# CHAPTER 6: The Ruby, the Beast, and the Girl Who Plays Chess in the Dark
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review CHAPTER 6 of "Of Curses And Kisses free digital audiobook." This chapter is a quiet storm—breakfast tension, a hidden notebook, a mountain climb, and a story that might be true, might be bait, or might be both. So grab your coffee—black, if you are feeling like Grey—and let us step back into St. Rosetta's.
The chapter opens with Grey Emerson drowning in his own thoughts. Jaya's pendant losing a ruby has cracked something open inside him, forcing every wrong thing in his life into sharp focus. But he cannot speak about it. Leo, Rahul, and Daphne Elizabeth know nothing about the curse. They do not know that Grey believes he murdered his own mother. And how could they understand? Grey is not simply different from the students at St. Rosetta's. He feels different from the entire human population.
So when his friends crowd him with concerned questions, Grey shrugs them off. He pours himself black coffee and keeps his back turned. Leo mutters in French that this is nonsense, and Rahul helpfully translates the sentiment. Grey refuses to be honest. He looks across the hall at Jaya, her graceful hands folded on the table as she listens to Daphne Elizabeth, and he thinks about how being alone all these years might as well be a death sentence.
Inside, Grey admits something devastating: his life already feels over. The curse may be meant to kill him on his eighteenth birthday, but in so many ways, he has already experienced a kind of death—the death of himself. The death of whatever kindness, friendship, and love might have lived inside him. Every day spent keeping everyone at a distance makes him feel less like a living person and more like the beast his father always said he was. Leo and Rahul eventually give up and walk away. Grey's eyes drift back to Jaya's pendant, twinkling faintly. If he stole it, perhaps returned it to its rightful place in the temple in Mysuru, would it keep the curse at bay? Or had the ending to his story already been written long before he was born?
Then we shift to Jaya. She is at breakfast with Daphne Elizabeth, who is still nursing a broken heart over Alaric. They have just gotten waffles when Caterina and Alaric sweep into the dining hall like they are walking a red carpet instead of entering a school cafeteria. Daphne Elizabeth notices them, and her voice dies. Alaric glances at her for a stuttering moment before looking away. Jaya comforts her friend, but there is not much she can say.
At the table, the conversation turns to love and willpower. Grey says the best way to get over someone is to force yourself to stop having feelings for him. Daphne Elizabeth thinks that is ridiculous. Jaya agrees with Grey—the heart must be ruled by the head. This is how she was raised, after all. Royal unions are not about wild passion; they are about successful outcomes. Daphne Elizabeth argues that the heart is no one's servant, and sometimes the person you love, even if he is a bad idea, is the only one who truly sees you.
For a moment, Grey grows almost angry. He says sometimes the heart does not have the luxury of doing whatever it wants. Sometimes there are outside mandates. Jaya understands that far too well. She has always known there are acceptable suitors and unacceptable ones. Kiran Hegde is acceptable. Grey Emerson is not.
Then Rahul, quiet, observant Rahul, offers Daphne Elizabeth a brilliant plan. In English class, Mr. Thomas assigns seating to disruptive students during the first week. If Daphne Elizabeth can make Alaric and Caterina argue loudly enough, they will be separated for the rest of the semester. And what do Alaric and Caterina argue about? Social events. Specifically, the winter formal. Daphne Elizabeth brightens. Rahul really is a walking encyclopedia of useful gossip. Jaya is impressed. Grey almost smiles and says Rahul is like Sherlock Holmes or Einstein when he speaks. But when Jaya tells Grey he has great friends, his expression shutters. "Those aren't my friends," he says, and walks away.
Next, we land in archery class with Ms. Bayer, an ex-Olympic gold medalist who is intimidating in every possible way. She warns the class that correct technique requires practice and attention. Grey sits beside Jaya, scribbling in his notebook. Jaya tries to flirt and pry, asking if he is writing in his diary. Grey pulls the book closer and says nothing. What secrets is Lord Northcliffe guarding so closely?
Grey's own point of view returns. He knows it cannot be a coincidence that Jaya Rao is in every one of his classes. And yet, when she asks to sit beside him, he says yes every time. Why? Because he is an idiot, he thinks. There is something about her wavy black hair, her full mouth, her self-assured grace. But Grey also senses trouble. He has been alone for years, watching people, reading their energies. He knows when someone is blowing smoke. And Jaya is definitely doing that. The question is why. Either she is an incredible actress, or she has no idea what the rose pendant represents. He makes a list in his notebook.
Things he knows: Jaya and her sister came to St. Rosetta's senior and sophomore year, which probably means they are running from something. She is overly flirty and strangely dismissive of the generations-long Emerson/Rao feud. She wears the ruby pendant he suspects is the ruby pendant. She is somehow in all his classes. And she really does suck at archery.
Things he suspects: Jaya Rao is a sadistic mastermind who has come to torture him with the ruby pendant, eager to make him watch as each ruby falls.
They walk to Russian Literature together, passing Alaric and his henchmen, Lachlan and Martin. The three glare at Grey, and Grey glares back until they look away. Then Grey asks Jaya why she is really here. She gives the polished answer—her parents wanted the best education—but Grey pushes. There are a million schools. If someone transfers to St. Rosetta's mid-year or mid-high-school, they are usually running from something. Jaya turns the question back on him. "Are you hiding something?" They stop walking, all flirtation gone. Grey has hit a nerve.
Before Jaya can answer, a younger girl runs up. It is Isha, Jaya's sister. She is bright and smiling until she sees Grey. Her smile slips, then returns as an unconvincing fake. Grey notices. He senses there is more behind her reaction than the old family feud. Isha is a ball of suppressed confusion and anxiety, while Jaya seems protective, maybe defensive. Isha leaves quickly, missing her usual bounce.
Grey turns to Jaya and asks what is going on. She cannot quite meet his eye. Then she asks, "How do you feel about ditching class on the first day?" Grey hesitates, asking why she cannot tell him here. Jaya smiles and asks if he is afraid she might assassinate him. Something about it does not sound entirely like a joke. But Grey wants answers. "Fine. Follow me."
Jaya is suspicious. Why is he asking why she is here? She expects a sadistic, evil jerk, but his expression is curious and guarded—not gloating. She decides she will not tell him she knows about his involvement. She will unearth his angle eventually.
They hike up a forested path, far from school, through aspens, birches, and blue spruces. Jaya is breathless, the altitude punishing her. Grey climbs nimbly, never offering a chivalrous hand. When they reach a vantage point halfway up Mount Sama, the town of St. Rosetta lies below like a peacefully sleeping child. It is incredible. Grey says Mount Sama has been his favorite place since he was about twelve. There is a quietness here you cannot get anywhere else.
Jaya studies him—his dark hair, his stubbled jaw, his straight royal nose. She reluctantly admits he is handsome and intelligent. But why does someone who heartlessly ruined Isha also need quiet meditation on a mountain? She expected him to be openly cocky, arrogant, vicious. Instead, she must chip away at his stony exterior like an archaeologist.
Grey asks her to explain. Jaya takes a deep breath and tells him something happened back home with Isha. Isha is the maverick, the one who thinks traditions are silly. Unlike Jaya. Isha befriended a group of boys who ran a motorcycle repair shop. She was mechanically inclined and loved tinkering with cars, even though greasy hands and ball gowns do not mix. When the boys' father fell ill, Isha began cutting classes to help them. She forged a letter from their mother, saying she was ill. She stayed in the back so customers would not see a female mechanic.
But Isha got careless. A newspaper reporter happened to pass by and saw her covered in motor oil, drinking and kissing one of the mechanic boys. Photos ran the next day. The public outcry was vicious. People accused their parents of raising wayward daughters. They questioned whether the Raos were worthy to lead. Shopkeepers whispered cruel remarks. People pointed and yelled. The bodyguards protected them, but the shame could not be blocked.
Jaya tells Grey how their father looked beaten, how their mother cried all the time, and how the light went out of Isha's eyes. She feared her sister would never come back, that their family would fracture right down the center. So when their father suggested they leave the country before bigger papers picked up the story, Jaya agreed.
Grey asks why they chose St. Rosetta's. Jaya explains that Indian royal families can be superstitious. Their palace astrologer suggested a boarding school surrounded by mountains and hidden by aspen trees. So here they are. Grey repeats this with disbelief, and Jaya feels anger rise. He quotes Bertrand Russell: "Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty." Jaya's hackles rise. Is he calling her family fearful and cruel? After everything the Emersons have done? She wants to snap, but she forces herself to stay calm. She is playing a long game.
She reaches out and takes Grey's hand, squeezing briefly. He stands numbly, not reciprocating, as if unused to human contact. She ignores it. Then she asks one favor: please do not share her story. Let them leave it behind. She looks down, lets her lips pout slightly, as if she might cry. Grey's gaze slips to her lips, then back to her eyes. He nods and promises.
Jaya thanks him and says there is nothing she would not do for Isha. Absolutely nothing.
And that is the chilling heart of this chapter. Grey is isolated, cursed, and starving for any warmth, while Jaya is warm, calculating, and playing a game he does not even know exists. She means every word about Isha—but she also means to make Grey pay. The tragedy is that these two broken people are drawing closer, and neither fully understands what the other is hiding.
### Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is a masterclass in tension and emotional layering. I loved how it alternates between Grey's raw self-loathing and Jaya's controlled performance. The breakfast scene with Daphne Elizabeth and Rahul is a delightful breather, but the real magic happens on Mount Sama. Jaya's story about Isha is painful and believable, and Grey's quiet promise feels like a trap closing around both of them. The Bertrand Russell quote is sharp, and Jaya's hidden fury makes her feel dangerous in the best way. My only tiny complaint is that I wanted even more of the Caterina and Alaric drama, but the setup is clearly building toward something explosive.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
### Next Chapter Prediction
In the next chapter, I predict the fallout from Jaya and Grey skipping class will catch up with them. Grey will grow more suspicious of Jaya, especially after Isha's strange reaction, and he may start investigating whether the pendant truly is the Rao ruby. Meanwhile, Jaya will try to get closer to him, perhaps by helping Daphne Elizabeth orchestrate the Alaric and Caterina argument in English class. I also expect a moment where Grey almost opens up about his own pain, only to pull back. The emotional push-and-pull will intensify, and the ruby pendant may lose another stone—raising the stakes for both the curse and Jaya's secret plan.
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