41(1) Nakan made them defenseless, helpless, and peaceless just as it wanted. Whenever Aathiyan steps in to talk about this matter to Kayanangai, he hesitates greatly. He doesn’t want to risk anything as he’s afraid to lose everything after that. After taking care of his court duties, Aathiyan returned to his chamber, frustrated. Today he heard the people’s problems and discussed expanding their food storage unit. Today wasn’t a great day, he kept thinking about his problems, even Narenthiran noticed it and asked what’s the problem. Aathiyan lied as usual and pretended to smile. He hoped there’s going to be a time where he will no longer feel this way. Aathiyan saw Kayanangai lying on the bed and he sighed what she must be thinking right now. He walked to her and hearing his footsteps Kayanangai got up immediately. She looked at him with a smile and he sat next to her. “Are you tired? Shall we go somewhere?” he asked. “No, I am not. Let’s go s
Days passed one after the other, Kayanangai didn’t have any nightmares after that and she felt no signs of Nakan around her, though it gave her relief, she knew it must be here somewhere and watching her every move. That’s not the only strange thing that’s happening in her life, Aathiyan is acting differently these days. He’s not talking to her like he used to be. When she was sad he would ask her, if she was in a problem he would treat that problem as his but now she’s sad and lonely all the time but he doesn’t seem to care at all. He just spends time with his son and not once asked what she’s doing. Kayanangai was too guilty to ask him. She thought if he had married someone else, he would have had a wonderful life. All she brought was misery to this family. His silence told her one thing: that he’s so upset that she has betrayed him because Kayanangai now contemplated that Aathiyan has been in contact with the witch all these times. He has lied to her on ma
“It was so unexpected, you didn’t give me any clue,” Sumitra said to Kayanangai.Kayanagai smiled for the sake and she looked at the distance to see Aathiyan talking to Narenthiran. She came out to meet Sumitra and unexpectedly Aathiyan is also here.“Yes, even I didn’t expect it,” Kayanangai said.“Why do you look like you are not happy?” Sumitra asked.“No, I am happy,” Kayanangai retorted with a smile.“Then you should smile a lot at this time,” Sumitra said and Kayanangai nodded.Aathiyan saw her from there, after a long time he saw her smile and it made his heart race.“Aathiya, you should come with me. It’s not best to go alone,” Narenthiran requested as he’s going to meet the King of the northern territory.“No, I don’t like to travel at this time,” Aathiyan said and looked at Kayanangai.
43. Kayanangai shuddered when she heard Aathiyan’s voice, it’s not him as he had already left the palace and this Kingdom. It’s the Devil. “He’s not asleep?” he asked, looking at Arulvarman in the cradle. “Do you want me to put him to sleep?” Kayanangai turned and said, “No, I will take care of him,” But he didn’t ask her permission and took her son in his arms. She watched him dread. “He’s a cute child,” “Give him to me,” Kayanangai demanded. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t do anything. If I want to hurt him, then I would have done it long back,” Nakan said. Kayanangai got calm and she didn’t expect that her son would fall asleep in this Devil’s arms. “See, even Aathiyan can’t do this simply like me,” She didn’t answer because he’s right. Nakan placed her son back on the cradle and came closer to her. She walked back only to stumble on the bed. “What do you want?” she muttered. “What e
As they were traveling in the chariot returning to the palace, Aathiyan kept staring at the bare fields while thinking about Kayanangai. She was his only thought in the past two days. What the devil might be doing with her. The one thing he understood about it was how much it deceives him every time. He kept falling into its trap and he couldn’t stop it at all. He was intervened by Narenthiran. “Are you still thinking about what happened?” he asked. “What happened?” Aathiyan was clueless and then he remembered. “About the marriage proposal?” “Yes,” Narenthiran nodded. “What’s there to think? I can’t marry another woman at this time. It’s so absurd to even think.” Aathiyan said. He’s under social and political pressure at this time. The King of Northern territory has again asked him to marry his youngest daughter, Aathiyan first refused it and when he requested him again and again, Aathiyan couldn’t deny it; he asked for some time to think about it only to ref
"Can you hear it?" Kayanangai asked as she couldn't believe what he just said."Yes, I could hear our child's heartbeat," Nakan said, leaning against her stomach.He lifted his head and met Kayanangai's face. She couldn't look at those pair of eyes, it belongs to only Aathiyan and now seeing it on this devil is confusing her.Kayanangai awkwardly turned to the other side; Nakan sat straight and looked at her."You don't have to feel this way, you know why I want to look like Aathiyan? It's for you," Nakan said."You love him more than anyone and I know there's no other way I could get close to you. If I look like him then you wouldn't think about anything when you are around him. You have blind trust in Aathiyan,""Then why did you say such a thing the other day? You know I love him but why did you bring those words from me? I regret everything that happened that day and now we have stopped talking to each other," she said and ha
45 Kayanangai stirred up from her sleep and gasped for air. It was the worst nightmare she ever had in her entire life. The cold visual of herself killing her child with a knife, carefully slicing off its skin, and cutting the bones into pieces is still fresh in her memories. She wanted to throw up badly and her eyes turned watery. She patted her head, trying to forget that sight. “Bad dream, huh?” Aathiyan’s voice startled her. She patted her chest and turned to see him, sitting on a chair next to the cot. The room is so dark; she could barely see his face in the dimmed lights. Aathiyan turned the lamp brighter and poured a glass of water for her. She could see the concern on his face. But she had a doubt whether this is her husband. She sat straight and had the water. The scars on his hands told her that he is her husband because Nakan lack those, his skin would be flawless. Again she thought, instead of sleeping, what he’s doing her
46Kayanangai stood at the deck and watched the skies. It looked much different than the usual sky she sees in the palace. She never saw the skies so close, as she could almost touch them and they were grey and gloomy. It will rain anytime soon.The strange thing is there’s no sound of seagulls or anything and dead silence in the particular place.It’s been three days since they left the palace and traveling in this ocean under Nakan’s instructions.The eerie feeling in her heart grows more and more as she looks at the ocean every day. The tides were always high and every place is damp which makes them so depressed. She has no hope that she will return to the palace alive. Her heart is throbbing loudly as it’s going to meet its end and her mind keeps thinking about the ways she will die.“Do you want some tea?” Shakunthala asked. Kumaran and Shakunthala came to be with them at this tough time and to look after Ar