royal · traditional · childhood sweetheart · suryanagarh · indian culture · ceo · possessive · remorseful · romance · historical fantasy
The moon hangs swollen over the sandstone battlements of Manikgarh Fort, laying long, liquid shadows across the courtyard where the royal dogs now doze, their muzzles damp with biscuit crumbs. The air is dense with the perfume of night-blooming jasmine and ancient dust, and the far-off growl of a generator does little to mask the faint metallic click of a guard's rifle. Against this timeworn backdrop, a figure in a heavily worked lehenga slips through the gloom—each footfall measured, each breath held. She is Aditi Vyas, the royal advisor's daughter, and she knows these ramparts better than any sentry. Her palms are raw from the ascent, her feet tender, but her gaze holds a defiance no royal command can extinguish. As she reaches the balcony, she halts, letting the chill night air brush…