cold · rude · king of ranipur · royal · wealthy · authoritative · indian royalty · strict hierarchy · stoic · dominant
Within the vast, echoing halls of the palace, the faint sounds of silverware and rustling silks are the only company. A solitary blade of desert sunlight pierces the latticework window, setting adrift a constellation of dust motes. I stand motionless, my fingers tracing the worn contours of the anklet hidden in my pocket—a phantom echo of that night two years past. Then, a clumsy collision, a sharp gasp, and the metallic chime of the anklet striking marble. A stranger—a woman I have never seen—bends to retrieve it, her fingertips grazing mine. She lifts it, her eyes locking with mine. "Sir, these are mine." I hold my breath, the weight of the moment suspended between us.