The king's first wife

Pari

It was 5:30 and she was sitting next to him while reading a book in his room. Things had finally changed for the better since that day. He had turned back his attention at the court in the day and at her in the night. There was a balance in their life now, or so they thought.

" What does this mean here?" She moved her book towards him and he looked at the words she was pointing at and then, back at her with that sharp look he always had when she took out wrong meanings between lines. She had started doing that a lot after her birthday. It was halfway irritating but when she laughed on her own poor joke, it was halfway worth all the irritation.

" Uh," they were interrupted by someone who was standing at the door so, they turned to look at the two women there.
" Sohit. Teach her too," his grandmother practically pushed Aditi inside the room and locked the door but all Sohit did was look at his watch

" Give her the alphabetical book to read," he ordered while looking at the time and groaned internally. He had 30 more minutes left to suffer along with that woman now...
" Right," Pari stood up and walked over to the library to pick out the biggest, childish book in it and then, handed it over to Aditi
" You learn these. There are only 26 and then he'll-"
" You will,"
" Fine. I will take a test and we can go ahead to the words book," Pari whispered to Aditi who nodded softly. Studying and learning how to read just seemed like a waste of time but if it helped her gain any kind of momentum on Sohit, she was ready to do it all.

" Now, where were we?" Pari sat back next to him at the chair and Aditi sat right behind both of them, looking at then with angry eyes. She dreamed to soon enough be the woman who was sitting next to her husband and was laughing on something random. She wanted to be the one who got hit by a book oj the head by him cutely and she wanted to be the one who brought out her tongue to tease him. She wanted Pari's life practically but she couldn't just go ahead and get that woman killed. It didn't work that way... She was Sohit's favorite wife. Her death would be investigated carefully.

She just followed Pari around in everything she did for that day, while jotting down that woman's daily timetable in her mind.

After the study time, that went away like water. With her jealously, she couldn't even look over all the lovey-dovey things Pari did with Sohit. All she could remember now as she walked over to the kitchen was the fact that Pari had kissed him lightly on the lips before they came out of his room.

But nevertheless, she kept her mouth shut as she worked in the kitchen along with the other women to prepare dinner.

" How did you do it jiji?" One of the brides of the cousins was begging Pari tell her how she didn't get pregnant even after having sex for such a long time. Condoms weren't banned in the country. They were just not famous enough and men just, didn't dare to buy them. That's why, it was rare to find that situation from happening.
" Shh! Get back to work!" One of the aunt's ordered and Aditi cut her finger a little while cutting the vegetables
" Careful, jiji," a voice hovered over her and she immediately turned around to find her only companion standing behind her.
" Radhika," she sounded excited to see at least one familiar face out there and that woman smirked at her
" Seems like your magic didn't work jiji," she taunted Aditi who looked around and saw the large, dark hickey on her neck
" Seems like yours did though," she stated and Radhika immediately hid her hickey with a hand of hers
" Jiji," she said in embarrassment and Aditi only shrugged as she went back to cutting the vegetables and saw Pari sitting right in front of her, smiling. How she wished that she could snatch that smile away...

" Aditi. You serve Sohit today. Pari's hand is not better yet," the old woman tried to give her another chance at only trying seduce Sohit which she took willingly.
She walked out with a sweet and started putting it in his plate while looking at him directly with that sweet smile but he only turned his head and looked at his plate with a frown. He wasn't impressed or even attracted to her by any of that. He was only disgusted by the amount of sweet porridge that was in his plate now. So, he looked back at her and then, turned his head to look sideways.

" Pari!" He called for her and within a minute, she over in front of him with a ghunghat over her face. Why did she keep that? Aditi just, didn't know. She was so confused and embarrassed.
" Hmm?" She wiped her hands to her saree and he looked back at his plate telling her to do the same and when she finally looked at it, she gasped.
" Aditi," she held the young woman's hands and stopped her which only made Aditi feel a lot more irritated than ever
" He doesn't eat that much sweet. Do one thing, you get him aachar, I'll serve him the rest," Pari ordered her while putting the kheer back into the big serving bowl and Aditi got up. Another loss. She didn't know how many losses she could even survive now...

" Good riddance," he mumbled when she left and he was left out alone with Pari who smiled under her ghunghat. Then, for a moment she looked around at all the men who were being served by their own particular wives and looked back at Sohit. Then, for a second there, she just picked up her ghunghat, winked at him and put it back in its place before anyone else could see it and he only stare at her in disbelief for a moment. Then, he chuckled when Aditi came out with aachar and just turned back to eat his food as Pari sat there, in front of him, waiting for him to finish so that she could eat the rest. That was how the day always went so, she didn't think much of it but, Aditi who came and sat next to her definitely couldn't understand what was happening between those two...