Aditya was horrified as the Gurkha princess got shot by an unknown assassin in his own palace. He saw the figure jump from the branch and flee towards the outer courtyard of the barracks.
He wanted to give chase, but the wounded princess in his hands clutched his kurta. Her eyes were almost closing, yet she managed to utter, "D-don’t... lea-ve."
He felt helpless at the mont as the princess lay in his hands, bleeding with an arrow in her back. The priority was for the princess to live first.
He scread his lungs out, "Guards! Guards!"
The guards nearby in the corridor rushed forward. Bheem, his royal guard, who was also nearby, ca along in haste. He was horrified by the sight of the wounded princess and rushed to help.
"What happ... who did this to her? Are you alright, Your Highness?" Bheem asked in panic.
The nearby three guards also ca and surrounded them, unsheathing their swords and forming a protective circle around them.
Aditya pointed in the direction the assassin fled, "A masked assailant in black and red lining robes, ard with a bow, went that way. Go after him!"
Bheem was about to rush off with the guards, but Aditya called him back, "Bheem, take the princess to the infirmary. Summon Acharya Raghunath to perform the operation. Make sure no one cos near her until I return, and protect her with your life."
Aditya gently laid the princess down and stretched out his arm, "Give the sword."
Bheem handed over his sword without delay. Aditya dashed off in the direction the assassin had fled, passing through the palace garden. Soon, he caught up with the three bodies of guards lying near the crossroad, where there were clear signs of struggle but no bloodshed. He checked their pulses, and they were thankfully alive but unconscious.
This crossroad led to the barracks on the left, the bath chamber straight ahead, and the administrative chambers on the right.
He first chose to check the bath chamber and spotted the guards there.
He inquired, "Did anyone in black clothes with red lining co through here?"
The guards shook their heads, but Aditya didn’t wait for their response. He rushed back to the crossroads and headed straight for the barracks.
Soldiers were patrolling the area, and the courtyard was crowded with people as servants and palace maids along with soldiers moved around. It would have been easy for the assailant to blend in and escape unnoticed.
He clenched his fist and rushed back to the crossroad. The guards on patrol duty from the administrative chamber were already present, having stumbled upon the unconscious guards. They had taken charge of the situation and begun their investigation. Upon Aditya’s sudden arrival, they saluted and briefed him on their findings.
Aditya inquired about the whereabouts of the assailant, but the guards hadn’t seen anyone in such clothes.
Aditya changed the question, "Okay, forget about the clothes. Did you see anyone heading your way while you were on duty?"
One of the guards replied, "Your Highness, there wasn’t anyone in particular. But monts before, we spotted a few people in white clothes approaching the chamber of intelligence chief."
Aditya’s jaw clenched. "Alright, call the dics and search the area thoroughly. Report back as soon as you find anything."
The soldiers began the search while one guard dashed off to summon the dic. Aditya massaged his brows in frustration. The assailant had dared to attack them within the palace and then disappeared like thin air. This had to be a joke for their so-called imperial security.
He looked at the guards lying on the ground and analyzed, ’If the assailant managed to escape, then why the skirmish here, at the crossroad? It ans they wanted to confuse the direction of their escape. It has to be.’
Then his gaze fell on the ssy footprints on the ground. He tried to piece together how the fight could have occurred, but, sadly, he was no Sherlock Hols. It seed the work of a master. However, he noticed a dagger missing from the boot of one of the guards. This ant the guard had either stabbed the assailant or thrown the weapon.
He searched the area for any signs of blood but found it difficult, as water droplets were scattered everywhere. It made sense, given that this crossroad was near the bathing chamber, where people often brought buckets of wet clothes.
Suddenly, sothing shiny caught his eye in the torchlight, half-buried in the dust. Bending over, he picked it up. It was a dallion that resembled a coin, engraved with a sun symbol and stained with a faint trace of blood. Aditya found this strange, as the sun insignia was the imperial emblem and used as token for officials.
He shifted his gaze forward, and the path led directly to the administrative chamber. His eyes burned with fury as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Inside the chamber of intelligence chief.
Jaydev Patil sat leaning on the table, his face looked pale as he heard the report. The table before him was cluttered with scattered papers and maps.
Across from him, his three subordinates, dressed in white robes, stood their with their heads bowed in silence.
The situation got tense in the room.
He asked, "How is his condition? Is it severe?"
The leader among them replied, "He was stabbed in the back. One of the soldiers threw the dagger. He is recuperating in our dungeon. We believe the situation is under control."
Jaydev thumped the table in frustration. "Not only did you hit the wrong target, but also... "
He was interrupted by a commotion outside. Suddenly, Aditya stord into the room with rage.
The guards stationed outside followed closely. Their faces were pale and bewildered as they struggled to react. They repeatedly pleaded with him not to barge in and follow protocol.
Jaydev’s subordinates attempted to block Aditya’s path, but he told them to let the prince through. Ignoring their protests, Aditya pushed past them.
Jaydev lashed out. "What is the an... "
Slap!
He couldn’t finish his sentence before Aditya delivered a tight slap to his face.
A heavy silence fell over the room. But Aditya didn’t stop there; he grabbed Jaydev by his hair and slamd his face onto the table. He didn’t let him go and punched him repeatedly: twice, then thrice, and more.
Jaydev’s subordinates rushed to intervene, but he held up a finger, signaling them to refrain from any foolish actions. Unfazed by the chaos, Aditya continued to puml Jaydev, leaving his face a ss. It was swollen, his cheek marked with a palm print, his nose broken, and blood sared across his face, staining his robes.
"ADITYA, STOP!"
A loud voice echoed from outside, drawing everyone’s attention. It was Chandrashekar standing with a firm voice.
Panting, Aditya pointed at Jaydev, who slumped over the table after being freed. "This man is a traitor. His underling tried to assassinate ."
Chandrashekar raised his eyebrows. "Oh? But I heard it was the Gurkha prince who got hit."
Aditya cald down; monts before, he impulsively lied to escalate the situation and gain weight for his actions as he was enraged with the sudden attack and wanted to vent his anger. He realized the stakes were high.
He gave a quick response, "It was because she ca in the way to rescue . She would have been fine had she not t , but I would have been dead."
Chandrashekar said, "Don’t exaggerate what actually happened; it was a mistake. Not you nor she, neither was the target."
Aditya was speechless and then shocked as he understood the aning of the words. "You knew all about this," he took steps back in disbelief. "So it was all under your orders."
Chandrashekar ordered, "Everyone leave us alone and take Jaydev to the infirmary."
The subordinates took Jaydev on their shoulders, and the guards followed suit. Now in the chamber, only Aditya and Chandrashekar remained.
Aditya took a mont to calm down and figured out the main target. "So it was the southern princess. You wanted to eliminate her and mistook Nayantara for her. But why?"
Chandrashekar replied in a stoic deanor, "It was because of you. You are getting too close with the southern princess, and this is not good for the realm."
Aditya’s anger flared, but he was powerless. He dug his nails into his flesh.
"You could have told directly, Grandpa. Why go to this extent?"
"Warnings had been given, but you didn’t listen, nor did you try to understand. You were always busy and had no ti to talk with us. But surprisingly, you found ti to stick with a foreigner who can be a possible spy and manipulative. ," Chandrashekar complained. he added," we also tried to put so sense to her but she too was rigid."
Aditya was stunned. So, enakshi had been warned, yet she acted as if nothing had happened, but why? And his grandfather likely knew all about the scandal with Raamya as well. This was such a ss. Guilt weighed on him, even though it was all a misunderstanding. But there were more pressing matters to deal with now.
He replied with a serious gaze, "If you really believe as your grandson, then know this: there is nothing between us, and I stick with her for the interest of our realm. I promise that I will marry Raamya first," he added desperately. "So please stop targeting her."
Chandrashekar nodded, "Alright, I will take your words as true. I hope this ti you won’t cross any borders."
Aditya cald himself, as he was not in a position to argue. He inquired, "What about Nayantara? His brother wanted this alliance for the sake of protecting his sister. It will be a big sha for Samrajya if we dont co with proper answer."
Chandrashekar raised an eyebrow. "Oh! I wasn’t aware of his background story."
Aditya felt disgusted with the arrogance, but he held it in.
Chandrashekar replied after a mont of contemplation, "Don’t worry; I know we need his forces for the mountain guide. We have ways to deal with it, just do as I say."
at midnight , in a secret secluded chamber of imperial palace
A cloaked figure entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. A single lamp on the table cast dim light, barely illuminating three figures who were already seated, shrouded in the darkness.
On the table lay two Mughal seals. The cloaked figure stepped forward, attempting to place his own seal on the table but struggled due to an injury.
One of the figures, a middle-aged man, spoke calmly, "It’s alright, Jaydev. We can skip the formality. Take your seat."
The cloaked figure removed his hood, revealing the face of the security chief, Jaydev. His hand, face, and body were heavily bandaged. He took his seat at the table, as the authentication had already been done before his arrival.
He clicked his tongue in frustration. "Why have I been summoned?"
An old man across from him responded, his face hidden, "We want to know how far things have escalated."
Jaydev hesitated before answering, "They blad the incident on a Ladakhi spy, and I was injured while apprehending him."
A crackling voice, belonging to another middle-aged figure with his face hidden in darkness, sneered, "What a sha. They were so close to the truth. Good thing your usefulness isn’t over yet. Continue serving us as you do."
Jaydev, his desperation evident, pleaded, "Please... just let see her once."
The old man’s voice hardened, threatening, "Don’t overstep your boundaries, Intelligence Chief. Now leave."
Jaydev clenched his fist as he rose to leave the room, silently swearing to himself, ’One day, I will make you all pay.’
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//A/N:
I would like to thank Christian_Saracay for the donation of 8 GT tickets. Your imnse support is deeply appreciated.
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