The palace had always been filled with whispers.

But today, they were about her.

Rhea could feel it—the way servants paused when she walked past, the way courtiers exchanged glances.

She had been careful. Too careful.

And yet, somehow, they knew.

Someone had seen her.

Someone had told.

And now, Bhishma wanted to see her.

She stood outside his chambers, forcing herself to breathe evenly.

The last time she had been this close to Bhishma, she had spilled wine on him.

This time, she might spill something far more dangerous.

She stepped inside.

Bhishma was waiting, seated on a wooden bench near the balcony, staring out over Hastinapura.

The man was a legend, a warrior who had shaped the very kingdom she stood in.

And today, he was her judge.

"You've been asking questions," he said without turning.

It wasn't a question.

Rhea swallowed. "I—"

"You've been looking in places no one looks. Finding things no one should find."

Her pulse pounded.

Did he know about the letter?

She tried to keep her voice steady. "I don't know what you mean."

Bhishma finally turned to look at her.

And for the first time in her life, she saw doubt in his eyes.

Not anger. Not suspicion.

Doubt.

As if he was wondering if she knew more than she should.

As if he was wondering if he should stop her.

"You remind me of someone," he murmured.

Rhea stiffened. "Who?"

Bhishma studied her for a long moment. Then, finally, he said:

"Your father."

The words hit harder than she expected.

He had known her father.

Not just as an advisor. As something more.

She should have left it there.

She should have walked away.

Instead, she said, quietly, "Then tell me why he died."

The air between them shifted.

For the first time, Bhishma looked truly weary.

As if he was carrying a burden he had long stopped questioning.

Finally, he exhaled.

"Some battles are fought with swords," he said. "And some are fought with silence."

Rhea's fingers curled into fists.

This was not an answer.

This was a warning.

The kind her father might have once received.

And she knew exactly what happened to him.

She left Bhishma's chambers feeling hollow.

No real answers. Just more pieces of a puzzle she wasn't sure she wanted to solve.

She needed to clear her mind.

She needed air.

And somehow, she ended up at the training grounds.

It was nearly empty at this hour—except for Karna.

He stood in the center, wiping sweat from his brow, his golden armor glinting in the dying light of the sun.

He glanced up at her, then smirked.

"Come to challenge me to a duel?"

Rhea let out a breathless laugh. "If I wanted to lose, I'd choose a less painful way."

Karna chuckled, tossing his sword onto a rack. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

She hesitated.

Then, for some reason she couldn't quite explain, she told him the truth.

"Bhishma knew my father."

Karna frowned. "And?"

"And he won't tell me why he was killed."

Karna was silent for a moment.

Then, slowly, he said, "Then maybe the better question is—who ordered it?"

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Because he was right.

Her father had been executed on royal orders.

That meant it wasn't just Bhishma who knew the truth.

It was Dhritarashtra.

And that meant, if she wanted real answers, she would have to go even higher.

Author's Note:

🔥 Things are escalating FAST.

👀 The palace is whispering. 👀 Bhishma is hiding something. 👀 Karna just gave her the most dangerous thought yet. 👀 And now, Rhea might have to face the blind king himself.