Chapter 124

Rabba Ve, everyone!

Thankyou to all those who commented on the last chapter and I am really happy that you loved it. Welcome to the new readers again, especially to Reader Gayathri and Comrade sweetfairy007. I have edited the Comrades' Parchment with your name and Saraa's added to it.

The following chapter, being the precursor of the 200^th, is dedicated to our Comrade Soul, for many reasons as is stated in the following image and also because of how much she adores a shirtless Lordy, drenched in hot sweat! *wink*

Chapter 199: The Vendetta of Seduction

The sunlight was too bright in her eyes and Kushi groaned into the pillow, wanting not to awaken.

She stilled.

The scent on the pillow was too masculine...too familiar...

She shot up and looked around, bewildered to find herself in Lord Arnav's bed.

"How-?"

She looked down and saw that her hair was not plaited, "Who-?"

She was alone in the room, though.

Grumbling curses under her breath, she kicked the blanket away, scrambled hastily out of bed and rushed to the bath chamber.

Frantically scrubbing at her skin to take off his scent, she washed herself and then got into the first gown her hand could fetch from the wardrobe: a violet gown with white flower-work on it.

Tying up her hair in a bun, she stuck white pearls in it and then frowned at the mirror, "Well, Lordy, since you took me up in your room, it is assured that you have broken your own vow. But don't think you can escape my wrath, oh heartless decision-maker."

This vow-broken enterprise came with one bright outcome: Because he had broken his pledge, it was safe for her to make her move and confront him for all that she was angry with him for, starting with the latest complaint-- the denial of the Village visit.

The family was seated down to breakfast and it being a Saturday meant that the Lords would be there the entire day.

Lord Arnav sat at one head of the table, eating his scrambled eggs, buttered bread and bacon when Payal announced cheerily, "Finally! Look who's here!"

Everyone looked up to see Kushi walk in, Lord Arnav's gaze lighting on the beautiful sight of his wife, a sight he was not offered for more than fifteen mornings.

Kushi smiled around as she greeted everyone...EXCEPT her husband.

She walked around the back of his massive chair and perched on her usual spot beside his chair, but not once glancing at the one seated there.

Nani was the happiest at the table, "Ah! It has been so long since my Kushibitya has dined with the family. The table finally feels complete!"

Kushi smiled, her eyes on her plate as the servants served her breakfast.

Nani had not finished though, "I was beginning to worry if Kushibitiya's excuses were fake, for it seemed that she was avoiding the table if ever her husband was around..." Kushi looked up at Nani warily, and Payal and Lady Anjali shared a look.

Nani continued, "But now that I see you here, my doubts are cast away. Ah, I feel quite happy today. Happy enough to suggest we go on a picnic today."

"Oh, a picnic!" Lady Manorama was overjoyed, "Oh, yes please! And this time, let's go someplace we have not ventured yet. How about near the river, Anjalibitiya?"

"That would be beautiful, Mami," smiled Lady Anjali, silently overjoyed by the sight of Kushi and her Chotey together.

"I will have to ask the cooks to prepare a takeout meal, in that case," said a happy Payal, smiling at Kushi for she was relieved that the game seemed ended.

Lady Anjali looked at the one sitting beside her, "Kushiji, you will come to the picnic, too, won't you?"

A clever glint shone in her eyes as Kushi smiled at Lady Anjali, "I will if my dear husband will."

Everyone was silent for a moment, all eyes on Lord Arnav.

Lord Arnav looked around, "Picnic? No, thanks. I have work to do."

"But Chotey-"

"Then I won't go either," added Kushi firmly, her eyes on her plate.

Lord Arnav looked at his wife, surprised.

Then he frowned and his features masked in support, "I don't care what you do, Kushi. Go with them if you must."

Kushi looked up at him to readily retort, but was struck silent.

For the first time, after a long time, they were looking right at each other.

Kushi was overcome by the brilliance of his features...how much she'd longed to see this face...and finally, she had seen it.

The smooth forehead complimented by the neat-cut hair, the perfection of his eyebrows, the firmness in his glimmering soft brown gaze that could nip at her very soul, the hardline of his lips that had often tormented her and on many occasions even excited her, and not to forget that fine layer of stubble perfected ceremoniously every morning...

Kushi blinked, recovering from her moment instantly, and looked away.

She was here on a mission and she needed to focus.

"If you don't care what I do, my lord," she resumed calmly, "That would mean I can visit my parents next week."

"What?" Lord Arnav was taken aback, his hands fisting, "ABSOLUTELY NOT! You won't go to the Village. You can go for the picnic but nowhere else."

"It is a ritual I am wanting to fulfill," stated Kushi, "You can't expect people to follow your blind ways and break deific rules."

"Sensible decisions may seem blind to fanciful people like you," said Lord Arnav hotly, "You will stay where I stay and that is final."

He furiously threw down his fork onto the plate.

"Arnavbitwa," Lord Manohar directed, "Do not shrug off every suggestion without sparing a thought to ruminate on its benefits. Your wife is offering to complete the ritual for your sake too, consider that."

"No ritual will she endure if I am not willing," said Lord Arnav, as he stood up and left, giving a last cold glance to his wife.

"Kushiji," Lady Anjali was worried, but Kushi smiled and, excusing herself from the table, left to find her haughty husband.

He was not in his room or his library and she thought he must have gone with Shadow for a ride to relieve his smoking head, but as she was heading for the dining hall, she heard sounds from the ballroom.

She supposed that it must be servants cleaning the ballroom.

Nevertheless, she decided to make sure and headed towards it.

Opening one of the huge doors, she peered in.

The wide checker-floored room was practically glowing with the sunlight pouring in from the many tall windows.

Her gaze studied the room and realized that it was not servants, brooms or brushes that had made the noise.

At the far end of the long room, stood her husband, brandishing a sword and fighting the air as he vented off his anger.

Closing the door gently behind her, Kushi stepped towards him, crossing the wide room as each step gathered in her the courage she needed to face the egotistical beast.

He had only been playing with his sword for less than ten minutes, but his moves, born of resentment, were so frantic and fast that he was already sweating in his forehead and chest, visible wet patches on his pale shirt.

He knew she was there, but he was did not bother to spare her a look as she strode towards where he was flaying his sword.

He halted his game for a second to unbutton his shirt and drop it to the floor and then resumed his fencing like nothing had happened.

Kushi paused, staggered by the sight of the sunlight glistening off the sweat drops on the rippling muscles of his naked chest.

She blinked and frowned, forcing herself to focus and came to stand a few steps away from him and his deathly sword.

"What do you want?" he muttered, panting slightly, as he swung the sword about.

"Who is your opponent?" Kushi studied the empty air before him with a serious face.

He shot her an annoyed look, "Is that why you came? To ask after my invisible opponent?"

"Indeed," she smiled mockingly, "You are so angry that you could fell even an imaginary combatant however proficient he be in the skill of fencing."

With a quick move, the tip of his sword was pointing at her, inches away from her throat.

Kushi was unmoved and stood her ground, though it was difficult for her to concentrate with his delicious face before her, sweat glistening at the tips of the hair over his forehead.

"Why are you here?" he asked stiffly, not moving his sword away from its near target of her throat.

"Why shouldn't I be here? Wasn't it you who said that I should be where you are?"

"I meant that you stay in the Castle. Not the same room."

"You don't want me in the same room?" she tilted her head slightly in innocent query, cautious of the sword's nearness.

"No," he said, disconcerted by how cool she was. She never was this way. Had they reversed roles last night? Or with the passage of three weeks without each other?

"So I suppose it was a fairy that carried me from Di's bed downstairs to your bed upstairs."

He withdrew the sword, frowning, and swung his blade about, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You wouldn't," said Kushi, stepping to the side as one of her hands reached for the nearest wall bracket, "Because you are too proud to admit the truth."

"I am not," he said furiously and turned on her only to halt suddenly when the tip of a sword appeared before his face.

She held her sword steady and smiled, "Want to substitute your imaginary enemy with a real one?"

With the tip of his sword, he casually moved her sword away from its proximity to his face, "Don't play with me, Kushi. You will get yourself killed."

Kushi lifted her sword again, resolutely, "I won't mind getting killed, at least not after the many deaths I have died after you came into my life."

"Stay away, Kushi," he warned and moved away, turning his back to her.

Kushi swung her sword in the air, aiming for his back, but he was suddenly turning about and his lifted sword clashed with her descending one.

"What the!" His eyes were wide with fury, "Are you mad, idiot? Dammit, you don't even know how to hold a sword right!"

Kushi firmly retracted a step, gripping hard the hilt of her sword, "I was trained by Lord Akash and Master Aman, two cordial men who are ten-fold better than you."

"No one is better than Lord Arnav Singh Raizada," he reminded her, swinging his sword in his hand casually, "Now leave and stop angering me, Kushi."

"I won't leave until I get some answers," she said as she lifted her sword and slashed at him.

He blocked her move but she was quick to make a second move which, too, he defended easily, "Kushi, you play like a toying baby. Stop messing with my time."

"I guess your time was valuable when you had the air for company," she swung at him.

He blocked her move, "At least the air didn't annoy me with careless speech."

"Why did you do it?" she got straight to the point, aiming her sword for his chest.

His sword was quick and the clang rang in the air as the metals made contact, "What did I do?"

"You broke your own commandment. You took me to your room."

She swung at him but he blocked her move angrily, "My Castle, my word and my wife! I can do anything I want and I shall not be questioned."

"Questioned you should be," Kushi thrust the sword furiously, but he obstructed it easily.

"You are angering me, Kushi!" he was annoyed, as he stepped back, wiping the sweat that was on his upper lip with the back of his hand, "I can take my wife to my room if I see it fit."

She plunged the sword towards his chest, "You arrogant fool! Who said I was your wife!"

That did it.

He staggered and stared at her, forgetting to defend himself, and he would have been mortally harmed if Kushi hadn't anticipated his reaction to her remark and stopped the sword when it was inches away from touching the wet skin of his smooth chest.

He frowned at her, the light in his gaze confused, "What do you mean?"

Finding that she had hit the notch, she coolly brought her sword to her side, and stated calmly, "I am not your wife."

His mouth opened to retort but he was clearly too flabbergasted, "How can that be? I wedded you. The hermit was there."

"The marriage may have happened, making us wife and husband in name. But that is all we are."

Kushi was throwing her proud assertions at him, thinking it would weaken his affluent dominance over her, but little did she know that she was digging her own grave.

"Name?" one eyebrow was raised as he studied her disconcertedly, and then enlightenment lit in him, "Oh. Of course..."

A knowing smirk crept on his features, "I know."

"You..." it was Kushi's turn to be taken aback, unfastened by his powerful smirk, "You know?"

Of course, Jiji had said he would probably know but Kushi couldn't figure out why he did nothing about their only name' situation. Unless...

Kushi's expression turned clever again, "You didn't want to make me your wife because that would mean exercising another ritual, right?"

Then the unbelievable happened.

He laughed!

Chuckled aloud, actually.

And how boy-like the arrogant man looked when he laughed!

Kushi's mouth fell open, astonished by the moment. Did he just laugh? Lord Arnav?

She blinked.

"You really are a clueless idiot, aren't you?" he added, his mouth curving to a smirk again.

Kushi gulped. His smirks always weakened her and accurately echoed her imminent defeat.

She gripped at the hilt of her sword, trying to regain her fast-slipping courage.

She looked at him coldly, "Don't waver from the path, your cruelest Highness! Since you have established by your own knowledge that I am not your wife, make sure your hardhead gets it clear that you have NO RIGHT to transport me from room to room and order me about like you fancy!"

The smirk died from his lips and a desirous look came upon his dark eyes as he stepped forward, but Kushi was already lifting her sword.

She swung at him.

Instead of using his sword in defense, he dropped it and lifted his bare hand to thwart the blow of her metal.

A long cut appeared on his arm and, gasping, Kushi dropped her sword, shocked by what had happened. "What are you, MAD? Why did you-?"

She stared at the wound she had inflicted on him but he seemed to not be bothered by its presence.

He lunged at her, his fingers circling around her wrists in a steely grip, holding her captive hands behind her.

The red line across his arm darkened threateningly and Kushi's head reeled. Not again. Why do I always have to wound him? Why can't he just do his sword defenses and keep himself easily unharmed?

Suddenly the wound on his arm was no longer her concern.

He had crushed her to his naked chest, his face leaning towards hers.

"What do you think you're-?" Kushi moved her face away.

His grip on her wrists was too strong and how much ever she struggled, she couldn't get her hands released.

"Let go off me," she huffed.

"Never," he said, smirking, "I promised I will never let go of you."

She stared at him, "What? When?"

"Last night when you were asleep," he leaned towards her face.

She looked away, "I never asked for such a promise to be made upon me so it is not valid."

She couldn't hide her blush, however. He would never let go of her...? Was this really Lord Arnav?

"I can make any promise I want upon my wife," he asserted in a low voice, close to her ear.

She frowned at the window beside them, "Your wife only in name."

He smirked, whispering in her ear, "Certainly, Kushi Singh Raizada."

Her cheeks couldn't have gotten redder than it already was. But it did.

She only wished he wasn't aware of the red presences.

"Why is my little rosebush all flushed today? Is it because she is finally in her gardener's arms?" he gently bit her earlobe and she gasped.

She closed her eyes, fearing what he was to do to her.

His warm breath brushed against her cheek and moved towards her lips, but she kept her face turned away from him.

"Kushi, look at me," he said warmly.

"No, you foul brute," she hissed.

"Kushi!" he gritted his teeth, "When I tell you to do something, you obey."

"You have...NO...RIGHT," she said, picking the words slowly, as she struggled against his hold while looking away.

"I will show you I have EVERY right," he said coldly, and then before she could retreat, his hands released her wrists to cup her face, each warm palm pressed on her red cheeks.

"No, no," she breathed in frantically, but his lips were already crushing onto hers, drawing in a gasp from her depths.

Her eyes widened in shock as his warm lips drank in her sweetness and tears sprang in her eyes when her mouth made contact with his burning tongue.

Whimpering from the unpardonable heat of his mouth, she tried to push him away, but his hands were steadfast as they held her face framed diligently to his.

His lips were gentle as they tasted her innocence and she found her reeling head surrendering to his warm affection.

"Kushi..." he whispered when he paused to catch his breath, and then his lips were exploring her mouth again.

Her knees felt watery and her trembling hands groped at his shoulder to keep herself from falling.

His lips did their magic in her mouth and the fire on his tongue scorched her throat, but she was too affected by the fireworks in her young heart to notice anything else.

Now that he had her willingly, his hands slid from arresting her face and circled around her hips, pressing her to him by the small of her back.

In the next little space she was offered, she gasped, "My lord...I can't breathe..."

"Kushi," he smiled against her lips, "Why does it sound different when you address me so?"

Before Kushi could think of an answer, his lips were already on hers, drinking her thirstily.

His hands began caressing her back, soothing her excited nerves, for she was too perplexed by the way in which her breasts were crushed against his naked chest.

The wet hair over his forehead brushed against her forehead and her cheeks as he tilted his head and delved deeper into the kiss, constraining his tongue from wrecking extreme havoc.

"My lord..." Kushi gasped, "Please, I can't breathe..."

He withdrew from the kiss, but kept her locked within his secure arms.

His eyes were on her lips that were red from his little craving.

Kushi closed her eyes and tried to breathe in.

"You really can't take me, can you?" he mused to himself, "We need to practice often."

Kushi blinked at him. What was he talking about? Was he talking about the kiss or the swordfight?

"Tell me, Kushi," Lord Arnav held her to his chest, "Tell me you will not stay away from me anymore."

Kushi looked up at him, trying to focus through the fog in her head.

She took a moment to gather her voice and her courage, "Tell me we will go to stay at the Village."

His hands let go of her and he frowned at her, "No, I will not stay at any Village."

"Then, don't expect me to agree to your demands either," she said hotly and moved away, her steps slightly unsteady because her head was still spinning from the effect of that powerful kiss.

"You will sleep with me from henceforth," he stated decisively, as he bent down and picked up the fallen swords before replacing them in the wall brackets, "Get your things from Di's room."

"I will get my things and return them back to the wardrobe in your room," Kushi replied indomitably, "But I will not sleep WITH you."

"Then where do you plan to spend the night?" he looked at her, amused.

"In the living room," she said, her head lifted proudly, "And guess what, Lordy: I'm not afraid of the dark anymore. Not after marrying a demon like you."

And with that Kushi turned about and marched out of the ballroom, determined to not succumb to his kisses and his words and let him win.