Falling For the cruel king

11. The raging fire

Previously,

They both have this unimaginably beautiful smile on their faces. Devangi holds her brother's hand and pulls him toward Chandrika. Seeing Devraj coming towards her, Chandrika freezes on the spot like a statue, as though she has forgotten how to move. Her limbs are feeling numb. Right now, she just wants to turn and run as fast as she could, but her feet don't allow her. Her face is as red as a ripe apple. The red flush on her cheeks and her sweaty palms indicate the increasing nervousness in her heart. Devangi stands in front of Chandrika with Devraj. "Chandrika, meet my brother, the king of Devpura, Devraj Rana Pratap," Devangi says to Chandrika. "And Bhai, this is the youngest sister of the prince, Princess Chandrika."

Devraj puts his hands together and says, "Namaste, Rajkumari Chandrika."

Hearing her name in Prince Devraj's voice sends a shiver down Chandrika's spine. Instead of greeting him with words, she greets him with a helpless smile, as if her brain has completely stopped functioning.

As Devraj looks at Devangi in confusion, he finds Devangi to be even more confused. Just then, two maids come rushing toward Devangi and bow down to her. "Your Grace, Princess Arunika has asked for your presence in her chamber," one of the maids says.

Devangi replies, "No worries, I am coming with you. Just give me a minute."

She turns towards Devraj and Chandrika and says, "I will take my leave here. Hope you both have a good time."

Then she takes off with the maids, leaving the two of them in a very discomfited condition.

............................

Devraj looks at Chandrika with a little confusion on his face but still puts on a warm smile, attempting to not scare her off. He says in a soft, low, husky voice, "Princess Chandrika. Aren't you the one who was in the royal parlor the other day?"

"I... I... Was just... you know... I, uhh..." She stammers, trying to explain herself but fails miserably. Her cheeks are flushed in a sweet crimson color as she looks at his broad shoulders, proud chest, tousled hair, and passionate eyes.

Looking at her stammering and flustered, he looks at her in a sweet, caring way and says in a reassuring tone, "It's alright, Princess Chandrika. You don't have to explain anything to me. It's absolutely fine."

At this point, Chandrika isn't even listening to what he is saying. She is just lost in the endless sea of his eyes.

"Princess... are you okay?" he asks, confused by her demeanor.

She snaps out of the train of thoughts she was weaving in her head and looks at the ground shyly as she says, "Y... yes, Your Majesty. I am alright. If I have your permission, I will be leaving for the ceremony preparations this evening."

"Oh, that's okay... See you later then," he says, his voice calm and low as well, his eyes unwavering and passionate.

Chandrika slightly nods her head and turns around to leave. But as fate would have it, as she was about to leave, she stumbles on an overgrown patch of grass and is about to fall to the floor. She grasps and closes her eyes shut. But instead of finding herself on the cold, hard ground, she finds herself enveloped in Devraj's arms. His touch is soft and gentle, his gaze calm and collected as usual. She can feel his heartbeat next to her, his warm and steady breathing, and gentle embrace make her heart flutter. She doesn't know what is happening to her. She doesn't understand the thousand different ways her body is reacting to this magical moment. Her limbs feel weak, her pupils are dilated, his manly scent filling her senses.