhijishya straightened her posture and narrated the happenings of her time in the infirmary in details. She added further, "Now that I reflect on the time spent there, I felt some workers, servants and maids were in a hurry. It couldn't be because of a medical emergency because I didn't notice any healer rushing. This aberrant movement was going on near the storehouses except that I didn't catch anything out of the place when I inspected them." Abhijishya huffed in frustration.

Nakul was frowning slightly, deep in thought. "Could you elaborate on what you saw in that boy's room again?"

"Well, that was what confirmed my suspicions actually. Ahim was working on making copies of the original record but there were well hidden anomalies in almost every other category. As you are aware, the infirmary receives a document listing the supplies we get; be it imported, be it made or produced inside the kingdom. Then the officials in the infirmary make a record tallying the quantity and quality of the supplies received which is kept inside the infirmary office and reviewed either by me or Shreeman Jatasya. After that, another document is made where the amount of which supplies are sent, the amount kept, the place where the supplies are being sent as well as the number animals used to transport the supplies. Once everything is distributed throughout the kingdom, a messenger arrives with a confirmatory note from the local infirmaries," Abhijishya paused taking a deep breath. Then continued, "What troubles me most is that I am sure Ahim had all the four types of records in his room - the most current one being today's. The confirmatory message was being forged by him even though there were unusual slants to the handwriting. Perhaps, a poor tactic to make it appear like someone else's?"