Cittaja || Indian Historical Romance

13.

Laying back on the boat, Mayurakshi had fallen asleep. Pausing the boat at the shore, he let himself admire the beautiful temptress.

The jewellery was going leave marks on her skin if they weren't removed. Shakra picked her up in his arms. She slightly opened her arms to see why there was disturbance. Then noted that Shakra was carrying her. She took a deep breath and curled a bit to sleep again.

Shakra chuckled at that. She didn't worry even a bit around him about her safety.

He took her to his tent, removed her jewelry. When he reached her waist belt, he noted a small knife. It would have gone unnoticed if it was someone else but Shakra usually first notices knives before anything else. The leather hilt was sewn on the inside of her skirt. A knife of that size would be useful for stabbing. It should have been dipped in venom. If there is anyone who would know plants, snake venoms, poisons, and their medicines, it would be Mayurakshi.

She comfortably curled to the side on his bed. She had after all come all the way from Kalika Empire to Pragvamsa's forest. What he wondered was how come the girl knew he was in the forest? If she asked Maharaj Kartik then an army would also have come behind her. He doubted how she had even found out about them.

Which of his enemies was sending assassins? It couldn't be Valli. She wouldn't take a risk of killing him here because that would easily lead to the Kalika Empire opening a full scale war against them and totally tear each of the Pragvamsa Royal Family men.

"What secrets do you hold, Bangaram?" He asked in a whisper.

When she turned around, her skirt moved ahead just a little up and he noticed a small tattoo on the side of her right leg. A little snake.

Shakra wondered how come she managed to get so many inkings. The process was quite painful. They constantly prick the needle over the skin and pour ink. He could imagine that the place behind her neck and the back was a slightly painful place for an inking. The sparrow, the peacock feather, and the snake. She tactfully got them in places that aren't often exposed to people to notice.

'Are you now doubting Mayurakshi? Just look at her. She is so soft. She cannot be a threat.' His heart argued on her behalf.

Shakra sighed. He wished to completely depend on his heart when it comes to her but this ridiculous brain of his wouldn't stop asking questions.

'Sure, she can be innocent but how does she know about assassins that even his own spies did not inform him about? How does she know that we're in this specific forest? Pragvamsa has 12 different forest lands. To know the exact location where we are is something that seems fishy.'

"What are you hiding, little peahen." He whispered.

"Nanna, I also want to sit next to you…." She muttered in her sleep. Tears started to exit her eyes. She was crying in her sleep.

That stopped his mind's question. Even his mind prioritized her state over the doubts.

"Nanna… please… I…" she muttered, "I can be like Akka."

"No, bangaram, you can't be like her because you're far beyond that stupid comparison." Shakra put his hand over her head. She grabbed his arms and held it.

"Nanna…" she muttered.

Shakra sighed, "I'm not your father, Rajkumari."

Shakra did know that Mayurakshi always wanted to be her father's darling child. So much so that she was willing to leave her mother, who was going back to her maternal home, just to stay and make her father love her as much as he loved Yuvika.

Shakra would argue that even that love he gave Yuvika was quite less. Regardless of his own father's philandering around with new women every other day, he loved his daughters deeply. They were almost spoiled in that sense. The only women that were constant in his life were the two girl children he had.

"Only a stupid person will ask whether a man loves Kalika more or Mahalakshmi more." His father would answer when someone asked which daughter he loved the most.

His father was strict towards him and his brothers but Kalika would have to save his mothers if they dare to shout at the two Princesses.

Finally, he set his arm free from her and exited the tent. He sat by the lake and wondered.

'It can be for personal protection.' his heart suggested. 'Something feels odd about it.'

In a while Karma reached him. "I just got news from our spies. Trouble is brewing around in Krishneri. A group of rebels are there rebelling against making Adhiman the Crown Prince. This group is being led by someone. They said that you're supporting Adhiman."

"Karma, don't give me this 'someone'. I want a name."

Karma hesitated. Shakra gave her a look. An eyebrow raised.

"The spies think that it is Rajkumari Mayurakshi…" Karma didn't get to finish when he grabbed her throat.

"I wish I could have another answer but if it is not her, we do not have any other name."

"You're saying that Mayurakshi would come running to save me after she herself slipped the wrong information?"
Shakra let her go and then ran his hands through his hair.

"Send Amartya and Basava a secret message to find out about this and tell me."

When Shakra needed to send Amartya a secret message, he generally sent Karma to get it done. She used her network to send an anonymous letter with secret codes in it. The code was only known to Shakra, Karma, Basava and Amartya.

It was a statement. Shakra trusted Karma a lot. This trust wasn't gained easily. It took her several years to reach there.

'Okay, while this is on board for confirmation from Amartya and Basava, assume that it is so that she wants to kill you. What are you going to do? 7 years. You've run around her for 7 years. Will you be able to give her up?' His brain questioned him.
'Of course. I am not a fool to let a girl kill me because I cannot control my manly urges.' I told my brain.
It scoffed at me, 'Easier said than done. You fantasize about her even when she is right before you.’

That was true. It couldn’t be said accurately that he will not be enticed by her. After all, the woman held his heart for 7 years now. Especially when she’s actually begun to respond back now. 

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