I don't know how long I'm here. I don't even know if it's day or night. All I know is, it's all dark and I wasn't fed a long time by now.

I don't know if life could be any worse than this but I believe Tamizh will come back for me.

I was hungry, tired and frustrated. The eerie silence is more scarier than anything. It's enough to freak someone out.

The only think that bothers me the most is, Arjun didn't believe me. I can't expect someone to believe after they saw me with the knife full of blood but he could've tried to listen me.

He didn't do anything. So dumb of me believing that he'll come to me any sooner and ask me what really happened in there.

But, I know it could never be possible because he firmly believe that I'm the cause for everything.

I feel so down and I have no idea how to refresh my mind. Each and every minute, I'm scared about what they're going to do to me if there's no evidence I didn't commit that mistake.

That's when the lights suddenly turned on. I peeked out of the rusted rods where the soldiers were dragging a man towards an open room which was visible from here.

He looked so weak and looks like he hadn't had proper food for months.

He was finally forcefully dragged inside the room and there was a chair and a hangman's knot that was fixed in the ceiling properly.

My eyes widened at that. The man was got up the chair where his face was full of tears and fear. He was literally begging the soldiers to leave him.

Then the next thing I heard was the stool falling on the floor as I saw the man struggling. The rope was clenching around his neck.

I took a step back and started breathing heavily due to fear. After few seconds of struggling, he completely stopped moving which indicated that he's dead.

My knees gave up and I fell on the floor as I moved to the farthest corner of the cell. My breath hitched each time when I look at that lifeless body.

One day, I'll be in this position too?

Thinking about it gives me a feeling that killing myself is better than dying in their hands but I'm not that brave to do so.

I broke into tears again letting my heart out, hiccuping continuously.

The cell returns back to darkness again as the soldiers exit the basement leaving the body hanged like that which sent shivers down my spine.

I continued to sob in the silence.

"Are you crying?", I heard an unrecognisable male voice.

"Who are you?", I asked softly.

"They put me in jail for killing my stepfather.", He said and I frowned.

"Where are you right now?", I asked because I can't even see anything clearly as the cell was in complete darkness.

"I'm just a cell away from you. Can I know why the princess of chola kingdom here?"

"They put me in jail for a mistake I didn't even commit.. They misunderstood me and now, they're not ready to listen to my explanation."

"That is why your brother was here?", He asked and I hummed.

"Why did you killed your stepfather."

"He raped my sister and she attempted suicide. I didn't have any other way than killing him to satisfy my rage. I still remember how my sister's face was when she was found dead. Her face held sadness even after her death."

"It's no wrong you did that..", I said and he chuckled.

"You freaked out seeing them hang a man to death?", He asked.

"Very much."

"They do it often because they believe that hanging a man to death will warn others beforehand that if they do a crime, they have no other way than death."

"Really?"

"Yes, plus you know what? I'll be hanged tomorrow.", He said and the next moment I felt sad for him.

"You should try to explain them that you were right."

"It's of no use. I don't have a single worry about that because death is better than staying here.."

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so because you were not shown their real faces. In real, they treat murderers like shit. They cut two of my fingers just because I tried to explain him my point of view."

The next thought I heard after he finished was fear and only fear.

"W-What?", I stuttered. I felt shivers when I heard they cut off his fingers just because he was explaining about it.

Will they do the same for me if I try to explain them?

I gulped hearing his words unable to digest it.

"So, you lost hope?"

"No. I know I will be sentenced to death if I kill him. I was ready for everything.", He said.

"Aren't you scared?", I asked and I heard him chuckle from the other side of the wall.

"What's the point of being sad? I lost my sister, my mother isn't good, I lost my father in war. What I had in my life to have hope to live? I think death is better than this life."

"Yeah.", I agreed.

"What's your name?", I asked.

"Thavan"

"Nice name. And, I'm really sorry about your parents and sister.", I said and I heard him hum in response.

"What do you think about your husband? He should've believed you, isn't it? When I was in my home, I heard many people in the village say you and Prince Arjun is the best pair they've ever seen."

"But, now, the same people are protesting to kill me.", I said with a sad chuckle.

"They're angry because of empress' death. They don't know you're not the one who killed the empress.", He said and it was right.

"It is really so surprising how life is. It sometimes feels good but sometimes it makes us wanna die. Just few days ago, I thought I'm the happiest person to be alive on earth but now, everything's topsy turvy."

"On the other hand, if you take me, I was never ever happy in my life. Maybe, that's why I wanna die so fast..", he said and the each time he mentioned about death, it gives me chills.

"Come on, you're not gonna die. We can find a way out of here and leave this nasty cell."

"There's no way out. It's the main palace of Chera Dynasty. There's many soldiers than you assume."

"How much to be approximate?"

"Few thousands..", he said and I felt demotivated to escape the next moment I heard the numbers.

"Don't worry. I know your brother will be able to collect evidence to prove your innocence. I noticed him well when he came to your cell. Your brother will never let you die for nothing."

"I too hope so. By the way, won't they provide us food?"

"No, they won't even if it takes months.."

"How can someone be alive if they didn't drink water."

"Most of them survive by drinking their own urine to hydrate themselves..", he said and I made a disgusting face.

"I can't do that!", I yelled without my knowledge.

"I didn't tell you should."

"I'm hungry, thirsty, tired and sleepy."

"Just sleep. You'll be able to forget everything."

"I will try..", I said lying on the floor. My appetite on the other hand was slowly killing me. My tongue is craving for water since I cried too long.

How desperate I am to think someone would come and take me out of the cell. On the other hand, I feel bad for Thavan.

I believe that the emperor of this kingdom is of no use since he's not even ready to listen the explanation everyone's trying to give.

Even Arjun didn't think about that?

"Rest well..", even though he said one cell away from me but still it was able to fade off my loneliness.

I fell into a deep slumber as my appetite, pain, thirst and tiredness started fading.

"So, you never thought about giving her a chance to explain..", Tharun said and I sighed in frustration.

"Explanation? Are you serious right now? I saw her kill mother. She was taking the stabbed knife out of her throat. The knife was completely bloodied and-"

"Just calm down.", He said cutting me off.

"How can I be calm?"

"You should be right now, Arjun. Do you think your wife would ever do something like that? Why do you think she will set fire in your crown prince ceremony?"

"But what I saw was-"

"Don't believe your eyes or ears. Just believe what your heart says.. Now, tell me. What do you think about her?"

"I don't know why I can't accept she killed mother even after seeing it with my very own eyes."

"Then, do you think Aarthi did it as she said?"

"I enquired people about it but their all answers were common. Aarthi was in her palace when the incident happened."

"Something's wrong. Don't you think so? Why don't we pay a visit to your wife in jail and ask what really happened."

"I think you should go. I can't see her rotting in cell where people die everyday, no food, no water."

"But, she might misunderstand you that you never care about her. If you even come to know she's innocent and want to live with her, she might not forgive you."

"But I don't think I can see her like that.."

"Come on, you should. Let's go.", He said and I nodded with a heavy heart.

We walked towards the basement where the prisioners were kept in jail which was meant to be their hell hole. I wouldn't be surprised if many died of starvation and dehydration.

Tharun opened the cell door and a metallic smell of blood hit my nose. The lights turned on and we entered the basement.

We crossed many cells and finally reached her cell. I looked her sleeping on the floor throughout the iron rods.

"She's sleeping..", Tharun said.

"What if she's unconscious or fainted. Because she hadn't had her food for two days..", I said and we looked at her.

"I don't think so. Come on, don't imagine wild things. She's fine. Maybe we should come here later.", Tharun said and I was reluctant to leave this place.

What if something happens to her?

"Wait.. I'll come later."

"Father will kill us if he comes to know we're here. Let's just leave."

"But-"

"We'll come back again at midnight. Please, let's just leave for now.", he said and we walked back towards the rusted basement door again.

No sooner we exited the basement, we heard our father's voice behind us.

"What are you doing here?"

"We came to check out on her.", I said bravely.

"Why you have to check out on a woman who killed your mother brutally?"

"What if she's innocent.... like Tamizh said?"

"We can think about it later."

"She'll die in one or two days if she isn't fed. You gave them one month time, didn't you?"

"I did. But, I know she was the one who killed my wife. Do you think something which we saw with our own eyes will be a lie. That's why I let her rot on jail and die.", He said with venom dripping from his voice.

"But everything we see is truth. This world is full of lies and imagination. The way we see things is never true. There's always a hidden meaning behind those lies and that meaning is the real truth."

"You mean, my eyes are lying?"

"No, I mean what our eyes say maybe a lie.."

"Grow up, Arjun. She's the one who killed your mother. You have to accept the truth and marry another girl who's worth your love. She doesn't deserve you.", He said and I gritted my teeth.

What if his words were true?

"Father, his love for the Princess is more than the love you showed mother.", Tharun said and I was shocked to see his guts.

Because it's the first time I'm hearing him speak to father with such a tone. He used to be always scared of father.

Now, since he's mad at father, he gathered all the guts to defy him.

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