Page 46 of The Prince Without Sorrow

Chapter Forty-Five

Shakti

S HAKTI WAS SUMMONED TO P RINCESS A ARYA’S CHAMBERS at midnight.

When she opened the door, the scent of cinnamon overwhelmed her senses immediately. In front of her, Princess Aarya sat on a rich red cushion, legs tucked beneath her, face partially hidden by a shimmery red veil. She was still in the same white clothing Shakti had seen her in before, her under eyes notably shadowed. Surrounding her were several maidservants, all deathly quiet.

‘Tea?’ the princess asked when she noticed Shakti step in, gesturing to a steaming pot and array of cups laid before them. Her tone was nonchalant. Shakti observed her wryly; nothing about Aarya suggested that she was here to interrogate. Not yet at least.

‘I’m all right, Princess Aarya,’ she said carefully, greeting the royal with a bow. ‘I do not drink tea so late into the night. It does not calm me.’

‘I see,’ was all the princess said at first. With a delicate shrug, she grasped the teapot and poured herself a cup, ignoring the startled looks of the staff behind her. The princess was not meant to do anything herself, it seemed. ‘I find that it calms me .’

Remaining silent, Shakti stood there wondering what on earth she had been called here for. Unease pricked at her; her innards felt like twisted rope.

Did the princess know who Harini was?

Did the princess know who she was?

‘Sit.’ The order was soft. Swift. Maintaining a calm, unaffected expression, Shakti sat down across from Aarya so that only a low mahogany table separated them.

Shakti could not help but think of potential danger. Was the princess hiding a knife? Were there additional guards outside the door? Were the maidservants trained killers?

Instinct drove her to clutch at her bandaged throat. Her thoughts were threatening to fracture the serene mask she had so carefully put on. It did not help her frazzled nerves when Princess Aarya made a shooing motion towards the remainder of the staff.

‘Leave us,’ she ordered. Heads bowed, the remaining staff obeyed, exiting quickly. One young girl shot Shakti a furtive glance as if to say, good luck , before she left.

As the doors slammed shut behind her, Shakti grasped her kneecaps tightly. If the silence had been obvious before, it was now excruciating. If only she could torture Aarya’s mind in that moment. If only she could force the princess into a hysteria.

The thought of death was the only thing that obstructed her from doing so.

‘What is it you wish to speak to me about, princess?’ Shakti asked.

Aarya’s perfect face was illuminated with unadulterated mania. ‘You saw me,’ she said.

Shakti could almost feel her heart stop. Betray nothing , she told herself.

‘I beg your pardon, princess?’ she asked, politeness bleeding like an open wound into every word.

‘Do not attempt to trifle with me, Shakti,’ Aarya scoffed. The teacup clattered as she placed it atop the saucer and leaned forward. Determined not to crack, Shakti stayed put. ‘The throne room. You saw me. You heard my argument with Arush, and I saw you before I left.’

Shakti almost relaxed from sheer relief. This was not related to the mayakari. This was related to what she had heard. Thank the spirits.

Her throat was parched, and the tea appeared rather inviting. It had an interesting smell too, she thought. Green tea, jasmine, and some sort of earthy scent wafted from the cup she poured it into.

Taking a small sip, she allowed herself to appear guilty. ‘Forgive me, princess.’ She angled her head downward. ‘I did not mean to. I was simply passing through and I heard the fight.’

A sharp nail dug into the underside of her jaw. Forced her head up. Princess Aarya appeared emotionless as she withdrew her index finger, warmed from holding the teacup, from Shakti’s chin.

‘Fight?’ Aarya replied coolly. ‘It was nothing but a harmless quarrel. Relationships between siblings are not always so good that we get along without trouble. Arush and I were simply discussing a matter of high importance for the Ran Empire. You do not need to make such outlandish assumptions.’

Slowly, it dawned on Shakti that Aarya was attempting to alter the version of events that she’d heard.

She must think that I will gossip to the staff about it , Shakti thought, suppressing a tickle at the back of her throat. Even now, the princess aims to keep the disagreements between her family hidden .

Pathetic.

‘If you believe that I would gossip about what I have heard, you need not fear, Princess Aarya,’ she replied candidly. ‘You are allowed your privacy.’

The princess coughed. It sounded as if the tea she had been drinking had entered her windpipe. Then, the cough turned into a cynical laugh.

‘Ah, you have caught on,’ Aarya said as she pressed her hand against her throat. ‘You are either smarter than the rest of the servants here or have no regrets in speaking your mind when others stay silent.’

‘I would like to think it is the latter, princess.’

Aarya appraised her slowly. ‘No wonder my brother took a liking to you. He does not care when his staff voice their thoughts. I find it quite unbecoming of a royal.’

This was no surprise. Aarya seemed the most likely of the Maurya siblings to distinguish herself from the common people, to let them know that she was of a different class.

In her vexation, Shakti remarked, ‘It has the makings of a good ruler.’

She saw the way Aarya’s shoulders tightened, the way her lips pursed as if she had insulted her very being. ‘As expected by commoners who see a sliver of kindness as the makings of a great ruler,’ she remarked, her voice stiff.

Leave it , urged the rational side of Shakti’s mind. It is wise to not incense the princess any further.

The tickle in the back of her throat turned unbearably irritating, and Shakti coughed. Her body reacted of its own accord. Before she could stop herself, she heaved and dredged up spit and green tea all over the table. Mortified, she gasped, apologized profusely, and grabbed a nearby towel to soak up her mess. Her throat was still dry. The room felt hot. Spirits, her anxiety must have been sky-high. She needed to calm herself down.

The princess looked disgusted as she leaned away, but she didn’t seem deterred. Instead, she appeared intrigued. ‘Are you... all right?’ she inquired softly as she tossed another cloth Shakti’s way. ‘Here. You seem anxious.’

‘No, I...’ Shakti struggled to form the words. ‘... I thought you called me here to be reprimanded for doubting you that day.’

‘I think I made my point clear enough,’ the princess replied, pointedly staring at Shakti’s throat. ‘Next time, do not doubt me.’

‘Of course. And I apologize for my earlier comment,’ she said. ‘The mention of your younger brother appears to bring you to irritation, princess.’

Aarya scoffed, but it lacked force. ‘All brothers exist to irritate,’ she said. ‘All brothers exist to not listen to reason. Not even when logic slaps them across the face. Not even when it is for the good of the empire.’

She knew that the princess was talking about Emperor Arush. Leave the ruling to the capable, not the mad . Shakti could not imagine the way in which the prideful princess would have seethed, would have imagined a world of bedlam descending upon her brother for his comments.

‘Of course,’ she murmured. ‘For the good of the empire.’

‘Yes,’ Aarya replied, her tone flat. ‘One can only hope my dear brother can overcome the challenges that will soon befall him.’ She poured herself more tea, the colour of the brown liquid reminding Shakti of the same earth that her aunt’s body was burned upon. The steam rose, obscuring half of the princess’s face as it danced upward, dark eyes alight with barely checked chaos.