Atharva spent the entire night awake,turning the matter over and over in his mind.The childhood marriage, the crown,Sanskriti everything tangled together until,by dawn,a plan had taken shape.Not a simple one.Not a kind one.But one that,in his mind,would solve everything.

As soon as the sun rose,he called  Shaurya.

Poor Shaurya had no idea what was coming.He hurried to the palace at once,worried by the urgency in Atharva’s message.When he entered the chamber,he found Atharva seated dramatically near the window,one arm resting on the chair,his face carefully arranged into quiet sorrow.

Shaurya’s heart sank.

“Atharva?” he asked anxiously. “What happened?”

Atharva looked up slowly,eyes heavy,voice low with pain.

“Shaurya… we’ve been friends since childhood. There’s no one in this world who understands me the way you do.And right now”

he paused, as if steadying himself “I’m in real trouble.I need your help.”

Shaurya was an introvert,but he had a deeply kind heart.Seeing his friend like this made him uneasy.He stepped closer at once and nodded.

“Of course,”he said without hesitation.

“I’ll help you. Just… tell me what’s wrong.”

“So,”Atharva said slowly,watching Shaurya’s face,“you’re giving me your word that you’ll help me?”

Shaurya didn’t think twice.He nodded at once. “Yes.I will.”

Inside,Atharva felt a flicker of satisfaction.He’s mine now,he thought.

Then, without changing his expression,Atharva said plainly,

“Go to Devgarh…and speak to Princess Anamika on my behalf.”

Shaurya froze.

For a second,he couldn’t even process the words.Devgarh.Anamika.The childhood bride.

It hit him all at once.

He lifted his eyes to Atharva,stunned,and in that moment he understood Atharva hadn’t asked for help.

He had trapped him with emotion.

Shaurya gave Atharva a faint,unreadable smile one that carried loyalty,hurt,and quiet resolve all at once.Without another word,he turned away.

Before he left,Atharva added calmly,“She’s studying at a college in Devgarh.If you want to meet her… go there directly.”

Shaurya only nodded.

By noon,his car was already speeding down the long road to Devgarh.

The engine hummed steadily beneath him,but his mind was anything but calm.

And though his heart felt heavy,Shaurya drove on toward a conversation that was never meant to be his to have.

Three hours later,Shaurya’s car rolled to a stop outside the gates of the college in Devgarh.He switched off the engine but did not step out at once.

Instead,he waited,his eyes fixed on the entrance,his thoughts tangled with duty and unease.

Then he saw her.

Anamika walked out with a few other girls,her posture graceful,her presence impossible to miss.She was dressed in an olive-green saree, the color soft against her skin,her hair loosely pinned back.In the afternoon light,

she looked… breathtaking.

Shaurya forgot to breathe for a moment.

He didn’t mean to stare,but he did.For a few long seconds,he simply watched her how she smiled while speaking,how her bangles caught the sun,how effortlessly she carried herself.

Then reality struck him.This was not harmless admiration.

“Anamika,”he called suddenly,stepping out of the car.

She turned.

The moment her eyes met him recognition softened her face.She smiled at once warm, open.

“Shaurya,”she said pleasantly.

“What a surprise.What are you doing here?”

He found himself smiling back before he could stop it.

In her mind,Anamika studied him too the tall, quiet man with thoughtful eyes and a seriousness that felt rare.He’s… handsome,she admitted to herself,surprised by the sudden warmth in her chest.

For a brief,fragile moment,neither spoke.

Two people standing in sunlight,unaware that their hearts were responding…

before their minds had the chance to object.

And somewhere far away,Atharva’s shadow waited at the edge of their fate.

Anamika broke the silence first,her smile gentle yet curious.

“So,”she asked,tilting her head slightly,

“is this a royal visit,or did you finally decide to explore Devgarh?”

Shaurya let out a soft chuckle,rubbing the back of his neck a rare sign of nervousness.

“I wish I could say it was for sightseeing,”

he replied.

“But honestly… I came because I needed to speak to you.”

Her smile faded just a fraction not in fear,but in attentiveness.

“To me?”she asked.“Is everything alright?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes...no....well… it’s complicated.”

That made her smile again,amused now.

“Complicated stories usually deserve tea,”she said lightly.

“But I suppose college gates aren’t the right place.”

Shaurya glanced around,then back at her.

“If you don’t mind,”

he said carefully, “could we talk for a few minutes? Somewhere quiet.”

Anamika nodded thoughtfully.Then she turned to the uniformed guard standing a few steps behind her.

“Raghav,” she said gently,

“I’ll spend a little time with him.You can wait in the car for me.”

The guard hesitated for a second,then bowed his head in obedience.

“As you command,Princess.”

She turned back to Shaurya,her expression calm yet curious.

“There’s a private garden inside the college premises,”she said.

“It’s reserved for staff and special guests.We can talk there.”

As they walked side by side toward the secluded path,a quiet tension followed them soft, unfamiliar,and slowly turning into something neither of them was ready to name yet.

They walked through the shaded corridor,away from the noise of students and the bustle of the college.The air felt cooler there,quieter almost too intimate for two people meeting like this for the first time in years.

Anamika broke the silence first,her voice calm but curious.

“So… Prince Atharva sent you,” she said,not as a question,but as an observation.

Shaurya nodded slowly.

“Yes.He asked me to speak to you on his behalf.”

She stopped walking.He did too.

Her eyes searched his face,steady and sharp,yet gentle.

“Then say what you’ve come to say,Shaurya.I don’t like half-truths.”

For a second,he struggled to find the right words.

“It’s about your marriage,”he said finally.

“And his.”

The breeze stirred her pallu slightly.She held it, composed but her heart had already begun to race.

“I’m listening,”Anamika said.

Shaurya took a breath,knowing that from this moment on… nothing between them would ever be simple again.

Shaurya looked at her for a long moment,then spoke with honesty heavy in his voice.

“Atharva… he’s in love with someone else.He didn’t even know about this childhood alliance until recently.And now that he does… he doesn’t want this marriage.”

There. He had said it.

Anamika didn’t react the way he expected.No outburst.No wounded drama.

She simply inhaled slowly… and then smiled.

But it wasn’t a soft smile.

It was sharp.Regal.Almost amused.

“So,” she said lightly,tilting her head,

“the great Prince of Rajgarh suddenly discovers his heart and forgets his kingdom.”

Shaurya stiffened.

She crossed her arms,elegance in every movement.

“How… very romantic of him.”

Then, with a faint scoff,she added,

“I suppose he thinks love is a luxury a king can afford without paying the price?”

Her eyes met Shaurya’s again calm,controlled, but proud.

“He sends his friend instead of coming himself. How brave.”

There was no rage in her voice.

Just royal sarcasm… and wounded dignity masked beautifully in grace.

Anamika took a few slow steps away,the pleats of her olive-green saree brushing the marble floor.For a moment,she said nothing.

Shaurya thought maybe he had finally hurt her.

Then she stopped.

Without turning back,she spoke her voice calm, steady,and far too composed for someone whose future had just been shaken.

“So this is how promises die in Rajgarh,”she said softly.

“Not with war… not with blood… but with....

a prince who falls in love too easily.”

She finally turned to face Shaurya.There was no anger in her eyes only quiet dignity and a faint, cutting smile.

“So Atharva didn’t even come himself,” she added.“He sent his best friend instead. How thoughtful.”

Shaurya swallowed. “Princess, he didn’t mean to insult you.He’s… confused.”

Anamika let out a soft,humorless laugh.

“Confused?”she repeated.

“A Rajput prince is trained to rule kingdoms,but not his own heart?”

She walked past him slowly,then stopped beside the railing overlooking the palace gardens.

“Tell your friend,” she said,voice now cool and royal,

“that I don’t beg for love and I certainly don’t compete with another woman for it.”

Then she looked at Shaurya again,and this time there was something gentler in her gaze.

“But…”she added quietly,

“…he should have had the courage to tell me himself.”

Shaurya felt a flicker of anger rise in his chest at her words.His tone stayed respectful,but there was steel beneath it now.

“Princess Anamika… Atharva didn’t even know he was engaged when he fell in love,”he said firmly.

“Before he is a prince,he is a human being.And as a human,he has the right to make his own life choices.”

He paused,choosing his words carefully.

“You’re both bound by this engagement, yes but think about it.If he had come here himself and someone had noticed,it wouldn’t have been good for your image either.”

His gaze softened just a little.

“I know this situation has hurt you,and you’re not wrong to feel wronged.But this is the fault of the elders who decided everything without asking either of you.”

Then he added,with quiet conviction,

“He should have come to confess it to you himself.But trust me,Princess… Atharva is many thing,coward is not one of them.”

She listened to him quietly,and when he finished,a soft smile curved her lips.

“Shaurya,”she said gently,“I must say… he is lucky to have a friend like you.”

Then she continued,her voice calm but edged with quiet dignity.

“You came here to protect him,not to defend his mistakes and I respect that.Atharva may be a prince,and he may be in love,but he also belongs to a world where promises are not just words,they are bonds.I am not angry with him… I am disappointed in the situation.”

She looked at Shaurya steadily.

“And perhaps,”she added softly,“that makes all three of us prisoners of duty in different ways.”

She drew a slow breath,her expression turning thoughtful.

“Shaurya… it won’t be enough if only I speak against this wedding,”she said quietly.

“I am a princess.I cannot simply give my opinion and expect it to become my fate especially not when I am already engaged.”

Then she looked at him with calm resolve.

“But tell the prince this,”she continued,her voice steady.“If he takes the first step to call off this marriage… then I will stand with him.The moment he refuses it,I will refuse it too.”

Her eyes held a quiet strength as she finished,

“Only then will it truly end.”

Shaurya listened to her in silence,every word sinking deep into his heart.He understood now her dignity,her limits,and the invisible chains that came with being a princess.

He gave her a slow, respectful nod.

“I understand, Princess Anamika,”he said softly. “I’ll tell Atharva everything you’ve said.”

For a moment,neither of them spoke.

Anamika offered him a gentle smile gracious, composed,yet carrying a hint of sadness.

Shaurya returned it,but his was different,warm, sincere,and a little heavy,as if he were walking away from something unfinished.

As they parted,he looked back once just once before turning away,his ex

pression thoughtful and conflicted,already burdened with the truth he now had to carry back to his friend.

Hey beautiful Ladies ❤️

So what do you guys think about Anamika??

Let me know your precious words in the comments section.

Love_Qiana❤️