Daughter of the Death God

The Deadly Dinner

It is finally evening, blood red runs along the horizon as the sun sets below the seas. Warm colors riot against the sky, overlooking the thousands of sandstone buildings and long chains of empty roads. It is quiet and there is a peaceful bliss in the kingdom. Everything seems to be perfect.

It's not.

A maid calls me to be escorted, and my eyes tear away from the jali. I sigh, leaving the illusion of tranquility, and return to her , she lends out her hand which I gratefully accept. It is time for the dreaded dinner with the royal family.

Nothing fancy or anything, I'll have to do this everyday now, since I am becoming part of the family. My spine shivers at the thought
Part of the royal family

It's hard to digest that this is all really happening so fast. I went from being a Minister to being the future daughter in law of
Royal family of Dharmapur in a matter of mere days.

And soon I will be the Queen.

She takes my heavy ringed fingers and leads me out, the gaze of the surrounding servants on us and I get this churning feeling in my stomach again.

"Let's go " and she drags me outside. We shuffle down the stairs and take a series of right and left of the palace walls, which I don't bother to remember, until after sometime we reach an intricately carved oak door.

She lurches and that's how I know we've arrived .Spinning to me she adjusts the heavy jewellry on my face ranging from the golden nose ring as large as one's eye to the heavy jaded bindhya.

It was like wearing concrete.

"Okay" she flashes a wrinkled smile

"Go in child"

I nod and approach the door and with a shaking fist knock.

Faint.

So I try again, this time loudly.

"Come in"

I wipe my hands to my side and then twist the knob, gliding the door open, revealing the scene of the four of them, sitting on the ground waiting in tge dimply lit room. Their heads turn simultaneously to me, causing my feet to freeze. There is the king, same as always, examining me with an unapproved stare, and his wife-the Queen who follows him with his judgmental glare. I haven't seen her before, but she looks a bit younger than I expected her to be. With only a few strands of gray hair
Compared to the king, whose entire head looks like a cloud.

There is their children, Tej, with his skin having a little hue of green, and not daring to look at me. And Ishaan who pretends nothing happened. And continues eating.

"You are late " the king thunders.

I flinch and remember how he almost slapped me in the morning.

"I'm so-sorry, the-"

"And what are you wearing?"theQueen asks.
Queen Irabai.

I squint
In contrast to her I am wearing the same amount of jewelry.

Necklaces, bangles, rings-

"It's not proper for you to dress like that in front of us. It's only your first time"

I've never heard of that before-

I look down at my dress, an orange lehenga covered with silver mandalas.

"Too much"

I smile tightly.

"I'll go change then"

"No", she stops me."You are already late as it is "

"Take a seat"

I sigh and walk around her to the other side of the hall, next to Ishaan. The room is long and we are far from each other for it to be awkward. Good.