The Rule
“Why are you not eating, bhaiya? You’ll get wrinkles if you keep frowning.”
Samarth offered her a faint smile. “Eat, little one,” he replied softly. “Let not your heart be burdened with your brother’s silence.”
“I’m not burdened,” she replied. “You’re the one who looks like someone stole your crown.”
Samarth chuckled faintly, but the laughter faded as his eyes returned to the empty seat beside him. The silence of that absence rang louder than Aabroo’s teasing.
Meanwhile, Nagma excused herself from the table discreetly, nodding to the head steward and stepping back into the hallway, her tray still half-full.