YEARN

CHAPTER 08

L A S Y A

The royal palace of Vibhava oozed affluence. From the majestic golden pillars to the extravagant chandeliers lined with imported candles, everything screamed wealth. It tended to get overwhelming at times, but Lasya had learned to co-exist with the norms of the kingdom. She had learned not to gasp at every statue that she stumbled upon and her eyes didn't widen at the luxurious commodities that the royals were accustomed to anymore. A month in the palace had taught her that.

What she hadn't come to expect was finding her husband's cousin going through her jewellery in her chamber. The royals had unique customs, yes, but Lasya was sure that it didn't extend to snooping through someone else's belongings. That was universally wrong. Her audible reaction had Roop's head snapping to her. "What are you doing?"

Roop didn't place it down immediately like Lasya had expected her to. Rather, she took her own sweet time to do that. "Nothing much. I was just seeing your jewellery. They're nice."

"Without my permission?"

Her eye didn't even twitch. If Lasya had been in her position, which she never would, she would have been drowning in embarrassment. "It's not a big deal. I was just looking at them."

She looked at Roop in disbelief before looking around the chamber. She had no idea how to deal with the situation. "How did you even get in?"

"I'm a part of the royal family." she said, a smile on her face. Lasya had no idea what to perceive her intentions as. Royal politics worked in weird ways and she hadn't learned the tricks just yet. "The guards are obliged to let me go anywhere."

Surely that couldn't involve her chamber. Lasya frowned. "I don't mean any offence, but this is my room. I expected the guards to at least let me know about the people they let in."

"Your room?" Roop chuckled lightly, shaking her head as if she was talking to a child. "We're a part of the same family now, Lasya. Your things are mine and my things are yours. Don't you agree?"

Lasya had a sister, so she was used to the idea of sharing. Although, something didn't sit right with her at the thought of sharing her belongings with Roop. "I guess."

"That's what I thought." she smiled wide. "I don't have any sisters, so I'm glad that you're here, Lasya. We can be like sisters now."

"What about Veda?"

Lasya's eyes widened as soon as she posed the question. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. Hostile was the last thing she had hoped to come off as. Before she could apologize, Roop spoke.

"She's young." she said with a slight wave of her hand, disregarding the topic like one would a fly. "I can't expect the same level of maturity from her. We're almost the same age though, so it feels great."

With that, Roop turned to peruse through her jewellery. Lasya didn't like it at all, but she didn't want to seem immature like the other royal had just mentioned. She had responsibilities to keep up with and maintaining a cordial relationship with fellow royals was one of the most important ones. She couldn't fail the Queen Mother. 

"Ooh." Roop sighed in awe. "This is gorgeous!"

Lasya moved to see what had elicited the reaction, her own eyes widening when she saw Rudransh's wedding gift in her hand. He had given it to her the day after her choosing ceremony. It was more extravagant than anything she had ever seen, but it was incredibly elegant. Lasya absolutely loved it, but she hadn't worn it yet. She didn't want the first occasion to be at a time when she was angry with him. 

"This is a wedding gift." she said immediately. 

"So?" Roop laughed as she approached the mirror, unclasping the necklace. "That doesn't matter! We're family, aren't we?"