Warrior Hearts

Borders

A/N: Drum roll please...Anddd it's a double update! So if you haven't read the previous chapter that I uploaded just a while back, please do so. Happy reading xx

"Here," Malhotra says, tossing something onto the table in front of me. Looking up from the scroll that is on my lap, I cast my gaze towards the said item. It's a necklace. More specifically, however, it is a necklace that could sustain half the palace staff's households for an entire year. Raising an eyebrow, I stare at the item in front of me, observing it.

"Are those diamonds?" I ask, nodding towards the necklace, as I look up at Malhotra for an answer. He's plastered on a proud smirk on his face, making it seem as if he has achieved a feat which is worthy of applause.

"Most certainly, yes." Malhotra confirms, eyeing the necklace as well. "The entire piece is made up of diamonds, which are complemented by the finest rubies in all the land, and pearls that have been sourced out from the greatest depths of the ocean." Raising my eyebrows in amazement, I divert my gaze back to the parchment on my lap.

"I say, go for it. It'll look good on you," I murmur. If only I had the power to block off all this unneeded disturbance, and focus on the work at hand.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Malhotra hisses, accusatorially jabbing his finger at the necklace. "It's for you!" He exclaims in desperation, turning around and heading back towards his side of the study. "You can thank me later, Princess."

"And what makes you think I'll accept this?" I ask, not bothering to look up from the paper in my lap, even though I'm unable to register a single word that's on it.

"Because it's a gift," Malhotra states matter-of-factly. Sighing, I pin him with my gaze. "Frankly, Anusha was going to get this one-of-a-kind craftsmanship. But then you did me a favour and so I decided that you are more deserving of it." Shaking my head in disbelief, I let out a bark of laughter.

"This is a hand-me-down." I announce, refusing to so much as touch the necklace, so instead I push it away from me with the tip of my ink pen. "And for your kind information, Malhotra, I don't accept anyone's leftovers. Perhaps you should just give this so called gift to its original owner." Knitting his brows together, Malhotra tilts his head.

"You're refusing my offer once again?" He asks incredulously, as he alternates his gaze from the necklace to me. Smiling, I nod my head in agreement. Mirroring the expression of a lost puppy, Malhotra plops down in his chair. 

"By the way, Princess, what do you mean by, "So called gift?" He asks, yet again disturbing me as I'm just about to resume my work.

"I mean, this necklace doesn't categorise as a gift per se," I explain, shrugging my shoulders. "Gifts are supposed to be well thought of and not just bought in the market for the sake of it, simply because you can." Eyeing the necklace in front of me, I shake my head disapprovingly. "This isn't a gift, Malhotra. You're just showing off the wealth you have, without an ounce of emotion or consideration. Truth be told, even a monkey can pull out a wad of cash and purchase an item at the local market, but that's what makes animals different from us. We have a brain and a functioning heart, full of emotion, for a reason." Lord, why am I even bothering to explain this to Malhotra? For crying out loud, I'm positive that animals harbour much greater emotions than a vile man, like him.

"So what you're trying to say, Princess, is that the shawl I gifted you was a gift?" Malhotra asks, pouting as he contemplates my words. Lord, am I hallucinating? Is the man in front of me truly listening to what I'm saying?

"I guess so," I say, unsurely.

"It didn't cost me a lot." Malhotra explains, spacing each word out with great care, as if he is carefully weighing them out before uttering them. "Frankly, it cost me nothing, and if anyone were to ever see me purchase such a low priced item, then I'd be the joke of the land." As if Malhotra isn't already. "But I bought it for you because I saw that you took a liking towards it." Pursing my lips, I give a curt nod of my head.