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Warm winds of the afternoon sun tingled her sensitive skin as Riya stepped down from the bullock cart. She slowly squinted her eyes to get a glimpse of her surroundings, and the house was not normal. It was as huge as Raghuveer's house with a large backyard towards the right end. The tall coconut and mango trees which occasionally danced to the tunes of the dry afternoon wind and the cattle taking rest underneath them made Riya already yearn for the cool atmosphere of the prince's house.

"Oh my, my! Look who is here!" A sharp feminine voice made Riya glance towards the entrance.

"Aunt Savitri! Come on now, I visited a few months ago, hadn't I?" Jaidev chided her playfully, making Riya gage at the sweetness in his tone.

Oh my, my, how fake can you be, Jaidev?

After last night's incident, Riya disliked Jaidev in such a short period. She was already upset from the way he conversed with Dhruvan, however, when she observed his constant bickering with the bullock cart driver about how slow his bull was, made the dislike for him deepen. It was dark and night, what can that poor animal do when it can't see anything? What can the cart driver do? Yet, by the early hours when they entered the bustling capital village of the kingdom and happened to pass by a few royals his voice turned sweeter than jaggery, while a bright smile made his face.

That is when she understood what kind of a person Jaidev was. He is a hypocrite, he pretends to respect every villager irrespective of their status however his true face can be something else.

"-this is Maithili, whom I have mentioned in the letter. She requires shelter for a few weeks till her parents return from the voyage." Jaidev informed his aunt and Riya finally snapped out of her thoughts at the introduction he gave.

Maithili? How dare he even introduce her with another name without even consulting with her once? Riya glared at Jaidev and he immediately gave her an expression of apology.

"A voyage? How irresponsible of them to leave such a young maiden behind?" Savitri exclaims, opening her mouth wide in surprise.

Savitri was a petite and round woman with a light complexion and she looked more than beautiful for her age.

Riya fisted her palms to her sides, as her cheeks flushed warm in anger. Alright, this was her fake parents that Savitri was ratting about, nonetheless, she felt a strong urge to punch her for assuming others' situations. Her imaginary parents could have been sick and the voyage could have been their last wish! But no, people are so quick at judging others decisions.

"It is because they believe their daughter can handle herself better." Riya scoffed before speaking, her eyes striking glares at the women.

However, Savitri was not what she seemed to look: soft and clam, but she is rather strong and vindictive.

"Really? If a young and unmarried woman like you can do better alone then how did you end up here?"

The emphasis on the unmarried status caught Riya off-guard and she felt the fury deepen in her heart, yet this time she had no comeback. Her brain went blank for a moment unable to form any sentences and taking this as her defeat Savitri turned around asking Riya to follow her inside.

Crossing the threshold of the house Riya was no longer surprised, the house looked lavish. The house smelled of incense sticks and flowers allowing her to conjecture that Savitri is a god-fearing person and the paintings and sculptures at every corner of the house didn't prove otherwise. The house kept reminding Riya of Raghuveer's house however this one was a little peculiar, crossing the threshold of the house a hollow opening of the roof could be seen, probably to let the rainwater inside the house.

Though the idea of storing and utilizing rainwater seemed spectacular, her anxious self screamed and cried of how insecure such house plans can be. It will be a child's play for intruders or thieves to jump over the open roof and threaten the members of this household. Yet, she was in no position to worry about anyone else.

"Aunt Savitri!" Jaidev came running, his face looking tense as he stood in front of them and Savitri jumped forward in worry for her nephew.

"What happened, Jai? Is everything-"

"Oh, my poor aunt! Stop worrying about everything. I received an order from our queen to report back at the palace, so I have to hurry." He explains as he places his arms around his aunt, trying to calm her and Riya stood there witnessing the aunt and nephew exchange a few more words, Jaidev's eyes reflected with concern and affection as he spoke assuring words about his next visit making her wonder if he is the same person she had seen last night.

"Aunt, I wish to have a word with Maithili before I leave?" Jaidev asked with hesitation but Savitri brushed it off and walked away from the main room allowing them some space to converse.

"Will you care to tell me why am I Maithili?" Riya crossed arms over her chest shooting daggers through her eyes and Jaidev smiled awkwardly and before he could explain Riya beat it to him, "I do not wish to stay no longer than a week here, inform that to your prince or else I am more than capable of finding my way to the palace."

This time Jaidev chuckled at her and spoke in a monotonous tone before bowing down like a stoic soldier, "Yes, my queen. I will inform this to our prince without fail."

Seeing such antic behaviour of Jaidev Riya let out a laugh and shortly both of them found themselves laughing.

The calming silence after their laughs was followed by Jaidev's explanation regarding his behaviour, "I deeply apologize and expect you to forgive my foul manners. Unexpectedly, Raghuveer has decided to stay back at the palace to win this battle of the throne, and this act of Raghuveer got our Queen in surprise and judging by her true colours, her immediate plan will be to harm Raghu's dear ones to get hold his Achilles heel."

Riya stood silent, listening to his words. Will it be weird to make up from his words that Raghuveer adores her or likes her? What if he had done this for every servant and soldier of his?

"I love and respect Raghuveer like a sibling, I will protect him at any cost. Had anything happened to you or Dhruvan he would be emotionally trashed and with me being alive I will never let it happen." Jaidev took a deep breath before continuing, "That was the sole purpose behind my anger and intolerance yesterday, and Raghuveer himself suggested providing you a fake identity to keep you hidden from any royal."

Riya felt low all at once hearing those words, his impatience and anger must have been a hurry to keep her safe and giving it a second thought 'Maithili' was not a bad name. Was it Raghuveer who suggested this name? Was it just a random name or is there any sob story of his first love?

"Riya," Jaidev whispered softly before taking her hand as he stepped closer, forcing Riya to take a step behind at this uninvited closeness. But her expression or uncomfortableness didn't seem to stop Jaidev as he let out a bright smile before pulling out a small pouch which was tied around his sword scabbard.

"This has a total of twenty gold coins, make good use of them." Saying he placed them in her palm letting out a bright smile.

"Why, no. I don't want-"

"What, no? It is not bad to carry coins around, honey."

H-honey? Riya's eyes widened as she hears the endearment he gave her. Why on earth is he calling her honey?

"But Jaidev-"

"Tut! Not accepting anything given, and it would calm my heart to know that you have an emergency fund at hand." Saying he stepped back, finally removing his hand away from her right palm letting her breathe in relief.

Who knows if she refuses he might hold her hand again. So she immediately nodded her head in fear pushing the pouch inside the cloth bag of hers.

"I will take my leave now. Hopefully, we can meet again." Passing her a bright smile Jaidev turned around preparing to leave and Riya hurriedly called for him.

"Don't forget to inform Raghuveer that I asked for him!" Her voice shook as she spoke and Jaidev did halt in his place however he just nodded his head walking away.

Thin rolls of tears streamed down her cheeks and she immediately rubbed them off scolding herself to stop behaving like an abandoned child.

Shortly after that, Savitri walked inside with an oil lamp and gesturing Riya to follow her inside.

Nights seemed to roll out and days seemed to fill in but there was no visit from Jaidev and when Savitri asked her to help with some household chores Riya couldn't disregard her.

When Savithri first asked her to feed the cattle she should have been a little smart and alert, or at least when Savithri made her sweep and mop the huge house spotless but now it was too late to notice, unknowingly she became the unsaid maid of the house. Never once in her life had she ever cleaned a tiny spoon and now, she was playing the role of a submissive servant.

At first, Riya was absolutely furious when she understood how she was being treated however she was helpless, this place was the only way Raghuveer might ever reach her.

Days turned weeks and she did not hear anything from Raghuveer or Dhruvan placing her in a tight spot.

Every time the sun set, she felt a deep weight settle on her heart and every morning the sun rose the pain throbbed through her heart knowing that there was no word from Raghuveer, more than anyone else she knew what the pain was, a familiar feeling she lived through with all her childhood but this time for some reason it hurt more. She was abandoned again, and this time too by another person she loved.

There were a total of four servants in the house excluding her, and Savitri was specific with assigning works regarding her house. Only Kalavathi, one of the maids with whom she shares a room, could enter the kitchen while she was allocated with the work of handling cattle.

If only she knows cooking she could have had a chance to exchange her work role, trying to tame the ever lazy buffaloes and active wild guard dogs are no easy task. Her smooth palms blistered with the roughness of the coconut thread she uses to tie around the buffaloes, her backaches from cleaning the large backyard and at night it's impossible to sleep with the stink of the farm attached on her skin.

The first few nights it felt surreal, in no wild dream had she ever thought that she might be in this position but even after such tiring days she waits for Jaidev to visit. He keeps visiting however he never speaks of Raghuveer, when asked why he replies saying that the prince has prohibited from speaking anything else from the royal issues.

Today was Jaidev's third visit and even this time he handed her a small pouch of gold coins, as days passed it almost seemed as if Jaidev cared more about her wellbeing than Raghuveer. He cared enough to make her laugh and even though those pouches of gold coins he gives her without fail were of no use to her, his soothing words at times calmed her troubled soul.

On his last visit, she gave him a letter asking for him to deliver it to Raghuveer and the aspect that he came empty-handed made her furious.

"Why won't he ever visit or write to me? What has caught him so-"

"He can't, Maithili." Jaidev kept addressing her with this name now and she couldn't object. If anyone hears her real name then the trouble might follow.

"He can't or he wouldn't?" Her eyes brimmed with tears as she asked him.

She was both worried and scared now. Worried about what kind of trouble was he struck by and scared with a disgusting thought of abandonment. Of course, the few days they spent might mean nothing to him but for her, it has become a hope to survive this point in life. She wishes to think of this distance between them as a test given by life, yet she was losing confidence as days passed away.

Jaidev inhaled deeply, moving closer towards her.

They were seated on a bench near the farm as they discussed the secretive matters. He slowly wiped tears off her cheeks and Riya tried to swallow her cries.

"Maithili had this been anyone I would have suggested to let go the person who doesn't care for you. Tormenting your heart for a person who doesn't care about your existence will only result in pain. But for you, honey, I will try to make Raghuveer write a letter for you."

Riya felt like a huge weight being lifted off her heart as she heard his words, she squeezed his palm with excitement letting out a bright smile.

Shortly after that, they parted ways. Riya got busy with feeding the cattle, her back hurt with all the bending she has done for the day and Savitri could just tell by looking at the cattle if they had been fed three times a day or not.

"Maithili."

"Maithili!"

Oh right, that's her name. What a fool she Is.

"Yes." Riya turned around answering as she wiped her hands against her skirt.

"Where are you lost, Maithili? The weather looks pleasant, so let's go for a walk?" Asked Lakshmi, Savitri's one and only daughter who stays with her. While her three sons travel across the country trading pearls and ornaments.

"Huh? Alright." Saying Riya adjusted her blue and white cotton half-sari as they took slow steps.

Riya might hate to admit this but in these past three weeks, she developed unfathomable amount of hate and respect for Jaidev's aunt, Savitri. Isn't it impossible to have such mixed feelings about someone? Unfortunately, she does.

Savitri was married around a young age of thirteen and by the age of nineteen she had four kids to care at hand as if becoming a mother such a young age is not a tragedy, the sole breadwinner of the household: her husband passed away due to a poisonous snake bite and ever since she raised her kids alone.

According to Kalavathi, a maid who has been working for this family for year's claims that fooled by Savitri's innocent looks her brother tried to make her sell her husband's farms and the house to him but being an excellent judge of people's fickle mind she declined her brother's suggestion staying back in this house with her four kids.

"Maithili! Are even listening to what I am saying?" Lakshmi whines as she holds Riya's arm.

"Umm, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

"Were you thinking of my handsome cousin, Jaidev?" Lakshmi teased Riya, twirling around as they walked across the farm entering a narrow path leading the denser yard filled with tall trees and Riya almost choked herself on her saliva hearing her words.

Handsome and Jaidev? As if.

When Riya didn't reply, Lakshmi just pushed off her words but shortly she picked up the same conversation again.

"I actually came a little before to have a word with you, however, I caught you and Jai in- ahem, a little romantic position?"

And this time, Riya coughed loudly as she bit her tongue in shock.

"What? No way-"

"Ayee, don't kid me! His hands were on your face and you both sat so close that I almost blushed seeing you two!" Lakshmi poked fun at Riya as she laughed out loud and this time Riya slipped into a serious brainstorming session with herself.

Was she physically too close with him? No way, she never had any such intention. She wouldn't disagree, they grew closer, more than before, but their relationship stops with friendship. If friendship had levels, he was still at the bottom stage.

"I have an idea, Maithili! And I am telling you this because I like you."

"What is it?" Her voice came out in a whisper, for some reason she was feeling low again.

"Why don't you marry Jai?" Lakshmi's eyes shined with excitement and Riya felt her mouth hang open.

Where on earth did she even get such an idea?

Riya quickly caught hold of Lakshmi's hand forcing her to face her as she spoke before stepping closer towards her, "No. Lakshmi, listen. Don't ever raise this question with anyone else."

"But why-"

"I have no interest to answer your absurd questions. However, remember this clearly. I have a man in my life and your brother is nothing but a friend-" Riya spitted those words through gritted teeth.

"By any chance can that man in your life is that prince?" Lakshmi scoffed loudly as she speaks making Riya's blood boil sensing her arrogance.

"Ye-"

"If yes, then forget him. A royal craving for power is like a poison emitting snake, and expecting one to kiss you would only prove your foolishness." Lakshmi stated with a cruel smile before turning around on her heels walking away leaving an angry Riya behind.

All she needs is a small assurance from Raghuveer, a small word from him that he is waiting for her too, to gain her confidence back. But alas, he seems to have forgotten about her and these people are making it no better.

After calming herself Riya finally decided to walk back home. Savitri has a rough voice and when she screams that voice turns unbearable.

Shortly after walking around, Riya found herself crying in frustration, pulling her hair out. All the damn trees looked the same! With her anxiety kicking in she could no more distinguish between left and right. The sun was setting down making Riya wonder about why her life was such a mess. From the day she has decided to protect Raghuveer and Dhruvan she was separated from them and till now she couldn't even hear a single word from them.

She never wanted to go this way, but had she made the right decision that night by staying back? She should have left?

With bizarre thoughts and countless prayers to find her way back to the house, Riya kept walking forward but the low howls in distance almost made her cry again. That stupid Lakshmi left her alone at this forest.

All at once, Riya felt a hold on her hand making her scream and before she could continue to scream for help she was turned around to face the intruder, thick rolls of tears flushed down her cheeks as glanced at the person in front of her.

His signature pearl chain remains around his neck and his furrowed eyebrows made Riya cry her eyes out, falling to the ground in relief.

Finally, he was here. Her Raghuveer came for her, he did not abandon her like her mother.

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