I walked back to my chamber and found Kesar sitting on the edge of my bed. She was folding my clothes, neatly stacking them on top of the others.

I stopped by the doorway and watched the Kennari in silence. She was placing some blooming jasmines between the fabrics to make them smell good. I realized no one could take care of me the way Kesar could. But once in a while, I heard her sniff as if she had been crying.

"Kesar?" I called out to her and took a few steps forward. The maiden frantically wiped her eyes before turning around.

"Yes, my lady?" She bowed. I went...