"They call me Rajvardhan here. A nobleman. A courtier. A trusted shadow in the durbar. But that's not who I am."

I was born Sahir Zaman — not to royalty, not to riches — but to silence, secrets, and the weight of duty. Trained in the shadows, my life was a map of other men’s lies. I was sent to Hindustan not to rule it, but to watch it burn. To gather names, sow doubts, and report what kings feared most — truth.

This land was never meant to be home. Until I saw her.

Naina

The healer’s daughter — loud where I was quiet, stubborn where I was calm. She walked like she belonged to the soil and the stars alike, with fire in her words and softness in her silence.

I watched her before I spoke to her. Watched how she stitched wounds and scolded soldiers twice her size. I told myself she was a distraction. But her gaze — it undid me.

What began as careful glances turned to stolen conversations. Then touches. Then longing.

We are not meant for peace, her and I. We are the fire and the smoke that follows.

And yet... if I were ever to betray my mission, my name, my past — it would be for her.

But how do you tell a woman you love her... When everything you’ve told her is a lie?