Chapter 105: chapter 105

R A N A J A YI had never known such horror.The ceremony had been a grand affair—bright, colorful, full of promise. The streets of Amaravati were lined with people, their faces alight with joy and hope, eager to see the matriarch of the kingdom, the woman who had brought them peace and prosperity, standing before them. Sanmayi had been radiant, her pregnancy a symbol of a future where all things could thrive.But then it happened.I saw her falter first, a slight hesitation in her step as she made her way down the steps of the palace, a soft murmur passing through the crowd. At first, I thought it was nothing—just fatigue from the long day, the weight of the ceremony bearing down on her. But then her knees buckled, and she collapsed.Time seemed to stretch and warp, the world slowing around me. There were gasps, a collective inhale from the crowd, and in the next breath, I was at her side, my heart pounding in my chest, adrenaline flooding my veins.“Sanmayi!” I cried, pulling her into my arms, my voice frantic. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, meeting mine with a mixture of confusion and pain, but before she could say a word, her body grew limp in my arms.Panic surged through me. “Get the physicians!” I shouted, my voice hoarse, barely a whisper against the roaring in my ears. The crowd was a blur, their faces mere shadows as I carried her, my strength suddenly uncertain beneath the weight of her body.We made it back to the palace, and the physicians arrived almost immediately, their hands moving swiftly and expertly, though I could see the concern in their eyes. I could hear them muttering quietly, their words unintelligible to me as I stood by helplessly, desperate to do something, anything, but unable to move.“Ranajay, you must step away,” one of the physicians said, his voice calm but firm, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We must attend to her. Please, allow us to work.”I nodded, though I felt the weight of the world pressing down on me. I couldn’t leave her. Not now. Not when she needed me most.I paced outside her chamber, the hours stretching on like endless shadows. The palace, usually filled with life and activity, felt like a tomb. The silence was suffocating. Each moment that passed without word from the physicians dug deeper into my heart, gnawing at my resolve. I had not felt this helpless since the day I lost my father, the day everything I knew had come crashing down around me.It was well past dusk when the physicians finally emerged. Their faces were grim, their eyes heavy with the weight of the news they carried.“Your Majesty…” the lead physician began, his voice low. I saw the sadness in his eyes before he even spoke the words. “I am so sorry. We did all we could, but…” His voice faltered.“No.” The word left my lips before I even had time to think. “No. You’re wrong.”The physician looked away, unable to meet my gaze. His silence spoke volumes. I could feel the world crumbling beneath my feet.“She… she lost the child?” I managed to ask, though the words felt foreign, impossible. My mind couldn’t process it. This was not the life we had planned, not the future we had dreamed of.“Yes,” he said quietly, his voice breaking. “She suffered a miscarriage, Your Majesty.”I stood frozen, my heart sinking deeper into the abyss. The warmth that had filled my chest for so many months, the hope that had kept me going through countless battles, now felt cold and distant. It was gone. The future we had built together, the child who had been our symbol of unity, was now lost to us.“May I see her?” I asked, my voice strained.The physician nodded and stepped aside, allowing me to enter.Sanmayi lay in bed, her pale face drawn and her eyes closed. The glow that had always surrounded her seemed dim, like a flame flickering in the wind, too fragile to survive. My heart broke again as I saw her there, still and silent, the woman who had stood strong through every trial we had faced, now reduced to this fragile, grieving figure.I approached her slowly, as though any sudden movement might shatter the fragile reality I had stepped into. I took her hand in mine, the warmth of her skin still present, though faint.“Sanmayi,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Please… please wake up. Please tell me this is just a nightmare.”She stirred slightly at the sound of my voice, her eyelids fluttering open. Her gaze met mine, and I could see the weight of the grief in her eyes, the deep sadness that mirrored my own.“I’m so sorry,” she whispered hoarsely, her voice weak. “I couldn’t protect it. I couldn’t protect our child.”I shook my head, my heart breaking all over again. “No, no, don’t say that. This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”But I knew, deep down, that there were forces at play that neither of us could control, forces that had conspired against us in the shadows. My mind began to churn with suspicion, a growing unease that gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. How had this happened so suddenly? How had we gone from a future filled with joy to this crushing loss?The physicians said it was natural, that sometimes these things happened, that we could try again. But there was a cold certainty in my heart that told me something was not right. The look in Sanmayi’s eyes spoke of something deeper, something darker.Who had done this to us? Who had torn the future from our hands?The grief that settled over us was thick and suffocating. We sat together in silence, our hands intertwined, neither of us knowing how to move forward, how to heal. The dreams we had nurtured for so long now lay shattered at our feet, and all we could do was mourn what could have been.In the days that followed, the court was filled with murmurs and whispers. Some spoke in hushed tones, their eyes filled with pity, while others whispered of the cause of the miscarriage. No one dared speak it aloud, but there was suspicion. There was talk of foul play, of something darker lurking in the shadows.I ordered an investigation. I would not allow this betrayal to go unpunished, if that was what it was. But deep down, I feared I already knew the answer.I had lost my child. My queen. My future.And now, the seeds of rage had been sown deep within me. Whoever was responsible for this would pay. I would make sure of it.---Ruin was what we had suffered. The dream of a family, the hope of a new beginning, had been torn away from us in an instant. But as the days passed and the weight of grief threatened to crush me, I realized something darker was at play. I would not rest until I found the truth, no matter the cost.