Padmavati barely got any sleep on their way to palace. After the dinner with Mehrunisa, she realised that she felt safer here. It sounded really weird in her head, trusting Khilji's wife to keep her safe but she had no other choice for now.

She lays in the bed, feeling odd. Even though it's comfortable, it's not the bed she and her husband shared. It feels so unfamiliar, so foreign that she wants to get up and sleep on the floor again but her tired body doesn't allow. She falls asleep within seconds and again, Khilji is the last thing on her mind before darkness.

***

Khilji walks on his fingertips, being extremely careful to not to wake her up. Before seeing her figure in the dark, he meets the magical air that she carries with her all the time, now this unremarkable room smells like her, feels like her and it simply becomes his most favourite place on earth.

Padmavati looks like she passed out with her arms laying on her sides openly. The idea of her poisoning herself crosses Khilji's mind, scaring the life out of him. Anyone who knows him could easily define him as a fearless man but his fear of losing Padmavati is changing him. The thought of her slipping out of his hands, invades his mind for a second and he feels like his heart is about to explode.

A second later he realizes she's breathing, her belly slowly rising up and down. He exhales as quiet as possible with relief.

He regrets not bringing a lamp, because all he wants to do is memorize her beautiful face till the sun rises but all he sees is just a shadow of her.

There is a lot to explore anyway, he thinks, leaning on her. Her smell is intoxicating, it fills Khilji's mind with dreams about a place he has never been before.

There is a lot to explore.

Every breath he takes makes it harder to not to touch her. He doesn't realize how strongly he grasped the linens and ripped them while trying to hold himself back.

Desire blurs his vision, driving him over the edge. He finally reaches for her hair, wandering his hand all over it slowly. He traces her face with his fingertips, stopping on her lips. He caresses her lower lip with his thumb. He wants to kiss her, he feels like his existence is meant for this moment. Time slows down, the crazy beat of his heart is inaudible. Her lips are drawing themselves to his and Khilji is almost too weak to resist.

In the perfect moment of their ultimate closeness, Khilji can feel the warmth of her skin on his lips. It was worth it, he thinks. All the battles I fought was worth to you. I would fight the world over and over again, for this moment.

When their lips are about to meet, Khilji hears a noise. It is a very faint sound but his ears still catch it in the silence of the night. A gasp of a woman, he thinks and the moment he turns his back, he sees one of the maids, standing there, watching Khilji in shock.

As soon as he gets up from the bed, the maid starts running for her life.

He walks down the corridor calmly, carefully listening the palace for sounds. Sounds of fear, suppressed sobs, panicked breathing... The devil in him is very much alive tonight, and the interruption of his perfect moment is only adding to his anger. It doesn't take any longer than five minutes and Khilji finds the girl hiding behind a wall. Khilji didn't think of killing her first, but he can't risk anyone finding out, especially Mehrunisa. She looks terrified, tears streaming down her face. She gets on her knees, desperately looking up to his eyes.

"Please, have mercy, Sultan." She begs quietly. "I won't tell anyone. I am engaged with a-"

Khilji grabs both of her shoulders and pulls her up to her feet, shaking her harshly. "Who sent you to check on Padmavati?"

He sounds smooth but his eyes are the definition of fear. Fear of dark, fear of unknown. She can't find the words while his glare literally penetrates her mind with its darkness, making itself unforgettable for the rest of her life.

"Was it Malika?" He asks again, getting closer to her face. She lowers her gaze, feeling intimidated. "No."

"Then how can you dare to invade the Sultan's privacy, my privacy, my time with my harem?"

"I- I didn't mean to," she stutters, "Please Sultan..." She begs, as his hands travel to her neck.

Khilji knows this girl, also knows that she was on her way to wake Mehrunisa up for morning prayer. If he didn't catch her, now she would be telling her how he was all over Padmavati.

When he gave Padmavati to Mehrunisa as a servant, he knew he couldn't keep it that way forever. A part of him really doesn't want to lie to her but he can't deal with an unhappier Mehrunisa. He remembers how devastated Mehrunisa was, how her youthful beauty fades day by day with grief. Khilji doesn't like the idea of ruining her unique beauty and as soon as he makes up his mind, with a quick move of his hands, he silences the girl's quiet cries, breaking her neck.

He watches her lifeless body laying on the floor for a few seconds, deep inside, his conscience calls him a brutal murderer. But every beat of his heart chants Padmavati like a never ending song and every little piece of his existence longs for her.

He walks back to her room, to continue from where he left off.

Hello everyone, I am back with a short chapter, but I plan to do a double update ;) Thank you for reading, voting and your lovely comments. ♥️