Chapter 37: chapter 37

S A N M A Y I The air in the royal palace had thickened over the past week, heavy with unspoken words and simmering tension. It was a storm waiting to break, a matter of when, not if. King Jayavikram, once a ruler whose presence could command the entire kingdom into silence with but a glance, now walked with a cloud of fury surrounding him, a fury that seemed to deepen with each passing day.I had seen this anger before, in the cold, sharp gleam of his eyes, and the cruel set of his jaw. It was a storm that had brewed ever since his son, Ranajay, had dared to turn against the very blood that flowed through his veins. And it was not a storm easily weathered.My thoughts, though heavy, were focused elsewhere—on the course we had set into motion. The alliance between Ranajay and myself, though fragile, had provided an unexpected turn of fate. But as much as I fought to push forward with the rebellion, the king’s wrath loomed ever closer, its shadow darkening my every step.I had taken refuge in a small, austere chamber in the palace, far from the prying eyes of the court. Yet even here, I could feel the tension pressing against me. Every sound—every creak of the floorboards or flutter of a distant curtain—seemed a herald of the coming confrontation.The door swung open with a sudden force, and in walked a figure I had long dreaded to see: the king himself, his presence like a tempest unleashed. His tall frame filled the doorway, his eyes burning with fury. I had always known him to be a man of great power, but it was in moments like these that his power became something darker—a force that could crush everything in its path.“Sanmayi!” His voice rang through the room, sharp as a blade. “You. You are the reason for this treachery.”I stood motionless, my heart racing at the sight of him. There was no denying the venom in his tone, the loathing that seemed to drip from every word. I had long understood that in the world of kings and rebels, no quarter was given. But hearing the venom directed at me so openly was a different matter entirely.“What is this madness?” King Jayavikram continued, his voice rising. “My son, my only son, has forsaken his birthright to side with you—an enemy, a traitor! And for what? To throw his future away on some foolish notion of rebellion?”I clenched my fists, biting back the words that burned on the tip of my tongue. This was not the time for retaliation, not when the stakes were so high. But the king was relentless, his voice echoing through the stone walls of the chamber.“He has betrayed his own blood,” he hissed. “And now you, Sanmayi, have twisted his mind. You have poisoned him against his own family. You have led him astray, and now look where we stand! My kingdom is on the verge of collapse, and all because of you.”I met his gaze, unflinching. “You are wrong, King Jayavikram,” I said, my voice steady despite the tempest in my chest. “It is not I who have poisoned him. It is you. Your cruelty, your unyielding grip on power—it is what drove him to me.”His eyes flashed with anger, but I saw the flicker of doubt there as well—an understanding that what I said had an uncomfortable ring of truth. Yet he was too proud to admit it, too entrenched in his own power to see beyond it.“You think you are wise, don’t you?” the king sneered. “You think you can control him, that you can make him your puppet. But I will not allow it. I will not allow my kingdom to fall into your hands, nor will I let my son be led astray by the likes of you.”I said nothing. His words were venom, meant to provoke, meant to strip me of my resolve. But they would not break me. What I had seen in Ranajay—what I had come to understand about him—was enough to strengthen my own will. He was not a puppet, not a tool to be wielded by anyone. He was a man, and he had made his choices. And those choices had led us to this point.“Do you think I am without power?” The king’s voice was low now, but no less dangerous. “You will learn, Sanmayi, what it means to cross me. You will learn that the king does not bend to anyone—not even to his own blood.”The words hit me like a physical blow, but I stood tall. “Then we are at an impasse,” I said quietly. “For I will not bend to you, either.”A silence fell between us, thick with the weight of our confrontation. The king’s eyes narrowed, his fury seething just beneath the surface. But I saw something else there, too—a flicker of something more calculated, more dangerous. It was the look of a man who had already begun to think of his next move.“You are a fool,” he said at last, his voice laced with disdain. “Ranajay will do as I say. I will make sure of it. You are nothing but a fleeting shadow in his life, a distraction to be discarded once he has come to his senses. And when that happens, you will regret ever crossing me.”The king turned sharply on his heel, his robes sweeping around him like a dark cloud. “This marriage with Nandini will happen, Sanmayi,” he called over his shoulder. “And it will happen soon. That is the only way to restore order to this kingdom. Do not think for a moment that you have any say in the matter.”As the door slammed behind him, the room felt suddenly cold, empty. His words hung in the air, heavy with their promise of retribution.I stared at the closed door, my mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. The king was not a man who made empty threats. I knew this. He would stop at nothing to see his will done, even if it meant pushing his son further away. His rage was palpable, a force that seemed to reverberate through the walls of the palace.And yet, I could not shake the feeling that I was not entirely powerless in this situation. I had made it this far, and despite the king’s threats, I would not be intimidated.Ranajay had already made his choice. And no matter what his father did, I knew he would not turn back.The storm had only just begun. But for the first time, I felt a spark of something other than fear.It was resolve.This war was far from over.