“No, don’t,” she told him, coughing again. “I’d hate to be a bother.”

He looked like a scared kitten.

“Why don’t you just bring me the medicine I need?” she asked. He blinked at her, swallowing hard.

“Me?” he asked. She nodded.

“I would be so grateful,” she replied. Durkhanai batted her eyelashes for extra effect.

“Right away, Shehzadi,” he said. “Would you please tell me the symptoms again?”

“Fever, cough, fatigue, and sore throat,” she told him. He nodded.

“Wait here just a moment, Shehzadi,” he said. He disappeared and returned with a little vial of medicine.

“Put this in warm milk with turmeric and drink it in the morning and evening for three days,” he told her. “With Allah’s blessing, you will be healthy once more.”

“Jazakullah khair,” she said. “Your princess salutes you.”

The boy smiled shyly, and Durkhanai didn’t even feel a little bit guilty as she walked back to her rooms.

On the way, Asfandyar crossed her path.

“Princess, did you find what you were looking for?”

“Indeed, I did,” she replied.

He nodded, smug. “What are you going to do now?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she told him, smiling to herself.

Chapter Nine

“You really are predictable, you know that?” Asfandyar told her not four hours later.

Durkhanai scowled. The instant she’d lit a candle in the medicine cupboard, he appeared, casually leaning against the wall. With his bedroom eyes and sleepy sighs, he was even more insufferable.

To make it worse, he smirked like it was his profession.

“Khuda ke liye,” she muttered. “How long have you been standing there like a lunatic?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Just long enough to think about how satisfying it would be to catch you,” he said, grinning now.

“Don’t gloat.” She pushed him to the side and began reaching for the medicine vials. She placed them into the leather bag she had brought, which already had little handwritten instructions to be given out with the medicine. She’d spent all evening writing them out.

Asfandyar shook his head at her.

“Well? Are you going to help me or not?” she asked.

“Do tell me what your plan is,” he replied, looking at her satchel. “You’re going to, what? Steal medicine and walk around the villages in your absurd night attire, handing it out?”

Durkhanai’s mouth fell open as she pretended to be offended. In truth, she was relieved he had caught her. She hadn’t wanted to do this alone, anyways, and now she could bully him into helping her. And he seemed looser at night. Friendlier, even.

“First of all,” she started, “it’s not stealing because, as I must continuously remind you, this is my castle! Two, this is not absurd night attire!”

Durkhanai looked down, and realized that perhaps her argument had been lost. She wore slippers, baby pink silk shalwar kameez, and a palachi shawl wrapped around her shoulders.