*

‘Please forgive me for disturbing you at this hour. The honorable Abhimanyu Singh wishes to see you,’ a sentry announced from behind closed doors. It was late. The dinner with the Gaekwads must have gone on for some time, thought Meera as she prepared to receive the prince, hoping her dressing gown was appropriate, even though she was in her own room.

‘Please let him in.’

It was the first time Abhimanyu and Meera had been alone after Kaushalya Devi’s death. The night by the pond was still fresh in Meera’s mind, and yet, somehow it felt like a distant memory. Abhimanyu entered and remained by the entrance without uttering a word. His mood had swung drastically compared to how it was at the dinner table.

‘I hope all went well at the teravi,’ Meera broke the silence.

‘Aren’t you going to ask me whether mother spoke with Daata before she passed away?’ Abhimanyu inquired.

‘This is not the time to discuss such matters, Abhimanyu. I just hope you can ride this through.’

Right there and then, Abhimanyu wanted to embrace Meera. He felt the urge to hold her tight till she melted in his arms, so that no one could ever take her away from him. He noticed her translucent skin peeking from beneath the robe. Just days before, he had buried his head there and felt her skin shiver. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that he had failed her, devour that skin right there on the silk bedding, eat her whole so he didn’t have to face life away from her. He wanted to offer her a sword and plead her to strike him at the back of his neck – a punishment befitting his crime; one of cowardice. The prince of Ranakpour was not man enough to stand up for his love and felt that he should pay the price. He wanted to confess that he would not be able marry her, because he had to give the Ranakpour family a chance to win a goddamn election. Meera would have to be the first casualty of the royal family’s quest to hold on to power in Independent India – a pawn in the grand scheme of things. He wanted to shout out his confession and plead her to conjure up all the hate in the world and reject him outright in the cruelest fashion, but instead he lunged towards Meera like a desperate animal holding on to dear life. Meera stopped him with her outstretched hand, her palm gently touching his chest.

‘Now is not the time, Abhimanyu.’

Abhimanyu didn’t have it in him to break her heart that night. He felt an overwhelming sense of shame and despair. He couldn’t hurt her that night. So what if her fate was sealed? So what if he was going to upend her life? He just couldn’t bring himself to do it right then.

‘Please come to the game tomorrow morning. I’d love for you to be there,’ he said, and walked out into the wretched night.