Silence gradually settled over Jogra Palace.
Yamini had changed out of the emerald lehenga and put away the jewelry. The pendant she left on.
She lay on her back in the dark, covers pulled to her waist, staring at the ceiling.
The mountain wind moved faintly beyond the glass.
She had seen Bharat and his brothers disappear toward the office wing after the last guests left.
He would most likely be occupied for hours, after which he would go to bed to sleep.
She needed to sleep as well. But sleep didn't come.
I’m not waiting for him. I’m just not sleepy.
Even as she thought those words, her eyes fell on the connecting door.
Ugh.
She turned onto her side.
Then onto her back again.
The clock in the corridor ticked steadily as she shifted restlessly. And then it struck three.
Just as the third chime sounded, she heard it.
The soft click of the connecting door.
She sat up.
He stepped in, still wearing the traditional Jogra attire, the heritage brooch catching the faint moonlight. He had come directly from the office and hadn't changed.
He crossed the room without a word, stopping at the edge of the bed.
Her heart was loud in her ears as their eyes met.
She had barely drawn breath before his hand came to her jaw, tilting her face up.
And then, he leaned down and kissed her.
She stopped thinking after that.
CHAPTER 36
“I'm telling you, Yamini. Tina's face. I can still see it. The way she just stood there when Rani Suchitra said Maharani of Jogra.” Pooja pressed a hand to her chest. “I almost felt bad for her. Almost.”
Yamini stood barefoot in her studio, sunlight coming through the tall windows. The afternoon light hit the framed photographs along the walls—women in steel helmets, children outside factory gates, hands roughened by work but gentle when braiding a daughter's hair.
She had added three new photos to her collection since Pooja last visited.
Behind her, Pooja hadn't stopped talking for the last twenty minutes.
“It's been two weeks, Pooja,” Yamini reminded with amusement as she straightened a frame.
Two weeks had passed since Yamini was announced to the world as the new Jogra maharani.
“Some things deserve to be enjoyed longer.”
