23 - What are you doing here!(S1)

"hmm, so Thakuryaan calls you," Dada Sa said.

"Ap..ne... ne... b..bulaya mujhe?" Niharika asked, looking at the old lady.

"Han, thare se baat karni thi, or tujhe kuch dena tha toh manne socha tujhe yahaan bulaana sahi hoga," Dadi Sa said with a cold and strict demeanor.

"As you are now part of the family, jabardasti yeh hamari Razi se, you should know our customs and history," Dadi Sa continued, placing both her hands forward in a regal manner.

"Thara naam?" Dadi Sa asked, still being cold and strict."Nih..." Niharika began to speak, but Dada Sa cut her off, saying, "Niharika," completing her sentence with a smile.

"Acha, idhar pehle hi parichay ho chuke hain. Thakur Shaab, why don't you just go and read your newspaper like every other day. I will manage my work here," Dadi Sa said to Dada Sa.

"Hanji, bilkul, hume chalna chahiye," Dada Sa said, fixing his kurta. He was old yet not failing to give off an aura that screamed attention and royalty.

He then got to Niharika's level, showing one hand and speaking in a low yet warm voice."Bahu beta, don't take this old lady as rude. She and your mother-in-law, both are from Haryana, descend, so, it's their way of speaking. They are actually not rude; they talk this way with everyone," he said.

Dadi Sa interrupted, "I can hear everything, Thakur Shab," acting cold. Dada Sa nodded and went away.

Dadi Sa waited for him to disappear and then spoke, coming forward.

"Chori, to tu kitna jaanti hai Prithvi ko? Usne thare se prem vivah kiya hai. Saare Raj Parivaar ki marzi aur bina badho ki izzat ke. Toh kya alag tum dono ne ek dusre mein dekha?" Dadi Sa said, Already knowing the whole truth but still asking the question with interest to hear what Niharika would reply in this situation.

"I..." Niharika started to speak, looking down here and there on the floor.

Then she paused, and Dadi Sa's hand unfolded as she looked at her.

"S..sorry!" Niharika said.

"Arey, ghabraaye na. Chod, maine tujhe idhar darne ke liye nahi bulaya," Dadi Sa said, placing her hand on Niharika's head.

She then moved and grabbed the box that was already placed on the side table, saying, "But to give this," Dadi sa said.

Niharika looked up in question."Aaj thari muh dikhaai hein , saas re mein phela din thara" Dadi Sa said, softening as she saw Niharika.

She again composed herself and said, "Ab log aa kar dekhenge Chouhan Khandan ki bahu ko. Toh thare ko unke samne aise hi nahi bhej sakte na, yeh haar thare liye."

"Khandani hain, maane Prithvi ki Beendni ke liye ib tak sambhal ke rakha tha, aaj mhari pratiksha poori hui," Dadi placed the box in her hand.

"I c..can't t..ake this," Niharika said, pushing it back.

"Why?"

"It's no...o.t for m...me, it's not m...a..ade for me. I'm in...c..compe..t.tent fo..or t..this" Niharika said.

Dadi Sa pushed the box back into her hand and said sternly, "It's for you if I have decided to give it to you. Then I know it's for the right candidate, although I don't like you."

"No one in this family likes you, but still take a stand for what's yours, okay? Yeh Chauhan Khandan ki pratishtha ki baat hai, or tu uska ek hissa hai, ibb se" Dadi Sa said.

"Ab ja, jakar tyaar ho, mahare muh mat dekh," Dadi Sa said awkwardly, acting cold again, and Niharika nodded.

***

"Chadar (sheets) lal thi?" Bua Sa asked, beading her japa mala and counting the recitation of mantras while sitting on a swinging chair.

"Ji, Ashwini Sa," the same old lady replied.

"Thik se check kiya tha na apne Suman?" Ashwini asked, still beading.

"Ji, maine khud dekha."

"Hmm, you go check the preparations," Ashwini said, getting up and placing her japa mala on the table.

She then joined her hands towards the goddess's photo.

"And yes, report to me if you find anything suspicious."

The old lady nodded and went, closing the door behind her.

***

|BACK IN THE ROOM|

Niharika's POV:

"Tumhara yeh chehra dekh kr mujhe ghin aati hai, nafrat hoti hai. I hate myself too, for becoming your clown," I remind myself of his harsh words.

How can anyone speak that way to someone else? I wonder as I sit on the bed. This palace, the entire place, is so vast. It's only my first day here, yet I already feel the coldness of it, the coldness of the people around me. Why am I getting the impression that I don't deserve to be here?

Another knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. I get up and open the door, meeting yet more new faces. As soon as I open it, I see the same old lady, from whom warmth seems to be the opposite of a word.

"Yes, put that here, and place everything inside" she orders. The other young ladies, all dressed in the same attire, followed her instructions. Unlike them, the old lady stands apart.

I can't comment on anything; I'm just a viewer on this show, watching each scene unfold one by one.

"Come with me," the old lady said, leading another girl away, leaving one behind.

"Vanshi, make sure you don't mess anything up this time," she instructed the young lady before they departed. I couldn't help but wonder what was happening now and what mess this young lady had made.

As they all disappeared, the young lady turned towards me, offering a warm smile that was different from the others in the house, who seemed so detached from their surroundings. She came inside, smiling broadly and eagerly, closing the door behind her and taking my hand. "Raj Mata has asked for you to get ready today. It's your first appearance," she said excitedly, leading me towards the bed.

"Oh, sorry, am I being too friendly? I always overstep my bounds," she said, releasing my hand and sheepishly smacking her own. I smiled involuntarily. "No,o..okay" I reassured her.

At least someone here behaved like a normal person.

After some time, she dressed me in clothes that I didn't particularly want. "You look lovely in this color," she said, smiling at me as I looked at myself in the mirror.

The doors opened once again, and a woman in her mid-forties, dressed in a saree, entered.

The young lady, Vanshi, stood up and became serious, folding her hands in a gesture of respect and looking down.

"Raj Mata, I have prepared her as you instructed," she said, and I also stood up, my gaze fixed on the floor.

The lady exuded an aura of power that was overwhelming for me. Raj Mata didn't respond but looked at me, her gaze intense. Even though my eyes were fixed on the floor, I could feel her scrutiny. She may have nodded or gestured to Vanshi, who then left, leaving me alone with Raj Mata, the doors closing behind her.

There was silence, a silence that spoke volumes. She approached me, the sound of her heels echoing in the room.

She stood in front of me and handed me a cup. "Go, give this coffee to Prithvi," she instructed, gesturing towards another room. I looked up in surprise, wondering why I was being tasked with facing him again, bearing his wrath once more.

"Me?" I asked, my shock was evident.

"Yes, he's in the study room. He's been working since this morning. It's the second room from this one," she said, meeting my gaze.

There was neither hatred nor anger in her eyes, just a complaint that I was keeping her son away from her, distant and aloof. Her next words were about how he wasn't talking to anyone, avoiding questions, leaving only Thakur Ji(god) to know the reason.

She looked at me with disbelief, the same way her son did last night at the word 'Reason.' Then she turned and left, closing the doors behind her without even asking if I was ready to go give his regular coffee.

"He d..o.oesn't wa...nts to talk with me, h..he e-even c...cut h..is pa..l.lm last night," I muttered, realizing, and opened my suitcase placed near the dressing table. Taking out the first aid box, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Then I walked out of the room, carrying the tray and standing before the study room door with his name on it. Taking another deep breath, I knocked, but there was no response.

I waited for a minute and decided to enter, opening the door slowly.

There was no one in the room. While searching for any sign of his presence, my eyes dropped on the sofa, and there he was, sleeping. I entered, closing the door behind me, and went near him.

I placed his coffee on the table and observed his annoyed expression as he covered his face with his hands and squinted his eyes in response to the light coming from the window.

Following the direction of his gaze.

I went there.

Closed the window slightly and covered it with the curtain.

Then coming back, I sat near him, contemplating why I would show kindness to someone who clearly despised me. "He's human too," I reminded myself, echoing the teachings of Dadu.

I tried to wake him up by gently shaking him, but he didn't respond. Frustrated, I noticed his injured hand and decided to dress it.

I got up, fetched the first aid box, and sat back down. Taking his hand gently, I started cleaning the wound.

Tears welled up as I revisited the memories of last night, wondering why anyone would inflict such harm.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice when he woke up. Suddenly, he flinched, and in response, he grabbed my hand, pulling me up from the floor.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, looking both shocked and angry. I found myself pinned between him and the sofa, caught off guard by his sudden awakening.

***

Prithvi stirred as he felt someone touching him, his eyes opening to find her tears dropping unknowingly onto his palm. Reacting swiftly, he pinned her down on the sofa, his voice laced with tension as he demanded, "What are you doing here?" Their eyes locked, the intensity between them palpable.

As their gaze locked, the window she had just closed swung open, allowing a bird to enter and the air to blow, casting clear light on her face.

Her features glowed in a different way, and her face flushed with the most obvious shade of red.

Their eyes remained locked, and Prithvi lost himself in the moment, as if he was dreaming. It felt surreal, making it hard for him to differentiate between reality and a dream.

His heart skipped a beat, similar to the day they first encountered each other in the dim moonlight.

This time, subtle sunlight played an important role, accentuating her features. It seemed like destiny had a long past with Prithvi, orchestrating situations he least asked for but found himself in.

Prithvi couldn't help but keep looking into her eyes, wide and beautiful, attracting his desire.

He felt like he was reliving moments from their past encounters.

It seemed that everything had been well planned from the beginning, but not by Niharika, as he thought. Rather, by Destiny! Destiny itself. Even when he was trying to move on from her thoughts and her fragrance, it appeared that Prithvi had decided whatever they had was over. However, destiny had its own plans to make it last longer, perhaps even forever.

Reality struck him when Niharika got shocked and replied, "Yo...ur m..mother to..l.ld m..me."

He let go of her hand, as He & Her too. they both realized the awkward position they were in.

He got up and sat back on the sofa, leaving her standing. She composed herself, cleared the traces of tears, and he coughed, trying to regain his composure.

She looked around, then sat back down, saying, "Yo...u.ur mother tol..d.d me to g..g.give yo..u coffee! I w..wasn't co..ming." She took some cotton in her hand and started wiping his injured hand, avoiding eye contact. He watched her, noticing her actions.

"Ap...ko pta hai, m..meri da...du keh..te hain ki ag...gar t..tumhe kisi se n..nafrat ka..rna hai toh karo, le...kin isme a..p.pna nu..nuksan ya khu..d ko t-takleef mat do," she said, faking normalcy, her smile looking more broken than genuine. He noticed, and it was a bad attempt at appearing normal, his eyes softening.

She continued, "And if y...you hate me, the..n it's o.okay. Eve..r..ryone else h..hates me to..o. Bu..t..t you d..don't need to h..uurt you..rself or—" He cut her off abruptly, seeing her vulnerable state reflected in her eyes, which made him vulnerable too.

He withdrew his hand from hers, his eyes reflecting anger and betrayal. "Don't act like you care, or like you didn't play with me," he said, the same look from last night returning.

He then took her hand, jerked her closer, and, looking into her eyes, said, "And don't ask why I hurt myself."

He pulled her even closer.

"I hurt myself, and it wasn't because of you. The reason was, I don't want to be physically involved with you," he stated, nodding slowly as her eyes traveled up and down in fear.

He continued, "You might not have realised yet but The place you've gotten yourself into is not that easygoing," and abruptly left the room.

The doors closed behind her, and the sound of it echoed through the silence, emphasizing her solitude.

Tears welled up, escaping down her cheeks as she tried to process the intense encounter with Prithvi. The room seemed colder now, the atmosphere heavy with the weight of unspoken emotions.

(Downstairs, chaos ensued as preparations for the muh dikhai ceremony were in full swing.)

Bua sa, in charge of the arrangements, was directing the workers, her frustration evident in her sharp commands. The workers scrambled to fix a garland in a particular angle, but it seemed to be an impossible task.

"Can't you do one thing correctly? Already my mind is not sane; fix it again!" Bua sa shouted, her agitation apparent.

As Prithvi walked through, he unintentionally collided with Bua Sa.

"Arey, Prithvi beta, sorry," Bua Sa apologized, sensing his frustration.

"No, it's okay, Bua Sa," Prithvi replied, visibly agitated and eager to move on.

"Wait, Prithvi," Bua Sa called out, noticing his injured hand.

Concern etched across her face, she approached him, inquiring, "Apke hath mein itna khoon, kya hua?"

Prithvi, unwilling to disclose the truth, casually brushed off her concern, putting his hand in his pocket and claiming, "Kuch nahi, bua sa."

"App apne kaam pr dhyaan dijiye. And take your medicine for systolic blood pressure; you are imagining things," he dismissed, walking away.

Bua sa, however, muttered to herself, "No, I saw a cut," her worry lingering.

The worker, sensing the distraction, interrupted her thoughts, showing a flower arrangement, and she responded absentmindedly, "Haan," still puzzled OR confused was it just her imagination?