Karikalan: Saviour of the Cholas

Chapter 74: High and Mighty

Valavan rolled his eyes, exasperated. "This is what you wanted to do all along? Alli, this is ridiculous!"

"Stay still for a minute!", gritted out Alli, glaring. "How difficult can it be?"

Valavan rubbed his left cheek. "Well, a lot more than you can imagine."

Alli shot him a look. "You can either shut up for one single minute or stay here all day. I've all the time in this world." She smiled, eyes glinting. "The choice is yours."

Valavan muttered a curse under his breath. "How can I allow one tiny human to bully me like this?! I'm to become the King here!"

Alli chuckled, clutching the bowl in her hand. "You just love this not-so-tiny-human too much, little one. Remember? I'm the one who is older."

Valavan stilled. Alli noticed. "What is it?"

Valavan took a deep breath, composing himself. She didn't know. "Don't call me 'little one'. That is what Irungovel calls... used to call me."

Alli bit her tongue. "Sorry." She quickly changed the subject. "Uh, if it is any consolation, you can call me 'tiny human'. Well, you did call me a mosquito already. I can't see how much worse this can be."

That elicited a laugh from him. "Finally! I get another nickname to call you with!! You simply have loads of them for me." He shook his head. "For the King, no less."

Now that he didn't seem upset, she shushed him. "Alright, stop being all high and mighty and smile. This will get over before you even know it."

"Oh?", he mumbled sarcastically. When she didn't reply, he sighed, conceding. He forced a smile on his face.

"Wider."

Biting back a snarky response, he did as she asked, making his dimple jut out. 

Satisfied, Alli dipped her forefinger into the bowl. Quickly, she took it to his dimple and made the water drip onto it. She started to count again.

"One, two, three..."

Valavan's jaw began to hurt. How long was this supposed to take!

Sensing his thoughts, Alli shot him a look. "Don't open your mouth", she warned. 

Stifling back a retort, Valavan stayed still, not wanting to prolong the ordeal any further. Alli made one more drop fall. "Four." She dipped her finger in again to drip another drop. 

When she did, however, it spilled out.

She squealed. "It can hold four drops! I knew it!!"

Valavan stared at her. "What?"

Alli nodded enthusiastically. "All the times I pressed my finger into your dimple? I was feeling it out!" She raised her index finger to point to the middle of the first ridge present. "It went in till here!"

Even Valavan couldn't hold in his astonishment. "That deep?"

Before Alli could reply, a guard entered. If he was surprised by the scene before him, he didn't let it show. He lowered his eyes and bowed.

Embarrassed, Valavan hurriedly wiped the water off his face, shooting Alli a glare. She bit her lip to rein in a giggle. Valavan cleared his throat. "What is it that you want?"

The guard straightened. "Lord, the finance minister requests your audience."

Valavan frowned. "Couldn't it wait?"

"He says that it is urgent and cannot be put off."

Valavan sighed, opening and closing his mouth shut to exercise his stiff jaw. "Send him to my chamber. Call Ilanchezhiyan too. I'll come there."