Part 23
Khushi frowned when ten minutes had passed by but Arnav hadn't come back. What was taking him so long?
She glanced at Lavanya who seemed very stiff in the presence of NK. He, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed. Maybe even smug.
"So" NK started off "You seeing anyone Lav?"
"It's Lavanya to you" she hissed "Only those close to me can call me that"
"Oh really?" he sneered "You didn't seem to have a problem last night"
"You b*stard!" she screeched.
"What is going on?" Khushi interrupted, confused "What happened last night?"
NK smirked at Lavanya "You wanna tell her? I don't mind"
Her eyes glowed red in warning.
Feeling uneasy with the tense atmosphere, Khushi backed away "I'm going to go see what's taking Arnav so long"
Neither replied nor took their eyes from each other.
************************************
Khushi couldn't leave the kitchen fast enough. The tension those two were exerting made her feel suffocated.
When she looked up, she found Arnav standing at the doorway with the doors wide open and an envelope in his hands.
Approaching him, she put her hand on his shoulder "Hey" she said softly "Why are you still here?"
He didn't reply. His eyes were firmly on the object in his hands.
Concerned, she took the envelope and opened it. Pulling out the papers, she read :
Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada
(Vampire Since 1899)
It has come to our notice that you have broken Law 16.7 by marrying a human. These laws have been placed by the SPAV to keep humans safe from creatures they are not aware of such as yourself. You have been served by the SPAV. Two of the members will come the next night to arrest you. Please do not try to escape. Once you are caught, there will be no court hearing and your punishment will be announced and taken into effect immediately. You have the right to appoint a lawyer before your hearing or you may choose to fight your own case. If you wish, you can ask the court to assign you a lawyer.
Sincerely,
The Society of Protection Against Vampires
Khushi's hands trembled. She looked up at Arnav who's face was blank.
"W-What does this mean Arnav?" she whispered.
He turned towards her. Sighing, he caressed her cheek "I'm afraid I'm going to court, love"
"Court?" she cried "This doesn't make sense. Who is the SPAV?"
"Hey what's taking you guys so long?" Lavanya interrupted as she walking up to them with NK trailing behind her.
He looked at the couple's faces and frowned "Everything alright?"
Khushi gave NK the envelope. He scanned over the contents and scowled "This again?"
"Again?" Khushi frowned.
NK nodded "Akash had been given the same notice when the SPAV figured out he was married to a human"
"Is there anything we can do?" Khushi asked, worried.
"Well" NK turned to Arnav "I can fight your case. I had fought Akash's and won"
Arnav nodded "I trust you"
NK grinned "You sure you don't want to see my references?"
Arnav chuckled "With your decades of experience, no thanks"
Khushi bit her lip "Everything will be alright, right?" she asked, concerned.
Lavanya put her arm around Khushi "You don't worry your pretty head Khushi. Arnav will win and come back before you even realize it"
She looked up at Arnav who smiled at her reassuringly. He kissed her lightly on the lips "Have some faith sweetheart"
NK nodded "We should probably talk over this though Arnav"
He nodded and then looked back at Khushi "How about you and Lavanya have a ladies night? I don't know how long this will take between NK and me"
Khushi looked like she wanted to refuse but Lavanya beat her to it "Sounds good! I've been dying to see the new movie" she grabbed Khushi's hand "Let's go Khushi! I know a good theatre"
Khushi gave Arnav a worried look but he smiled at her. He mouthed love you to her as Lavanya dragged her away.
Once she was gone, Arnav turned to NK "I've only been to SPAV court once and that was more than a century ago. What do I need to know"
NK nodded "Let's go to the living room and discuss this"
They both made their way to their respective couches and sat down.
NK crossed his leg over his knee and joined his hands together "One thing you should know is that you absolutely cannot lie in court. You will be immediately caught. During the hearing, you and any other witness will be asked to take a truth pill of sorts. It is made from many herbs and the main ingredient being a tablespoon from the Ocean of Truth" he chuckled at the irony "If you lie, you will burst into a coughing fit until you tell the truth. I suggest you just don't lie because that itself will not look very good on the jury. The effects will be removed once the court assigns a verdict. The court have probably already assigned a prosecutor to fight against your case so try not to feel intimidated. Anyways, is there anything that I need to know?"
"Umm" Arnav pressed his lips together as he thought hard. Was there anything that could be brought up against him? That's when he remembered "I actually have drank from Khushi many times"
NK winced "Okay that's not going to look very good and there's a good chance that the prosecutor will ask you that and use that to bring your case down. Anyways, is this a regular thing?"
Arnav grimaced "It used to be but I actually haven't drank from her for a while. I've been recently drinking from the animals in the nearby forest and stealing from the blood banks"
NK nodded "I can definitely work with that. Anything else?"
Arnav shook his head "I can't think of anything else really"
NK nodded "Okay then let me tell you everything else you need to know"
************************************
Lavanya dropped Khushi back home around 3 AM. She was so tired she was ready to drop but not without seeing Arnav first. She found him in the kitchen having a drink. She tried not to wince at the colour.
Arnav saw her and swung the glass down his throat before putting it away "How was the movie?" he asked.
"It was alright I guess but I couldn't stop thinking about you" Khushi said.
"It's going to be alright love. I don't want you to worry"
"Aren't you the least bit worried?"
Arnav sighed. He walked up to her and pecked her lips "I'm terrified" he admitted "I'm scared that if I lose, I will lose you. Who knows? Maybe the court will finish the job the curse failed to"
Khushi immediately hugged him tightly "I can't lose you. Not after everything we've gone through"
He hugged her back just as tightly "I've been trying to stay positive so I don't worry you"
"It's not working"
Arnav chuckled "I can tell" he kissed her forehead "Let's hope positive. Maybe nothing will go wrong and this will be over with before we even know it"
"I can only hope" she whispered back
************************************
The next night at sharp 8 PM, two officers dressed in complete black came and knocked on their door. Arnav gravely opened the door and nodded at them. He put his hands forward as he had remembered Akash do. One of the officers put silver handcuffs on him to prevent him from using any of his abilities to escape.
Arnav looked up at Khushi who was crying gently in Lavanya's arms. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find NK behind him. NK nodded at him as if to say 'Let's go'. Arnav sighed and nodded at the officers. They opened the door to their vehicle. Arnav and NK sat in the back while the officers sat in the front and then they left.
************************************
Arnav was immediately brought to court. He was directed to his stand where his handcuffs were removed. He looked around to find roughly around 200 jurors sitting at the back. NK was sitting at a large table on his side of the room while another man, who he presumed was the prosecutor, was sitting on the opposite side.
All whispers among the jury died down when a man walked into the court. He could not have looked older than 30 but Arnav knew better. That man was probably twice his age if not older.
He sat at the head of the room where the desk meant for the judge was adorned by papers and pens and a gavel. He grabbed the gavel and struck it against a block of wood twice "Court in session" he announced.
Arnav swallowed. This would decide his and Khushi's fate.
So do you think Arnav will win or will he lose? Comment below! ;)
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Gerli @Gerli
1 years ago
Na ich hoffe doch das er gewinnt.☺