Chapter 4. Collateral damage
"Some battles aren't lost in courts or wars. They're lost in locked rooms, with laughter echoing louder than your pride."
~Aksh Raghuvanshi
Power.
It's a fragile illusion.
You can hold an empire in your name, make politicians flinch with a stare, bend courtroom arguments to your will, and yet… none of that prepares you for a woman in heels.
Especially not Ritvika Roy.
I woke up to the kind of pain that makes grown men weep in languages they don't even speak. A sharp, burning throb pulsing from below my ribs like someone had parked a tractor on my reproductive future. I had been in gunfights. I had broken my wrist in a riot once. But this?
This was divine retribution with stilettos.
Groaning, I rolled on the bed, legs folded like a cheap origami swan. My palace bedroom, usually pristine and powerful, now felt like the waiting room for a urologist.
And naturally, because the universe has a sense of humor, I wasn't alone.
"My kids! My empire!" I croaked dramatically, clutching a pillow between my knees.
"Empire?" Avyukt's voice chimed in, completely unsympathetic. "Bro, you just got dethroned by four inches of Louboutin leather. Should I call the Lucknow Board and tell them we need to cancel your coronation?"
"Shut up," I hissed.
"No seriously," Avyukt leaned over, visibly enjoying my humiliation. "Did she kick you or neuter you? Be honest."
"I think he's stuck in "Heels and Trauma: A Memoir"," Rudra said from the window seat, tossing a stress ball into the air like he was watching a live stand-up.
And then came the final blow, not from a human. No, this came from fur and fang.
A low bark.
Followed by a growl.
Astra.
My sister's wolf pup trotted in with the kind of smugness only a wolf could pull off. He circled me once, sniffed my shin, then gave a very judgmental snort.
"Uh oh," Rudra translated helpfully, squinting at the pup. "Astra says, and I quote, 'He got taken down by a glorified sandal. I've seen squirrels with more dignity.'"
I groaned. "Tell him I'm royalty."
Rudra tilted his head as Astra barked again. "He says, 'Even royal nuts can crack.'"
"Out. All of you. Out of this room."
But of course, no one left. Avyukt flopped on the bed beside me, grinning like a devil. Rudra leaned back and crossed his arms, clearly savoring the drama. Astra jumped up and curled right near my feet, probably to make sure I didn't run for backup.
And then.
A knock.
Two of them.
Followed by the familiar voice of my sister.
"Aksh bhaiya?" Avni called. "Everything okay? We heard… uh… strange noises."
"Bhaiya?" Ishani's voice joined in. "Should we come in? Is something wrong?"
I froze.
"Rudra." My voice was hoarse. "If you love me, wait, no, you don't love anyone. But if you love Avni, please… handle this."
Rudra, to his credit, smirked like a man about to commit mischief. "Done."
He strutted toward the door with the confidence of a man holding nuclear codes.
"Avni, Ishani," he said smoothly as he opened the door just a crack, "everything's fine. But this is a… men's issue."
"Men's issue?" Avni narrowed her eyes. "What kind?"
Rudra leaned against the doorframe like he was born there. "The kind that involves... ah... sudden existential crises and irreversible anatomical consequences. Trust me, you don't want to come in."
Behind him, I let out another groan, part pain, part humiliation.
"Aksh bhaiya?" Avni sounded concerned now.
Avyukt joined the charade, jumping up and throwing an arm over Rudra's shoulder. "Sorry sisters, it's a coded emergency. Girl access denied. National secrets and all."
Ishani wasn't buying it. "Sounds like someone got kicked."
"Exactly," Avyukt said solemnly. "By destiny. And possibly heels. But mostly destiny."
Avni tried again. "At least tell us if he's alive!"
Rudra looked back at me. "Alive, saale sahab?"
"Barely," I muttered.
"He's breathing," Rudra confirmed. "Groaning. Cursing your name. So pretty much normal."
"And when will he be… fixed?" Ishani asked, even the practical one.
"That depends on how long testosterone takes to recover from a spiritual slap," Rudra replied.
Astra barked again.
Rudra tilted his head. "Astra says: 'Not soon. Tell them to start picking a new heir.'"
"RUDRA!" I yelled.
Avyukt snorted. "Alright alright. Go rest your... future. We've got this."
"Please, just close the door," I whispered, curling back into the fetal position.
Rudra gave one last winning smile to the sisters. "We'll fill you in later. Not the details, just... headlines."
And with that, the door shut.
Blessed silence.
I lay back, chest rising and falling like I'd run a marathon with only ego for fuel.
Avyukt gave me a look. "Bro."
"What?"
"She destroyed you."
"I know."
"Like... kicked-the-birthright-out-of-you level destroyed."
"I. Know."
"She's kind of epic for that."
"Get. Out."
But I couldn't deny it.
Ritvika Roy had walked into my world, rage-filled, fire-eyed, heart shattered and voice unshaken, and taken me down with one swift act of poetic justice.
And somewhere, buried under my pride and pulsing pain, a part of me... respected it.
Hell, a part of me missed her.
But that part would stay buried. Because this wasn't a love story.
It was a war.
And I had just lost the first battle.
Badly.
𓆩⚔🖤⚔𓆪