"Whatttt?"
"What did you say?"
Elena lost her calm at once upon hearing Amar's wild remarks.
If the earlier part of Amar's sentence about getting the news of Sameera filled her heart with inexplicable excitement, the latter part threw the same emotion into a complete chaos.
"Yes, that's how it is!"
Amar gave a deep sigh, his tone became sad to appear more in the act.
"As you know, I am well-aware about how much you care about Sameera, so I enquired about her from my newly appointed captain Robert, who has come back from the capital just two days back."
"Luckily when I mentioned Sameera's name, his eyes shone and he spoke non-stop but…"
Like a soap-opera actor who plays with people's feelings, Amar took an intentional pause.
Hearing his deep sigh and a long pause, there were two emotions in Elena's trembling eyes;
Anticipation and Fear.
Among them fear was prominent, filled with unequivocal suspense.
"Yes, Sameera has become a well-known royal knight now, but it is rumored that she is having an affair with a maid from the palace. They both even went on a secret mission together."
Amar stared straight into her eyes,
"I am sorry Elena."
He gave her a soft apology that was completely different from his previous villainous personality.
"Nooo!"
"No!"
"Yes, you are definitely lying!"
"Sameera only loves me, there's no way she will cheat on me!"
Elena spoke with a stuttering mouth, her shaky voice was evidence that she herself didn't have the confidence to support her words.
'Seeing her already reacting like this, haha it seems the strategy is perfectly working fine.'
'Divide and Rule is the way to go!'
Amar maintained his straight gaze,
"I knew you wouldn't believe me."
"That's why I will take you to catch them in the act."
Looking at her confused expression, he continued.
"Yes, the place where Sameera and that royal maid went for their secret mission is a cave which is just about two hours from here."
"You can directly go with me there and ask her if it's true or not!"
Having already confirmed that Sameera was the female protagonist of this game world, Amar had to hurry if he wanted to catch her and fool Elena.
Elena looked at him with an entangled face, still not fully believing him.
"After all, I am now your husband!"
Amar shook his hands in dismay, trying to convey how wronged he felt when she still hesitated to believe him.
Hearing such righteous words, Elena's mouth finally opened, "Why are you doing this?"
Hearing her words, there was no panic on his face.
"Didn't I say how beautiful you were last night?"
"If I wanted to have sex, I would have already ravished you yesterday itself….. just like the first night we spent together."
"Although I agreed to set you free and not report anything about your and Sameera's relationship to those weird priests, the deal is you will have to act like a proper wife for 2 months."
"Since you are acting like a proper wife for 2 months, then it's my duty to act as a proper husband likewise."
"Now, naturally I am seeing you sad like a puppet without a soul since the first night I slept with you."
"If things go like this then you will become mentally sick."
He maintained his straight gaze, seeing her looking at him, he knew he managed to get her attention, after taking a deep breath he spoke again.
"And if letting you meet that Sameera can put a damn smile on your gloomy face then so be it, I am willing to take a step back this time."
"You have the right to know what is happening behind your back?"
"Moreover, I still have faith in your character. I know that you won't run away with her anyway until the two month period of deal is over."
Amar was not that good with words, but he was pretty confident in his ability to express himself.
His body language spoke everything.
Elena just listened to him silently.
At first, she never intended to believe him.
In her perspective, all men are inherent liars.
The more you listen to them the more you hesitate.
But Amar even told her to see Sameera and confirm things with her own eyes.
This single sentence completely broke her defence.
Suspicion is like a seed which is very hard to plant, but once it gets planted in people's heart, no matter how deep the feelings are, the relationship will never be the same.
And that's what Amar was doing, he was planting the seeds of suspicion in Elena's tightly guarded heart because he wanted her to submit to him wholeheartedly. This thing was only possible when she completely gave up on Sameera.
'What? Will he let me meet with my dear Sameera so that a smile can appear on my sad face? What a weird character this boy has?'
Elena hesitated,
Hesitated as she unravelled the possibility, What would she do if what Amar told was real?
She loves Sameera so much, but if she cheats on her, can she forgive her? Can things remain the same between them?
There were so many what-ifs in her head.
But she still wanted to see Sameera. It was one complete month since she last saw her lover. She wanted to see how she was doing.
Has Sammera been okay?
Did she miss her too?
Was she also sad because of being separated from each other? There was even a faint scene of an affectionate reunion hug imagined in her quirky mind, but if Amar knew these Elena's little thoughts, he would have laughed out aloud.
Letting them reunite in peace? Sorry, but Amar will never let such things happen.
Her tightly guarded heart finally wavered.
"Are you sure Sameera will be there?"
"What if you are lying?"
She still asked warily.
Compared to Amar, who she had known for only three days, she still trusted her Sameera more, whom she had known for months in real life.
"Then you can decide the punishment if I lie!"
Amar shrugged off his shoulders helplessly.
Elena thought for a moment before a small smile appeared on her face.
"If you are lying then you won't be allowed to enter my room for the remaining 2 months till our deal concludes."
This time she looked at him triumphantly.
But how can Amar back off?
"Sure I can agree…..but if I am lying I am getting a punishment and if I am right, then I will get nothing, that's quite unfair, isn't it?"
"There must be an appropriate reward too."
Amar replied as if it was a matter-of-fact.
"Oh, then what do you want?"
Elena looked at him with a pair of sharp eyes.
"Let's keep it a secret. It's better to have some suspense, don't you think?"
"Fine!"
Elena agreed calmly, in her head, just like Amar…she too thought that she had already won this simple bet.
In her heart, Sameera will never lie or cheat on her.
Both sides looked at each other with a smile of a victor, but Amar knew who would have the last laugh.
Without wasting any further time, he brought her to the carriage waiting outside that was long prepared by him.