Chapter 97: chapter 97

S A N M A Y IThe news hit me like a bolt of lightning, sharp and unyielding. For days I had been sensing something amiss, a subtle unease that crept through the palace like a shadow in the corners of my mind. I had brushed it aside, unwilling to acknowledge it. But now, the truth lay before me in the most painful of revelations. Sarita—my trusted confidant, the woman I had relied upon for advice, support, and friendship—had been playing me for a fool.The letter, sealed with a wax insignia I did not recognize, had been delivered to me by a servant with a note of urgency. I had expected a simple communication from one of the nobles or officials regarding the recent reforms, but what I found inside was far more devastating. The contents of the letter were clear: Nandini’s agents had been privy to the most intimate details of my plans, the very plans I had shared only with Sarita.I had long considered Sarita to be loyal—more loyal than most. She had been with me since the early days of the rebellion, a woman with a sharp mind and a fierce determination. She had seen the kingdom torn apart, just as I had, and together we had fought to rebuild it. But now I understood the truth. She had never truly been on my side. She had been on Nandini’s all along, feeding her information, betraying me from the very heart of my inner circle.The sting of betrayal was something I had never fully prepared myself to bear. Trust was the currency of power, and in that moment, I felt bankrupt. Sarita had been more than a mere ally; she had been a friend, someone I believed I could rely on in the darkest of times. To think that she had been plotting against me, whispering secrets to Nandini while I confided in her, was a blow I had not expected.I felt the familiar tightening in my chest, the weight of the responsibility I carried pressing down on me. But I refused to let despair take root. This was not the time to falter. It was time to be the matriarch that Amaravati needed. I could not afford to wallow in heartbreak—not when so much was at stake.---I summoned Sarita to the palace that evening, the dimming light of dusk casting a cold pallor over the room as I waited. My heart beat with anticipation, though I kept my expression unreadable. When she entered, her face was calm, her eyes fixed upon me with a look of practiced innocence. She was a good actress, but I had learned to read the signs of deceit long ago. The slightest twitch of her lips, the way her eyes darted just a little too quickly to the side—these were the signs of a guilty conscience. But I would not reveal what I knew just yet.“Sanmayi,” she greeted me, her voice warm, too warm for the chill that had settled in my bones. “I trust all is well?”I studied her carefully, my hands folded on the table before me. “Well enough, Sarita. But I received a letter today, one I believe you may know something about.”Her smile faltered, just for a moment, and I knew then that the mask was slipping. “A letter, my queen?” she asked, though I could hear the faintest quiver in her voice. “From whom?”I reached into the folds of my gown and pulled out the letter. The wax seal had already been broken, but there was no need for pretense. She knew what it contained. “From Nandini’s camp,” I said softly, my voice carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken words.Sarita’s face paled, her hand instinctively reaching for the edge of the table as if to steady herself. But her composure was quickly regained, and she stood straighter, a feigned calmness taking over her features. “Sanmayi, I... I don’t know what you mean. I would never—”I raised my hand to stop her. There was no need for lies now. “Sarita,” I said, my tone gentle but firm, “you have been feeding Nandini information, haven’t you? Everything I have shared with you—my thoughts, my plans, my fears—has been passed along to her.”The silence that followed was thick with tension. Sarita remained still, her eyes darting to the floor. I could see the guilt etched into every line of her face now. There was no escape, no clever words to pull her from the truth.“I never wanted to betray you, Sanmayi,” she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. “But Nandini promised... she promised me power, influence. I thought... I thought it was the only way. I never meant for it to go this far.”I stood and crossed the room slowly, every step measured, my gaze unwavering. “You’ve done more than betray me, Sarita. You’ve betrayed the kingdom. You’ve betrayed the very cause you once swore to protect.”Her eyes lifted to meet mine, her expression filled with both fear and regret. “Please, Sanmayi, I—”I held up my hand again, this time more forcefully. “Don’t apologize. There’s no room for apologies in this game. You’ve made your choice.”For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of our breathing. And then, without warning, I turned away from her. “You will leave now,” I said coldly, my words final. “And you will never return to the palace. If I hear of your involvement in any more schemes against me or the kingdom, I will see to it that you are removed from Amaravati entirely.”Her face flushed with shame, and I could see the tears gathering in her eyes. “Sanmayi... please...”But I did not give her the satisfaction of seeing me waver. “Go,” I said, my voice soft but unmistakable. “And take your secrets with you.”---As Sarita left, I felt a strange mixture of sorrow and anger boiling within me. I had known her for so long, shared so much of myself with her, and yet in the end, she had been nothing more than another instrument of Nandini’s machinations. But I was not the woman to sit and mourn over betrayals. I had learned long ago that the world would not wait for you to heal before it struck again.Nandini had overplayed her hand. Sarita’s betrayal, though painful, was a weakness I could use to my advantage. I would not let it go unpunished, but neither would I let it derail my plans. I needed to think beyond the betrayal itself and see the bigger picture.And that’s when the idea came to me—quiet, subtle, but deadly in its execution.I would feed false information to Nandini’s camp. I would let them believe that I had broken under the weight of Sarita’s betrayal, that I was vulnerable, that the cracks in my leadership were showing. I would feed them the poison of false confidence, leading them to believe they had the upper hand.It was a risky gambit, but one I knew I could pull off. Nandini, always hungry for power, would jump at the chance to exploit any perceived weakness. She would trust Sarita’s information, just as she always had, and that would be her downfall.---The next days were spent in quiet preparation, a delicate dance of planting the right rumors, feeding Nandini’s camp with just enough information to set them on the wrong course. It was the art of deception, the craft of a queen who had learned that in politics, survival often depended on one’s ability to outwit rather than outmuscle the enemy.And though the betrayal still burned within me, I knew that I had turned the tables. It was not the end of the game—it was the beginning. And as I watched the winds of change blow through the palace once again, I felt a renewed sense of determination.Nandini would not win this time. Not when the game was in my hands.