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Trishalini POV

I followed his gaze, noticing the jewellery on the table and looking at my face.

"I made your work easier," I said in a slow voice and walked towards him. Do not worry; I will not steal anything," I added. He gulped, looking into my eyes. And, as I stood before him, his gaze softened, lowering to my lips and then lifting to my eyes again.

"Trisha," he muttered and "Shhhh," I hushed him down.

Lowering my gaze to his hand, I took it and turned towards the bed. I climbed the stairs to the bed, and suddenly, he pulled my hand slowly and made me look at him.

His gaze looked into mine with the questions, and I asked.

"Suhaagraat nahi manaenge?"

"Would not consummate?"

He clenched his jaw, and I smiled immediately.

"Hum beth jaate hai,"

"I should sit," I said, sitting on the bed. I pulled my knees closer to my chest. He tried to pull his hand back from mine, and I looked at him.

"Aaiye naa... Yuvraj,"

"Come here... Yuvraj," I said, and he sat beside me on the edge of the bed.

I noticed his gaze lowering down my feet, and I gulped nervously before saying.

"Hum late jaate hai,"

"I should lay down," I said, and he immediately looked into my eyes. I did not know why he was uncomfortable. Wasn't that what our marriage meant?

"Stop it," he said, and I breathed. "Why?"

I intertwined my hand with him while lying down on the bed. My heartbeats raced with fear and anger. His presence was nothing but a reminder of who I was for him.

I followed his gaze, lowering down our joined hands. I slowly pulled my fingers out of his and placed his hand on my belly. His hand felt warm and equally frightening.

My breath hitched when he gently caressed my stomach a little. My body shivered intensely, and I immediately tried calming myself down when he looked into my eyes.

My fingers fisted on my skirt, hiding from his sight when he placed the tip of his index finger to push my dupatta aside from the navel. His gaze never left mine.

And I could not help but look away.

My heart beat raced with fear, and suddenly, he stood up to leave.

I immediately held his hand and closed my eyes. But no more words came out of my mouth, and he did not turn around to look at me. The game was dangerous, and I knew I was playing with fire.

My confidence in my bones weakened, as did my hand's hold on his. I quickly turned to the side, hearing his footsteps as he approached the door.

It opened, and after a few moments, it closed. I lay alone and finally breathed in calm.

It was so close. I would faint.

I could not even look into his eyes as a wife. This made me feel nervous and weak. I did not know how it would happen.

I pulled my knees closer to my chest, cocooning up.

It took me a long time to calm my racing heartbeats before I finally fell asleep.

But, even in my unconsciousness, my mind kept replaying the moments of our wedding, his words, his sharp words and how they ripped my heart.

The desire he had and the condition I kept in the middle. And, amid all of this, the order of the Queen for me to become a Queen.

It was all disturbing.

I could not sleep well because the bed was way too soft for me. I kept tossing and twisting in it. Unlike my cottage, this was very ventilated. I was habitual of sleeping in a congested place, and many days, I would sweat while sleeping.

And this temperature was not making me feel at ease.

I could not help but step down from the bed. The first thing I noticed was the time of day.

It was yet to be sunrise. And I did not know what I should do.

If I were at my home, I would be milking the cows. Somewhere in my heart, I was missing them.

They must be missing me, too and thinking that a smile appeared on my face.

I walked around a little in the chamber before my sight fell on the attached doors.

I wondered what they were for. Stepping towards the first one, I gently pushed it open. The fire torches were lit there.

It was a huge gallery and well decorated. The carpet was there, and it had pillars on either side. It was open. After walking for a while, my sight fell on a garden.

It had grass, trees, and a pond, and there was a Stoney road in the middle connected to another chamber in the front.

A few awake attendees noticed me standing there, and I immediately turned around. I did not know if I should be here.

And, suddenly, a womanly voice caught my attention.

"Princess, do you need anything?" She asked, I asked.

"Princess?"

She stood silent before me. She looked similar to my age, and I said.

"Only Trisha is fine,"

She looked at me with confusion and shook her head.

"I am afraid Yuvraj would not like it," her words made me lower my gaze, and then I asked.

"Then, please address me only as Baisa," I said, and she thought for a moment before nodding.

"Ji, Baisa," she muttered, and I asked.

"Who are you?"

She smiled and walked towards me a little.

"I am Meenakshi. I will be your headmaid. Let me know if you need anything, be it bathing water, lunch, dinner, or even any personal work," she said, and I bit my lips.

"And, what will I do?" I asked, wondering if she would do everything, then what did I mean to do.

She turned silent and nervous again and replied. "Take rest, get ready, talk, and do whatever the Queen will ask you to do," she said, and I sighed deeply.

"It will be boring," I said, and she looked around momentarily.

"What are your interests?" She asked, and I blinked silently for a moment.

"I can cook, farm, and milk the cows and... run a home," I said, feeling slightly embarrassed about it.

She smiled. "I am afraid then it will get even more boring for you," her comment made me laugh, and I asked.

"So, what should I do now?" I asked, and she walked me back to the chamber and replied.

"Well, you can take the bath and get ready until everyone wakes up," she took a slight pause and added. "And then you could see the dance of pigeons,"

"Dance of pigeons? Is it a new art form?" I asked, and she chuckled.

"You will see," she said, taking me to the bathing area. It was through one of the doors, and unlike the garden gallery, it was closed.

I stood amused, seeing the arrangement before me. It was beautiful. There was a huge pond in the middle, a smaller one but enough for the ten people to sit inside. Thin white curtains hung around it. It smelled like roses and sandalwood.

"Do you like it?" Meenakshi asked, and I nodded.

"It's beautiful," I said. And the scent?" She asked further, and I nodded.

"It's mesmerising," I accepted it.

"Where can I wash my clothes?" I asked, and she laughed, shaking her head.

"You cannot," she said, and I looked at her in confusion. "The attendees will do it," she said, walking around me and taking the dupatta down my shoulders.

I felt timid and embarrassed a little with her touching me.

"Umm, I can do it myself," I proposed, but she muttered.

"That's okay, Baisa. You can trust me." Her words made me stand still, and I felt her undoing my blouse.

"So, the Princesses and the Queens bathe before the attendees?" I asked, and she nodded, sliding the blouse down my shoulders.

"Yes, it is said that the maids know the Royals better than their spouses," she said, immediately making me laugh.

"That would be so embarrassing," I said, and she stood before me.

"Do not worry. I will not make you feel embarrassed," she said and lowered her gaze when I took my blouse off. She brought me a thin white cloth, and I immediately pulled it closer to my chest.

I felt her hands moving to the knot of my skirt, and I gulped nervously when she pulled it open, and it fell to my knees.

"You can wrap it around you," she said, looking away, and I immediately wrapped the cloth around me.

"You can see," I said in a low voice, and she turned around to look at me. She suddenly clapped twice, and I noticed a group of attendees walking in with plates in their hands containing different things. There was bathing paste, a jar, flower petals, and maybe fragrant oils.

I had never known that it took these many things for a royal to get ready.

"I think we are overdoing it," I said in a slow voice, and she shook her head.

"Trust me, this is the least," she assured me, and I did know why but I feel comfortable with her. It was like she knew and understood my discomfort.

Upon her request, I stepped into the pool and felt the cold water touch my feet first and then slowly soak into my bathing cloth.

It turned slightly transparent, making my tanned skin visible.

Two attendees came near to me and began sorting my hair.

"Princess, why did you wake up so early? Was Haldi not strong enough?" One of them asked, and they giggled.

I looked at Meenakshi with confusion.

"Esa kehte hai ki jab tak Dulhan Ko Haldi poori utarti nahi hai jab tak usse bhot neend aati hai,"

"It is said that until the bride's Haldi is not completely removed, she sleeps a lot," She said, and I lowered my gaze.

"I did not know that. Also, it's really uncomfortable to sleep on the bed," I said, and they hummed in unity.

I felt them applying the soapnut mixed in water to my hair, washing them and the other two attendees applying the paste on my hands. The many touches were making me uncomfortable.

But, there was this one touch that burnt me. And, it was his.

I remembered last night when he moved my dupatta aside from my navel. I felt ticklings in my belly. It was a manly touch, and it did something to me.

It was like in that moment; he was not the friend he used to be, and he was not Yuvraj either, who married me for the child. But it was just him.

There was a restraint in him, too. I wondered if he was nervous about it or if I disgusted him.

I had a question in mind. And I did not know to whom I should ask.

I could not ask for it from Daadisa, Maasa, or even Queen Nandani.

So, Meenakshi seemed my best option. But as Maasa suggested, I should be careful enough about what I say in front of them.

Once they had applied the paste to the exposed part of my body, they emptied the jugs of water on me to remove it.

And before giving me the final round of them, they applied different scenes on my body and hair.

I felt like a flower, smelling too much fluorescent.

Once I was done taking the bath, Meenakshi took me to the attached room, which was used for getting ready.

"Your clothes for the day will arrive soon. Until then, you can slip into this," she said, offering me a cotton dress that was long to my feet. It was pretty explicit and translucent.

I really hoped that no one would see me in this.

The other stood outside while I changed, and after that, they asked me to sit before the mirror.

"Meenakshi will do it; you can go and take a rest," I suggested to the other attendees, and they bent a little before walking out.

We were alone, and I looked at her.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, and she nodded with slightly interested eyes.

"Are you married?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Do you have children?" I asked further, and she nodded with knit brows. "A boy of four and a girl of two," she replied, and I sighed deeply with relaxation.

"So, you know everything about children?" I asked, and she nodded confusingly.

"Well, I think," she said, and I inhaled deeply.

"Do you know how long it will take me to conceive?" I asked, and she looked aside for a moment.

"Well, it can take long," she said, still confused with my question.

"I mean, how many times should Yuvraj and I sleep together to have a baby?" I asked, and she looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Ohhh," she sucked on her lips. "See, Baisa, sometimes it can happen the first time. Like the woman can get pregnant after the first night, and sometimes it takes years," she said, and I gulped with fear.

"Years?" I asked. "How many?"

"Well, you know it's mostly God's blessings. You never know when it can happen, exactly. However, the physicians say that one must try again after two weeks of menstruation. They said woman are most fertile in those days, and when they are fertile, they look tempting to their men," she added. "And, it happens,"

I immediately lowered my gaze. "Oh, ohhh, I did not know that," I said, and she smiled suddenly while combing my hair.

"Do you not think you should enjoy the early days of marriage instead of planning to conceive already?" she asked, and I immediately shook my head.

"No, I was just asking casually. I do not intend to," I said and shook my head. "I mean, I do intend to fall pregnant so early," I added, and she nodded.

"I understand you want to caution," she said, and I nodded.

"Yes, caution," I repeated.

"So, you must avoid sleeping with Yuvraj for a few days after two weeks of your menstruation," she said, and I nodded.

"Thank you so much,"

Suddenly, the faded noise of the chamber door opening caught my attention, and I rose from my chair. In a few moments, I saw Maasa walking in with a group of attendees.

"Maasa," I said, walking closer to her to touch her feet.

"Pranam," I said, and she smiled and nodded.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked, and I nodded.

"Ji,"

"Good," she muttered and signalled the attendees to walk forward.

"We had only a little time, so we could only prepare the three pairs for you. The royal stitcher will make more very soon," she said, and I looked at the red, pink, and yellow attire.

"Wear red today," she said, and I nodded.

She looked at me from top to down and asked. "Where are your toe rings?"

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