chapter 13

Chapter TwelveWhat the Queen Won’t SayThe palace felt quieter.Not in the usual, tense way — not like waiting for a gun to fire. No.This was different.The chaos had passed. For now.And in its place was a stillness wrapped in linen and silence — where the only sound that mattered was someone breathing.Someone still alive.Rani hadn’t left Dev’s room in twelve hours.She hadn’t meant to stay. But her feet never moved toward the door. Not once.Not when the staff came and asked if she’d like her lunch moved.Not when Maya called twice to update her on new security protocols.Not even when the palace physician assured her — again — that Dev’s condition was stable.She stayed. She Sat. She Watched Dev from a little distance carefully when he was sleeping. She Waited him to woke up.Like his breathing somehow decided her fate.At some point in the afternoon, she stood and moved to the windows. Pulled the curtains gently so the light didn’t fall on his face. He stirred a little, his brow twitching.Pain, even in sleep.She returned to his bedside and quietly wet a cloth, dabbing it over his forehead and along his neck.The bullet wound had healed.The knife wound — this one — was deeper. But cleaner. It would leave scar. Rani felt bad for Dev. It will be with him for lifelong maybe.She paused, staring at the blood-stained bandages beneath the fresh layers.A part of her still couldn’t believe it.He’d taken the knife for her.No hesitation.No angle.No plan.Just instinct.“You shouldn’t be here.”The voice was quiet. Groggy.Dev.His eyes blinked open, hazy. The edges of his words still blurred by sleep and sedative.“I mean,” he added, “you’re Rani Saheb.”She didn’t answer.“You’ve got an empire to run. People to scare.”She raised an eyebrow, smirk faint and dangerous. “I can terrify people after dinner.”“Must be exhausting. All that power.”She sat back. Crossed one leg over the other.“I used to think power meant being untouched,” she said quietly. “Unshaken. That letting anyone too close meant weakness.”“And now?” he asked.Her gaze didn’t move from his.“Now I think it means knowing who’ll bleed for you. And who’ll make sure you don’t have to.”Dev’s throat tightened.She leaned forward and gently poured him a glass of water. Held it to his lips.He took it without a word.“You’re being gentle,” he whispered, almost amused.“I’m being present,” she corrected. “Don’t confuse the two.”He gave her a half-smile. “You stayed the night.”“You noticed?”“I notice everything you don’t say.”That made her pause.She looked at him for a long time.“I’m used to losing people,” she said, almost like confessing. “Most leave. Some betray. A few die.”“And what am I?”“I haven’t decided yet.”Dev nodded slowly. “Let me make it easier for you.”“I don’t want easy,” she said. “I want true.”The door creaked.Maya stepped in, her presence cautious for once. She held a file — security footage, intel updates — but paused when she saw the way Rani sat, fingers still resting on Dev’s wrist like she was counting every beat.“I can come back,” Maya said, voice unreadable.Rani didn’t look away from Dev. “Leave the file.”Maya placed it on the table and hesitated.Then: “You need rest.”“I will. When he does.”Maya gave Dev a brief glance. He offered her a quiet nod — not gratitude, not alliance. Just understanding.When Maya left, the silence returned. But it wasn’t heavy.Not anymore.Dev shifted slightly. Winced.Rani stood and moved to adjust his pillow.He caught her wrist.“Why are you really here?” he asked.She froze. Looked down at him.Then, softly — so soft he almost didn’t hear it:“Because I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”The words hung between them.Unspoken. Unpolished. Real.She gently freed her hand, brushed his hair back once, and sat down again.“No more questions, Raichand,” she said.“For today, just heal.”And he did.Not because the pain was gone.But because she stayed.(Nxt)