Deceiving Veils

Chapter- 65{And It starts}

Aabid was sitting in an enclosed room all drowned in his own thoughts before a wood crackled in fireplace bringing him out of his mind. His eyes watched the orange of fire, his forehead furrowed in some worries; he kept gazing the fire till he saw the blue of flame. Putting the paper in his hand on the table, he walked to the window. Someone knocked the door and he asked the person on the other side to enter the room. He was living in a secluded arbor and was engrossed in some of grave matters to be dealt with. 

A person walked in almost trembling due to frost of three in the morning. He looked tired as if had returned from a long journey. His face showed the lines of devastation. 

"What took you so long?" Aabid asked as he handed the man hot cup of water.

"There were some contingencies," That man answered trying to warm his trembling bones. His palms hovered over the fire as he soaked in warmth of it. 

"So?" Aabid asked unsure. He had been waiting to hear about it since days.

"No one survived," That man answered and worry lines across Aabid's face eased a little. 

"There were endless corpses as far as my eyes could see, I assure you no one survived the army attack," That man revealed surely. 

Aabid slouched back in his chair and relaxed. 

"Even animals are better than that army. I don't think so I can sleep after seeing that massacre. I felt sorry for those people. I don't know how that one man managed to escape and reach us," That man divulged as he gazed the fire. His eyes had horror of what he had seen.

"This war would demand greater sacrifices, my friend," Aabid said after a long pause. His eyes showed relief while heart was at war. He inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. 

__________________________

Annie along with two other handmaidens walked inside Nandini's room. Annie undid the curtains of the room letting the sunlight enter while other two maids steered the clothing stand towards the changing room. Nandini came out of bathroom and saw them performing the chores. 

"Good Morning, Ms Murthy," Annie wished with a warm smile. 

Nandini smiled back and continued to dry her long hair. 

"Your cloths will be arranged in your closet in no time. Shall I bring a dress for your first meeting at the office?" Annie asked and Nandini nodded.

Nandini's head was clouded with what morning was about to bring to her plate. She wasn't sure how she was going to fill shoes of her father. She had known very less of state affairs. She certainly didn't possess any skills in polity. She walked to the dressing room and picked the fine white dress Annie had kept there. 

She needed to see her father as first thing as she left the room, she made a mental note and got busy in getting ready. 

____________________

Mr Murthy was busy writing something in his diary. He was seated in a comfortable chair in the garden while three servent stood hand tied in his service. Aashi walked to him and he smiled at her. His leg slipped off his other one as he tried to imitate his own self. That man who sat there was no one else but supremo of a state. He was not the same man who made policies once and made sure he formulated them. He was someone who had lost his mind but not the pride. All he did was doodle in that diary while trying to act like someone whom people knew as Minister Murthy. Manners die hard.

Nandini didn't know when a lump formed in her throat as she gazed him from afar. She walked to him and smiled at Aashi who was busy making tea for her father.