11) Chapter

She sense his presence, the quiet strength of him filling the space—but she doesn't turn to look.

Instead, she keeps her gaze fixed on the Lord Krishnas idol , her heart start racing even as she wills herself to remain calm.

"My lord, it seems you wear your silence as well as your crown" Pramila spelled quietly.

"It's true Devi, I have learned that silence can guard as well as any armor. Especially when so much is expected."

Ereya spelled and kneeled beside her infront of the shrine. They eyes met for a second but she looked away quickly. he smiled and started to gaze at the Lord Krishnas statue.

"The quiet, my lady... it's not always a choice, but rather, a necessity."

As she understood his expression she turned her face towards him. Ereya's expression softens, his defenses slipped for a moment as he meets her gaze.

"Then let me be here with you, even in silence, if that's what you choose. If you need that silence, my lord... I will bear it. I may never fully understand the weight you carry, but perhaps I could help shoulder it... if you'd allow me." Pramila spelled.

"You offer more than you know, Devi, And I... did not expect you to understand so willingly."

He pauses, searching her face, his voice softening even further.

"As my wife, Pramila, you will face pain like no other. Pain that comes with the crown, with the duties of a kingdom. The endless enemies, battles and scars but with yourself. Can you bear that? Can you bear my pain?" Ereya spelled.

"I... I know what pain is, Sir. I've known it my whole life. The pain of losing my mother, of feeling alone even in a room full of people. I know the ache of longing for someone I can never have... and yet, here you stand, asking me if I can bear your pain. But, My lord..."

Her voice cracks, tears gathered inside her eyes, but she holds them back, unwilling to let them fall. She turns to face him, her eyes filled with a mixture of strong determination.

"If I can't stand beside you through your worst, then I don't deserve to stand beside you at all."

"You don't understand what you're asking for, Devi. This path is one of suffering. You'll see sides of me you wish you hadn't. There will be moments when you will doubt everything—doubt me, doubt yourself. Are you sure you can bear that kind of pain? Can you truly face what's to come?"

Ereya said. His voice was low, almost a whisper, as if the weight of his own words is too much to bear.

"I don't need to know everything, Sir. I don't need to understand the future, or the battles you fight inside. What I know is that I want to stand beside you, even in the storm. I don't care if the pain comes. I will bear it. With you." Pramila said quietly but her voice was certain.

"I know we have just met, Sir. But with time, perhaps... perhaps we could learn to understand one another. To care for each other, even... to love?"

Ereya's gaze softens just a little, and for a brief moment,he leaned toward her. His voice is thick with emotion,and he struggles to keep the words steady unable meet her hopeful gaze.

"Pramila, you speak of love as if it were so simple. But love... it's a luxury I cannot afford. My life belongs to this kingdom, my heart to duty. My heart... it's a fortress, Devi. I built walls around it, thick and high, to keep out the hurt, to keep out the world."

His voice low, almost as if confessing a truth he's never spoken aloud.

"Wait do you mean.. Am I... am I to be only your queen, then? A title... but nothing more? her voice was  breaking, barely a whisper with the relization.

"I wish I could tell you otherwise. But to love you... would mean opening myself, risking my heart. And I cannot allow that weakness. I have learned, Pramila... that love binds us, makes us vulnerable."

Ereyas expression softens as he hears her pain, though he tries to remain composed.

"Vulnerable? My lord, to be loved is not a weakness. It is a gift, the greatest gift one soul can give to another. Do you not believe in that?"

Tears welling up in her eyes, her voice choked with sorrow.

"Once, perhaps, I did. But now not Devi. It must be... locked away." Ereya whispers, almost to himself.

"And I... am to be alone in this marriage? To live beside you, yet never reach your heart?"

Pramila closes her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Pramila, I wish I could give you what you seek. But this is the life of a queen—to stand beside her husband, even if his heart is... distant." his voice was soft, filled with regretful.

"I dreamed of you, my King. I dreamed of a life where you would hold me, where I would be more than just a symbol by your side. I would give you every piece of my heart if you would let me. But you... you keep yourself so far away..." her voice cracks as her heart shatters.

Ereya quietly  reaches towards her face, but his hand stops inches from her, unable to cross the distance.

"Devi ... I... you are kind,beautiful and you deserve so much. I wish I could be the man you imagined. But I cannot give you the dreams you carry. " he spelled quietly.

"What... what do you mean, my lord? Have I done something to disappoint you?"

"No, Pramila. You are a radiant queen, strong and wise. You have done nothing wrong. But I must be honest with you... I do not love you as you deserve to be loved." he looked away.

"And so I am to carry my love alone... while you stand beside me, yet never truly there. My heart has been yours since the day I knew I would be your queen Sir. Yet yours... remains locked away, forever beyond my reach"

She stepped backward with the relisation her voice was a mere whisper, broken and raw.

"Pramila, I do not wish to hurt you. You are here because you will be a strong queen, a wise ruler by my side." Ereya said softly gazing at her.

"And I, my lord, am to accept this fate? To live beside you, yet never truly know you?" with tears welling in her eyes.

"I cannot promise you love devi, but I can promise respect and protection." Ereya spelled.

"I did not seek protection Sir... only the warmth of your heart." Pramlia whispers as she turned towards the flame of a lamp while trying to hide her tears.

Ereya reaches out to comfort her but she stops him.

"Sir, you... you must not come any closer. Don't touch me . I... I cannot bear it. it would be a cruelty, A cruelty I cannot endure." her voice  trembled with the sorrow.

"I know you cannot forgive me, Pramila. And I understand if your heart turns cold to me. But please know, I never wanted to cause you pain." Ereya said calmly.

"My Lord, you may never know the depths of what you have taken from me. Tonight, I came here to give you everything... only to find there is nothing here for me at all." She spelled with the pain.

The silence grows heavy.  They both knew, they were trapped together in this cold, loveless union, each bearing the pain of what will never be.

"And now will you leave me Sir. Leave me here, to carry the weight of this sorrow, alone?"Pramila said. Her voice was hoarse, broken.

"I will Pramila. But Tomorrow, at dawn, I'll be leaving with our forces to lead the campaign against the Kalachuri rebels near Narmada river valley. It's a matter that requires immediate attention. Your heart may be torn, but the empire cannot wait."

"You... you are going to war? Now? After all that's been said, after all the things... you're leaving me behind, without even a second glance?" She spelled queitly.

"I must Devi. There are battles to be fought, men to lead, and the crown to protect. You knew this life when you accepted it. Look at me Pramila, I cannot—I cannot—stay here, pretending there is something more between us. You deserve a love that I cannot give." Ereya spelled slowly.

"And this is how you will leave me Sir? With nothing but the echoes of promises unspoken, a heart I could never reach? You were never mine, were you? Not in any real way. You were always already gone."She said while stepping towards him.

"I told you.. I never meant to hurt you, Devi. I never wanted this for you. But I cannot abandon my duty. I cannot abandon the people who rely on me." He said while looking at her face his voice was filled with pain.

"And what of me, my King? What of the woman who stands by your side, who loves you with everything she has? Does she mean nothing? Am I to be nothing but a shadow in your life, a queen in name only, while you go off to fight—fight for a kingdom." She turns to face him, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I am sorry, Pramila... truly. But my heart cannot stay here. My heart is not with you."

He pauses for a long moment, his voice strained with emotion.

"I understand. This is not how I would have planned it, either. But there are duties that cannot wait. We cannot let the Kalachuri forces grow bolder along our borders." He spelled.

She quickly wiped away her tears and steadied her face.

"I understand your duty, My lord. Truly, I do. But... must you go yourself? Can you not send a general? You are the crown prince, and your presence here... it holds a place for so many of us." Pramila spelled calmly after a while, managing to hide her emotions.

"I am honored by your concern, Devi. But my place is with my soldiers. I cannot ask my people to risk their lives while I remain hiding behind palace walls. They must see that I am with them."

Suddenly there was a deeep silent, and finally Pramila took a deep breath.

"I undestand, my lord. You will go to protect your people, to secure their future. And that is something to be proud of. You are a leader, my lord. You do not run from duty, even when it calls you away from your home".

"Pramila, I..." Ereya pauses clearly moved by her strength and grace, his was voice heavy with regret.

But she shakes her head gently, interrupting him, her tone was calm and resolute.

"There's no need, my lord. This is the life we were born into. I knew when I chose to stand by your side that I, too, would belong to this kingdom. And I know... that it means sometimes you must walk away, even when it tears you from the life we might have shared."

"You deserve more than this, Pramila. More than the life I've given you,  more than the emptiness I've left in my place. Forgive this sinner devi" Ereya spelled queitly.

"But love... it does not ask for what it deserves, my lord. It accepts what is given, even if it is only in pieces."  She pauses.

"Then... at least... go with my prayers, sir. I send them with you, even if I cannot go myself. I send my heart, my hopes, my strength... to guide you back to this kingdom and to bring you home, safely.  My lord... before you go, would you grant me your blessing? I wish to carry it with me, as a part of you, close to my heart."

Ereya was , taken aback by her gesture, hesitates. He feels the weight of her unspoken love and loyalty, knowing that he should leave her with little more than a memory and a promise.

he nodded, she bend towards his feet.

"Pramila... I may not deserve your prayers, but I will carry them with me, every step. And if I return... it will be to you." Ereya whispers while rised her up. "May you find strength that even I do not have. May your heart stay as steadfast as it is tonight, though I am undeserving of its loyalty."

As he speaks, Pramila's eyes close, and a single tear slips down her cheek. She savors the rare closeness between them, the warmth of his arms, though his heart belongs elsewhere.

But she managed a small, trembling smile, her was voice tender.

"Then return, my lord. Return soon to your people, to your kingdom... and perhaps, to me."

They stand together in the silence, a breath of shared understanding passing between them.

For a brief moment, Ereya gazes at her, seeing the love, strength, and pain in her eyes. He knows she will be waiting, holding onto a hope he may never be able to fulfill. He nods, , his footsteps echoing in the quiet as he leaves the room.

Pramila stands alone, holding onto the faint glimmer of a life they may never live, her heart resolute, her spirit unbreakable.

Hello, readers!😊

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chronicleKeeper 😉