Aradhya sat on her bed, embroidering into a red cloth while Nandini sat complaining about herself.
"I am indecisive. I don't know what to do. Mother wants me to get married and Vihaan expects me to become a good able princess and all. What should I do?" Nandini asked Aradhya
Aradhya set down her stuff and looked at Nandini. To be honest she had a tough time in the beginning as she lingered on the thought of Vihaan in Shiladhika but she was drawn back when Nandini started talking about her issues.
"You wanna hear about my experience?" She asked
"You've been here too?"
"You know I'm good at swordplay right? Well, you know I never really wanted to do this. I was a young kid of nine when Bhairavi Ma pushed me to do it. And you know, I didn't know anything then. I did what I was told to do. I went through harsh training. Ma told me to do that because she...she wanted to become a warrior but never could."
"So she forced what she wanted to be on you?"
"Yes. I was thrown into the world of blades when I was just nine. And I was scared. I was more sacred about disappointing people than I was about blades. I had no interest in it."
"Then why did you do it so skillfully? No one does something that professionally when they don't want to do it."
"That is the thing. The fear of disappointing others makes you do many things. And sometimes what others tell you to do might be good for you but not exactly joyful. But I for one...realised. While I was trying to meet everyone's expectations, I wasn't even taking my mind to the expectations I had for myself. I realised that my life was commanded by someone else."
"You mean to say that your life wasn't yours at all."
"That's why I'm telling you, be the protagonist of your own life. What do you want to do? Do it. If you fear rejection then you fear that person. May it be your mother, brother or even me. And things done out of fear is always nothing but slavery. You may be enslaved by your parents. Anyone."
Aradhya leaned closer to Nandini, "so, what do you want to do with your life?"
"I want to be...a doctor. I know it sounds ridic--"
"Be it. No one can stop you."
All Aradhya felt after that was a bone smashing hug from Nandini. She smiled and hugged her back while reminiscing her days when she went through the same difficulties.
. . . .
"Are you sure you saw the right one?" Sadhana asked feeling tensed at what Aradhya had conveyed to her. Aradhya just looked down feeling dejected. She fiddled with the ends of her veil.
"Yes. I saw the letter sent from Shiladhika. I couldn't possibly miss it."
"So you're telling me Vihaan went there to marry your sister? Is he serious?"
Nandini intervened gently parting Darsh on his back, "Rihit is gone too."
"Why would he not even tell us? We're his wives for the name of God!" Sadhana let out an exasperated sigh. She looked over at Aradhya who was quiet. She was sad more than confused or angry.
"What is it?" Sadhana asked pressing her hand on hers.
"It's Tamasvini. She shouldn't be here. I can't deal with all that again." Aradhya replied.
"Was she bad to you? She's your under sister." Nandini spoke.
"She is the absolute menace I've seen. From humiliating me in front of her friends when she was eight. And abusing me. Spreading rumours about me and even trying to kill me. Maharani Chaya and Tamasvini have done everything in their hands to make my life hell." Aradhya sniffled.
"But, I don't think Vihaan will marry her. I think he went to reject the proposal respectfully since your father is his in-law. " Nandini spoke.
"I hope so" both Aradhya and Sadhana spoke with heavy feelings in their heart. They hoped with all their heart that Vihaan wouldn't marry her. While Sadhana was worried as a well-wisher, Aradhya worried for a reason she did not know.
. . . .
Aradhya rushed out to the entrance of the palace to see Vihaan and Rihit return and a small sigh of relief left her mouth. Nandini too joined. Vihaan and Rihit got down from the chariot.
Every fibre in Aradhya's body failed as she saw, Vihaan helped a trinket adorned hands down from the chariot. Every inch of breath was knocked out of her lungs. The bile in her throat was sickening.
Rihit and Nandini both looked concerned. Nandini gestured to Rihit to which he just answered with a dismayed sigh.
Aradhya met Tamasvini's eyes where evilness danced its devilish dance. Her lips were curled in a menacing smirk. Aradhya glanced at Vihaan who sheerly, most particularly avoided her gaze. Aradhya let out a breath and squared her shoulders. She turned around and walked back into the palace without a word with just her anklets echoing.
. . . .
"Thank you, Maharaj. I will be ever so grateful to you. I don't know what I would've become if it wasn't for you." Tamasvini started while Vihaan pursed his lips and just nodded. He showed her to her room and made sure she had all the facilities she needed. Or to be exact the facilities she would exploit.
"You don't need to thank me. I did what I was supposed to do. You are Aradhya's sister. I can't let you harm yourself." Vihaan replied.
Tamasvini hated that. Everything he did was for Aradhya just then. She managed to shoot him a small smile while she burned inside. Craved destruction of Aradhya. She almost resented her to the point where she forgot the reason she married Vihaan.
"Now, I'll leave you to yourself. Please let me know if you need something." Vihaan said and walked out of the room after receiving a sly smile from Tamasvini.
. . . .
"You didn't even try and stop him?" Nandini asked Rihit who sat with his head in his hands.
"I could not. I tried. He was hellbent on marrying her. And why would he not? She literally was ready to fall off a cliff."
"Then you should've let her."
"Don't say that. Those words don't suit a doctor. And Vihaan was about to deny the offer when all that drama happened."
"I'm worried Rihit. Sadhana and Aradhya were already suspicious of him. Now they are just heartbroken."
Right stood up and walked over to her. He cupped her face with one of his hands.
"She seems fine, Tamasvini. I don't think we should worry about that."
"No, she doesn't. She is the embodiment of evil. You don't know what she didn't I Aradhya all those years."
Nandini pulled away from his touch, a bit stressed and frustrated. Her mind, running around Sadhana and Aradhya and Darsh. She worried about how this whole incident could change Vihaan and Aradhya's relationship. She grew anxious about what Tamasvini would plot against Aradhya next. She had tears forming in her eye. She felt in her gut that something was bound to happen now. Something bad.
Right pulled her into his embrace. She didn't resist. She felt comfort for a second before her thoughts took over again. Rihit rested his chin on her head and cradled her head.
"It'll be fine. We can just hope everything turns out fine. Let's be positive about this. Don't panic okay?" He said as Nandini nodded while still holding onto him.
. . . .
Aradhya sniffled sitting beside Sadhana who seemed uncomfortable. She saw Aradhya push down her emotions. She died her eyes and drew a long breath. She had her back faced to the door. Sadhana rested an assuring hand on her hand.
A familiar voice pulled through to the room. "Uh..."
Aradhya scoffed, "of course, he wouldn't have anything to say." She stood up and turned around to see, Vihaan standing there, fiddling with his hands. She stepped down from the bed and out of the room.
She felt Vihaan trying to stop her but she was sure, he didn't have the words to stop her. She walked out of the room.
Sadhana too looked away from him. It was fair on both of their parts. Their husband had done something so big without even giving them a single grain of information.
Vihaan walked over and sat down next to Sadhana. He waited for her to respond but just got silence in return.
"Hey, don't be like that. Just hear me out." Vihaan begged.
"Why? Why do you want to tell me after it's done? You didn't even tell me about the proposal." Sadhana sighed.
"How do you know about the proposal?"
"Aradhya told me. She found the proposal you were hiding."
It dawned upon Vihaan why Aradhya was acting the way she was. Almost dying at the hands of assassins, talking about their beginning, even not responding properly to him.
"Look, I'm sorry. But I couldn't let Tamasvini die. She has lost her brother, her mother was in pieces. Maharaj Aagneya literally begged me to marry her."
"But you could have at least told us about why you're going there. We were so in the dark. At least I was. Aradhya knew about it. She wanted you to tell us but no, you kept it a secret."
"I know, I should've told you both. You are my wives. I should've let you know. But I was originally going there to reject the offer, Sadhana."
"You don't even know how bad Aradhya must be feeling now. You don't even know a single thing about her."
That kind of hit Vihaan hard. She was right. Vihaan had not attempted to know her. He just saw their relationship improving but he didn't improve it himself.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nandini came in storming. She looked at Vihaan with eyes filled with fury.
"Oh, God... Listen, both of you, I'm sorry. Okay. I know I've messed up and all but please understand my place there too. I couldn't just disregard my in-laws like that."
"You, for one should go and apologise to Aradhya, not us. She is the one you should be saying sorry to." Nandini ordered.
"Why?"
"Did you really just ask that?" Nandini scoffed, "right. A woman would be so happy knowing her husband married her sister, wouldn't she?"
. . . .
Aradhya was now over the fact of everything. She didn't care anymore. She just made her mind up to not run into Tamasvini. She calmed her mind down but she was wondering why her mind was restless in the first place. Why was she so dejected?
Then the picture became clearer. The whole picture was in front of her. As her and Vihaan's relationship improved she hoped for a better life. The life she dreamed she would have. The life she was denied of. And her hope was the reason for her sadness as well. If she hadn't expected anything it would hurt less. If she just looked at her life just as it was before maybe she would not have been so disturbed.
Vihaan strode into the room. Of course, it was still a shared bedroom from when the palace was rearranged. Aradhya paid no mind to him. She was way too familiar with his strides. She witnessed them every day. She again was at her corner. The window sill and the bookshelf.
"I'm here," Vihaan stated.
"I know," Aradhya replied with her gaze unwavering from the book in bet hand.
"You're not even going to speak well to me now, huh?"
"What is there to talk about. You married my sister by your own will. I don't have a say in it anyway. It doesn't matter."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, why does my opinion ever matter to someone. I'm just your wife. Nothing else. So I guess my opinion doesn't do anything. Well, to be honest opinions don't matter anyway."
She saw Vihaan come up to her and sit on the sill of the window in front of her. He seemed almost serious.
"Your opinion does matter. You're not just my wife. You are my wife. Both your and Sadhana's opinions matter to me."
"Then shouldn't you have asked about that before?"
"Why didn't you tell me you knew about the letter?"
"It doesn't change a thing. You still would have gone. And you didn't even think I needed to know that you were going to my home kingdom."
"No... I just-"
"Save it. I was the fool for expecting things for you. I've realised that now. So now on, I won't expect anything from you." Aradhya stepped down from the sill and tried to walk away but Vihaan held her back.
"Why are you making this a big issue? It's not even that serious."
"Oh, wow. You married my sister! And didn't even tell me that you're going to meet my father. You broke every expectation I had from you and you are telling me that this isn't serious?!"
"Why are you so upset?"
"Maybe because I've grown to like you!"
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