“What’s the matter, darling? Is the kulfi too sweet?”

Rito’s eyes snapped up to her mother’s worried face. Her hands felt sticky. She glanced down to see that her kulfi had almost melted, coating her fingers in milky residue.

She reached for a tissue, even as her brother chuckled. “Must be something big if Rito is ignoring kulfi. Who were you talking to on the phone for so long, anyway? Is that Nikita calling you again?”

“Abhijat,” their father warned. “Your sister isn’t a child anymore. She can handle herself. And if there’s anything she needs our help with, anything she wants to share, I’m sure she’ll tell us in her own time.” He turned to Rito, a slight frown marring his forehead. “That said, you really have been acting strange today. Is everything alright at the university?”

“Yes, yes. Absolutely fine.” Rito smiled, scooping the semi-liquid dessert into a spoon and thrusting it into her mouth. That, at least, was not a lie. If there was one oasis of peace in the bedlam of her life at the moment, it was the university. For the first time in her life, she actually looked forward to Mondays.

She considered telling them about Rinisa’s call. But what would that achieve? She’d just be passing on the responsibility, not solving the problem.

If her family knew about Rinisa’s demands, they’d never allow her to go through with the plan. But Rinisa would still do what she’d said she would, make Papa a scapegoat for her own ends. Only then, it would be somebody else’s problem, not hers.

A few years ago, she’d have blurted everything to Abhi, trusted him to handle it and make things right again. But the older she got, the more uncomfortably aware she became of the limitations of those on whom she had always relied for support and guidance.

Her brother had left a job he loved, to become a glorified bodyguard to the man who had ruined their family, all for their sake. He had already sacrificed enough. And what could he do in this situation that Rito couldn’t, anyway? It wasn’t like there was anything he could do to stop Rinisa.

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Spreading the problem around wasn’t going to solve it, and Rito could no longer allow her brother to bear her burdens. She’d been shrugging off responsibility for the better part of two decades. It was time to step up.

And if that meant stealing a sample of the Amven drug from Fasih, then that’s what she was going to do.

She rose to help one of the servants carry the dishes, but was waved off by Abhijat, who was already stacking plates together. Shrugging, she walked over to the couch and lay down with her head on her father’s lap, as he browsed through the channels before settling on a tolerably entertaining late-night comedy show.

They were doing a sketch on the prime minister. It shouldn’t have been as funny as it was.

Rinisa had said Jehan stole a sample of the prototype drug that was being used at the La Fantome. And while she didn’t admit it in so many words, Rito gathered from her long-winded explanation that that drug was one of the older Amven prototypes developed by Fasih and his team.

So, assuming Jehan wasn’t playing an incomprehensible game of roulette with his own invention – and the future of his country – Rinisa had somehow pilfered the formula for one of the old Amven prototypes from the QRI. And the only person who could’ve helped her do that, the only person who had high enough clearance, was Badal.

And now, Fasih had stolen a sample of the drug created using his own formula from Rinisa. Why he would do that, Rito couldn’t begin to imagine. But the fact remained that Rinisa wanted it back, and she wanted it back before the Maralanese New Year.

From everything she’d said, Rito got the distinct impression that Rinisa was working some kind of an angle with Maganti, though she didn’t yet know what exactly it was. Still, she seemed almost besotted with him, like a teenager with a crush. All her plans and goals seemed to revolve around him in one way or another. And what was that she’d said about being a queen?

Queen of what, Rito wondered. Corruption and blackmail?

In any case, Rinisa wanted the stolen samples back before the New Year’s gala in Maralana. And nobody seemed to know where the hell it was. Or at least, nobody who’d tell Rito about it. Still, she needed to find it, and she had less than two weeks in which to do so.

Her phone beeped, and Rito sighed. The pictures of the stolen drug samples were coming in, just as Rinisa had promised. At least now she’d know what she was looking for.

“It’ll be alright, Rito,” her father murmured, carding his fingers gently through her hair. “Everything will be alright.”