Chapter 39: chapter 39

R A N A J A Y The corridors of Amaravati Palace, once a place of grandeur and power, now felt like a prison. Every step I took echoed in the empty halls, and for the first time in my life, I felt the weight of every stone beneath my feet, a reminder of the chains that bound me—not to the kingdom, not to my father, but to a legacy I had never chosen.I had lived under the shadow of King Jayavikram’s expectations for as long as I could remember. Every decision, every move, was made with him in mind, his cold, calculating gaze watching me from the throne. There was no room for me in this palace, no space for my desires, my ambitions. And now, as I stood before the doors to his chamber, I realized that there never had been.Sanmayi was in my thoughts, as she always had been, ever since that fateful day when our paths had first crossed. I had told myself for years that she was the enemy, that her cause was one of vengeance and destruction. But now, I could see clearly. She wasn’t the villain in this story—she was merely another victim, just like me, caught in the web of duty and loyalty. And I could no longer deny the truth I had buried deep inside me for so long: I loved her.But love, as I had learned, could be a dangerous thing in the court of Amaravati. It could break a man, ruin a kingdom, tear apart everything that had been carefully constructed over decades. But the question that had been gnawing at me, the one I had spent countless nights wrestling with, was whether I could continue to live this life, shackled to a throne I did not want, serving a father who cared little for anything beyond his own power.I had made my decision.With one final breath, I pushed open the door to the king’s chamber. King Jayavikram sat in his ornate chair, his back straight, his eyes narrowed as he looked over some map of his dominion. There was a coldness to him, an absence of warmth, as though he were little more than the embodiment of the throne itself. He had no son. No heir. Only a tool to wield, a puppet to control.“Father,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.He didn’t look up at first, his eyes still fixed on the parchment before him. “You’ve been a long time coming, Ranajay. I trust this means you’ve reconsidered your place?”The words stung, and I felt a surge of anger, but I swallowed it down. There was no turning back now. “I have reconsidered, yes. And I’ve made my decision.”At last, he looked up, his gaze piercing. “And what decision is that?”“I will no longer be your pawn,” I declared, my voice firm. “I will no longer bend to your will, nor will I continue to serve a kingdom that thrives on oppression and deceit. I choose my own path from this moment on.”The king’s face remained impassive, but his eyes burned with the fury I had long feared. “You are a fool,” he spat, his voice low and dangerous. “You would turn your back on everything I’ve built for you? For this—this rebellion? You would betray your own blood for a woman who is nothing more than a traitor?”“Sanmayi is not the enemy,” I said, taking a step closer, my resolve hardening with each word. “The enemy is the throne you sit upon. The kingdom you rule with an iron fist. You’ve built this empire on the backs of the innocent, on the suffering of the people. And I can no longer be a part of it. I choose to fight for something greater—for freedom, for justice. For the people who have been silenced by your tyranny.”King Jayavikram stood, his chair scraping against the stone floor. His voice was low, controlled, but there was a madness in his eyes. “You would destroy everything for a woman. A rebel. You are my son, Ranajay. My blood. And you will bow to me.”I took another step forward, standing tall before him. “I will not. I am no longer your son. I am no longer a prince of Amaravati. I am a man who has chosen his own destiny.”The room fell silent for a moment, the air thick with tension. The king’s hand clenched into a fist, and for a moment, I feared he might strike me. But then his face twisted, not in rage, but in something darker, something colder. “Then you are no son of mine.”His words cut deeper than any blow could have. I had always known, in some part of me, that my father would never understand. But hearing it, spoken so plainly, it shattered something inside me. The final illusion that had kept me tethered to this palace, to this life, was gone.“I am not,” I said quietly, my voice steady, though my heart pounded in my chest. “But I will carve my own path. And I will not apologize for it.”The king turned away, his back to me now. “You are a fool, Ranajay. You will regret this.”“I will not,” I replied. “But you will. Someday, you will realize that you’ve lost everything. And I will be free.”With that, I turned and walked out of the room, my footsteps echoing down the corridor. As I left the palace behind, I felt the weight of my decision settle on me. There was no going back. I had broken the chains that had bound me for so long, and now, I would face the consequences of my actions.But as I stepped into the cold morning air, I found a strange sense of peace in my heart. For the first time in my life, I had chosen my own destiny, free from the expectations of my father, free from the shackles of royalty. I was my own man.And as I walked toward the resistance camp, toward Sanmayi, I knew that whatever happened next—whatever the future held—we would face it together. The rebellion, the war, the love that had once been impossible—it was all ahead of us. And I was ready.