* Joy's POV-
"...SKRD." Aza said and shechuckled. So did I.
But my reason to laugh was different. The thought which came in my mind makes me laugh. There are two reasons. I wonder what the elders of our family would say about her personality. The Dracoumis family. The totally different ways of thinking about Aza. The difference between what they thought about her and what her real personality is.
I also wonder how I get the nerve to complain about my life to her, even though I actually know about her full and well. Her struggles were on a totally different level. I know all your pain Aza. Even though you smile genuinely and happily, I know the pain you hide behind it. I also know that you are starting to recall all your buried past and your past regrets. You are trying your best to hide all your pain and broken heart behind your smile, but your eyes have their own way of conveying and expressing all of it. Even though, that is the hardest thing about you. Your eyes widened, jaw drop, the way you swallow hard and your topic changes when you realize or recall something that says it all, my dear Aza. I love you so much sister, I will always love you. Even if the whole kingdom thinks that it was all your fault, I know the truth, sis. Even at the time when I should study, I do the work because I want to make sure that you are alright. I care about you very much. Thank you for giving me hope. Not the fake ones, but the real ones. I will always be with you Aza like a real brother staying by the side of his sister, because I love you so much, and I always will.
I turned over and walked towards the exit of this prison. That's where I saw Prince Iris. As soon as I saw his face, all my anger towards him came back. I immediately clenched my fist, and gave him a very sharp look. My appearance was so sharp that it could even cut some vegetables. Even prince Iris flinched a bit. Was he eaves dropping here?
"Prince Iris, what are you doing here? Were you eavesdropping on us?" I asked him very boldly and angrily.
"Ehhh?" Prince said.
Of course, he was still in disbelief. No answer came from him, and he just stared at me, which made me get more annoyed and irritated at him.
"Tsk... How shameless of you. You were really eavesdropping on us indeed. Please, remember that you are a prince. If you don't really want to be a prince and behave like an actual prince, please, I ask you to at least act like one." I said or rather scolded him like a parent, scolding his little and mischievous child.
I even rolled my eyes at him and gave him an irritated and frustrated groan. Prince Iris just raised an eyebrow. I went away from there as fast as I could. I really wanted to bump into his shoulder while walking past him, but I held it back. Even though I should have done it, I kept some respect for him. He is still the Prince!
I might forgive him for what he did to us, but not for what he did to Electra, my second sister. And now, add to it, he even has the nerve to lock up Azalea in prison now. I don't think I can now easily forgive him. But this Prince, he doesn't even think about my anger with him for once. What Aza said is right. He really is a Tharki romeo without romeo, Jhootha Ashiq without Ashiq and a perfect example of a stupid idiot.
[ Here, Tharki romeo without romeo means a shameless person and a pervert who does not act like a kind person or a gentleman and Jhootha Ashiq without Ashiq means a person who lies without being Joy's lover.]
* Iris's POV-
What is his problem? Why is he looking at me like that? I really cannot understand this little kid. I am just getting worse at reading other people's minds. I need to work on it for real now. He really looked like he could breathe fire anytime, just like Azalea. But no worries, I will act like an aqua snake, the one who throws water instead of any poison or venom. If she threw fire like a dragon, I would throw water like a snake and save Aza-
Tsk...! What am I thinking, and why am I thinking about her? It's really stupid.
The only thing which caught my was the aluminum container Joy was holding. It was the dinner of Azalea. But the food left was too much. One and half chapati [ an Indian bread], some sabji [ an Indian vegetable curry which is mostly eaten with chapatis] and dal rice [ an Indian lentil curry which is usually eaten with rice.]
What was left in the container looks even less than the food which is eaten. I immediately searched for her in prison. And as ordered by me, the prison was located right in the middle, and she was even the only one alone in her prison compartment. The same prison which she had once mentioned she liked. I wonder if she knows how I, Mr. Tavade, turned into a Kreosa.
I immediately shook my head at that thought. Why would she know, and why should I think about her? All between us is over now. I am really amused by myself. But what I saw made me stop in my tracks.
Because what amused me more is seeing her doing pull - ups, holding the horizontal bars of the back window. She really didn't change at all! Her muscles still look like they are going to tear up the sleeves of the dress. She still hangs and climbs wherever she can. Her silky and shiny long hair shines and moves every time she goes up and down while doing her counts. Does she still loves me?
Oye Iris, what are you thinking? You don't like her in reality.
I immediately started walking towards her prison compartment as that thought came to my mind. I really don't like her now, but she was my... Someone very close to me. I have a full right to think about her and be concerned. I actually don't know why I am going to her prison. Maybe to talk to her, tease her, laugh at her, scold her or give a threat to her? I really don't know.
"Wow... Even after eating your dinner like you have an ant's stomach, do you still have the energy to do pull- ups nonstop? I really envy, as well as admire you a lot," I said, trying my best not to sound mocking or sarcastic.
She jumped out the window, towards me and started walking towards me. There was something different in her eyes from normal times. It was something I could have understood but, unfortunately, she immediately did something. She snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. She must have seen me noticing me.
"Oye you stupid idiot, are you jealous of me? You don't have six packs yet right? Because I do have." She said sarcastically.
" Oye you stupid idiot, are you missing me? I don't have six packs now. Because I have eight packs," I mimicked to her.
" Really? " She asked me, pretending to be really amused.
"Want me to show you?" I asked her mockingly.
" No, you aren't welcomed. And even if you do, she might get jealous. Don't even envy or admire me a lot, or else, she might break your bones," she said very calmly and innocently.
But it sounded more like a taunt. She even added a fake smile, and now I can finally tell at this time, she was trying to keep her angry temper in check. But whatever it was, it was enough for me to lose my temper and change my personality from an aqua snake to a fire - breathing dragon.
"Tsk... Why can't you understand that all they did was fake and planned? It was a set -up, but you, you won't even try to understand it. You can understand everything in this world. Even if anyone with a poker face like a actor who can win the award for not letting anyone read the expressions is lying, you can find it out, but you can't even understand that this was all planned only for our separation," I said angrily, but audible only to her.
And I guess it looks like it was also enough for her to lose her temper and get angry. She turned into a real looking fire -breathing dragon to a speaking fire - breathing dragon. Because she is already a fire - breathing dragon.
" Because I don't want to understand it and you. I really don't care about it. After all the stupid things your step - father said to me... I have no reason to understand you. And as I said, 'You aren't welcomed here', she repeated her order again.
Oh god! She is still thinking about the past.
"Why can't you let the past go? It was just a misunderstanding. You should try to understand it. I know you can. Just let go of the past," I exclaimed.
" What past? What let go? What kind of misunderstanding? If you are talking about our past, I've already let go of it. I don't want to keep painful memories in my mind. I have already forgotten about that, if that will help that woman, and you sleep peacefully tonight," she said, which made me more frustrated.
" You, why can't you understand it was all just a misunderstanding of yours. You need to keep this in your mind," I said.
We were both now doing whisper - shouting and yelling at each other. Only we both could hear our talks and complains, no other person can listen to our arguments because of our whisper- scolding.
"Are you out of your mind? I mean, I don't need confirmation. I already know you are an stupid idiot" She said , turning the directions.
"Don't try to change the topic. You have to tell me, what really had happened?" I asked her boldly.
"What do you mean? You already know about me. What else do you want to know? " She argued.
" You already know what I am talking about "I told her.
She went silent, clearly thinking about should she say it or not, or what should she say. Whatever it is, I could clearly see the conflict in her eyes. She stared intensely in my eyes, maybe trying to read my mind. I stared her back, but unlike her eyes, there was no challenge or conflict in my eyes. She finally exhaled deeply and harshly.
"Okay fine, you win. But you already know about it. You already know about me. I already had very much work load and then add to the problems which were caused by you. Yeah, your problems which caused, or no, which forced me to leave the orphanage, distract my mind and even go to therapies which took so much money to spend. All only and only because of you. I was just lucky enough to keep earning while I was still a teenager. "
She said, or rather she yelled on me to be exact. She yelled so loudly at me that she was breathing very deeply and all the other prisoners eyes were on us. But my eyes were on her. She was breathing very hardly, as if she would need a oxygen tank to have her attached. She calmed down immediately. Seems like she got control on herself.
"You should have told me about it. You know me and you also know my very weak- looking yet strong solutions. We could have definitely done anything. I know you already knew about it. Even if it was just a hint or a trace."
She said in a very cold poker face and she even emphasized the word 'we'.
"Hey, I am sorry. I just- " I was speaking but she interrupted me, or rather cut off to be exact.
"Sorry? Sorry for what? Didn't your stepfather already told me that you were engaged to her ?You were even going to marry her. And I even know you already. I know you are just lying. It is so easy for you to say it was a setup, but it is too hard for me to believe you now." She said very angrily, enough for everyone in the prison to hear her.
"Will you please shut that talk of my stepfather? I know I should have told you about it earlier but I didn't because I thought I can handle it. And I didn't want to tell you because I loved you then, always and forever. I thought that you would take too much tension and-" I was speaking but she cut me off again.
"Love for what? What kind of love was it? There is no such thing as forever. You should still have told me about it. It was about you."
"Huh? We are talking about my love for you, and it was really true." I said in a very soft voice, but she just sighed deeply and rolled her eyes.
"You say you love the the rain, but you open your umbrella.
You say you love the sun, but you find a shadow spot.
Then how can I ever trust you, when you say you love me?
I am so sick of this now. Sick of your love, and sick of you now, for real."
She said very rapidly and aggressively but her last words were too soft and whispered. She must have been gotten hurt too much too, just like me.
"Hey, nope. You just really have to let go of the past. You were about the spill the tea. (mimics her) "Even me! I am Iris' choice" Why do you have to remind everyone about it now? I thought you wanted to hide yourself from others." I said.
"So what? Even if I was about to spill the tea, what does it have with you to do? Wait a minute, were you eavesdropping on us? How shameless of you! You are a prince. At least act like one if you don't want to become a prince... And don't tell me what to do. I have already let go of the past of rather, our past to be exact. Don't blame me anymore." She said.
She was speaking so fast with me like she was a bullet train. It was like, one wrong word and she might punch me at anytime. But, wow! Her words and Joy's words were same. So, is it really my fault now?
"Hey, can't we be the same way we were before? Or at least, we can act like strangers. Maybe-" I was saying but she cut me off, again.
"Oh no. We can never be like before anymore, and we are already strangers, but the fact is that, we just know about each other too much because we were too close before. There is no turning back now. I even think that it's better if we both left each other for good. " She said.
"Why" I asked her.
"Why? why my foot! All of the heart- ache has already been turned into hate, and before you even told me to do so, I have already let go of my past with you from years. So stop irritating and frustrating me already or the result won't be good." She warned.
Oh my god! She took that on her heart? I just said her to let go of the past and regrets and here she is, getting hurt because of that now. Is it just me or I really need to be careful while speaking? I really have no idea now which word can affect how to a girl. And add to this stupid luck of mine, that this girl already came from a different species of animals. Her brain tends to overthink everything and her thoughts are worse now. She is really looking down on me now! I can't even ask anyone to help. I need to push on my luck. I just really hope that it works...