DEDICATION
Roop’s POV
After two months....
“If Pita ji gets to know about this, Dheer, you are dead meat! What were you thinking?”
“I know, Hari. I’ll find the right time and let them know. Just don’t say this to anyone”, he said as I stood behind him while he sat on the chair near his desk in the library.
“Don’t you dare dismiss me like that, Dheer. She is not a royal blooded person and they will never accept her for it, you know that very well. Even if you just want to be with her secretly, the news will leave the palace somehow. You will tarnish the name of our family in front of the whole world. You will destroy the honor of our-”
“I don’t care what happens. She is mine and that is final”, he said without showing any respect to her.
She looked at me and then said, “She can’t stay here, Dheer. Come to your senses. What do you think will happen when Pita ji finds out she’s been living here for two whole months now??“. Suddenly, he stood up all of a sudden and took my hand in his and walked out of the library.
“Where are you going, Dheer??“, she whisper-yelled at him and he stopped. “You are right. She can’t stay here”, I was confused. “So? Where will she go?“, his sister asked. I looked up at him with the same doubt, “My new palace. She’ll stay there from now on”.
“You know what this will start, Dheer. Don’t do it”, she warned.
“I don’t care, Hari. She’s with me. Your parents need to understand that”, he retorted.
“People will raise questions about her character!“, she warned making him halt for a second.
He turned around and said, “Let them question her character”, she gasped. “Let them speak! I’ll answer every single one of them with my sword if I have to. She’s mine, and I’ll guard her name, her peace, and her smile with everything I have”.
He was panting in anger as he walked me out of the palace while some attendees looked at me curiously and some started whispering to themselves. I had stepped out of the palace after a long time and as good as it sounded, I was still very unsure about everything. As soon as we walked out, a carriage was waiting for us and he asked me to sit inside. I was quiet as the carriage took us to the palace he was talking about. “What do we do now?“, I asked. He sighed deeply and replied, “Like she said, there will be new rumors about me and you. The attendees who have seen you walk out with me are enough to spread them. But you will be safe there. Don’t worry”. I looked out of the window of the carriage.
My whole life had changed and there was no going back. I had lost everything to my aunt. I wondered if she even felt a little remorse or pain for losing her mother. Mano too had kept his distance after he left that day from Suryapur. Apart from Dheeransh, I knew no one else around and I spoke to no one else except for him.
The carriage stopped in front of a white palace. I stepped down from the carriage but my eyes never left the tall building. “I got this built 8 years ago. No one lives here anymore. But now, you will”. I walked behind him and saw many guards and attendees waiting for us. “What if they-“, he shook his head at my words. “They won’t. They will take care of you in my absence. There is no need to worry”.
I gulped and followed him. He walked us to the entrance and said, “I am sorry. I have no one to welcome you here”, I looked down and stepped inside. I looked around as I walked in. The huge gates and compounds that looked like a fort had a beautiful lawn in the entrance. The white palace stood in all it’s glory in front of me as I walked in. The huge, wooden doors opened for us and we were welcomed by a woman, probably in her 50s. She bowed to him and he said, “Masi, she will be staying here from today. I am trusting you with her safety and well being in my absence”, she nodded and bowed at me. I joined my hands and smiled back at her and she was taken aback. She hid her confusion and said, “I will, your grace. I thank you for giving me this responsibility. I will not disappoint you”, she said and he turned to me.
“There is an urgent meeting at the court and it demands my presence, Roop. Take care and don’t leave the palace. I’ll be back by night”, I nodded and he turned around and walked away after placing a kiss on my forehead. After he sat on a horse and rode out of the fort, I turned to look at the woman. She smiled, “Let me walk you to your chamber, miss”, she said and I followed her.
“My name is Hema and I have worked for the palace ever since I can remember. After my husband passed away in a battle a few years ago, I have served this family with my daughters”, she walked me to a chamber in the last floor of the palace. I walked in after her and looked around the chamber. There were silver decorations everywhere unlike the rest of the chamber which looked more golden and warm. “His grace wanted you to stay at this chamber. It has been his favorite as it is designed according to his taste and it also has the view of the main palace and his parents’ palace from this window”, she showed me the huge window which had the two palaces on either side of it.
“Everything you will need will be taken care of by tomorrow. You must be tired, I’ll leave now. There will always be someone outside your chamber. If you need anything. Give us a call”, she said and walked away after bowing at me. I looked at the window and saw his silhouette in the dark night, riding his way back to the palace. Some trees then covered my view and I pulled the curtains and walked back to the bed.
The room was too quiet. Too grand. The mattress beneath me was soft as clouds, the pillows smelled of roses, and yet, I couldn’t breathe. The silence pressed against my ears, heavy and unfamiliar. Back home, even when it was broken and filled with fear of being watched every second, I could still hear the sound of rustling leaves, my grandmother’s chanting, the old gate creaking in the wind. Here, the air felt still. I sat up, wrapping the soft sheet tighter around myself. The chandeliers above me sparkled on the ground leaving a warm, but still look to the whole place. I didn’t belong here. This wasn’t my world.
I walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside as dark thoughts clouded my mind. The moon was high, round and calm, watching over the dark world like it always had. That one thing hadn’t changed. My throat tightened thinking about how everything had just changed in just a few days.
I turned back to go lie down again, but paused. A faint sound echoed outside my room. Like a footstep. A soft, cautious one, like it was calculated. I froze. My fingers curled around the end of the curtain. Someone was there. I waited, my heart thudding in my chest. ‘Maybe it was a maid’, I told myself. I didn’t know who all lived in this palace. I didn’t know who hated me just because I now had a room like this. Suddenly, I missed Dheeransh.
For a man I knew only for three months, his presence had become too loud in my head. I sat back down, but I didn’t lie down. I couldn’t. Not when the palace was too quiet, too large, and shadows outside my door felt like they were watching me breathe. The attendee from before had told me how there would always be someone outside to guard me. Was it them?, I asked to myself. But the exhaustion and the soft bed lulled me to sleep but the fear lingered.
I woke up to soft kisses all over my face. I smiled and opened my eyes only to look at Dheeransh smiling back at me. “Good morning”, he said. I smiled but he immediately added, “I have news”, I raised my eyebrow and sat up against the headboard. He sucked in a deep breath and said, ” This shouldn’t be the first thing you should be hearing in the morning but, you should know as this involves you too”, I nodded, urging him to continue. “Your aunt and the zamindar have been sentenced”, I raised my eyebrows. “What?“, I asked. “They’ve been stripped of their title, lands, and wealth. They will no longer be addressed with honor by anyone in this kingdom”.
“What do you mean?“, I asked as I straightened up. “What happened in Suryapur is something everyone knows, Roop. But they think you ran away far from Rajnivas and Suryapur fearing your aunt and her husband. The people who really liked you and respected your grandmother and your parents filed a complaint in the court and last night that was one of the reasons I left early after dropping you off here”. I was shocked to see how the people had stood with my family.
I moved closer to him and asked, “So, what happened in the court last night?“, he sighed. “Your aunt and her husband and children were summoned. Manohar told Maharaj how he, his sister and you had nothing to do with the sketchy moves that Zamindar and his new wife were doing. Your aunt made a huge scene when he was sent away after the people too said that you three were innocent. Then, they were interrogated for a long time but finally, they were proven guilty and were punished”, I rubbed my forehead in shock.
“They have been ordered to rebuild your home, brick by brick, with their own hands. Very limited number of servants to help them, no protection. Until every wall stands again they are not allowed to meet anyone. Then, they will they be exiled to the cold borders, far from the comfort they once knew. All the way to the south as a punishment for ordering those low lives to hurt you. Also, the palace has started a search party for you. They have spread all the way around the nearby villages and towns”.
“What??“, I gasped. He nodded, “So, I was thinking this might be the right time for you to formally meet Adi. He is the only one who has the power to let things settle except for his father, Maharaj himself”. I bit on my lip while trying to come to a conclusion. “But”, he said again, “if you want to meet him, we should hurry up”. I knit my eyebrows, “Why?“. He laid on the bed and replied, “He’s leaving for Urshannash. He’ll not be back for another three months. There is a lot going on there. He wants to be with his friend during tough times”. I nodded.
“But enough of all that. We should feed you something. Go freshen up quickly”, I nodded but realization slowly hit me. I hesitated, “I-i don’t have any clothes”. He sat up on the bed and said, “Everything you will ever need has been taken care of before you even woke up. Go freshen up and come downstairs for breakfast”, I nodded. “Suma!“, he called suddenly. The doors were thrown open and two girls came in excitedly. They scanned the room and when they finally saw me, one of them gasped while the other on covered her mouth.
They walked to me with surprised expressions and asked, “Bhaiyya ji, is this the same girl they are searching the whole place for?“. I looked at him and he nodded. The taller one caressed my cheek with her soft palm and asked, “Is she the one you were talking about? Earlier??“, he nodded again. They shook they head and smiled at me and he said, “Roop, this is Suma and Uma. The daughters of Hema Masi. You met her last night, remember?“, I nodded and greeted them. “Now, go help her freshen up quickly. She hasn’t had anything to eat since last night”. They nodded and guided me to the bathing area. I looked back at him and he smiled as he looked at me walk away.
The grand bathing area wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen. A wide stone tub, polished till it shone, sat in the middle of the room, filled with warm water that smelled of sandalwood and jasmine. Rose petals floated on top, and steam curled up like soft mist. They made me sit on a stone bench first and said, “We’ll apply herbal oil on you first. That will relax your racing mind”, I nodded and stood still. They looked at me confused and the taller one, Suma, said, “Well, take off your clothes so we can give you a massage”.
My eyes flew open and I shook my head, “Just tell me how to use this. I’ll do it myself”. They looked at each other and Uma spoke this time, “Didi, can I call you that?“, I nodded and she started, “Roop Didi, we are girls just like you. There is no need to be so conscious. Also, taking a bath all alone is not a simple task”. I argued, “I’ve done that all my life”, they laughed and said, “But here, it will be tough. Trust me. Now, think of us as your sisters and take off your clothes”.
To the girls who dream of slow kisses in candlelight, stolen glances across the room, and a man who would kill for them but also secretly crave to be chased into the dark, cornered until there is no escape, and get utterly ruined by the same man.
