“Why should I believe you?” she said. “Why should I believe anything you said? If your tale is true, my grandmother murdered my half-sister. Yet, if your tale is true, why did she not recognize you? Why risk coming to the palace once more?”

“She did not see me as a person, Durkhanai,” Asfandyar said, voice low. “Please, just think for a moment.”

Durkhanai shook her head. “No, you are a liar and a spy. I don’t believe you. You don’t love me.”

“I do, please, just listen to me,” he reached for her, but she pulled away.

“Shaam hi toh hai,” she said, voice empty. “It’ll pass.”

It tasted acidic, like a lie.

But her mind was spinning to what she had read before all this—to Asfandyar stealing the Badshah’s seal.

“Why did you steal the Badshah’s seal?” she asked, fear creeping through her. “What did you do?”

Asfandyar swallowed.

“It was part of the reason I was sent here: to create evidence that proved Marghazar was behind the summit attack,” he replied.

“But Marghazar wasn’t—you would falsely indict my grandfather?”

“How can you be so sure he wasn’t?” Asfandyar countered. She shook her head, and he went from her side toward his desk, rummaging through papers until he found something.

“I wasn’t sure either . . . at first,” he told her. “But Durkhanai—with the Badshah’s seal, I forged a letter from him to send to the Kebzu Kingdom, written as if from the Badshah, inquiring about the summit attack. Just like we did with Palwasha-sahiba.”

“Stop,” she said, putting up a hand. “Please stop.” She didn’t want to hear this.

“Do you want to know what they sent back?” he asked, offering her the paper. “They sent back thanks: appreciation to the Badshah for alerting them of the summit.”

“What?” she whispered, dumbstruck.

She took the paper, and before reading it, folded it in half to inspect the seal. It looked real, but how could she believe it was not a forgery? As if reading her mind, Asfandyar pulled something from his pocket.

“Check the seal,” he said, handing her another letter. I found this in your grandfather’s office, as well. It is from last year, discussing a temporary ceasefire in the northeast mountains during the avalanche. Surely you will remember it and know that this is not a forgery, either.”

Durkhanai recalled the instance. She could not allege that this second letter was a forgery, for she had been present when Agha-Jaan had read it for the first time.

She put the seals together, and they matched perfectly.

“Now read the first letter,” Asfandyar said. Her hands shook, but she held the page up, reading.

To the Badshah of Marghazar,