Rags To Royals (Royal #1: Book 1) | ✔

16

-• game on •-

"Very bold of you to order cupcakes from your favourite bakery and assume I wouldn't notice, Agastya," the corner of his lips tilt just the slightest. "Especially since I was the one to usually take you there after school," he leans back on the chair, poised like a king, commanding, bemused of our little, insignificant deceit.

My jaw goes slack as I snap my eyes toward Agastya.

How dumb do you have to be to order from the bakery that your brother knows about?

"What prompted you both to think you can deceive me and get away with it?" His voice drops lower, all the hint of amusement vanishing into the air. I swallow thickly, shifting my eyes toward him just as he lifts his dark gaze and pins it on me. "Do you never learn your lesson?"

I fidget in my seat.

"It's just cupcakes, Yuvraaj. And you know she was not feeling well the whole day." Dad speaks up in my defense.

"Yeah, she was very exhausted -" Vivaan joins in but shuts up when Yuvraaj warns him with his eyes.

"I judge the situation before making any decisions. Taranya here told me on the phone she's all fine to be treated normally, didn't you, Princess?"

I nod.

"So, is it my fault that lying seems to be your forte?"

I shake my head.

"Words," he commands making me flinch. "When you speak to me, I better hear you. Or did you not learn how to speak in full sentences?"

"I'm sorry,"

"Sorry for what?"

"Fo-For lying to you," I admit meekly.

"What was the lie?"

"That I'm fine,"

"Are you not?"

I look up from my plate, regarding him with a confused look. "Pardon?"

"Are you fine or not?"

"Not really," I whisper.

"Ah," He smirks, raising a brow in my direction, as if he gave me a chance but I blew it off. "Then explain this to me please," he picks up his iPad from the table and turns it in our direction. My eyes turn wide and mouth transforms into a gaping hole punctured by shock when I see myself and Agastya put on a show in the kitchen. From playing pretend with the utensils to throwing around flour and egg shells over the kitchen counter, and not just that, but also Arush dropping off the bag of the cupcakes on the doorside, every little detail of our lie was captured in the frame.

There was another camera in the room we weren't aware of.

My eyes move toward Agastya and Arush who both look paler than before. Great, when the delinquents are in horror of the consequences, I'm still a new pea in the pod.

"Not too fine to go through with your punishment but definitely enough to put on this great show for us, yeah?" He looks at me coldly.

I panic, the more I try to sweep my mess clean, the more I spill it.

I look at Dad in need of help but he avoids meeting my eyes. Great, I'm on my own now. Where did that fatherly love that was so oozing out of you this afternoon go, Dad?

"He forced me!" I blurt out, pointing at Agastya who looks at me with eyes wide like saucers.

"Explain," Yuvraaj offers.

"So, uhm, when the maid came to inform us about the kitchen being ready for use, lying to you was not in my mind. In fact, I was mentally preparing myself to bake with this disaster of a human when all of a sudden he came up with this idea. And he threatened me, you know? He manipulated me so well I couldn't think of anything else. And this!" I point at the video still playing on the iPad. "This was his idea as well! He said let's play pretend so Bhai doesn't suspect foul play. I swear!" I pinch my throat. "And you said that these cupcakes are from his favourite bakery, right? Because he ordered them. He did everything! I was just playing along because I'm just so scared of him. I thought if I don't go along with his plan, he'll not co-operate. I mean, it's team work, how am I supposed to get anything done if an important team member backtracks?"