Virendra becomes Lavanya's Guruji: Chapter 27

"Yes, I am," Lavanya said while trying to sound confident.

"Well..." Virendra looked at her intensely before continuing, "then accept me as your teacher and learn how to fight while putting on the blindfold."

"Huh?!" Lavanya at once looked at her husband as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes widened while her jaws slacked. I-Is he joking with me or does he really want to help me!?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Virendra side-glanced at her while examining the swords that were kept on the table. "By throwing the daggers randomly you won't learn the art of fighting while putting on the blindfold," he said nonchalantly while he was cleaning the sharp blade of the sword with a white cloth.

"Y-you aren't joking with me, right?" Lavanya asked hesitatingly while her eyes clearly showed how uncertain she was.

Letting out a deep breath, Virendra kept the sword gently on the table and turned towards her. "Do I look like I am joking with you?" He looked at her coldly, telling her that he was dead serious about it.

Lavanya immediately understood that her husband wasn't joking with her. She bit her lower lip and looked down to avoid his gaze on her. Though that proposal sounded normal, but for her, it was an unexpected one. She never ever thought that her husband would teach her the art which she was dying to learn.

"I am waiting for your reply, Lavanya," Virendra said in a cold yet serious voice that pulled her out of her daze.

"U-uh...I am ready to be your student," Lavanya said in a low voice.

Virendra's lips curved upwards forming a slight smile. Before Lavanya could notice the smile, he composed himself. "Well, then tomorrow you have to wait at the palace gates during the middle time of Ushaa prahar (3 AM-6 AM). I will take you somewhere to practice fighting skills."

"Where will you take me?" Lavanya looked at her husband hopefully while her eyes sparkled with excitement as if a kid got his favorite candy.

Virendra's eyes softened watching how excited his wife was. His lips were twitching to curve upwards to form a smile but he forced himself to keep that long face and maintain his composure as a cold, heartless prince.

"I won't tell you anything now," Virendra said as he walked towards the wall to pull out the dangers which were stuck on the wall randomly.

Lavanya signed and pressed her lips together as she was highly disappointed by his words. "Prince, I am taking my leave," Lavanya said before taking a step forward to exit from the room.

"Wait! Where are you going now?" Virendra said without looking at her as he was taking out the last dagger from the wall.

Stopping in her tracks, she turned back. "You said that no one is allowed to step in here. So I am leaving."

Virendra put the daggers on the table and walked towards her. Coughing awkwardly, he said, "Since you are already here. Why don't you complete today's practice?"

"I don't want to bother his highness," Lavanya smiled softly and bowed to him, clearly signaling him that she wouldn't stay there for even a bit.

Virendra's brows knitted together forming a frown as Lavanya didn't stop and he realized that she was determined to leave the room no matter how hard he had tried to make her stay there.

He looked at her in a grimace before roaring, "Princess Lavanya! You aren't allowed to leave the room without my permission."

Lavanya stopped while her facial expressions turned dark when she heard the beastly roar of her husband. She could put up with anything but being treated harshly. Without turning towards her husband, she just turned her face sideways so that she could have a glance at him.

"Since you are already addressing me as a princess, then let me tell you..." Lavanya said in a cold voice as she turned before walking towards him in slow steps. Standing at few inches away from him, she looked into his eyes as if she was staring straight into his soul, "princess Lavanya doesn't take orders, prince Virendra," she uttered in a low but a firm voice which sounded like a low growl of a tigress. "Neither in past nor in present, princess Lavanya hates being treated harshly. Mind your voice before you talk to me." She took a step back while her black orbs were still fixed on him. Her gaze was of a powerful warrior which called for respect.

A dry chuckled left Virendra's lips as he moved a step back to keep a safe distance between them. "My apologies, princess Lavanya. I didn't mean it that way," he looked at her expressionlessly before continuing, "I wanted you to practice here so that you can learn all types of fighting skills and prove yourself as the capable crown princess of Maheswari." When Virendra felt that Lavanya had calmed down a bit, he took it as a positive sign and continued, "Don't think that I am doing a favor to you by allowing you here because you are my wife but its because you are the crown princess of Maheswari." He glanced at Lavanya, trying to understand what was going on in her mind.

"Alright," Lavanya said in a cold voice, matching with Virendra. "I will practice here then. I won't let you down, Crown Prince."

I knew it! She wouldn't listen to me if I requested her to stay here to practice. She only listens when I use my twisted ways. Such a stubborn wild cat! A small smile appeared on Virendra's face as he succeeded in making Lavanya stop from leaving. He looked at her and asked, "so, did you think of what to practice now?"

"I thought of learning fighting with a blindfold on but I have to wait for tomorrow." Lavanya let out a sad sigh. Pressing her lips together forming a line, she looked down in disappointment. "For now I didn't think of anything else," she said while subconsciously lifting her hand to tuck her locks which were falling on her face behind her ear.

Suddenly Virendra grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Before Lavanya could understand what was happening, he twisted her hand such that her back was facing him while her hand was between his and her body.

Wincing in pain, Lavanya almost shouted," Prince, it hurts! Let me go." She tried to move her hand which caused more pain to her. "Ah! Prince."

Virendra immediately left her hand while Lavanya moved a few steps back. Rubbing her wrist slowly with her long slender fingers to ease the pain, she glared at him.

"Why did you do that, huh? Was it fun to see me in pain?" She almost yelled while tears formed in her eyes.

"I-I am sorry. I just wanted to see how strong your hands are," Virendra said in a low voice as if he didn't expect this type of situation.

"Then you could have used some other way," Lavanya huffed while her brows were furrowed showing that she was in pain.

"D-does it hurt much?" Virendra asked as he saw how his wife was struggling to ease the pain.

"Of course it hurts! Do I look like some kind of wrestler to take part in malla-yudha (wresting)?" She looked at her husband like she was trying to complain to him about his deeds.

"Let me see," Virendra said as he tried to have a look at her injured wrist.

"Don't touch me!" Lavanya tried to sound like a wounded tigress but it sounded like an angry cat purring at its master.

"Don't be stubborn. It's not the first time that I am attending to your injuries," Virendra held her injured hand softly while his eyes examined the red marks formed on her wrist because of his grip. "You always used to fall while playing and I was the one who used to attended to your injuries."

"But you never twisted my hand before like you did now." The princess pouted while looking at her hand which was being attended to with great care.

"I already apologized," Virendra said with a guilty voice as he glanced at her. While messaging her wrist softly, he looked at her as if she was at fault.

"What? Why are you looking at me as if I am at fault?" Lavanya asked?

Shaking his head, Virendra left her injured wrist and held her other hand before guiding her to a nearby stool. "Sit here," he said and made her sit on the stool before walking to the nearby cupboard.

Lavanya tried to peep at her husband to see what he was doing but his broad shoulders were obstructing her view. Pouting, she looked down while intertwining her fingers, playing with them.

Why is he so cold? Cannot he just smile a bit like he used to do? Lavanya let out a deep breath before continuing to play with her fingers.

"Give me your hand," Virendra said as he knelt before her while he had a small bottle in his hand.

Coming out of her thoughts, she looked at her husband who was busy pouring the oily liquid from the bottle into his hands before taking her hand softly into his big, calloused palm. Spreading the oily substance on her wrist, his long fingers gently messaged her skin to make sure that she wouldn't have to feel any pain in the future.

"What are you applying to my wrist?" Lavanya asked while watching how carefully her husband was taking care of her wrist.

"Ginger oil," the prince replied while gently moving his thumbs in circles to soothe the pain. "It will reduce pain and will prevent inflammation. Though I know that it wouldn't cause any inflammation since I didn't apply much force, still I am applying it so that it won't cause trouble later."

"What do you mean by you didn't apply force?!" Lavanya looked at her husband with disbelief in her eyes. "I almost felt like my wrist will break today."

"I only used one-fourth of my total strength," Virendra said casually while messaging her wrist before glancing at her.

"My dear husband, are you habituated to break soldiers' arms on the battlefield?" Lavanya asked, amused at her husband's words.

"If you don't kill the enemies on the battlefield then don't expect to win the battle," Virendra checked her carefully as he finished applying for the medicine, "it's done." He stood up and walked to the cupboard to put the ginger oil in its place.

"You can kill them at one go, right? Then why do you have to kill them brutally?" Lavanya asked while holding her wrist softly, checking if it was hurting Ir not.

"If you kill the enemy easy, then it won't leave an example and other enemies would still have the courage to attack Maheswari again." Virendra turned towards Lavanya before closing the cupboard.

"Oh, God! Why did I marry this barbaric creature!?" Lavanya let out a deep sigh. "No doubt he is known as the God of War."

"Did you say anything?" Virendra quirked his brows as he walked towards her. Though he heard what she had said, still he asked her.

"Nothing." She forced a smile while cursing inwardly.

"So, let's talk about real business. Your arms are too weak. I didn't expect this from you." The prince stood before her with his hand held at the back, standing in a straight position.

"Do you expect a girl to have arms as strong as yours?" Lavanya stood up while looking at him like a kid throwing tantrums over a toy.

"I don't expect it from any random girl but I expect it from you, Lavanya," Virendra uttered as he looked at her with a soft gaze. Trying to smile a little, he continued, "if my wife was some other lady other than you, then perhaps I wouldn't expect anything but since it's you, I can expect this from you. You need to prove yourself as the most capable crown princess and future queen of Maheswari."

Lavanya looked at him with bewilderment in her eyes. She never even dreamt that her husband would think so highly of her. A soft smile formed on her face, "I understand, your highness. I won't let you down. I will prove myself as the most capable crown princess."

"Great!" Virendra's lips curved upwards forming a smile. "Then I think you should take care of your weakness."

"I am ready, guruji," Lavanya bowed to her husband, accepting him as her teacher.

"First of all, you need to strengthen your arms. I think this exercise will be enough for you." He walked towards a metal pillar-like structure whose height reached the waist level of the prince. On the pillar-like structure, there was a big yet deep contained which contained water. "Come here." He glanced at her and she followed him. "You have to punch the water while bending your body a little so that your lower arms will be immersed in the water when you will punch it. It will help to strengthen your upper arm muscles. See, there is another such pillar," he said showing the metal pillar adjacent to him. "You will practice there while I will practice here. Let's see who will practice longer."

"Yes, guruji," Lavanya nodded and walked to the pillar.

Once she stood in the ready position. The prince commanded to start the practice and both of them started to punch the water. The prince was glancing at her, checking her if she was getting tired. He smiled a little when he saw the determination in her eyes.

I knew she won't give up soon. She never learned to give up. Virendra thought. Lavanya ah Lavanya what should I do with you? You are as stubborn as I am. He shook his head internally before continuing his practice.

After a while, Lavanya started to lose her patience and her triceps were feeling sore. She glanced at her husband who didn't have any intention of stopping any sooner.  Taking a deep breath, she continued her practice. Using all her strength, she kept punching the water, imagining it as the dacoits who dared to meddle with her. Her brows got knitted into a 'V' shape while beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. Listening to her heavy breathing, Virendra looked at her.

"Lavanya, stop practicing," Virendra said in a firm voice as he realized that his wife was overworking herself. "It's enough for today." He too stopped practicing as he knew that if he resumed his practice then Lavanya wouldn't stop and continue punching the water.

Lavanya took her hands out of the water while inhaling huge puffs of air to meet the oxygen demand of her body. Drops of sweat rolled down from her forehead while her hands were trembling due to the vigorous exercise. Parting her lips a little, she looked at Virendra who was wiping his hands with a dry cloth.

"Here," Virendra extended his hand containing a dry cloth, "wipe your sweat or else you may catch a cold."

"Thank you," Lavanya uttered while taking deep breaths. Taking the cloth, she gently ran the soft fabric of the cloth on her forehead, followed by her long, slender neck and hands to wipe the sweat.

"Drink turmeric water or turmeric milk after you return to your chambers. It will reduce the soreness of your muscles," Virendra advised.

Suddenly he clapped twice and two servants came in. Virendra didn't utter even a single word but the servants slowly took the containers of water and left the room. Within a few moments, they returned to the room with the same container but the water was changed onto a fresh one. Putting the containers in their places, the two servants left the room.

"Prince, you said that no one is allowed here. Then how did the two servants enter this room?" Lavanya asked as curiosity hit her.

"Except you and me only these two servants can enter this room," Virendra said in his usual cold voice. "After I practice, these two servants keep all the equipment in their places and leave."

Lavanya nodded as she realized how important the room was for her husband. She looked at the sky which almost changed it's color to shades of blue while gentle sun rays were entering through the window. "Your highness, I am taking my leave. It looks like Purvaanha prahar (6 AM- 9 AM) is about to begin. I have to offer prayers as well."

Virendra nodded with a gentle smile. The princess smiled as a response and lowered her head a bit before leaving the room.

A big smile appeared on Virendra's face as she left. It wasn't that bad at all. Practicing with my wife feels good, especially when she is so determined to learn more.

The next morning,  Lavanya woke up quickly and got fresh up. She wore a dark-colored saree in dhoti style, put on a pair of simple anklets, a pair of gold bangles, and simple earnings. She wore only her mangalsutra around her neck and avoided neck jewelry because she believed that wearing huge jewelry may cause hindrance in practice. Bading a goodbye to Jyotimani, she walked to the palace gates, waiting for her husband. It was still dark outside while the slight breeze was blowing all around, forming beautiful early morning weather.

Suddenly her eyes fell on a beautiful stout brown horse. It's light brown mane was occasionally flying due to the light breeze. It's muscular face and muscular body showed how powerful the horse was. A gentle smile appeared on her face and she walked towards the horse. The horse lifted its head and looked at the person in front of it. It let out a low neigh and moved a step back as Lavanya slowly extended her hand to touch its head.

"I won't hurt you," Lavanya said in a soft voice with a gentle smile plastered to her face while looking into the horse's eyes.

The horse looked at her for a few moments as if it was trying to read her eyes. As if the horse understood Lavanya's words, it gently lowered its head so that she could touch its head and caress it. Lavanya's smile turned into a big one as the horse allowed her to touch it. Caressing its head gently, Lavanya giggled.

"You are so beautiful, just like my Snigdha," she gently ran her fingers through its mane.

"Having fun with my horse?" Virendra's deep, firm voice echoed and Lavanya immediately looked at her husband who was walking majestically like a handsome prince of some fairytale.

Unconsciously, Lavanya's lips curved upwards forming a soft smile after watching her husband walking like the king of his own territory. He is indeed handsome. Perhaps this is why the girls drool over him even though he is a cold-hearted and emotionless person. She thought inwardly. "Good morning, prince," Lavanya greeted.

"Good morning," Virendra said in a gentle voice. "Where is your horse? Are you planning to ride the horse with me?" He quirked his brow as he gently caressed his horse's body.

"You are so full of yourself, Your Highness," Lavanya chuckled without humor. She suddenly puckered her lips and whistled loudly twice.

"What are you doing? Are you planning to wake up everyone?" Virendra immediately asked, trying to stop her from whistling.

Before Lavanya could reply, the thundering of hooves split the silence as a beautiful, black horse galloped while it's beautiful black mane was flapping in the air like black flames. Its strong muscular legs seemed like they were tearing the earth's surface while it was running towards its owner. The horse stood before Lavanya and lowered its head.

Lavanya smiled and gently put her palm on the horse's face to caress it. She looked at her husband as and towards him along with the horse.

"Meet my horse Snigdha," Lavanya smiled as she gently patted her horse.

"Your horse looks like it doesn't belong here," Virendra said while looking at the horse's exceptionally long mane and strong muscular structure.

"My father brought this after you left for gurukul," Lavanya replied. "He said that it was a rare horse and I am lucky to get it."

Virendra smiled while looking at how close Lavanya and her horse were. Shaking his head he said, "I think we should set out now otherwise your practice won't be effective."

Saying so he mounted on his horse while Lavanya nodded and mounted on her horse. Once both of them were ready, they set out to practice their skills.

3486 words...

Guruji: Teacher

Gurukul: It is a spiritual education system in ancient India with the students who lived near or with the spiritual guru, in the same house

I am sorry for such a short update. It's almost half of the length of regular updates. I know you guys have been waiting for the update but unknowingly I became busy with my daily life.

I will try to update the next chapter within a week. Sorry again.

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