"I don't even know where to begin with you," Agney's voice cut through. He was standing before his desk, jaw taut as he frowned down at the boy kneeling on the ground. 

Harsh sat stiffly, occasionally squirming as his knees ached. He dared to steal a glance at the older male, but averted his gaze immediately to the carpet when he found him glaring. 

"It's not my fault she was adorable," Harsh mumbled.

"Adorable? First, you sneak out to sleep around with girls, and if that wasn't scandalous enough, you've decided to stop using your only brain cell too."

He grimaced, but didn't dare correct the older male. His cheek still throbbed with the phantom ache of slap days ago. Hearing insults was better than being slapped.

"Have you any idea what were you doing? You threw yourself in front of a car for a calf." Agney's jaw tightened. "Do you think this palace runs on your whims, Prince Harsh? What are you, a whimsical toddler?"

His fingers curled against his knees. "The electricity pole went off—"

"Silence." Agney's glare was lethal. "You had crossed the road. Without security, no less. After the attack, I've specifically instructed all of you to be careful, but you..." The king pinched his nosebridge, exhaling.

"Do you realize what could have happened?" Agney began again.

His fingers wrung, heart rate spiking. The memory of the car, the sound of screeching tires, the stranger's hand, all flashed through his mind. His stomach twisted. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to feel the fear again. 

Across the room, Prithvi shifted, expression grim as he made his way to Harsh. "Bhai is right," he said softly. "You scared me half to death. What were you thinking?"

Harsh looked away, feeling squirmish at the tightness in his chest. "I don't know. Maybe I lost my mind! Happy now?" He snapped.

Prithvi pulled away, lips pursed. "A cow, Harsh. You nearly died because of a cow."

"It was a baby cow!" Harsh burst out before he could stop himself. "She had the sweetest eyes! You should've met—"

"Enough."

He froze. 

Agney strode up to him, glaring him down. "From now on, you will not step beyond ten metres from any of us when you're out. I'll arrange a tracker that beeps if you do."

His head snapped up, eyes wide. "What?"

Prithvi nodded aggressively. "Best idea, bhai. He still hasn't grasped he had risked his life today."

"No! Absolutely not!" He argued back. "I'm not some toddler you need to put a leash on! Who are you guys even? My parents? Stop making it all about you."

Agney turned away, peering at a pearlish shade of paperweight on his desk as he turned a deaf ear.

"What is wrong with you both?" He yelled, turning to Prithvi who looked up at the ceiling. "Prithvi Rajvansh!"

Prithvi observed it carefully, as if it were the most fascinating thing he had ever encountered.

Harsh groaned, loudly, cringing to even think about it. "Prithvi bhai..." 

Still no response.

Agney looked at Prithvi with a confused frown. "Did you hear something?"

"No," Prithvi replied back, shrugging innocently. "Why will I? Is something here?"

Harsh gaped, however soon fury was coiling in his chest, threatening to erupt like lava. He breathed deeply.

"I will tell you what is here," he gritted, and screamed.

He screamed until his own ears rang, the scream splitting the room in two. However, both the older brothers ignored the deafening scream that echoed in the study.

Harsh coughed, mid scream, and went into a coughing spree.

"You—" cough, "I will," cough.

He groaned, holding his voice box. "Fuck, my throa—" The pain scraped at his insides. A cough triggered again. Tears welled in his eyes as he could barely breath with all the incessant coughing and his sore throat.

A second later, a glass of water was offered to him.

He shot Prithvi a lethal, bitter glare, but grabbed the glass nonetheless, chugging it down in seconds. 

"If you want to be a toddler, you will be treated like a toddler." Prithvi smiled provocatively. "Off to your room, baby boy." He waved him off.

"You're so—" Harsh groaned, clutching his sore throat while standing up slowly. Pain shot through his knees, but he didn't let it show on his flushed face.

With slumped shoulders, he glared weakly at them, breathing hard. Agney stared back at him, expression unreadable. Both the brothers watched as the boy trudged out of the study, leaving the door fully opened to spite Agney.

A guard stepped up to close it after Harsh.

"Do you believe he can sing with that voice?" Prithvi asked the guard.

The guard blinked, clueless, "ugh, I don't know, Your Highness."

"Well, he failed the audition. We have successfully managed to bury his obsession with singing now. We're Princes, not public entertainers," the younger prince continued to engage in a fake rant to mask the earlier outburst. "Besides, he is going to make a fool out of himself on stage. Honestly, I'm afraid for him when he sings with that tuneless voice," he continued to lament to the clueless guard who closed the door with a click sound.

Prithvi sighed loudly as he turned to Agney, exasperated. "That was embarrassing. Really. Anyways, bhai, you're going to regret it in the upcoming days. If he has any semblance to Jay, which I'm afraid they share it- our signature Rajvansh streak, he's going to sulk for days."

Agney's mouth twitched, almost in a smile.

He reminded so much of Jay when he was in his mid teens. Though Jay didn't use to scream, but he had a peculiar habit of throwing everything to the ground when he was aggravated. There was not a day when he fought with them, claiming he was a man already, and he should be taken seriously because he was a man.

Prithvi shifted on his other leg, uncrossing his arms and clasping them behind his back. He knew they couldn't only blame a teenager for being whimsical. "Bhai," he began carefully which immediately alerted Agney, "you should think about it again."

Agney straightened, his jaw tightening. "Raghav has been in charge post our bhaiya's death."

"I'm not questioning his loyalty," Prithvi replied quickly, meeting his gaze. "I'm questioning his competence. He has grown too comfortable. And comfort, in our world, is dangerous. This week has been a proof of it. Maybe he's not as efficient anymore."

Agney turned away, pacing slowly toward the window. "We haven't had a single attack in eight years under his watch. You think that's a coincidence? My decision to keep him in charge is what has kept this family alive."

Prithvi shook his head subtly, helpless and unable to voice what he feared might make his brother go ballistic. "Then... why now?" He asked breathlessly.

"Why the sudden failures? Why is our security slacking?" He continued. His shoulders stiffened as he sucked in a deep, long breath to voice what his heart wanted to suggest.

"Maybe your anger is blinding you to what is better. Maybe... maybe, it's time to give Neel another chance."

Agney's head snapped toward him. "Don't you dare voice his name before me," he snarled. "You call him... capable?"

"Capable...." Agney repeated again, slower with cruel amusement. "You mean... the guy whose ancestors had vowed to make death theirs before it could touch the crown? The man who let my brother die while he lived? The guy who should have fallen instead of him? You think I would ever give him a chance? Do you even hear yourself, Prithvi? Do you even know me at this point?"

Prithvi's courage faltered. He blinked, his heart pounding. "It's... not about the past. It's about what he can do now."

"The past is what he is." Agney scowled. "His failure is the only thing that defines him. I don't care if he's stronger, faster or smarter. He wasn't useful when we needed. He does not deserve the air he breathes. He does not deserve to stand anywhere near me, my family, or anything we have built. I don't forgive him. Will never till my last breath. The only reason he is breathing is because my bhaiya considered him his dearest friend. Do not ask me for more mercy. I'm afraid you'll see a monster in me that you won't recognise."

Prithvi let out a shaky breath. He tipped his head, his throat bobbing. "I shall take my leave, Your Majesty."

Agney stared at him, nodding imperceptibly. "You should," he whispered.

Prithvi turned to leave.

Neelakshi entered in after the Prince left, having seen the young man's crestfallen face. "Yes, your Majesty?"

Agney composed himself, face unreadable.

"Inform Raghav to immediately report to me anything he finds about the man who saved Prince Harsh. Tell him I want to express the royal family's gratitude personally."

Neelakshi nodded.

"Anything about Prince Yuvaan?"

"Unreachable." Neelakshi took one step closer, clasping her hands before her. "Also, our spies at the club have sighted him with the younger Chauhan Prince's right hand man. Varun Chauhan's mother had requested him to meet and spend some time with his twin sister, and that's why he is in Malaysia this summer. I think... Prince Yuvaan is friends with him again."

Agney exhaled tensely. "They're not friends, Neelakshi. You know that too. Keep track on Yuvaan's every business move from now on. Nothing should escape my watch. Anything on the attacker?"

"The team of hackers is working, however..." Neelakshi hesitated. "We're really sorry, your Majesty. It will take some time. Another four days. Unfortunately, we're not as fast as Prince Varun or Princess Vrishali."

Agney's jaw tightened. He swallowed his frustration and tensely looked away.

*** 

Jay had just finished his stretched for his stiff muscles when the phone buzzed. His spy had sent him an urgent update. He froze, pulse hammering in his ears. He dialled his twin's number instantly. 

One of the men stationed to keep him on house arrest, stepped forward, blocking him.
"You're not allowed to call anyone, kid."

His jaw tightened. He didn't even lower the phone as his other hand shot out, grabbing the guard's wrist, twisting it hard in just a split second. The man grunted, the gun slipping from his grip. Jay caught it midair fluidly, and shoved the barrel up under the guard's chin, eyes dark with menace.

"This is a family emergency," he growled, eyes hard. "Back off, dog," he spat. 

The guard froze. Jay's voice never wavered as he turned slightly away, attention snapping back to the answered call where rapid hooves pounded against packed dirt, punctuated by a snort of horse racing nearby and the sound of winds cracking over the line.

"He's not dead. That's why I didn't tell you," Shay replied after a moment.

Jay tossed the gun back to the stunned guard who caught it, fumbling. 

"But how did this happen? Did a cow attack him? Attacked by horns?" He walked to a corner, lowering his voice.

"Well, technically, it was an electricity pole that made him panic. But yeah, you can blame baby cows."

"Baby cows! That brat almost ran into a car... because of.... baby cows!"

"Correction- baby cow. My bad."

Jay gaped, jaw slack. He groaned, running a restless hand through his hair. "Unbelievable! Of all the reasons men in our bloodline die- poison, betrayal, war, attack, ambush, car accidents, we have to watch out for... baby cows now? How does he even manage to get himself into these ridiculous situations? How dumb and brainless can he be? I'll get a seizure at this point."

"Like I said earlier, electricity pole is the culprit. It went off and he panicked, and then... he accidentally ran before a car to get away from the sparks. But the first reason why he was in such a hazardous situation was because of... well, a baby cow. Prithvi bhai had taken him to a lake for the immersion of his mother's ashes. They were just done with it, ready to head home when a group of journalists swarmed bhai. By the time, the security managed to fend them off, the boy was on the other side of the road. Frolicking with a cow's calf. Which he claims is the most adorable creature in the world. Bhai told me that."

Jay gaped. "What?

"Look, Prithvi bhai is really upset right now. I'm with him. We'll talk later."

"No, we will talk now. Is that brat even in one piece?"

"Yeah? Why won't he be?" 

The tension from his chest alleviated just a fraction. He had imagined worse. Still, the paranoia wouldn't let him sit idle.

Jay glared at the late, sunny morning sky, his face taut. "I don't believe you. What if he's hiding his injury and randomly decides to drop dead? What if he is already dead? There's no way he can simply walk alive out of that stunt. He should have been flattened into a pancake already. Go, check on him."

"Are you serious?"

"I said, check on him," he gritted. "Inspect him closely. God, he's such a himbo, on top of being bratty and crybaby. You've got an hour. Report to me about that fragile crybaby."

He frowned at the sudden white noise. "Hello? Shay?" He pulled back his phone, only to find it hung up.

His jaw clenched. His twin better take him serious.