Chapter 1 – The Weight of Hunger+Chapter 2 – The King’s Proposal

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📖 Chapter 1 – The Weight of Hunger

Thomas Stanley was the eldest of three brothers. Life had been unfair to him from the very beginning. Poverty was not just a condition for the Stanleys—it was their shadow, their air, their destiny.

Every morning, before the sun even rose, Thomas would roll out the tiny wooden cart onto the crowded streets. His hands smelled of boiled potatoes, tamarind water, and spices—his only weapon to fight hunger. He sold panipuri, not for himself, but for his two younger brothers: Sam and Harry.

They were his world.

Sam, the middle brother, was quiet and studious. He dreamed of becoming something more—perhaps a teacher, perhaps a writer. But dreams cost money, and money was a luxury they never had.

Harry, the youngest, was still in school. His innocent eyes didn’t yet understand the depth of their poverty. To him, the panipuri cart was an adventure, a game.

But Thomas… Thomas knew the truth.

He was only 22, yet his shoulders carried the weight of a father, a mother, and a provider.

The coins he earned each day were barely enough for bread and books. Sometimes, when customers haggled too hard, he would let the panipuri go for less—because at the end of the day, he wasn’t selling food, he was selling survival.

At night, when his brothers were asleep, Thomas would sit by the broken lamp and count the coins with trembling fingers. Always short. Always not enough.

Still, he smiled for them.

Still, he told Harry bedtime stories and encouraged Sam to study harder.

Still, he believed—maybe tomorrow will be better.

But deep inside, Thomas knew the cruel truth:

The world doesn’t care for the poor.

And fate was preparing something even more painful for him…

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Chapter 2 – The King’s Proposal

Thomas Stanley was not like other boys in the marketplace.

Though he sold panipuri with his hands rough and clothes torn, his face carried a strange, soft beauty. His eyes were deep brown, shining like wet earth after rain. His lips were pink and delicate, his skin sun-kissed, his smile so innocent it could melt even the hardest heart.

Every girl in the town whispered his name.

The daughters of merchants, rich girls wrapped in silks, even noble ladies who passed through the market—all of them wanted him. They would come, pretending to buy panipuri, only to stare into his eyes and blush. Some even gathered courage and said the words out loud:

“Thomas, will you marry me?”

But Thomas always shook his head with a polite smile.

“No, I cannot. My brothers need me. My life is not mine to give.”

With each refusal, the whispers grew louder.

People began to mock him: “The panipuri seller thinks he is above all of us!”

Yet Thomas stayed firm, his beauty still untouched, his dignity still whole.

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One day, during a royal festival, the King himself came out to mingle with the crowd.

He was young, barely 25, with eyes sharp as steel and a body sculpted like a warrior. His presence was magnetic—every man envied him, every woman desired him.

But when his gaze fell upon Thomas… everything else disappeared.

The King was struck.

He had seen hundreds of women, thousands of faces, but never a boy so delicate yet strong, innocent yet fierce.

“Who is he?” the King demanded.

The guards whispered, “A poor seller, Your Majesty. A nobody.”

But to the King, Thomas was not a nobody.

He was the only one.

The next morning, an announcement shook the kingdom:

The King had chosen Thomas Stanley as his consort.

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The streets filled with laughter, mockery, and disbelief.

“The panipuri boy? A king’s bride?”

“A servant in the palace halls? This is madness!”

Thomas felt the weight of every mocking eye.

He never wanted this life. He never wanted power, crowns, or gold.

And when the King himself arrived, dressed in dazzling robes and carrying the charm of royalty, Thomas stood silent. The King smiled, confident of his power. He reached forward, brushing Thomas’s cheek gently, whispering:

“You will be mine.”

The crowd gasped.

The world froze.

And Thomas, trembling with anger and humiliation, raised his hand and slapped the King across his royal face.

The sound echoed like thunder.

The King’s jaw tightened. His eyes flared with both rage and desire. He had been insulted before his people—for the first time in his life. Yet instead of punishing Thomas, he leaned closer, his voice dark and promising:

“You may slap me, Thomas Stanley… but you will still belong to me.”

The crowd laughed louder, mocking Thomas as if he had sealed his doom.

And Thomas’s heart pounded with fear—he had just struck the most powerful man in the kingdom.

This was no longer just a proposal.

This was the beginning of a painful contract that would bind him to the King forever.

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