Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

0Mriga nodded her head in affirmative. He had gauged her answer but it was a relief to have it confirmed.     0

Yash took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers before saying softly, "I am the happiest person in the world right now. I know it's late and you have an early start tomorrow, not to mention that I am hanging onto my self-control by a whisker but before I let you go, you have to promise me something."     

"What is it?" she asked him shyly.     

"Aha! So you can still talk? I thought that the cat which got your tongue, never came back to return it," he said tongue-in cheek.     

She punched him in his abdomen slightly, in response to which he immediately raised his hands in exaggerated surrender.     

"Don't hit me. I don't think my poor body can take any more beating tonight. Anyways, what I wanted to say was that you need to ensure that I get to see you at least once a day, every day, even if it is for five minutes. Can you promise me that?" he asked.     

His nearness was playing havoc with her senses. Had his voice always been this husky? She wanted to curl her fingers into his warm palm and dig her nails into it.     

"NO! What is wrong with me? Does lust come as part of a complimentary package along with love?" she berated herself.     

Taking a deep, calming breath, she told him that she would make sure that she sees him everyday irrespective of her schedule.     

"So, I'll see you tomorrow morning," she said to him.     

"This is not fair. I gave you a gift. Should I not get something in return?" he said, need in his voice.     

Mriga's cheeks felt feverish now. She raised her eyes for the first time post his confession, to meet his gaze. There was a smile on his lips but his eyes held a trace of vulnerability, maybe a hint of insecurity in them.     

Somehow that made her feel even more special and before her practical sense could stop her, she stood on her tip toes and planted a featherlight kiss on his cheek. Extracting her hand from his, she saw his shocked expression. With a short laugh, she waved at him and ran away.     

Yash walked back to the dorm in a daze, grinning like a fool.     

Shop at the Marketplace, same night     

"I… I didn't mean to get drunk or lose the trainee. Actually, I have never tasted alcohol ever before. I presumed that it would be foul smelling and bitter. I even checked with the server and she said that it was just sherbet. Hence..." a pale faced Devvrat was kneeling in front of Shaurya.     

"So, during the past few years, we have taught you to accept whatever the other person says, on face value, is it? Did you leave your common sense in your house that night? First you failed the task within the first half hour. Your make-up leaves much scope for improvement. Then when I gave you a chance to redeem yourself by performing a simple task of escorting the trainee back to her quarters, what did you do? How dare you take Mri… Brighu, that immature child with you and make him a part of your nonsense? Don't tell me that you couldn't figure out that you were losing your senses after a while. Why the hell did you not stop then?" Shaurya kept shooting the lethal verbal volleys at him.     

Devvrat was almost in tears now and said, "I didn't have the heart to stop him. He was so sad because it was his birthday and no one had wished him in the entire day. And then when he started letting loose and enjoying, I didn't want to hold him back."     

After interrogating him for nearly two hours, Shaurya let him off with a strict warning and a desk job till the next assessment.     

"So, it was her birthday that day. Why didn't she say anything then, silly girl? Must have sulked secretly during the entire time," he smiled to himself and shook his head.     

The next minute, he frowned again. He still hadn't been able to figure out her whereabouts after she had left the drinking place till she reached back to the lodge. It was still bothering him as to whom had she met and who had lent his clothes to her?     

'You are truly a headache, Mrignayani. What am I going to do about you?" he muttered, without realizing that he had a smile on his face.     

Gurukul, next morning     

"Uh, hi… could I speak with you for a few minutes, please?" Yash asked, hesitation evident in his voice.     

Vindhya tossed her hair back and told Gauri to go ahead to the library without her. Smiling to herself, she thought that finally the horse had been tamed.     

She was still lost in her thoughts that it took her a second to register that he had already started speaking, "… you see, I have just proposed to her and she has said yes. So, I just thought that it was right that I told you about it and also apologise that I will not be able to say yes to this proposed marriage alliance between us."     

Vindhya tried to cover the shock which would have been evident on her face.     

After a moment's pause, she said, "Are your parents aware of your decision?"     

"I will be speaking with them about it when I go back during this semester break. But I felt that I needed to inform you first, in all fairness. You have been nothing but kind towards me. I am sure that you will find someone more suita…" his sentence was cut short by her next words.     

"Is it the same girl who was with you that day at the Gurukul's gate?" she asked in an expressionless voice.