ABDICATION

77.

"How is this possible?" Randhir shouted at top of his voice while walking down the hallway in middle of the royal court.

The minister hesitate to began but he would die if he kept silent too.

"We didn't find anybody." The guards replied making Randhir insides fumes in anger.

"But we have been checking for hidden tunnels in the palace. We found that no tunnels has been opening outside our kingdom. Even if they escaped the prison. They won't be able to escape the Kingdom because the doors had been closed for everyone. " Minister ended.

Randhir nodded. He has hopes.

Walking up to his throne, he let his long blood red cape fly behind him. Settled on his throne, he rest his one leg over his other knee.

He knew sanyukta has something to do with the escape. Nobody else have enough courage to defy him in this entire kingdom. The Kingdom is huge and it would take so much time to find house to house, not forgetting how good she is in hiding. But that didn't stop him to try.

"Start a house to house search." Randhir commanded. " No matter how many days it take. Include more people and began the search. I want them here before I loose my temper and use those ropes to hang all of you instead." Randhir voice was threatening.

Ministers left and guards entered.

"There is someone who wants to see you." The guards informed the king. King nodded and he had to look twice to made sure he has recognise him correctly.

"Your highness!" His smile is as pure as he had seen from his childhood. King nodded, smiling back a little.

"First I would like to congratulate you for becoming a king. I have always seen a king in you. " Shabir smiled brightly. King nodded again.

"Instead of a 'thank you' I would like you to offer your precious position back to you." Randhir smiled pointed at the empty chair where sanyukta used to sit.

Shabir was confused. "But every minister of the court has been replaced, your highness!. Why not me?" Shabir asked.

"I promised your daughter that I will keep your position unharmed." Randhir felt nostalgic for once but blinked that away soon.

"So they aren't just rumours." Shabir stated.

Randhir knew what he is talking about. He know all about sanyukta.

"Are you disappointed?" Randhir motioned for a drink while keeping his eyes still at Shabir.

"Not at all. There must be a reason for everything my daughter had done." Shabir was proud to call sanyukta her daughter.

"There is one truth that you might not know till now." Randhir took a small sip of his wine.

"I'm assuming that you are going to tell me that." Shabir was confident.

"I sure will but first I want you to take your seat." Randhir pointed at his seat again.

Shabir walked slowly to his previous seat and settled in.

"Now you have to listen me as my first minister, not as a father." Randhir commanded and Shabir nodded.

"She had entered in the palace illegally. Your daughter has been living in this palace for almost a month but you must know that half of the time she lived here disguised as a man, Yukt. Claiming to be her brother." Randhir said it all in one go and Shabir needed time to take that one in. Shabir fell silent. He might think that there must be a reason behind whatever she has done but it was still a crime.

"You know what's the punishment for that crime?" Randhir asked Shabir.

"it used to be lifetime in prison." Shabir pointed out being brutally honest. " But now there will be no prisons.."

"So it will be a death sentence." Randhir ended the sentence.

Shabir gulped. He shouldn't have come back. He was here to find out why her daughter is being searched. Now he know.

"I ... I ask you to forgive her, your highness. She must have a reason to do what she has done." Shabir said standing up from his seat to bow down in front of the king.

"She has done a crime. We don't forgive criminal in our kingdom. Now she had done another crime by helping thr prisoners escape. Now she has been hiding along with them. It's been months and we aren't able to find her. So what would you suggest?" Randhir ended it with a question to Shabir.

"Use her weakness." He hurt Shabir to be this honest but he was being loyal to his position. People don't call him naive for no reason, after all.

"What would that be?" Randhir asked back, smirking a little.

Shabir looked down. Randhir smirk widened.

Ofcourse. She never love anybody more than her father.

"So loyal. You have been so loyal to this kingdom. So loyal that you yourself declared that a death sentence would be the perfect punishment for the crime your daughter did. " Randhir emptied his wine.

Shabir continue to look down because he knew the king wasn't finished yet.

"So as we all know now that sanyukta is one of the prisoners now. So now, I put a fair condition for her in front of the whole kingdom." Randhir stood up from his throne.

" If she didn't hand herself over to us before the night, her father pays." Randhir ended. It made Shabir look up.

"Guards!" He shouted.

"Lock him up until his daughter show up." Randhir ordered.

"How can you be so sure she will show up?" One of the minister stood up to ask.

Randhir got a flashback of their whole time together. It wouldn't have possible if she didn't loved her father so much. Everything she did was for her father. He knew she is definitely going to show up.

"She could even move mountains for her father. " Randhir smiled. " If only she had loved me like that too." He muttered to himself.