vdityv - Tumblr blog

[vdityv]

@vstridb​

“ hi. you’re ebba’s sister, yes? i have a job for you. ”

[vdityv]

tvkla​:

“  you’ve been scarce !  ”    first she’d heard he’d gone home, but so had his cousin. it must have been a family thing, after that, he’d been impossible to find.  “ we got what we wanted, ”  we. the we she’s almost certain has been mutually agreed previously. he had paid an exhorbitant amount of money at the auction for this ‘we’. “ what’s the matter, did he not propose how you suggested ? ”   [  @vdityv​ ]

“ we are very excited. ” assurance lines the crinkle of his eyes. “ and busy. very, very busy. ” had she not seen the headline? rajasthan could only implement so many curfews to curb the protests, adi half-expected to see blonde effigies burning any day now. rajasthanis were traditional, passionate and loud. “ rohan is a solider through and through, he could always be more romantic.....but i had also hoped that ebba would be more welcomed. they have our support but it is a pain point they will have to work through. it will take time. are you looking forward to the festivities? ”

[vdityv]

vhvnv​:

is he lucky or are they unlucky ?  a part of her had ardently hoped the ruckus would draw out, reach a crescendo at just the right time, so that the chauhans could slip their pursuits to the fore and come out the other side looking positively golden. and now rohan’s fiancée has a southern voice openly supporting her ? over a chat at one gala ?  “ the ilaya thamburan… prashanth. ” aditya’s brother in law. “ do you think he knows ? ”  about what you did. had the statement in ebba’s support truly stem from some shared affinity for elephants or could he be playing a larger game ?  aditya’s wife may not have told her family, but some things could be kept between siblings. 

it had only been in the last couple months that the thamburan’s sister had become amenable to discussions again. discussions about them as husband and wife and what their future would look like. it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility to have taken advice from her brother. “ i think...if he meant to use it, he would have by now. it loses potency the more time passes. if she told him, she must have only received personal advice. not political. ” and adi was far too grateful for the open door to suggest otherwise. “ kerala has been more modern about this for quite some time. they are keen on progress....and sometimes it is easier when it’s not their own royals. ”

[vdityv]

vhvnv​:

“ i thought he would wait longer. ”  the public reaction had been predictable, but the princess seems to have more support than ahana had originally thought. “ did you know when he’d planned to do it ? ”  [ @vdityv​ ]

“ he’s over forty, di, i don’t think he could wait much longer. i didn’t know when. ” but it hadn’t been impossible to glean from the uncertain look that occasionally crossed his cousin’s face, a subtle tenseness with which he held himself more recently. like a solider preparing for battle. the war was two pronged, the marriage and the crown, it was best to face them sooner rather than later. “ the protests...he’s lucky they didn’t start burning effigies. ” rajasthan was protective over their prodigal son.  

[vdityv]

HRH ADITYA CHAUHAN @ THE BOURBON-ANJOU BALL, MADRID

[vdityv]

scnhaera​:

“ and i’m offended you think i shop at stores. ”  everything is always brought to her.  the thought of going into a store gives her the chills.  “ we could be —  we could be considered…  as… — fr— ”  she clears her throat,  she would not call him her friend.  “ business partners…  anyway!  i or,  we —  we need to come up with something great enough so my husband makes me a board member. ”

“...you seem a little confused -- your husband and i are business partners. ” the duchess was an acceptable necessary cost of doing business, one he could tolerate amiably enough. “ we do not need to come up with anything. what sort of business insight could you provide to younghoon that he can’t already get? ” amusement teases his grin wider. “ are you capable of being a silent member? ”

[vdityv]

rchvnt​:

“ the food here is shit. unless we drive for at least an hour. but there’s halwa. maa sent. you’ll have some ? ”    /.  @vdityv​

“ ya, of course bhai. i thought the punjabi population here was supposed to be high. was the program always in the middle of nowhere like this? what did you eat? ”

[vdityv]

scnhaera​:

“ i said i need your help. ”

“ interesting -- for what? i’m not going to carry shopping bags for you, i know you have staff for that. ”

[vdityv]

scnhaera​:

“ are you seriously going to make me repeat myself. ”

“ i didn’t hear you. i’m listening now. ”

[vdityv]

vhvnv​:

may cause problems ? he does not think this has caused problems for her already ?  and what had happened to the ‘us’ they’d toted when papa had first mentioned the probability of death — both rulers in their own right ? what happened to the ‘us’ they’d fulfilled, not necessarily impressively, but at least in practice for the past few years ?  is this the behaviour of somebody that believed in anything he had promised ?  now, she has been left by herself again. she can hardly take meetings with the other heads of state, from the apprehension gnawing inside her — north, south, right, left, middle, it doesn’t matter where from. this is a media-trained answer he is recounting. he had given his wife a media-trained answer and now he is trying to construct the same towards her. “ your issue. ”  she corrects quietly. “ your mistake. ”  had he come to her, or anyone else when his marriage had been less than stable, she would have had more sympathy, but now, as far as she is concerned his wife has done nothing wrong. trying to act like his actions had been born of some mutual error will only test her patience, and she has given him an ample amount of it. it would be insulting.  “ sorry is only valuable when one feels it and means it for the right reasons. ”  and the grace period that she has so generously granted him is over.  “ it is already may. rohan and i will handle this. ”  if their cousin had any respect for his elders left in him, she wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. “ i will be telling mummy what happened tomorrow. once she knows, manav will get to know as well. ”

“ my mistake. ” that he is willing to agree to. but isn’t only his issues, he knows. this is why telling di hadn’t seemed like an option, what advice could she give when she and manav had been so well matched. their goals aligned. did she have the experience of solving marital discord when none arose in the first place? “ teek hai -- if you need something from me... ” perhaps she wouldn’t trust him to help with this anymore. and adi didn’t think there was any contribution he could make that would have impact. “ please tell me, di. ” but the offer had to be made. there was nothing to do but settle in for his scolding and hope his wife would have enough mercy to give guidance on reparations, outside of space. or at least some clarity on whether she still wanted anything to do with him. the discomfort of waiting gives way to surprise. “ you haven’t told jijaji, yet? ”

[vdityv]

scnhaera​:

“ i called you here today because… ”  she stalls.  “ because— ”  she stalls again.  “ because i need your help. ”  she admits through gritted teeth.  ( @vdityv​ )

“ sorry, i just received a text from my daughters -- what did you say? ”

[vdityv]

vhvnv​:

no she didn’t say anything. that is vexing on its own. nevertheless, should she be expected to ? ahana herself, has turned the situation several times over in her mind. her reaction to the news has been a reserved one, as always. she has not said much to aditya on the subject. it is hard to empathise with his wife. seeing things from her perspective is vital to understanding what she’d want, or what she’d need, it is the basis to any negotiation. her husband and her brother are two very different people. until four months ago, she had thought they had more in common than they do now. “ what is there to say ?  i saw her speaking to mummy. that was it. ”  the typical southern thing to do — make a beeline for the eldest matriarch of the family, because it was licence to avoid everyone else, before promptly ducking out. “ what have you said ? ”

so she had not mentioned anything to maa either. adi was no longer feeling optimistic enough to assume that meant his wife intended to solve this just between themselves. if she wasn’t talking to him, surely she’d be talking to someone. he rubs at his eyes blearily, his marriage has been a problem he could not fix for some time now. whatever he says likely rings hollow, and he cannot figure out how to convey his sincerity. “ i apologized. said that it was a mistake. that t went as far as it was going to go, no further. it wouldn’t happen again. it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. ” that he loves her. “ that our marriage matters to me. ” laying his issues out in the open feels no better than when they were kept under wraps, seething arguments exchanged behind closed doors. heat felt better than this distance. the lack of judgement then had been nice too. “ i know our issues may cause problems for you, i’m sorry for it. ”

[vdityv]

vhvnv​:

“ you think i would pull them out of boarding school because there are extra bedrooms ? ”  the fourth month is almost over, but it is difficult not to look at him differently. how can anyone expect his wife to ?   “  i saw her in delhi. ”  

he doesn’t. but his place feels noticeably empty. “ did she say anything? ” when they’d last spoken, adi had been told to give space. the only words they exchange lately are his ‘ hello ’  and her ‘ the girls are here ’ over the phone.  

[vdityv]

@vhvnv​

“ what are you doing with the extra bedrooms, di? will the boys be joining? ”

[vdityv]

parkoldhoon​:

“ that’s a reasonable suggestion. ” if worry had been the sole driver in his decision making, he would’ve pulled them out of the program. “ i’m not entirely convinced of the preventative measures put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again. ”

the self-effacing smile does little to mitigate the suspicion in his eyes. suggestion did not mean correct, and the duke had always minced his words. “ but still you came, ” adi points out good naturedly, warm and patient. “ is this your next deal? program security? i’m not sure they would have the budget for whatever product you could get your r&d teams to make. ”

[vdityv]

parkoldhoon​:

“ i’m sorry to hear that. feel free to contact customer service. i’ll be sure to escalate it as a sign of good faith. ”

“ so funny. you were worried about her and jinny, weren’t you -- that’s why you joined now. ”

[vdityv]

@parkoldhoon​

“ finally. do you know what a terror your wife is? ”