"She's really good at cooking up stories.", The emperor said.

Tharun's look was enough to make the emperor gulp his saliva.

"Father, I know you make pretty women lay beside you to satisfy yourself. Not just now but since I was a child. I never expected you'd do this with your own daughter-in-law. She's like your daughter and you-"

"Tharun, I said she's cooking up a story. Why wouldn't you believe me?"

"Because the nail scratches in her arms shows that you misbehaved with her.", Tharun said.

"Look at me, son. She inflicted herself to gain sympathy from you and Arjun. Don't fall on her trap.", He said.

"So, can you tell me you have never misbehaved with any women?", He asked and the emperor kept mum.

Because, he cannot say lie when the truth is infront of his eyes.

Even though it was hard for me to believe the emperor have been misbehaving with women for years. If someone told me this few days ago, I would've laughed.

"Tell me, father. Have you never misbehaved with any other women?"

"Wait, Tharun. That was when I was drunk. I wasn't in my senses and-"

"And you forced yourself into them.", He finished his father's sentence.

"Why the heck you don't wanna believe me?"

"Maybe because you're not a trustworthy person. You're the one who ran behind many women when mother was alive right? Now, after she's dead, you're claiming you love her so much?"

"Yeah, I do, Tharun."

"It's not even a week since mother died. Look at what you did."

"Yes! I did it! What do you want to do about it now!?", The emperor yelled in frustration.

"I don't have rights to involve in it. Arjun will be the one who's going to decide."

"You forgot something, Tharun. I'm the emperor of this whole dynasty. There's no Arjun without me.", Saying this, he left with the soldiers following him.

Then Tharun faced me and looked at my pathetic condition.

"I will order the soldiers to get you food. Do you want any medicine?", He asked and I gave a silent nod.

"And, don't worry about my father. I will make sure he won't come near you until Arjun comes back."

"Does Arjun believe me?", I asked with tears brimming in my eyes.

"I am not sure. Since he has left to Chola kingdom, it's clear that he wants to find out the real truth. By talking to him, the only thing I observed is... He loves you. He loves you so damn much that he's ready to do anything for you."

I nodded.

"If you want anything, you can tell the soldiers and they will inform me immediately, okay?", He asked and I nodded once again.

With that, he left assuring me I'll be safe and I leaned on the wall breathing hard. I want to cry so much badly but I don't have a bit of energy left inside me.

It feels like, if I close my eyes, I would die out of exhaustion. Hot tears dropped from my eyes as I felt dizzy.

The soldier knocked the jail rod and I looked at him standing outside the cell with food and water in his hands.

"Can I come in?", He asked and I nodded. He opened the cell with a kept and placed the plate and water beside me.

"Thank you so much", I mumbled.

He bowed infront of me.

"I want to inform you that you're still our Princess. We all believe that you're not the one who killed the empress.", He said and left immediately.

Somehow there was small happiness inside my mind that someone was believing in me.

I took a small bite in the food where I felt it like a heaven.

Till today, I have never really valued food that much. But right now, I finally realised the importance of it.

I was literally devouring the meal because of my hunger. Continuing to eat my food, I suddenly thought of Thavan who was starving till now.

"Thavan", I called him out.

"Yes"

"You want food?"

"Come on, eat your food. Don't waste your food on a person who's not gonna exist tomorrow.", He said and I was sad once again.

"You'll be fine. I believe that."

"Please don't believe that. You're gonna be hurt when it happens.", He said.

Since the soldiers didn't turn off the lights, I looked at a small window in the top corner. It was in a greater altitude and I don't know if I could pass him food through that top.

"Thavan, can you receive the food through the top window at the corner.", I asked.

"I told you already. Just have your food.", He said.

"Please eat. Atleast for me.", I said and I heard a sighing sound repeated by a hum. I smiled and took the food plate and climbed over a rusted pipe to reach my hands to the top windows.

I was finally able to put my hands through the window ready to drop the food.

"I'm going to drop it. Are you ready to catch it?", I asked.

"Yeah.", He replied.

I dropped the food through the window.

"I caught it!", He said and I chuckled.

"Enjoy your meal.", I said and drank half of the water in the pot and kept the remaining half for him.

I sat there like that for a few minutes. Right now, I was feeling energetic than before. My starvation completely disappeared.

"The food was so delicious.", He said.

"I'll drop the water pot and catch it.", I said and I did the same thing I did with the food. He catched the water pot and I got down again.

I sighed and sat infront of the cell rods gazing at literally nothing.

"Can I ask you something?", I heard his voice and I hummed.

"You said you're from future, right? The reason you came in Prinsess Thara's body was because you existed in this timeline. What about Arjun? Is he there in your timeline too?", He asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he did exist but I didn't notice. Because the world is so complicated and very big.", I replied.

"There's only one or two hours left for me. You know what? You know how did I feel when the emperor was about to.. well, I remembered how my sister would've suffered. When I heard your screams, I wondered how my sister would've felt when my stepfather tried to do it.."

"I'm sorry for your sister.."

"I finally feel happy just because I killed my stepfather and her soul would've rested in peace. Also, I'm happy that I got you as a friend.", He said.

"I'm really lucky to get you as a friend. From childhood, I was always assured that I'm an unwanted piece of shit in this world but this timeline made me realise I'm not.."

We kept talking like it felt like infinity. He was sharing his funny moments with his sister while I shared my funny moments in school life.

We giggled and made fun of each other. Never did I thought we'd become this much best friends. But, the fact that he will be hanged to death in few minutes were gutting me.

I don't know if I could see him die infront of me because we became best friends.

But, there was an minute hope inside my mind that he won't die. I don't know how but hope is life, right?

I kept building up hope inside my mind. I hope God won't let my hopes and prayers shattered. I don't know why all the people in my life are continuously troubled because of me.

Every hopeful person I meet in my life will leave me. I'm indeed the most unluckiest person you could ever see.

I heard the footstep sounds of many soldiers. Just then, I realised his time's up.

The soldiers opened the cell which belonged go Thavan and I felt my heartbeat rise up. They dragged him outside and I saw his face for the first time.

Muscular, sharp nose, a little beard, sleeved rolled. He was looking perfect but yet he's gonna die in few minutes or probably seconds..

"No! Wait a minute! Tell your emperor to reconsider his case!", I yelled in which they ignored.

"Do you hear me! Just leave him alone!"

"I'm so sorry, Princess. It's emperor's order. He will kill all of us if this criminal doesn't die."

"Criminal? You serious? I'm saying he killed that man without any choice. Can't you give him a chance?"

"It's on emperor's hands.. we're not the one to decide.", The soldeir said.

"Please stop it, Thara. You can't change this situation.", Thavan said and I pout.

"But-"

"Goodbye", he said and he walked towards the place where people get hanged.

"Please wait! Are you serious!?", I cried.

"Please don't..", I said but the soldiers seem to completely ignore my words. They are working like a robot to the emperor.

"Stop it, please!", I yelled.

The soldiers took a black cloth mask and made him wear it. He was made to stand in the stool and the rope reached his neck. He will be choked in few seconds.

I was hella scared.

"Please please please! Don't!"

"What's happening here!?", Arjun's voice echoed through the whole hall where the soldiers stopped and bowed infront of him.

I looked at Thea as the soldiers bowed infront of me.

Looking at her bleeding lips and arms which had nail scratches, I could surely say, she was harrased by my father.

I was feeling ashamed that I'm the blood and flesh of that bastard.

On the other hand, I was so confused why she was begging the soldeir to let that unknown man to go.

"Uhmm, the emperor ordered us to put that man to death but it seems like Princess Thara doesn't want to."

"Why she doesn't want to?", I asked.

"Because he helped me. He became my friend."

"But he's a criminal.."

"No. You should ask his point of view. How you felt when Ezhil tried to force me? How you would've felt if I died that day because of your brother. The same goes with him. His stepfather molested his sister and she died. He killed his stepfather out of rage.. that's what happened."

I turned to look at the man whose face was hidden under the black cover.

"Remove the cover.", I ordered my men and they did.

I looked at that man's face.

"Explain yourself.", I said and he took a breath before narrating me the whole instance.

"My stepfather raped my sister brutally and killed her. I felt like my whole world was crashing down. I killed him with my own hands in a worst way. But, I tell you, Prince Arjun. I don't feel a bit of regret for killing him."

"What you did was wrong. You should've came to the palace and complained about him and we would've killed him ourself and you wouldn't have been in this condition."

"I did but your my stepfather happened to be a minister in this palace. I couldn't do anything infront of his influence."

"Leave him..", I ordered my men but they were looking at me blankly.

"But the emperor will be angry that you-"

"Just do what I said. You don't have to advice me about what's gonna happen.", I said and they released him.

I decided to let him go. Because I was thinking what I'd do if I was in his place.

I know my father will be a lot angrier than ever if he comes to know about it but I can't assure that he's going to be alive tomorrow to get angry.

For what he did, he deserve to die in a worst way possible. I know my father would sleep with many women who he laid his eyes on.

But never did I think that he'd do what with his son's wife. She is like a daughter to him, isn't she?

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