The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #3) - Sayantani DasGupta Page 0,74
the choosing ceremony! When I choose you as my consort and declare our love openly!” With the light behind her, and her thick dark hair pouring over her horns and shoulders, Pinki absolutely glowed.
“Everyone will know and we won’t care, my sadistic sugarplum!” Sesha singsonged in his oily way. He was clean-shaven, younger, and his hair was shorter, but there was no mistaking his features. Maybe I was imagining it, but I could also hear a hint of the evil malice that would define his adult personality.
Neel shot me a questioning look, and I shook my head. What was happening here? It was uncomfortable enough hearing our parents’ teenage selves talking about love—but with each other? I mean, yuck!
“I won the title of Demon Queen fair and square—after so many tests of intellect, bravery, and rodent disembowelment!” said Pinki, placing a long-clawed hand on Sesha’s arm.
I mouthed, “Rodent disembowelment,” at Neel, and he scowled, putting a finger to his lips.
“That you did, my clever, bloodthirsty, disemboweling minx!” Sesha tweaked her nose as he said this, earning another shocked look from Neel. I mean, the Pinki we knew would probably chop off the arm of anyone who dared to tweak her nose.
“And tonight’s choosing ceremony will show everyone that I know how to chart the best course for our people’s future!” young Pinki added breathlessly. “I’ll show them that love is the answer to the riddles of the multiverse!”
“We will combine our powers and rule them all!” Sesha cooed. “Tonight, after you choose me at the ceremony and not that nincompoop Rontu, the human prince from the Kingdom Beyond!”
Yet again, Neel almost gasped. “Rontu is my dad!” he hissed. “She’s choosing between Sesha and my dad!”
What? I’d understood from the conversation so far that there was some kind of choosing ceremony set up, where Pinki would have to choose a future husband. But it was shocking to hear that the choices were either my dad or Neel’s!
“I can’t believe my mother and Headmistress Surpanakha want me to marry that buffoon of a human prince!” Pinki’s voice was a little higher than I was used to, but it still had that same sarcastic confidence. “They say it’s important for the future of demon-kind and humankind. I mean, blah blah blah! Who cares about that?”
“All that matters is our eternal love,” Sesha drawled.
Neel looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. “Gross!” he mouthed at me. I was feeling just as horrified as he looked.
“Oh, Seshi!” Pinki tittered. “You’re such a dreamboat!”
“I adore you, my sly sweetheart, my fanged femme fatale!” Sesha leaned to kiss her, and the two became a single silhouette against the light of the room. Neel made a disgusted face, and I felt like puking too. “Our love may be forbidden now, but it won’t be after you choose me as your consort!”
“They say you just want me for my power!” Pinki scoffed. “I know you love me for myself!”
“Oh, I do! I do!” Sesha sounded way overconfident. “I adore you, my demented dumpling!”
Neel looked like he was about to burst. I felt like I was going to scream, or laugh, I wasn’t sure which. Sesha and Pinki had been forbidden high school sweethearts? Like an evil Romeo and Juliet? And she actually trusted him? I was starting to wonder if Neel wasn’t a little bit right about his mom being fooled by Sesha into marrying him.
“I’ll see you at the ceremony,” young Pinki was saying. “Don’t be late, now. You’re allowed to wander around Demon Land freely only for another few minutes. I had to work on the headmistress hard to get you special permission.”
“I told you, as soon as you choose me, and we are officially engaged, the centuries-long trouble between our people will be over!” Sesha said smoothly. “The Kingdom of Serpents has decided that the rakkhosh will be given their own homeland, separate from the humans! The newly formed Demon Land and the Kingdom of Serpents will be allies now and forevermore! And we will reduce what’s left of the Kingdom Beyond Seven Oceans and Thirteen Rivers to ashes!”
Neel and I exchanged shocked looks. Eek. That wasn’t good.
“Not long now, my love!” Pinki said. “Among all the other graduating seniors at Ghatatkach Academy of Murder and Mayhem, I was chosen as Demon Queen. So it’s my decision to choose my consort, and mine alone, no matter what Ai-Ma or the headmistress think about you.”