The rains continued all night, and by morning, news reached the fort that the land they had evacuated had been swept away by the river's force. Around sixty families were now sheltered under the Bhosleys' roof.

Malhar had started his morning early, with barely any sleep. He had been out all day in the rain, overseeing the migration of his people. He was glad they were safe, with a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. It was an hour to sunrise. Once the fort doors opened, he had decided to take another trip to the village to inspect the damage and check on the villagers staying on higher ground. Malhar walked from his part of the palace to the common court, intending to see if he could be of any help.

The corridors were relatively empty, and he encountered only a few servants on his way. The doors to the common court were partially open, and the room was warm, thanks to Jahnvi's idea of placing burning coals in iron pots around the room.

In the dim lamplight, Malhar saw people curled into balls and buried under blankets, resting peacefully. A few were awake and greeted Malhar silently as he meandered across the hall, checking on everyone.

"...keep rubbing the bundle of spices on his feet," a voice said, catching Malhar's attention. His heart skipped a beat as he saw Jahnvi in a baby pink cotton anarkali, her hair up in a bun with a few strands loose. For a moment, the world went silent as he watched her. Her lips moved, but no sound reached him. The strands of hair on her face made his hands itch to push them away, as they obstructed his vision of her.

"Raje Namaskar," the man sitting near Jahnvi said, getting up from the floor. He held a small white patla in his hand and looked up at Malhar with a forced smile.

"Dada, you have to keep rubbing, please," Jahnvi said urgently, making the man nod flusteredly as he sat down and picked up the small foot of the little boy lying on the floor.

"Is everything okay?" Malhar asked, his eyes scanning the room to assess the situation.

A woman sat crying and cradling an infant with two small kids tucked by her side, and an old lady sat against the wall, sobbing silently as she prayed.

"Save my son, Raje. He is just three. I can't lose him, please," the mother cried.

"What can I do?" Malhar asked, crouching down.

"Help us get his body temperature back up, please," Jahnvi said, rubbing the child's palm with her own. "His siblings recovered, but he won't open his eyes."

Malhar took the child's other foot and began rubbing the sole to generate heat. He watched as Jahnvi got up and walked to the corner, picking up a small metal bowl. She took a spoonful of the contents and opened the child's mouth, pouring the liquid in.

"Lift his head, please," Jahnvi instructed, and Malhar quickly complied. Jahnvi continued to pour spoonfuls of the warm liquid into the boy's mouth. She then covered the child with a blanket and placed a smoking cane basket inside it.

"What are you doing?" Malhar asked, intrigued.

"It's called a Kangri. We use it in Kashmir to help with the cold," Jahnvi explained.

Malhar watched as Jahnvi returned to rubbing the child's palms while he worked on the child's feet. Minutes later, as if by magic, the child's lips, which had turned blue, regained their color, and his body temperature normalized.

"How do I thank you, Princess?" the father cried, folding his hands. "You saved all my kids. You stayed up all night by our side, nursing them back to health. You brought my son back from the clutches of death. I am indebted to you. How could I ever repay you?"

"I was just a medium, Dada. Your children have great things to do in life. Don't worry, and keep feeding them this liquid every two hours. If you need me, just call for me," Jahnvi smiled at the man. "I'll be back to check on them in a couple of hours."

Malhar watched as Jahnvi brushed the hair off the child's forehead as he slept peacefully. His heart thumped as he watched her interact warmly with the people.

Before he knew it, he had extended his hand for her to take as she stood up from the floor. Jahnvi looked confused but, realizing they were in the presence of others, she accepted his hand. Malhar gently pulled her up.

Her hand fit perfectly into his, soft to the touch, just like her soul.

Jahnvi quickly pulled her hand away once she was on her feet. She surprised Malhar by placing her hand on his forehead, then his cheek.

"You too are burning up," Jahnvi said, concern etched in her voice. "You need to rest. I'll send you some tea and medicine."

Jahnvi walked out of the common court but stopped in her tracks. She knew she couldn't serve Malhar any food made in the common kitchen due to the rules.

"You don't know the way to the personal kitchen, do you?" Malhar said with a small smile. "Come," he added, turning to walk in a different direction.

Soon, Jahnvi found herself in a familiar corridor. She now knew the way to the royal kitchen. The space was more organized and quieter than the common kitchen, with a few dedicated staff members busy with their tasks. Copper pots gleamed on the shelves, and the aroma of freshly baked bread lingered in the air.

"Jahnvi, you should rest as well. You've been up all night," Malhar said gently, concern evident in his voice. His tall frame leaned against the doorway, shadows under his eyes betraying his own lack of sleep.

Jahnvi chose to remain silent and kept navigating in the kitchen, her movements purposeful as she gathered ingredients. Her dark hair was pulled back in a loose braid, a few strands escaping to frame her face.

"Should we help you, princess?" One of the helpers asked, her voice tentative.

"No, I'll manage. Thank you for asking though." Jahnvi replied with a smile. The servant nodded, turned to Malhar, bowed in respect, and left the kitchen, leaving the two alone.

"Jahnvi." Her name rolled off his tongue like a melody. "You don't have to. I can—"

"Sit on the chair by the table," Jahnvi interrupted, crushing a pod of cardamom and chucking it into the kettle of boiling water. The fragrant steam rose, filling the room with a warm, spicy scent.

"I can—"

"I would like to finish this task at hand in silence and get to more important ones," Jahnvi cut Malhar off again. She had no heart to have a civil conversation with him. Her eyes were focused on the kettle, but her mind was elsewhere, wrapped in a tight coil of thoughts and emotions she wasn't ready to untangle yet.

Malhar sighed and walked over to the chair, his footsteps echoing in the quiet kitchen. He sat down, watching Jahnvi as she moved with practiced ease. The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken words and lingering tension.

After a few moments, the tea in the kettle began to boil. Jahnvi poured it into a teapot, the sound of the liquid cascading into the vessel a soothing counterpoint to the turmoil in her heart. She set the teapot on the table in front of Malhar, along with an empty cup, a portion of stuffed bread the cooks had freshly repeated and a small bowl of brown liquid.

She picked up a small jar kept on the table filled with salt and opened the tea pot, adding in a pinch of salt to the tea.

"Spiking someone's tea with salt as a form of revenge is new." Malhar said playfully.

"Drink your medicine after you have finished your tea and breakfast." Jahnvi replied curtly.

"Jahnvi please." Malhar said agitated, holding his hair in his fist.

"What ?" She snapped. "You want me to behave well with you after you have held me as a captive here."

"Captive ? You think you are a captive ?"

"I'm not not your captive ? Then tell me your highness what am I, why am I here, tell me ?" Jahnvi seethed as tears ran down her face.

"Give me some time to set things right Jahnvi." Malhar said getting up from the chair, he walked towards her carefully like she was a wounded animal, maybe she was.

"I don't know you, I don't know what-."

"You can't go back home, not to your sick bastard of a brother, I won't let you. So stay, stay till we figure something out."

"I can't I'm not-."

"Please Jahnvi." Malhar begged, he extended his arm and took her hand in his, enveloping her petite hands in his large ones.

A few moments passed by and Jahnvi looked up to meet his eyes for the first time, maybe this was for the best, maybe for now.

A loud noise made Jahnvi jump and pull her hand back.

"Sorry." The servant who had just exited entered through the kitchen door.

"N..no problem." Jahnvi said.

"Jahnvi." Malhar said softly. "I promise I'll make things better, you don't have to worry about your past or your future, just be happy, just be .. just be here. Stay."