Ambivalence

Unspoken Emotions

Aaradhya's POV

Ugh, I hate periods. Today was an important meeting with the foreign client, and my cramps are already killing me. However, I left the bed, thankfully finding no stains because I wasn't in the mood to explain anything to Rana Sa. The hot water helped a lot to ease my pain, but that didn't last long.

When I came out of the bathroom, it was still early for me to leave, so I decided to take a nap and set a timer for an hour. It didn't take much time for me to fall asleep again. I woke up when I felt someone touching my forehead. I opened my eyes to see Rana Sa sitting in front of me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing, you never slept so late, so I thought you were unwell," he replied.

"It's nothing, I just felt like sleeping more today."

"Are you on your periods?" He said out of the blue.

"Ho...how did you know?" I asked.

"It's the 20th, right? For the past three months, you always sleep extra on these days, so I just had a guess."

Is it a delusion, or does he really notice everything about me? Nevertheless, it made my heart flutter. I don't even remember the last time when my mother asked me about my periods. She was the only person to notice these things about me. And he remembered it in three months of marriage.

There was a sudden urge inside me to be in his arms right now, but my mind reminded me that it would be too much to ask. No matter what I felt, he doesn't feel the same for me and probably never will. Pushing away those thoughts, I got out of bed to get ready for the day when I felt him holding my wrist.

"You don't need to attend the meeting if you are in too much pain," he said. I turned to face him, and I swear to mother earth, why did she create him so fine? He looks like a child right now. I replied, taking a deep breath, "No, I am fine." 

'Liar.'

I asked one of the maids to make me some soup; I wasn't in the mood to eat anything. At the breakfast table, I saw Amisha sitting next to Dev while Rajveer was missing. I didn't mind her presence until she opened her mouth.

"Umm, Aaradhya. Right? I didn't believe it when mother-in-law told me that you were still working after marriage. But it's fine; being from a low background, it takes time to adjust to high society."

"Yeah," I replied, not feeling like extending the conversation. First, these cramps, and now this bitch.

"Aaradhya, you should feel fortunate. You don't know how many women were and are after Sharvan—"

"It's Rana Sa for you, Rajkumari Amisha. Only my close ones are allowed to call me by my name," I heard his threatening voice as he wiped his mouth and got up.

"Rani Sa, chaliye, hume der ho rahi hai," I nodded. "Ji."

(Rani Sa, let's go, we are getting late,)

As soon as we got inside the car, he asked, "Why didn't you say anything to her?" His tone carried a hint of anger.

I secured the seatbelt and replied, "It doesn't matter. She won't stop even if I say something in defense, and I didn't want to waste my energy on such people."

The seatbelt was stuck, and he intervened, saying, "You need to remember one thing, Cherry." His breath grazed my neck as he got closer, continuing, "You are a queen; people should fear you and think a thousand times before they speak to you." He secured the belt, his face lingering just an inch away from mine.