Chapter 269

[MEMBERSONLY]

Chapter 348: Stealing Her Heart

Late that night, when all that lived in the village was deep in sleep, there was one awake soul stealthily crossing the wide garden of the Varma manor. He brilliantly evaded the guards and made for the mansion wall. He had made a clever estimation of where her room was (by information obtained from the village's official burglar) and used the nearby tree trunk to hoist him up to her balcony.

As he leapt noiselessly onto the balcony, he whispered slyly to himself, "Enter Romeo into Juliet's chamber..."

The curtains of the balcony swayed in the light breeze as he stepped through them and into her room.

It was massive room and he could pick, from the moonlit silhouettes, how neat and orderly everything was placed. Quite unlike his own room, which the servants took great toil to tidy.

Just then, he heard her murmur in her sleep. He registered the direction of the bed towards which he tiptoed.

Careful not to topple over anything, he reached the bed in no time and searched the bedside table.

He found the candle holder and the two-inch wax candle pedestaled on it. On finding the matchbox, he lit the candle and turned to gaze at the gold-lit damsel in bed.

She was wearing her white nightgown, and her hair was plaited beautifully, though some restless strands had come loose of the braid and lay fanned around her face, across the pillow.

He caught the candle's glimmer in the engagement ring on her finger and scowled distastefully at it.

Meaning to remove it off her finger, he pressed one knee on the bed and bent forward, stretching his hand toward hers.

But, before his hand reached hers, she stirred in her sleep and pulled her blanket closer over her, digging her hands inside the warm blankets and spoiling Devananda's intention.

Muttering curses under his breath, he reached his hand over her blanket, meaning to slide it a little aside so much so he could get to the ring, when, suddenly, she awoke and sat up, alarmed by the sight of him in her nightly chamber and he froze where he sat on the bed, his hand stretched to her.

"What-!" She squealed in her panic and then, finding her Varma resolve, hissed sourly, "What are you doing here?"

Devananda, finding his manly bravado, stated calmly, "I came to clear a matter with you."

Chandraki poised sarcastically, "Oh did you?" And then bellowed, "In the dead middle of the night?!!" He opened his mouth to reply but Chandraki continued, "In my room!! How did you get in here, anyway?"

Flashing a clever grin, Devananda leaned his back against the footboard of the bed, "For that, I must congratulate your father for having such a very handy set of guards posted all around this barnyard."

Chandraki gritted her teeth, "This is my home, not a barnyard!"

He ignored her as he appraised the surroundings, "I must say, you have a done a quite good job in keeping this room clean. I don't know how you managed to do it, but I suppose the credit goes out to the servants."

Chandraki lifted her proud nose, "I do my share of keeping my room clean, alright, unlike you! You must have driven your servants away by inviting them to cut through the jungle you live in!"

He simply chuckled at her remark.

Annoyed, Chandraki demanded, "What have you come here for? Tell me right now, or I'll holler for the guards!"

Devananda sat up, coming straight down to business, "I've come here to ask you what provoked you to turn your heart against me and get engaged to that man."

She stared at him as though he were an idiot, "Turn my heart against you? When was my heart turned towards you?"

"How could you not be," Devananda said, effectually, "After our little encounter at the lake..."

She scowled at him, "Oh yes, I do remember that. How you pushed me into the lake with your starting!"

Devananda shrugged, "I didn't think you were so clumsy that you'd fall off the moment I surfaced."

Chandraki lost her temper, "This is ridiculous! I can't believe I've let you turn my sense around to strike a parley with you in the dead of the night!! Get out of my room this instant!!!"

"I will not," Devananda asserted, crossing her arms across his chest, "Not until we talk this matter over."

"What matter?"

"Do you love him?"

"Whom?"

Devananda grunted, "That fox you are to wed."

Chandraki was on the defensive, "Indian marriages do not pertain to love before marriage but after it."

Devananda tilted his head, suspicious of her evasion, "Then why did you get engaged to that mongrel!?"

Chandraki shot, "What business is it of yours whom I get engaged to or not?"

Devananda acclaimed, "How can it not be my business?"

Chandraki paused a moment, still frowning, "What do you mean?"

He was furious. How could she be so blind, so stupid, to overlook the obvious. It vexed him, the memory of what he had overhead her say to that Rathod. Devananda recalled it in his present words, "It's not with him, but with ME that you're meant to be together."

All of a sudden, Chandraki threw herself into a fit of laughter.

He stared at her, feeling insulted, and grimaced despondently in her direction.

Once she'd recovered from her mirth, she wiped the amused tears off her eyes and mocked him, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You did."

"I did?" She wondered mordantly, between laughs, "How come I never came to know of my telling you this idea?"

He crossed his arms defensively, "I am not jesting."

She chortled, "I can see that!"

In a sudden move, like an enraged bull, Devananda leaned forward, crouching close to where she sat, his face an inch away from hers.

Her laughter stifled and she stared apprehensively at him, noting the impatience in his gaze.

She tried to pull her blanket closer, meaning to shield her from his being, but it wouldn't budge for his heavy weight was on it.

She backed away but he crawled towards her, ever closer.

She gulped and then looked away with a frown, "What is the meaning of this! If you don't get off my bed, I swear I'll scream."

He let out a knowing chuckle against her ear which shattered her courage.

She looked at him, fear rising in her eyes, as he whispered, their noses touching, "If you really wanted the guards rushing at me, you wouldn't boast about summoning them and would have screamed their alert the moment you saw me..."

His theory on her invulnerability fuelled her spite and she opened her mouth to let out a brave scream, only to have his hard palm cuff her mouth, the force of which pushed her to the pillow with him over her, his hand pressing down over her mouth and nose.

"Not so fast," he derided, using the moment to show his advantage by blowing lightly at the strands of hair over her forehead.

Then he stilled, struck speechless by the marvel of her beautiful eyes that looked up from above his restraining hand.

Feeling suffocated, she tried to push his hand away but it refused to budge.

Devananda frowned at her attempts, "Promise me you won't scream."

She scowled at him.

He shook his head, "I won't take my hand unless you promise."

She gave a worried look and then nodded, reluctantly, in promise.

"Good girl," he commented as though he were addressing a dog for its tactful obedience of an order.

As his hand relaxed and lifted from the lower part of her face, she opened her mouth and let out the beginning of a scream, only to halt herself when he held her face by both his hands.

His eyes lingered on her lips as he whispered the warning, "Scream and I'll kiss you."

Panic roared in her eyes as she watched his head bend over her and descent towards her.

"What are you-?" She asked, unable to speak further as his face came so close to hers, his eyes burning intensely.

She felt her limbs weaken as his hands that held her face warmed with want.

From where she lay, her nervous fingers fisted the blanket.

He brushed his nose against hers and she felt his warm breath on her lips.

She let out a floundering gasp, her eyes closing, afraid to witness the horror he was to manifest.

His lips were nearly upon hers when she steered her face away.

He paused.

With squeezed eyes, she pleaded, "Don't do it. I cannot let any man kiss upon my lips but my husband."

He smiled kindly, overcome by her virtue, "You can let me kiss you, in that case, because I am going to make you my wife. That is for certain."

She shot him a sour look, "How can you be certain of something that is utterly impossible?!"

"It's not impossible," he corrected perceptively.

"It is," refuted Chandraki, "You are a Malik and I am a Varma. We can never marry!"

"I will prove you otherwise," boldly interjected the confident Malik.

"You cannot," hissed Chandraki, "There can never be anything between us! Not in this life!"

He was annoyed and withdrew his hands from holding her face, "If there is an obstacle that stops us from happening, it is YOU. What with your determination to not see the possibility and your headless decision to get engaged to that-"

"It was not my decision!" she blurted without thinking.

He sat up, interested in the revelation, "So you were forced?"

"No," she hastily rectified, sitting up and busily wrapping her shawl around her, not daring to look into his eyes where he could read the truth.

"No?"

"No," she repeated, finding the courage to look him in the face and proclaim, "My parents had found the boy to be of magnificent bearing and background and they knew I would like him!"

"And do you?" he asked cautiously.

Chandraki looked questioningly at him and he asked again, "Do you love him?"

She was a little uncertain of what answer to give him. She had, undoubtedly, liked Vikram Rathod. But did she LOVE him?

As she sank in silent pondering, Devananda felt her distance from him. Feeling hurt, he made as though to leave.

He got off the bed and had taken two steps towards the balcony when she leapt off the bed and held him by the elbow.

He looked over his shoulder and was stumped by what he saw in her eyes.

With surging elation in his heart, he saw her eyes brimming with tears, with uncontainable love.

Gulping down his hesitancy, he turned about and swept her off her feet in a gripping embrace.

Chandraki wept against his cheek as he showered her with a torrent of whispered love.

Suddenly, she pushed him away, retreating with a forlorn shake of her head, "We can never be. We can never happen. Stop making me want you, when I cannot."

He stared at her helplessly as she pleaded through tears, "Stop loving me so I can begin to love Vikram."

Infuriated, he walked towards her and gripped her by her shoulders, "Why cannot you see we are meant for each other!"

She gripped him by his collar and yelled, "Why cannot YOU see we cannot be together, not when our families are enemies!"

He let go off her and she released her hold of his collar, as he turned his back to her.

"We could change history," he gestured desperately to the air, "Our marriage could forever end this meaningless enmity between our families."

She sighed, "If that would have been possible, I would have welcome it. But I know my father. He will not hear of shaking hands with a Malik."

He turned to her and held her hands in a desperate grip, "Then we'll run away!"

"We will not," she replied calmly.

"Why not?"

"That would hurt my parents. I would never do anything that would hurt them."

Resigned and without hope, Devananda let go off her hands, "So you will marry him?"

"Yes," she sighed to the floor.

Devananda rummaged his mind for ideas, "What if...What if I tried and got the path to our marriage free of hassles?"

She only looked at him, unconvinced.

He added, "With the approval of both our elders."

Chandraki thoughtfully bit her lower lip, "Our marriage?"

Devananda nodded.

"With our families happily consenting?"

Devananda smiled encouragingly.

"I suppose..." she began but he had already rushed to embrace her.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands around her waist, they stood there for a long two minutes, beside the balcony curtains, bathed in moonlight.

Finally, they withdrew and he noticed the slight blush on her cheeks.

Thrilled, he kissed the palm of her hand and then walked backwards onto the balcony as she watched, through the curtain, her lover hoist himself on the tree and pause to wave her goodnight. She waved in reply and then he was gone.

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I will be back to Arhasia to write a new fanfiction. Thank you to all those who are with me. And especially to all those who are keeping this Inn warm, welcoming and loved...