UDAIPUR – THE CITY OF LAKES
The city that whispers stories of love, passion, and timeless beauty.
A city where magnificent palaces stand proudly beside shimmering lakes, where every street carries echoes of history, and where every sunrise feels like the beginning of a fairytale.
In the heart of this enchanting city stood one of Rajasthan's most prestigious institutions—
Padmavat University.
Students rushed through corridors carrying books and assignments while professors hurried toward their lectures.
Among them was a girl running as if her life depended on it.
She was none other than Aishwarya Varma.
Dressed in a red suit, silver bangles adorning her wrists, delicate earrings swaying with every step, and her waist-length hair flowing behind her, she looked effortlessly beautiful.
The soft chime of her anklets echoed through the corridor as she ran.
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AISHWARYA'S POV
"Aaj toh meri izzat ka falooda hone wala hai."
(Today my reputation is officially doomed.)
I looked at my wristwatch and almost screamed.
Five minutes late.
FIVE WHOLE MINUTES.
"Shabash Aishwarya. Khud professor ho aur khud hi apni class ke liye late ho."
(Bravo Aishwarya. You're a professor who's late for her own lecture.)
If the Head of Department saw me now, I could already imagine his twenty-minute lecture on punctuality.
"Bhag Aish, bhag!"
(Run, Aish, run!)
I clutched my books closer and increased my speed.
Unfortunately...
I was too busy panicking to notice what was in front of me.
And then—
THUD!
I crashed into something solid.
Very solid.
The impact sent me straight to the floor.
"Ouch!"
I rubbed my waist dramatically.
"Hey Bhagwan! Yeh parvat beech mein kahan se aa gaya?"
(Oh God! Where did this mountain come from?)
Still grumbling, I looked up.
Black shirt.
Broad shoulders.
Strong jawline.
Annoyingly handsome face.
And a hand stretched toward me.
Ignoring his hand completely, I stood up by myself and dusted off my clothes.
Then I glared at him.
"Don't you have eyes? Can't you see where you're going?"
His eyebrows rose.
Clearly, he wasn't expecting that.
The man slowly withdrew his hand and crossed his arms.
"Excuse me, Madam."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"For your kind information, you're the one running around like a child."
I narrowed my eyes.
Then he added,
"By the way, which standard are you in, kid?"
My jaw dropped.
Kid?
KID?!
Did this overgrown giraffe seriously just call me a kid?
I straightened my shoulders.
"Oh hello, Mister! For your kind information, I am not a kid."
I pointed proudly at myself.
"I am a professor of this university."
Instead of looking shocked, he smirked.
Actually smirked.
"Oh. So we're playing Professor-Professor now?"
I stared at him.
This man had exactly three goals in life.
Breathe.
Exist.
Annoy me.
"Hello Mister! Height chhoti hai meri, lekin main sach mein professor hoon."
(My height may be small, but I'm actually a professor.)
I folded my arms.
"And why am I even explaining myself to you? Tum ho kaun? Aur yahan kar kya rahe ho? Maine tumhe pehle kabhi nahi dekha."
(Who are you and what are you doing here? I've never seen you before.)
He raised one eyebrow.
"And why exactly should I answer a kid's questions?"
I took a deep breath.
One.
Two.
Three.
Murder is illegal, Aishwarya.
Before I could launch another attack, a familiar voice interrupted.
"AISH!"
I turned around.
Maya came running toward me.
"Tu yahan kya kar rahi hai? Tera lecture hai na? Hitler round pe nikla hua hai!"
(Aish! What are you doing here? Don't you have a lecture? Hurry up! Hitler is making rounds!)
My soul nearly left my body.
"Oh Mata Rani."
I looked toward the sky.
"Bas aaj bacha lo."
(Please save me today.)
Before leaving, I pointed a warning finger at the irritating man.
"Next time agar mere saamne apni bakwaas lekar aaye na..."
I narrowed my eyes.
"...toh muh tod dungi."
(If you come in front of me again with your nonsense, I'll break your face.)
Giving him one final glare, I ran toward my class.
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TIME SKIP
After my lecture ended, I entered the staff room.
Maya immediately looked up from her desk.
The look on her face told me she was about to gossip.
And unfortunately...
I was right.
"Aish!"
She practically jumped from her chair.
"You know what?"
I sighed.
"What?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"We have a new staff member."
"A new professor?"
"No."
"Then?"
"A medical consultant."
"Oh."
I nodded.
But Maya wasn't finished.
In fact, she was just getting started.
"He's so handsome!"
Here we go.
"Like literally a Greek God."
I rolled my eyes.
"His eyes are grey-green, he's tall, handsome, rich-looking, and I swear he's exactly your type."
I stared at her.
Then I smacked my forehead.
"Pagal hai kya?"
(Are you crazy?)
Maya ignored me.
"Tu usse setting kar le."
(Date him.)
"NO."
"Shaadi kar lena."
(Marry him.)
"NO."
"Cute babies honge."
(NO.)
"Main godmother banungi."
(NO!)
I grabbed my bag dramatically.
"First, I want to become successful."
Then I placed a hand over my stomach.
"Second, I'm hungry."
Maya instantly stood up.
"Food?"
"Food."
"I'm ready."
And just like that, our serious conversation ended.
A few minutes later, we headed toward the university canteen.
After completely stuffing ourselves with food, we returned to our respective work.
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I was busy checking assignments when suddenly an announcement echoed throughout the university.
"Ms. Aishwarya Varma, please report to the Principal's Office."
Maya immediately looked at me suspiciously.
The look on her face clearly said—
What have you done this time?
I pointed at myself.
"For once, I'm innocent."
Making my way toward the office, I knocked before entering.
The moment I stepped inside—
I froze.
Because standing there was none other than...
Mr. Overgrown Giraffe.
My eyes widened.
His jaw tightened.
Clearly, he was just as thrilled to see me.
Before either of us could speak, the Principal smiled.
"Perfect timing."
He gestured toward the man.
"Ms. Aishwarya, meet Mr. Rudra. He is our new Medical Consultant."
Then he gestured toward me.
"And Mr. Rudra, meet Ms. Aishwarya Varma, one of our professors."
Rudra extended his hand.
I stared at it.
Then at him.
Then at his hand again.
With the fakest smile in history, I shook it.
"Hello, Mr. Rudra."
His smile was equally fake.
"Hello, Ms. Verma."
The smiles were polite.
The murder in our eyes was not.
Completely unaware of the silent war happening before him, the Principal continued.
"Ms. Aishwarya, you'll be giving Mr. Rudra a complete university tour."
My smile disappeared.
I blinked once.
Twice.
Three times.
Surely I had heard wrong.
"Sir..."
"Yes?"
I pointed directly at Rudra.
"I would rather jump into Fateh Sagar Lake."
Rudra folded his arms.
"Funny."
I glared at him.
He glared back.
The Principal looked between us and smiled.
"Perfect. You two are going to get along wonderfully."
Both of us spoke at exactly the same time.
"NO!"
RUDRA'S POV
RUDRA'S POV
The moment she disappeared around the corner, silence returned to the corridor.
But strangely...
My attention remained where she had been standing.
Aishwarya.
I didn't even know her properly, yet her name had already settled somewhere in my mind.
A small smile escaped my lips.
Impossible girl.
In all these years, nobody had dared to speak to me like that.
Most people became nervous after hearing my surname.
Some became respectful.
Others became cautious.
But that girl?
She had practically declared war on me within the first five minutes of meeting me.
And the most ridiculous part?
I wasn't even angry.
I was amused.
Very amused.
As I turned to leave, something silver on the floor caught my attention.
I bent down and picked it up.
A delicate anklet.
The tiny bells attached to it jingled softly in my hand.
Instantly, I remembered the sound echoing through the corridor before someone crashed into me.
Chhan... Chhan... Chhan...
So it belonged to her.
My fingers tightened around the anklet.
For a moment, I considered handing it to the lost and found department.
Then I imagined her panicking while searching for it.
And somehow...
I slipped the anklet into my pocket instead.
A smirk appeared on my face.
"Looks like fate wants us to meet again, baby Professor."
The rest of the day passed in meetings and formalities.
I attended discussions with the management board, completed paperwork, and reviewed university medical facilities.
But no matter how much I tried to focus...
A certain angry professor kept appearing in my mind.
Her furious eyes.
Her dramatic expressions.
Her endless complaints.
And that ridiculous threat about breaking my face.
I shook my head.
"Crazy girl."
Yet for some reason, I found myself smiling again.
Hours later, I was sitting inside the Principal's office.
Before joining the university, I had given one condition.
My identity as Rudra Singh Rudravaansh would remain a secret.
No prince.
No royal title.
No special treatment.
I wanted to investigate quietly.
The Principal had agreed.
I was reviewing some documents when he suddenly picked up the intercom.
"Please send Ms. Aishwarya Varma to my office."
The moment I heard her name, my hand froze.
Aishwarya Varma.
So the little firecracker's full name was Aishwarya.
Interesting.
For reasons I couldn't explain, I found myself looking toward the door.
And when it finally opened...
There she was.
The same expressive eyes.
The same stubborn attitude.
The same girl who had called me a mountain.
For the first time that day, my boredom disappeared completely.
This was going to be interesting.
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