YEARN

CHAPTER 14

L A S Y A

It had been a month since Lasya and Rudransh had adopted Avyukt and things couldn't be worse. It was really good for the three of them, but not for the world outside. The Queen Mother refused to acknowledge Avyukt's existence, Princess Nila hadn't sent a reply to Rudransh's proposal, Queen Dwija and Roop insulted Lasya for adopting a kid who wasn't her own at every corner and Avyukt had been facing a lot of trouble at the Gurukul. Trouble that he had no problem fighting out. 

She pushed the thought out of her mind as she tended to his bleeding knuckles, being careful not to hurt him. "What happened?

"Yet another snobbish lord commented unnecessarily."

Lasya placed a hand on his cheek. "So, you fought?"

"I couldn't let him get away after he told the stupid things that he said." he protested, crossing his arms. "What I do and where I stay is none of his business. I simply made sure he understood that."

"And did he?"

Avyukt nodded. "Although, his father didn't."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "He involved his father?"

"Yeah, he threatened to get me expelled, but Rudra defended me and made sure that I didn't get into trouble." He smiled a little. "He told the minister that his son should learn how to back his words if he was going to stoop that low, not go running to his father for everything."

Lasya blinked, surprised. Rudransh had gone to the Gurukul? Didn't he have a packed schedule today? "That's great, Avi, because he's right. There's no point in not anticipating the consequences of your own actions. There would be no difference between us and fools then."

The Gurukul system in Vibhava worked differently compared to the rest because there were two as opposed to the normal one. The first was for children from five to ten years and the second was for teenagers from thirteen to eighteen. The former happened in a Gurukul nearby where the knowledgeable sages would initiate the learning process with information they deemed appropriate. The children would return home after four hours, so it wasn't as tedious as the latter where they had to go away to the Himalayas for five years to hone their skills.

Lasya had no idea how she would get through it, especially since she felt attached beyond belief after a measly month. She focused back on his hands. "Did you get hurt anywhere else?"

He shook his head. "Just my knuckles."

She tore a clean piece of cloth and wrapped it around them. "You need to be careful, Avi. I'm not asking you to hold back, but you need to put your safety above everything else when situations like this arise, okay?"

He nodded a little too eagerly.

"I mean it. If not for you, then for me."

He considered it, nodding more slowly this time around.

"Good." She smiled, following his gaze when he looked behind her. Rudransh stood there, leaning against the garden wall with his arms crossed. He winked when she caught his gaze, making Lasya turn back immediately. She willed her blush to simmer down when she looked up at Avyukt. "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Avi?"

He shook his head, turning it into a mischievous nod upon noticing Rudransh taking a step forward. Something must have passed between the two because he shook his head rapidly. "No, that's all. Thank you."

Lasya placed a kiss on his cheek before letting him run back into the palace. The second he disappeared from her line of sight, she felt herself being pushed against the very garden wall that her instigator was leaning against. She looked up to meet the hazel eyes that she was slowly crumbling to. Quirking an eyebrow, she leaned her head against the vines, smirking when she felt his gaze drop. "What?"