Warrior Hearts

Touche

Manik's POV

"A man like you, who has been cursed with being devoid of this very pious emotion cannot fathom its value and neither do you deserve it." My hand freezes in place; the nib of my pen hovering mere inches above the parchment in front of me. Good God, that girl's words are echoing in my head repeatedly, as if I'm being forced to hear the same sonata play, time and again. Clearing my throat, I force myself to regain my focus on the words in front of me. For fuck's sake, I've got far more important tasks at hand than to allow my mind to linger on that foolish girl's words.

"You're living a curse, Malhotra." Hurling my pen towards the table, I shoot out of my seat. With a clatter that must've surely echoed across the hallways of the palace, my chair lands onto the ground.

"Fuck," I hiss, tugging at the roots of my hair. What in God's name is wrong with me? Of all the people, I'm letting that girl's words get to me; a lady who I couldn't care less about. Someone who is worthless in my life. Heck, I'd treat the dirt underneath my soles with more respect.

"Um...Manik, I think after that reaction it would be foolish of me to ask if something's wrong." Rohit says from the opposite corner of the room, as I begin to pace across it. "So instead I'll ask, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I repeat, shrugging my shoulders. "Absolutely nothing, that's what. Manik doesn't face problems in his life, and if he does, then he eradicates them. It's as simple as that, Rohit, and you know this better than I do."

"You're speaking in third person, Manik." Rohit states matter-of-factly. Standing up, my friend comes to block my pathway. "My friend, believe it or not, but this is usually the first sign of mental instability." With a dramatic flourish, Rohit clamps his hand on my shoulder. Grimacing, I frown down at his hold on me.

"Oh please," I scoff, knocking Rohit's hand off. "That girl will never bear such power over me." Rohit makes it seem as if I am a helpless puppet, whose strings Nandini is pulling with utter ease. "She wishes," I murmur to myself, as I side-step Rohit and continue my persistent pacing across the length of the room.

Ever since I sat on Father's chair, and took over his responsibilities in this very study room, I have had one rule: No one and nothing can disturb me from my work. For this very reason, while Rohit and I work within the four walls of this room, two guards are stationed outside the door, ensuring to ward away any disturbance that may come our way. Today, though, that girl - Nandini - has managed to break this very rule of mine. I finally understand how she felt when I'd go against the rules of her palace.

"That girl," Rohit repeats, as he begins to shadow my steps. "Correct me if I'm misunderstanding this situation, but what I gather is that Nandini is the cause of the abuse on that chair." Cutting me off mid-stride, Rohit points at the toppled piece of furniture. Clenching my jaw, I tug at the hem of my coat.

"Absolutely not," I state firmly. Frankly speaking, Nandini has not stepped on my nerves. On the contrary, it's her words that seem to be acting as a weapon against me. Regardless, though, this is merely a temporary distraction. Very soon I shall have moved on from her unimportant baseless statements.

"You didn't do the right thing, Manik." Rohit says, lowering himself into a chair. With a jerk, I halt and turn around to face my friend.

"What bullshit are you spewing now, Rohit?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Ay, I'm sure you're well capable of beheading me for what I'm about to say next." Rohit begins, spacing out each word of his with utter caution. "Regardless, since I am a true friend, I shall take the risk." Good God, this should be interesting to hear. Gesturing for Rohit to go on, I lean against the table as I give him my full attention. "Manik, you shouldn't have treated Nandini like that. Believe it or not, but I think you've begun to feel something for her. She's not merely another unimportant girl in your path. Now all you have to do is accept this blatant, obvious fact."