She went back to the room after giving her instructions to Harsh. She had sneaked away just long enough to down a quick sip of wine—maybe two, but exactly enough to soothe the phantom ringing in her skull and make her fully active—before brewing a fresh, steaming cup of coffee for her king.
When she crossed the threshold of the suite, she was surprised to find the bed completely empty. Even the charcoal three-piece suit she had meticulously picked out was missing from the dressing chair. He's probably getting ready in the walk-in closet, she calculated silently.
Setting the porcelain mug down on the bedside table, she stood there for a moment as the digital screen of her phone lit up, a barrage of important encrypted messages regarding today's workload beginning to distract her.
Just a few minutes later, the air behind her shifted.
Her instincts didn't at all threatened the shadow, a pair of large, warm hands smoothly slid around her waist from behind, pulling her spine flush against a broad chest. His face ducked down into the curve of her neck, his sharp jawline brushing her skin as he greeted her in a low, gravelly morning rasp. "Good morning."
Devika's eyelids naturally fluttered shut. God, she absolutely loved his cologne—no, actually, she loved his natural scent mixed with the cologne, creating an intoxicating, dangerously attractive musk that immediately made her brain short-circuit.
"Good morning, Handsome," she greeted him back with a breathless smirk, completely giving up on the state files as she carelessly threw her phone onto the mattress. It was completely, utterly useless for now.
"Itni subah-subah uth jaati hain aap. Tabiyat kharab ho jayegi," he murmured softly, his tone laced with a deep, protective concern while his lips stubbornly refused to leave the soft skin of her neck.
That one proper kiss from that day had done tides on his side for good. It had managed to completely unlock the cute, deeply romantic, and utterly clingy side of him that he had hidden behind rigid corporate blocks for a decade, making him beautifully less shy or hesitant and delightfully more bold with his touches.
She didn't answer that. She couldn't. She stayed right like that, nestled safely against his chest while trying to dodge the health question.
A wicked spark lit up her big eyes as she muttered, "Kya karein? Ab sab to aapke tarah kharrate maar ke to nahi so sakte na!"
The absolute audacity of the accusation caught him completely off guard. Rajveer instantly pulled his head back from her neck, his towering frame tensing as he bended his neck like a giraffe just to look down at her with wide, thoroughly scandalized eyes.
"Hum? Kharrate?!" he asked, exaggeratedly pointing a long, elegant finger toward his own chest.
Devika bit the inside of her cheeks hard to stop a bubbling laughter from exploding right there.
"Ji. Aap. Kharrate!" she agreed with absolute gravity, exaggeratedly nodding her head from side to side to solidify the fake report.
The King of Jodhpur was rendered entirely speechless for a long moment, his mind struggling to compute this structural blow to his dignity. But the exact second she finally let out a helpless, melodic laugh, he visibly gave up the defense. He let out a low huff and again dipped his head right back into the soft curve of her neck, his lips pressing against her skin. She could feel a triumphant, dimpled smirk widening across her face.
Then—without a single warning whisper—the strict King launched a highly unauthorized counter-strike.
He began tickling her ruthlessly.
"Eeeeee!! Kya kar rahe ho!!" she squealed loudly, her entire body twisting as she tried to run away from him, but his iron hold around her waist was far too tight to breach.
"Badla le rahe hain!!" he said in a mock-deep, growling villain voice, his fingers tickling her stomach even more aggressively.
Devika frantically tried to reach behind her back to tickle him in retaliation, but the man was her personal mind-reader; he already perfectly calculated her every single defensive move and blocked her wrists.
"Accha... Bas... Bas... Bas!!... Aaaeeeee... Sorry.... Sorryyyy!" she exclaimed breathlessly, laughing so hard her chest heaved as she tried to turn around within his hold to look at his face. Hearing her sweet surrender, he finally stopped the onslaught. Devika immediately raised her hands, wrapping them securely around his neck while still giggling, her long hair shifting over his shirt.
Then, he leaned down and kissed her lips—softly, gently, absorbing her joy. There was always something profoundly deep underneath the surface of his touch, something far beyond mere lust. It was love. It was card. It was a bone-deep, protective respect that anchored her soul.
When he slowly pulled his lips back, his gaze lingered on her mouth, his eyebrows furrowing into a confused line as he licked his own lips, trying to identify a highly specific, lingering flavor.
"Chocolate?" he asked curiously, his brilliant brain completely failing to get the true taste.
Devika immediately gave him a wide, thoroughly wicked grin, and the pieces instantly clicked inside his brain. It was wine.
"Hey bhagwaan!!! Humari biwi humara dharam bhrasht kar ke maanegi!!" he exclaimed dramatically, slamming his large palm flat against his face in mock-despair while his shoulders shook with a low chuckle.
She laughed out loud again, leaning up to plant a playful, comforting kiss right against his neck. "Fruit juice hi to hota hai! Aapko bhi try karna chahiye!" she teased mischievously.
"Hume baksh dijiye, Devi!!" he begged, clamping his hands tightly together and bowing his head toward her as if offering a formal prayer in front of a shrine.
She ducked into his joined hands playfully, his dimples flashing as she moved closer, wanting his warm embrace again. But the exact millisecond her fingers touched his chest, her ears caught the rapid, chaotic sound of heavy footsteps marching directly toward their suite.
Yup! Jaisi karni, vaisi bharni!
Devika immediately backed him off with her hand, her posture turning alert. Rajveer looked at her, thoroughly confused for a split second, but he understood the exact moment the double doors of their room were forcefully pushed open without a knock.
Jai and Harsh barged into the room, looking busy and loaded with papers, but they stopped dead in their tracks. The two younger brothers looked at the monarchs, arching their dark eyebrows in synchronization as they took in the scene. Rajveer and Devika remained stubbornly in their positions, her arms still loosely on his chest.
The two intruders glanced at each other, a shared, deeply evil smile spreading across their faces.
"Lagta hai humne moment kharab kar diya kisi ka, hai na, Bhabhi?!" Harsh delivered the line with absolute, dripping sarcasm, officially seeking his sweet revenge for the morning incident.
Rajveer slowly lowered her hand, his eyes narrowing into a lethal, mock-glare as he looked past her shoulder at his brothers. "Devika, tumne is aadmi ko door KNOCK karna nahi sikhaya?" he asked, his raspy voice tight with irritation.
"Bhabhi, aapne is aadmi ko door LOCK karna nahi sikhaya!!" the rapid-fire response came from Jai at an absolute instant, his legal brain delivering a flawless counter-argument.
"Kya bole?" Rajveer growled, taking a threatening step forward.
"Kuch bhi to nahi!" Jai squeaked out. Operating with zero masculine pride and pure survival instincts, he practically sprinted across the Persian rug, diving straight behind Devika's smaller frame to use his Bhabhi as a human shield. He leaned down, whispering frantically into her ear, "Bacha lo, Bhabhi is daitya se!!"
Devika couldn't help but burst into a wide, bright smile, her heart melting at her baby brother's chaotic behavior.
"Bakiye. Kyun aayi hai ye Bandaro ki toli yahan?" Devika asked with a devastating, amused smirk, her hands resting comfortably on her hips as she shielded a trembling Jai behind her back.
"Maa Sa ne bulaya hai. Hum log kahin ghumne ja rahe hain!!" Harsh said, completely breaking his earlier tough-guy act and dancing around excitedly at the second sentence like a little child.
"Aap log chaliye, hum aate hain," Rajveer said, his deep, raspy voice instantly cutting through the noise with a calm, commanding finality. He adjusted the lapels of his perfectly straightened suit jacket, offering his younger brothers a warning look that told them their grace period for teasing was officially over.
The rest of them didn't wait around for a second invitation. Jai, Harsh, and Devika instantly hopped outside the suite, their chaotic laughter fading down the corridor as they sprinted toward the grand courtyard to meet Maa Sa, trying not to test the King's patience any longer.
---
Rajveer slipped through the carved doorway of Maa Sa's room, immediately stepping into the familiar, beautiful chaos that never failed to fill his chest with an intense, quiet warmth. He leaned his weight casually back against the solid wood frame, crossing his arms over his dark tailored vest as his eyes locked onto the absolute storm center of the room.
His dearest wife.
Devika and Kaki Sa were currently teamed up in a ruthless alliance, teasing Maa Sa without a single shred of mercy. Maa Sa was throwing them a fierce glare of mock-anger, though the fond, adoring smirk lingering at the edge of her lips completely gave her away.
Around them, the rest of the sibling brigade—Jai, Vikram, Avani and Sugandha—were huddled on the cushions, laughing and giggling shamelessly at the spectacle.
Devika was right in the middle of the floor, executing a dramatic, rhythmic dance, her wine-colored saree swirling around her ankles as her hair bounced wildly. She threw her hands out, her voice loud, teasing, and completely bubbly as she belted out a strange, utterly ridiculous song:
"Jab tak beta mummy bole, tab tak beta tera hai!
Ab Tera beta darling bole, ab Tera beta Mera hai—"
Before the final lyric could even escape her lips, Maa Sa violently snatched a soft velvet throw pillow from the couch and launched it straight at her face. Devika ducked with her fluid reflexes, the cushion brushing past her hair as she burst into a fresh, loud wave of merciless giggles.
"Din-bhar bakwaas karti rehti hai ye ladki!! Kab badi hogi Bhagwaan jaane!" Maa Sa scolded her shyly, her face turning a faint shade of pink.
Devika let out an exaggerated, deeply offended pout, instantly darting forward to wrap her arms around Kaki Sa for protection, pointing an accusing, dramatic finger back at his mother.
"Arey, abhi to humari Devika choti bacchi hi to hai!" Kaki Sa reasoned fondly, reaching up to affectionately pinch her soft cheek. Devika immediately seized the validation, wiggling her dark eyebrows triumphantly at Maa Sa from behind her shield.
"Choti bacchi? Arey, Maa banne ki umar ho gayi hai iski!" Maa Sa shot back instantly, her blunt words echoing off the sandstone walls.
His heart did a sudden, violent flip against his ribs.
"Kya?!" Devika exclaimed dramatically, her big round eyes widening into plates of pure shock. Spinning around on her heel to find a new audience for her theatrics, she cried out, "Maa aur hum!!! Dekh rahe hain Rajveer Maa Sa kya—Ayiii... Yahin khare hain!!!"
The entire performance died a spectacular, instantaneous death the exact millisecond her eyes collided with his.
Hs stood right there in her direct line of sight, looking down at her through narrowed, heavily hooded eyes, biting the inside of his cheeks with a brutal pressure to forcefully lock down the low, breathless chuckle threatening to escape his chest. With a frantic, breathless gasp, she lunged sideways, diving to hide her burning face entirely behind the silk folds of Kaki Sa's pallu.
The room exploded into a deafening, thunderous roar of merciless laughter and high-pitched whistles from the sibling brigade. Vikram was practically doubling over on his cushion, while Jai clapped his hands in pure, unadulterated ecstasy at her ultimate retreat.
Rajveer slowly straightened his broad shoulders, stepping fully into the chamber as the dark fabric of his three-piece suit shifted against his frame. He cleared his throat in a deep, raspy register, his gaze never once leaving the edge of the silk where her wavy hair was peeking out.
---
"Aapne bulaya, Maa Sa?" He asked next, his voice dropping into its usual deep, raspy cadence as he smoothly walked into the center of the room.
He bypassed the chaotic clutter of siblings and purposefully took a seat on the velvet settee right beside Devika. The exact millisecond his weight shifted the cushions, she scrambled backward, forcefully adjusting Kaki Sa's heavy silk saree pallu to create a literal, impenetrable fabric wall right between her flushed face and his shoulder.
Oh! My cutiepie!
He didn't break his regal posture, but a slow, deeply captivated smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ji janab! Bulaya aapko!" Maa Sa said, clearing her throat violently as she tried her absolute best to gather her composure back after the laughing fit. She smoothed down her traditional posture and leveled him with a firm, maternal look.
"Thodi door ek gaon ke paas ek mandir hai, bahut manyata hai uski. Hum chahte hain aap bacche log darshan kar lo," she announced, her tone shifting into a warm, traditional frequency. "Humne thoda prasad bhi banaya hai, chadha dena."
The entire sibling brigade instantly bowed their heads in absolute reverence, their chaotic giggles melting into shared, happy smiles as they chimed in unison, "Jo hukum!"
---
Then, the siblings began leaving the chambers one by one, their chatter echoing down the grand hallway. Both Maa Sa and Kaki Sa caught Rajveer's eye from across the room, simultaneously throwing him a highly mischievous, running wink that silently commanded him to tease his trapped wife a little bit before she could escape.
He tilted his head, a slow, deeply captivated smirk pulling at his lips as he leaned down toward the silk wall beside him.
"Chalein, darling?" He murmured in a deep, raspy whisper, intentionally throwing her own lyrics back at her.
Devika's small frame stiffened instantly. She carefully parted a tiny, narrow slit in Kaki Sa's pallu, looking up at him with a thoroughly flushed, crimson face. Forcing a brilliant, mock-proud expression onto her features, she didn't dare to lock eyes with me for more than a fraction of a second. She cleared her throat violently to find her lost voice and muttered a sharp, breathless, "Chaliye!" before dropping the silk and almost trying to run flat out of the room to escape his perimeter.
But her rapid retreat was instantly blocked at the threshold.
A thoroughly troubled, blushing Nandini came rushing from the opposite direction, bumping straight into Devika's shoulder. Nandini looked frantically around the room, opening her mouth to say something critically important, but she stopped herself, looking incredibly uncomfortable and shy under the curious gaze of the elders.
Devika's brain calculated her situation in a split second. Her teasing demeanor evaporated, replaced by a calm, deeply reassuring frequency as she leaned in close. "Kaan mein bolo, kaan mein!" she instructed softly.
Nandini leaned forward, hurriedly whispering a some private sentences into her ear. The exact millisecond the update was delivered, a spectacular, wicked grin blasted across Devika's face. Nandini, in turn, completely dropped her panic, a deeply shy, radiant smile breaking across her features as Devika smoothly reached out, grabbing her wrist, and pulled Nandini safely behind her back to use her own frame as an impenetrable shield.
The reason for Nandini's flight materialized a second later.
Devika planted her heels firmly on the floorboards, at once stopping a heavily breathing Harsh, who was looking intensely serious as he marched down the corridor, his large eyes locked on the space behind Devika's shoulder.
"Kya ho raha hai yahan? Kaam diya hai na tumko?!" Devika scolded him with a mock-serious face, though a grin was dancing at the edge of her face.
"Ji karte hain, do minute—" Harsh managed to say rapidly. His mind was completely offline as he continuously tilted his head, trying his absolute best to see past Devika's shoulder and pull his hiding wife back into his hold. But Devika was successfully blocking his path every single time he shifted his weight.
"Ji nahi, do minute mein nikalna hai mandir ke liye! Abhi ja!" Devika ordered, smiling even more happily at his desperate, failed attempts.
"Uff, Bhabhi!" Harsh exclaimed in pure mock-irritation, finally throwing his hands up in defeat as he realized he couldn't breach the Queen's guard. He stepped back a fraction, playfully pointing a warning finger at the space behind Devika's shoulder. "Kab tak bachogi? Vaapas humare paas hi aana hai!!"
"Itni jurrat! Humari devrani ko dhamki doge!!" Devika shot back instantly with a breathless laugh while catching his extended finger, and playfully twisted it back.
With the threat successfully dismantled, Nandini confidently peeked out from behind Devika's shoulder. Looking straight into her frustrated husband's eyes, she playfully stuck her tongue out at him, raising her hands to rhythmically dance her fingers on the sides of her head in a glorious, mocking tease that sent the others into a fresh wave of roaring laughter.
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