Yash steadied himself.
The earlier hesitation was gone.
Now—he observed.
Yash:"You claim you reached this place by mistake… yet the path leading here is concealed."
A pause.
Yash:"How does one 'accidentally' find something meant to stay hidden?"
Tara answered without delay.
Tara:"Not everything hidden is difficult to find… only difficult to notice."
She tilted her head slightly.
Tara:"Tell me, Officer… if something is hidden poorly, would you still call it well concealed?"
A brief silence.
Yash wrote something down.
Then looked up again.
Yash:"You stayed."
A step closer.
Yash:"Even after realizing something was unusual."
A pause.
Yash:"If you believed this place was hidden… why did you not report it immediately?"
Tara remained composed.
Tara:"Because observation comes before conclusion."
A slight pause.
Tara:"Or would you prefer I report uncertainty to the emperor as fact?"
A beat.
Tara:"Is that how investigations are conducted in your ministry?"
The air tightened.
Yash inhaled slowly.
Then—
Yash:"You observed the place carefully."
A pause.
Yash:"Yet you claim it was accidental."
His gaze sharpened.
Yash:"So tell me… Minister—"
A beat.
Yash:"Were you lost… or were you curious?"
Silence.
Tara didn't answer immediately.
For the first time—
She paused.
Behind her—
Aryav leaned slightly.
Aryav (low):"We can't say lost…"
Kavya (low):"That would be humiliating…"
A flicker crossed Tara's eyes.
Gone almost instantly.
She straightened.
Tara:"Curiosity… often begins where certainty ends."
Yash didn't react.
Didn't write.
Yash (calm):"Then you must have known where you were going."
A pause.
Yash:"Yet you did not report the location beforehand."
Silence again.
He had tightened the trap.
Tara held his gaze.
But this time—
There was no perfect answer.
A breath passed.
Tara:"…We did not intend to reach this place."
That was enough.
Yash closed his notebook slightly.
Understanding.
Then—
Without warning—
Yash:"Isn't it unusually warm today?"
Confusion spread instantly.
Aryav frowned.
Kavya blinked.
The messenger boy looked completely lost.
Chandraveer frowned slightly.
Not at the question—
But at the timing.
This is deliberate…
His gaze shifted to Yash.
Then followed—
To Satyadhara.
Yash turned slowly.
Yash:"Then why are you wearing a chola in this heat?"
Satyadhara stiffened.
Satyadhara:"I… caught a cold."
A pause.
Yash nodded.
Yash:"Ah… I see."
He reached into his pouch.
Unhurried.
Yash:"Then I suppose… your condition would not be worsened by something sweet."
He tossed it lightly near Satyadhara's feet.
A breath.
Then—
CHAOS.
One puppy burst out from his collar.
Another from his sleeve.
A third from beneath his robe.
All three leaped toward the treat.
Silence shattered.
Tara froze.
Aryav turned away instantly.
Kavya shut her eyes.
The messenger boy nearly stumbled back.
Satyadhara stood there.
Defeated.
Yash watched quietly.
Then—
Yash:"…Your cold seems quite active."
A heavy pause followed.
Chandraveer did not react immediately.
He simply watched.
His gaze moved—
From the puppies…
To Satyadhara…
To Tara.
A faint smile appeared.
Measured.
Knowing.
Chandraveer:"…So that is what you were hiding."
He stepped forward slowly.
Chandraveer:"You concealed them well."
A pause.
His eyes rested on Tara.
Chandraveer:"And you spoke even better."
The words carried weight.
Not praise.
Recognition.
His gaze shifted.
To Yash.
Chandraveer:"And you…"
A slight pause.
Chandraveer:"…did not ask."
Another step.
Chandraveer:"You confirmed."
Silence.
Chandraveer clasped his hands behind his back.
Chandraveer:"A hidden truth… and a revealed one."
His gaze returned to the group.
Chandraveer:"Both handled… with notable skill."
The tension shifted.
Not broken—
Refined.
Then—
Chandraveer:"If you are willing to assist…"
A pause.
Chandraveer:"…this will be overlooked."
Tara looked up.
Confused.
Yash hesitated.
Yash:"My lord… is it necessary to involve them further?"
Chandraveer's gaze drifted toward the pavilion across the water.
Chandraveer:"I do not believe it will cause harm."
A pause.
Chandraveer:"And I am told Tara possesses knowledge in such matters."
Tara frowned slightly.
Aryav and Kavya exchanged looks.
Tara finally spoke:
Tara:"…What mystery?"
Chandraveer turned to her.
Directly.
Chandraveer:"The one hidden within."
A quiet pause.
Chandraveer:"You will see it for yourselves."
Silence followed.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Unease.
And beside them—
Satyadhara quietly began gathering the puppies again.
Scene – Inside the Pavilion (First Door)
The moment they stepped inside—
The air changed.
Cooler. Still. Heavy with age.
Even their footsteps sounded… muted.
They moved deeper.
And then—
They stopped.
Three doors stood before them.
Separated.
Unmarked.
Silent.
And before each door—
An instrument.
A veena rested before the central door.A sitar before the left.A tanpura before the right.
Tara frowned slightly.
Her eyes moved between them.
Not understanding.
Not yet.
Yash stepped forward.
This time—without hesitation.
Yash:"There are three doors… and three instruments."
He glanced at the doorframes.
Carefully.
Yash:"They are not locked by keys."
A pause.
He traced his fingers along the surface.
Yash:"There is no keyhole. No visible mechanism."
Aryav stepped closer.
Aryav:"Then we break them."
Yash shook his head immediately.
Yash:"No."
A firm pause.
Yash:"This structure is ancient. The walls are already strained."
He looked upward slightly.
Yash:"If we force anything…"
A beat.
Yash:"…we risk collapsing the entire pavilion."
Silence.
Kavya crossed her arms slightly.
Kavya:"Then what are we supposed to do?"
No one answered.
Tara stepped forward slowly.
Still unsure.
Her gaze lingered on the instruments.
Then the doors.
Then back again.
She walked toward the center.
Her fingers lightly brushing the air—
Not touching anything yet.
Tara:"…They're placed too precisely."
Yash looked at her.
Tara:"This isn't decoration."
A pause.
Tara:"It's a system."
She crouched slightly near the veena.
Still not touching it.
Tara:"Every instrument… every sound…"
A soft breath.
Tara:"…has its own pattern."
She closed her eyes.
For a moment—
The room disappeared.
Imagination
A still pond.
Untouched water.
A single note of a sitar echoed.
The surface trembled.
Ripples formed—
Not random—
But shaped.
Precise.
Following the sound.
The vibration became the music.
Then—
Another note.
Different.
Sharper.
The water changed again.
New patterns.
New movement.
The sound… shaping the matter itself.
Back to Reality
Tara opened her eyes.
Tara:"Sound doesn't just travel…"
A pause.
Tara:"…it imprints."
She turned toward the walls.
Tapped lightly.
A deep, hollow echo responded.
Tara:"These walls carry vibration."
Her voice steadier now.
Tara:"If the right sound is played…"
She looked at the doors.
Tara:"…it can trigger something inside."
Yash's expression sharpened.
Yash:"A hidden mechanism."
Tara nodded.
Tara:"Not by force."
A pause.
Tara:"By resonance."
Silence fell.
Everyone looked at the veena.
Satyadhara (low):"So… we just play it?"
Tara shook her head.
Tara:"Not just play."
A beat.
Tara:"Play it correctly."
She finally sat before the veena.
Her fingers hovered above the strings.
Careful.
Measured.
Then—
She plucked a string.
A deep note filled the chamber.
It lingered.
Long.
Heavy.
Nothing happened.
Aryav exhaled.
Aryav:"…That didn't do anything."
Tara didn't respond.
She adjusted her fingers.
Plucked again—
Softer this time.
Letting the note stretch.
Sustain.
The sound traveled.
Through the walls.
A faint vibration answered back.
Yash noticed it first.
Yash:"…The wall."
A low hum spread beneath the stone.
Tara's eyes opened slightly.
Tara:"…It's responding."
She changed the note.
A higher string.
Shorter.
Sharper.
The hum shifted.
Aligned.
Then—
She returned to the first string.
Holding it longer.
Steadier.
The vibration deepened.
Inside the wall—
Something moved.
A soft click echoed.
Everyone froze.
Tara didn't stop.
Low note.
Pause.
Higher note.
Return.
The hum intensified.
Another click.
The door trembled.
Then—
Slowly—
Heavily—
The central door unlocked.
A deep mechanical shift echoed through the chamber.
Silence followed.
No one spoke.
Yash looked at Tara.
Different now.
Yash:"…You didn't guess."
Tara stood slowly.
Tara:"No."
A small pause.
Tara:"I listened."
Behind them—
Chandraveer stepped forward.
His gaze moved from the open door…
To Tara.
A faint smile.
Chandraveer:"…Impressive."
The first door stood open.
Darkness waiting beyond.
Two still remained
The door creaked open.
Slowly.
Heavily.
As if it hadn't moved in decades.
No one moved at first.
The darkness inside felt untouched.
Waiting.
Chandraveer stepped forward.
Without a word.
Two guards followed.
He crossed the threshold—
Took a few steps—
And then stopped.
Completely still.
The guards halted behind him.
Confused.
Outside—
Tara frowned.
Tara:"…What is it?"
No answer.
Yash narrowed his eyes.
Something was off.
Tara stepped inside.
Aryav and Kavya followed.
And then—
They saw it.
A massive painting.
Stretching across the wall.
A man—
Recognizable instantly.
Nagabhata.
And in his arms—
A woman.
Close.
Not formal.
Not distant.
His arms wrapped around her.
Her head resting near his shoulder.
Not king and subject.
Not ruler and court.
Two people—
In love.
Silence filled the room.
Kavya (whispering):"…That's Nagabhata."
Aryav:"…Then who is she?"
No one answered.
But Chandraveer—
His expression shifted.
Just for a moment.
Something personal.
Something hidden.
Then—
Gone.
Chandraveer turned sharply.
Chandraveer:"Everyone out."
Firm.
Immediate.
Tara blinked.
Tara:"What—?"
Chandraveer stepped forward.
Closing the distance.
Chandraveer:"This chamber is classified."
A pause.
Chandraveer:"You are not permitted to be here."
No anger.
But something beneath it.
Urgency.
They stepped out.
One by one.
The door shut behind them.
Heavy.
Final.
Chandraveer stood composed again.
Chandraveer:"…We now understand how these doors function."
A pause.
Chandraveer:"Let us proceed."
Tara didn't reply.
But her eyes lingered on him.
He knows something.
The second door opened.
Then the third.
Each time—
The same process.
The same control.
Until—
The final door.
It creaked open slowly.
Before anyone could step forward—
🎭 Background (simultaneous moment)
Behind them—
Aryav leaned toward Yash.
Aryav (low):"Listen… about the puppies…"
Yash didn't look at him.
Yash:"No."
Kavya stepped in quickly.
Kavya (whispering):"We'll take responsibility. They won't interfere."
Yash exhaled slightly.
Still watching the door.
Yash:"This is an imperial investigation. Not a shelter."
Aryav:"They're trained—well… almost."
Yash gave him a look.
Yash:"I have seen their 'training'."
Kavya tried again.
Kavya:"They're harmless."
Yash (dry):"That is precisely the problem."
Tara leaned slightly forward—
Just enough to catch a glimpse inside—
Suddenly—
A firm pull.
Her body was yanked back—
And in the motion—
She lost her balance completely—
She turned—
And collided straight into Chandraveer.
Not lightly.
Not by accident alone—
But fully.
For a brief second—
Her entire body was pressed tightly against his.
Her breast were tightly pressing against him.
Too close.
Unavoidably close.
Both of them froze.
Tara's breath caught—
Her face flushing instantly—
And Chandraveer—
For that single moment—
Was just as still.
He hadn't expected it.
But he felt it.
Clearly.
The world around them stopped.
Aryav froze mid-sentence.
Kavya stared in shock.
Even Yash looked up immediately.
Then—
Chandraveer stepped back at once.
Releasing her.
Chandraveer:"…My apologies."
His voice returned to control.
Calm.
Measured.
Chandraveer:"It is not yet safe to proceed inside."
But Tara wasn't listening fully.
Her heartbeat hadn't settled.
And her eyes—
Stayed on him.
That wasn't just instinct…
He didn't want me to see inside.