Scene – Ministry Office
The ministry office remained unusually calm.
For once—
No shouting from Aryav.No dramatic complaints from Kavya.No puppies running around causing chaos.
Only the sound of scrolls being moved and papers being arranged filled the room.
Tara sat at her desk, reviewing documents with visible boredom while Satyadhara rested nearby, half asleep against the wall.
Tara: Why do these reports always repeat the same thing over and over again…
Kavya sighed dramatically while leaning over a stack of records.
Kavya: Because ministers enjoy torturing innocent workers like us.
Aryav immediately pointed at her.
Aryav: Exactly! Finally you speak wisdom for once.
Kavya: "For once"!?
Before another argument could begin—
The office door suddenly opened.
A palace servant hurried inside.
Servant: Lady Tara?
Tara looked up.
Tara: Hm?
Servant: You have been urgently summoned.
Everyone paused.
Tara: Summoned? By who?
The servant hesitated for a brief moment.
Servant: I… was only ordered to deliver the message.
Tara frowned slightly.
Tara: Ordered from where?
Servant: The eastern archive corridor, Lady Tara. You are required there immediately.
Aryav tilted his head.
Aryav: Eastern archive? What's even there?
Kavya crossed her arms.
Kavya: Probably another dusty room full of old records nobody cares about.
Tara let out a tired sigh before standing up.
Tara: Wonderful. My favorite thing in the world.
Malini chuckled softly.
Malini: I will come with you.
Satyadhara immediately stood up as well, the puppies lazily peeking out from his clothes.
Satyadhara: Me too. If this turns into another weird palace situation, I'm not dealing with it afterward.
Tara grabbed the scroll she had been working on and waved her hand dismissively.
Tara: Fine. Aryav, Kavya, don't destroy the office while I'm gone.
Aryav immediately looked offended.
Aryav: Why do you always assume we are the problem!?
Kavya pointed at him instantly.
Kavya: Because you ARE the problem.
Aryav: EXCUSE ME!?
Tara shook her head with a small laugh before walking out with Malini and Satyadhara behind her.
The office door closed.
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
The door opened again.
Aryav immediately turned.
Aryav: Did you forget some—
His voice stopped instantly.
Kavya's posture straightened immediately.
Princess Mira stood at the entrance.
The atmosphere in the room completely changed.
Aryav: P-Princess!?
Both of them immediately stood properly and bowed.
Aryav: Greetings, Princess.
Kavya: Greetings, Princess.
Mira walked inside without responding.
Her expression already looked irritated—as if merely being here annoyed her.
Her eyes scanned the room briefly.
Mira: Where is Tara?
Aryav and Kavya exchanged a quick glance.
Kavya: She was summoned elsewhere just now, Princess.
Mira crossed her arms.
Mira: I know.
That answer alone made both of them tense slightly.
Mira slowly walked around the office, inspecting shelves, desks, scattered papers—
Like she was silently judging everything.
Mira: You two work closely with her.
Not a question.
A statement.
Aryav forced a smile nervously.
Aryav: Y-Yes… somewhat.
Mira stopped.
Turned toward them sharply.
Mira: "Somewhat?"
Aryav immediately stiffened.
Aryav: I mean—very closely.
Kavya closed her eyes for a brief moment in secondhand embarrassment.
Mira stared at them for a second longer before speaking again.
Mira: Then tell me what kind of person she is.
Silence.
Aryav blinked.
Aryav: Uh…
Kavya spoke carefully.
Kavya: Tara is… hardworking.
Mira's face immediately showed annoyance.
Mira: Obviously.
A pause.
Mira: I asked what kind of person she is. Not the nonsense written in official records.
Aryav and Kavya exchanged another glance.
Mira stepped closer.
Mira: Does she always behave so casually around powerful people?
Aryav accidentally answered too quickly.
Aryav: She behaves casually around everyone.
Kavya immediately elbowed him.
Aryav: OW!?
Mira narrowed her eyes slightly.
Mira: Interesting.
She continued walking slowly around the office.
Mira: And she normally gets involved in palace matters this important?
Kavya hesitated.
Kavya: Not… usually.
Mira: Yet somehow she gained my brother's attention very quickly.
The room became still.
Aryav immediately started sweating.
Aryav: W-Well that's—
Kavya cut him off quickly.
Kavya: I believe it was simply because of the pavilion incident, Princess.
Mira looked unconvinced.
Mira: Hm.
A pause.
Mira: And what exactly is her relationship with my brother?
Both of them froze completely.
Aryav: R-Relationship!?
Kavya nearly stepped on his foot trying to stop him from talking.
Kavya: There is no improper relationship, Princess.
Mira's eyes sharpened slightly.
Mira: I did not say improper.
Silence.
Aryav mentally cursed himself.
Mira watched their reactions carefully.
Every hesitation.
Every nervous glance.
Mira: You two are terrible liars.
Aryav immediately panicked.
Aryav: We are not lying!
Kavya smacked her forehead.
Mira let out an annoyed breath.
Mira: Relax. If there truly was something scandalous, neither of you would survive long enough to look this nervous.
Aryav and Kavya instantly went pale.
Mira continued casually—
Mira: Though it seems my brother is not the only powerful person close to her.
Kavya's eyes shifted slightly.
Too slightly for most people to notice.
But Mira noticed.
Mira: Ah.
A faint smirk appeared.
Mira: There IS someone else.
Aryav realized too late.
Aryav: WAIT—
Mira stepped closer immediately.
Mira: Who?
Silence.
Kavya tried to recover.
Kavya: Princess, it is nothing political—
Mira: Name.
Her tone snapped sharply across the room.
Aryav folded instantly under pressure.
Aryav: Arin.
Silence.
Mira stopped moving completely.
Mira: …
Her expression slowly changed.
Not anger.
Something more dangerous.
Interest.
Mira: Arin?
Kavya glared at Aryav with pure disbelief.
Aryav: I PANICKED OKAY!?
Mira ignored them entirely now.
Her thoughts already racing.
Mira: So that girl is close to both my brother… and Arin.
A faint scoff escaped her.
Mira: What exactly are you…
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Mira: Tara.
Without another word—
She turned and walked out.
Leaving Aryav and Kavya completely devastated behind her.
Aryav slowly looked toward Kavya.
Aryav: We're dead.
Kavya: We are beyond dead.
Scene – Eastern Archive Corridor
Meanwhile—
Tara finally arrived at the eastern archive corridor with Malini and Satyadhara behind her.
The place was completely silent.
No guards.
No servants.
No officials.
Empty.
Tara blinked.
Tara: …What?
She looked around in confusion.
Tara: There's nobody here.
Malini frowned slightly.
Malini: This place looks abandoned.
Satyadhara slowly looked around suspiciously.
Even the puppies quietly peeked out from his sleeves.
Satyadhara: I don't like this.
Tara stepped further into the corridor.
Still nothing.
No meeting.
No summons.
No reason.
Only silence.
Tara: Then why was I called here…?
The corridor remained empty.
Quiet.
Watching.
Scene – Ministry Office
Meanwhile—
Back at the ministry office—
The atmosphere had become painfully unnatural.
Aryav sat completely still in his chair.
Which itself looked horrifying.
Kavya held a document in front of her face—
Upside down.
And somehow still pretending to read it.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither moved.
The office had fallen into a silence so strange that even the air itself felt uncomfortable.
Finally—
Aryav whispered quietly.
Aryav: We are finished.
Kavya didn't even look at him.
Kavya: Stop talking.
Aryav: No seriously. This time we are ACTUALLY finished.
Kavya slowly lowered the upside-down document.
Kavya: Why did you say Arin's name!?
Aryav immediately pointed at her defensively.
Aryav: SHE was terrifying alright!? She looked at me like she was about to execute my entire family line!
Kavya rubbed her forehead in frustration.
Kavya: So your solution was to expose even MORE information!?
Aryav: I PANICKED!
Kavya: You ALWAYS panic!
Aryav suddenly stood up dramatically.
Aryav: Because terrifying royal people KEEP appearing in our office!
Before Kavya could reply—
The office door suddenly opened.
Both of them nearly jumped from their seats.
Tara stepped inside first.
Malini and Satyadhara followed behind her.
The moment Tara entered—
She immediately stopped.
Tara: …
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
No screaming.
No arguments.
No chaos.
No unnecessary complaints from Aryav.
The silence itself looked suspicious.
Tara slowly narrowed her eyes.
Tara: Why is it so quiet?
Aryav immediately stood up WAY too fast.
Aryav: QUIET!? WHAT QUIET!? HAHAHAHA!
His fake laugh echoed awkwardly through the office.
Nobody else laughed.
Tara stared at him blankly.
Tara: …
Malini slowly looked toward Kavya—
Who was STILL holding the upside-down paper.
Malini: Kavya.
Kavya blinked.
Malini: Your document is upside down.
Kavya immediately flipped it around.
Kavya: I knew that.
Tara crossed her arms slowly.
Tara: What happened here?
Both Aryav and Kavya froze.
Aryav: N-Nothing happened!
Tara: Then why do both of you look like you survived an assassination attempt?
Aryav opened his mouth—
Then closed it again.
Satyadhara quietly stepped further inside the office.
His eyes moving carefully between both of them.
Reading them.
Satyadhara: Something definitely happened.
Kavya forced a smile that looked painfully fake.
Kavya: Nope. Nothing suspicious happened at all while you were gone.
A long silence.
Tara's eyes narrowed even further.
Tara: That sentence itself sounded suspicious.
Aryav immediately slapped his own forehead.
Aryav: Right. Right. I should stop speaking.
Kavya pointed at him instantly.
Kavya: YES. PLEASE DO.
Malini slowly sat down nearby, now visibly entertained by the situation.
Malini: Alright now I definitely want to know what happened.
Tara stepped closer toward them.
Tara: Start explaining.
Aryav and Kavya exchanged nervous glances.
Neither wanted to speak first.
Tara: Aryav.
Aryav immediately straightened up.
Aryav: Yes!?
Tara: Speak.
Aryav looked toward Kavya desperately.
Kavya looked away instantly.
Aryav: Traitor…
Tara crossed her arms tighter.
Tara: Aryav.
Aryav finally sighed dramatically in defeat.
Aryav: The emperor's sister came here.
Silence filled the room instantly.
Tara blinked once.
Tara: …The princess?
Kavya nodded carefully.
Kavya: Princess Mira.
Tara looked genuinely confused now.
Tara: Why would she come HERE?
Aryav and Kavya exchanged another nervous glance.
Malini immediately noticed it.
Malini: Oh no.
Satyadhara slowly crossed his arms.
Satyadhara: What exactly did she ask?
Kavya hesitated briefly before answering.
Kavya: Mostly about Tara.
Tara blinked.
Tara: About me?
Aryav nodded quickly.
Aryav: Like… a LOT about you.
Tara looked even more confused now.
Tara: Why?
Kavya sighed.
Kavya: We do not know.
Aryav immediately added—
Aryav: But she was VERY scary.
Kavya: That part is true.
Malini smirked slightly.
Malini: And what exactly did our brave warriors reveal under pressure?
Both Aryav and Kavya immediately looked away.
Tara slowly narrowed her eyes.
Tara: …
Tara: What did you two say?
Aryav instantly panicked.
Aryav: NOT MUCH!
Kavya immediately pointed at him.
Kavya: HE said most of it!
Aryav looked betrayed.
Aryav: YOU WERE ALSO THERE!?
Kavya: I was trying to SAVE the situation!
Aryav: You watched me suffer alone!
Tara suddenly stepped closer.
Tara: Aryav.
Aryav froze instantly.
Tara: What. Did. You. Say.
Aryav nervously scratched the back of his head.
Aryav: W-Well…
He looked away awkwardly.
Aryav: She asked if you were close to powerful people…
Tara blinked.
Tara: …And?
Aryav visibly hesitated now.
Aryav: And I might have accidentally mentioned Arin.
Complete silence.
Malini's eyes widened slightly.
Satyadhara slowly lowered his head into his hand.
Kavya immediately pointed at Aryav again.
Kavya: I TOLD YOU NOT TO SPEAK.
Aryav: I WAS UNDER PRESSURE!
Tara stared at him blankly.
Absolutely speechless.
Tara: You told the emperor's sister that I regularly meet Arin?
Aryav immediately waved his hands desperately.
Aryav: NOT EXACTLY LIKE THAT!
Kavya folded her arms.
Kavya: It was actually worse.
Aryav: WHY ARE YOU AGAINST ME TODAY!?
Malini could no longer hold herself back and started laughing quietly.
Malini: This is becoming interesting.
Tara looked genuinely exhausted now.
Tara: Wonderful.
She slowly sat down and covered part of her face with her hand.
Tara: First a fake summons drags me across the palace for no reason.
A pause.
Tara: Then the emperor's terrifying sister interrogates my office while I am gone.
Another pause.
Tara: And somehow Arin gets dragged into this mess too.
Aryav carefully raised his hand slightly.
Aryav: In my defense—
Tara immediately pointed at him without even looking.
Tara: Stop talking.
Aryav immediately lowered his hand.
Satyadhara however remained thoughtful.
Far more thoughtful than the others.
Satyadhara: The fake summons and the princess appearing here at the same time…
A pause.
Satyadhara: That was not coincidence.
The room slowly became quieter again.
Now even Tara looked more serious.
Malini leaned slightly against the desk.
Malini: So the princess intentionally removed Tara from the office just to question you two?
Kavya slowly nodded.
Kavya: Most likely.
Tara frowned slightly.
Tara: But why is she suddenly interested in me?
Nobody answered immediately.
Because nobody truly knew.
Aryav however slowly raised his hand again nervously.
Aryav: …I may have another bad news.
Kavya immediately looked horrified.
Kavya: WHAT ELSE DID YOU SAY!?
Aryav instantly defended himself.
Aryav: NOT ON PURPOSE!
Tara slowly looked toward him with complete exhaustion visible on her face.
Tara: Aryav… speak carefully before I throw you out of this office myself.
Aryav swallowed nervously.
Aryav: Well…
A pause.
Aryav: I might have accidentally made it sound like you and Arin are very close.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Malini stopped smiling for a moment.
Kavya slowly covered her face.
Kavya: We are finished.
Tara stared at Aryav in disbelief.
Tara: You WHAT?
Aryav immediately panicked.
Aryav: I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!
Tara suddenly stood up from her seat.
Tara: Aryav!
Aryav: SHE KEPT STARING AT ME LIKE SOME KIND OF DEMON!
Kavya pointed at him aggressively.
Kavya: So your survival instinct decided to expose military information!?
Aryav: I PANICKED OKAY!?
Tara took a deep breath and held her forehead in frustration.
Tara: Do you people even realize how dangerous this sounds inside the royal palace?
Now even Aryav slowly calmed down.
Because Tara's tone had become genuinely serious.
Tara slowly lowered her hand and looked at both of them.
Tara: Arin is not some random minister…
A pause.
Tara: He is the Military Chief of the entire empire.
The atmosphere in the room became heavier.
Tara: Do you understand what kind of position that is?
Nobody interrupted her.
Tara: Half the nobles inside this palace were terrified when the late emperor died because they thought Arin would overthrow the throne himself.
Malini quietly crossed her arms.
Listening carefully.
Tara: He controls the imperial military. The cavalry respects him more than anyone else in the empire.
A brief pause.
Tara: And despite all of that… he still chose to remain loyal to Chandraveer.
Satyadhara's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Tara: Which means rumors involving his name are not something people inside the palace take lightly.
Aryav slowly shrank into his chair.
Aryav: …When you say it like that it sounds REALLY bad.
Kavya immediately turned toward him.
Kavya: BECAUSE IT IS REALLY BAD.
Aryav buried his face into the desk dramatically.
Aryav: I'm dead.
Malini however looked more thoughtful now than amused.
Malini: So the princess hearing that Tara is connected to both the emperor… and Arin…
A pause.
Malini: Politically, that sounds terrifying.
Tara slowly exhaled.
Tara: Exactly.
The room fell silent again.
This time—
Not awkward silence.
But the silence of everyone finally understanding how dangerous this situation could become.