Warrior Hearts

Teething Problems

"Good morning, Malhotra." Offering the man behind the desk a quick smile, I make my way over to my corner of the study as per my daily routine. However, instead of returning my greeting, I find Malhotra frowning at me once I'm seated. Raising my eyebrows in askance, I return his pointed stare.

"Morning, Princess." Malhotra mumbles, snapping himself out of the daze he was in with a slight shake of his head. With frown lines still etched into his forehead, Malhotra reverts his gaze back to the open scroll in front of him. Puzzled by the man's odd behaviour early in the morning, I watch him for a few more seconds before I divert my attention to the more pressing official matters that I must attend to.

"I'm sorry, but I just have to ask, Princess," Malhotra exclaims. Slapping his palm against the top of the desk, he jerks his head in my direction. "Are you, by any chance, forgetting something?" Pouting, I hastily glance at the scrolls that are spread out around me. Was I supposed to share an official document with Malhotra and in the happenings of yesterday it has slipped my mind altogether? Unable to single out any such scroll, I return my gaze back to his troubled one.

"Throw me a rope here, Malhotra." I joke, shrugging my shoulders in utter ignorance. The frown lines on Malhotra's forehead grow deeper as he continues to stare at me. It's apparent that he doesn't share my amusement in the matter, and the realisation is enough to sober me up at once.

"A change, Princess," Malhotra prods. Placing his elbows on the desk, he leans forwards, almost as if we are about to share an intimate secret. "An imperative one. Hell, it's of the utmost importance!" My eyes widen momentarily at the unexpected enthusiasm in Malhotra's voice.

"Malhotra, at the cost of sounding like a complete imbecile, I don't quite remember us altering the constitution." A nervous chuckle escapes my lips. However, once again, my poor attempt at humour is misplaced with Malhotra today morning.

"Oh for God's sake, Princess, that's not half as important a matter as what I'm trying to get at." Scoffing in disbelief at my words, Malhotra flicks his wrist dismissively.

"Alright, I give up," I announce, throwing my hands in the air. The way Malhotra's treating me makes me feel like I'm seated in front of my governess after I've greatly disappointed her in one of my lessons. Mentally bracing myself for a lecture on how to thrive for excellence, I await for Malhotra to give me some much needed answers regarding his cryptic behaviour.

"You're impossible, Princess!" Exasperated, Malhotra rises from his chair. "Did it mean absolutely nothing to you? Am I the fool in this room?" Warily, I watch the mad man in front of me make his way out from behind his desk. Folding his arms in front of his chest, Malhotra leans his hip against the mahogany, assuming the stance of a man who is preparing to dole out a prolonged lecture to the poor recipients of his words.

"Princess, you cannot bring about such a major change in one moment and then revert back to your rotten old ways in the next," Malhotra continues. Gauging from his tone, I know he's utterly appalled at whatever wrongdoing I'm guilty of. However, I'm also well aware that Malhotra's utterly ignorant to the fact that I don't have an inkling of knowledge regarding what's playing out in his mind.

"Malhotra, would you be so kind as to care to enlighten me on what you're talking about?" I ask in a desperate attempt for answers.

"My name, Princess!" Malhotra cries out, and this time it's his turn to throw his arms up in frustration. Dropping them back to his sides, I watch as his fingers tighten around the edge of the desk that's behind him. Cocking my head to the side ever so slightly, I continue to stare at the man in front of me cluelessly.

"You can't simply go from calling me, 'Malhotra,' to, 'Manik,' and then back again. All these changes are giving me whiplash," Malhotra complains. A bark of laughter escapes my lips upon hearing Malhotra's explanation for his misery. Not even in my wildest imagination would I have been able to arrive on such a far-fetched conclusion. Although I wish to fall on the floor with convulsive laughter, I refuse to do so simply because the man in front of me looks in more dire need of consolation than of being laughed at for his antics.