Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
RANVIJAY
S hivina was silent on the short helicopter ride from Sajjangarh to Mirpur, but her sister talked enough for both of them. I wondered if my new bride was regretting her decision.
When her sister’s attention was diverted by the city lights spread out under us, I seized the opportunity to take Shivina’s hand. She jumped in her seat but kept her gaze firmly on the window. A little piqued, I ran my thumb gently over the soft skin of her palm. She exhaled sharply and turned to glare at me.
I raised an enquiring eyebrow, and she nodded toward her sister. With a sigh, I started to let go of her hand, but to my surprise, Shivina curled her fingers around mine before she let go. For some reason, it felt like she’d just curled her fingers around my heart.
I reminded myself that this was a purely business arrangement and told my heart to stay the fuck out of it.
“Where are we going, Di?” asked Zarna suddenly.
“We’re going home,” I replied before Shivina could speak.
Zarna gave me a measuring stare.
“Whose home?” she wanted to know.
“Our home. Now that your sister is married to me, you will live with us in Mirpur Palace.”
“But my sister isn’t really married to you, is she? That was just a dirty trick Rani Sa and Baisa played on you.”
“It began as a trick, but Shivina and I have decided to stay married,” I informed her.
Her gaze sharpened, and I had to do my best not to squirm under her scrutiny.
“Why?” she asked bluntly.
That gave me pause because I didn’t know how to explain our arrangement to a fourteen-year-old kid. I looked at Shivina to see if she was waiting to chime in at any point, but she seemed to be enjoying my discomfort. She shot me a wicked grin before she turned to her sister.
“The why doesn’t matter, Zarna,” she began.
“Of course it does,” exclaimed her sister. “We know nothing about him, Di. Sure, he seems nice, but you’re very naive, and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of you.”
How old was this kid anyway?
“I am not naive,” replied Shivina hotly.
Her sister rolled her eyes in reply.
“Oh, please. Any idiot could have foretold how this morning’s grand idea was going to work out. But you still fell for Rani Sa’s plan, and look how that turned out for us!”
“It turned out very well,” I pointed out. “You never have to go back to Sajjangarh, and you and your sister will live in a grand palace with a handsome Maharaja.”
“Umm, conceited much?” she asked, rolling her eyes at me this time. “Besides, how do we know that life in your palace won’t be the same as our life in Sajjangarh?”
“First of all, my mother is nothing like Kavya’s mother,” I replied immediately. “And secondly, your sister will not be a member of the staff at Mirpur. She is the new Maharani. Trust me, your life in my palace will be nothing like your life until now.”
The chopper landed smoothly, and Zarna’s attention was diverted again by the sight of my huge palace.
“That’s your new home,” I announced, and she stared at it in wonder.
“For now,” said Shivina, so softly that I could barely hear her above the sound of the helicopter. “This is our home for now.”
There it was. Another reminder that this was just a business arrangement.
“Leave the bags. Someone will have them sent up to our room,” I said when Shivina reached for them.
My mother was waiting for us in the great hall, as were our friends. Shivina and Zarna looked intimidated by the royal welcome committee.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, dear child,” said Ma to Zarna. “I hope they didn’t hurt you.”
“N… no, Your Highness,” replied Zarna hesitantly.
“Sannata will show you to your room. Why don’t you go and rest for a bit? I’ll have a lovely dinner sent up to your room. Do you like pizza and ice cream?”
“I love it,” exclaimed Zarna, and she followed Sannata upstairs happily.
Shivina stood just inside the door and stared at everyone apprehensively as if she wasn’t sure of her welcome. Ma smiled at her, trying to put her at ease.
“Come in, beta. Don’t look so scared. We’ll figure out how to annul the marriage without any embarrassment to you, I promise.”
Shivina looked even more worried, and I blew out a deep breath because my mother was in for a bit of a shock. I hoped she wouldn’t take it out on Shivina, though. I wouldn’t tolerate any rudeness towards my wife. Not even from my mother.
“Ma, there will be no annulment,” I said bluntly. “Shivina and I have decided to stay married.”
There was a loud cheer from my friends, but my family didn’t look too pleased. Kaki Sa and Sangram looked downright furious, while my mother looked worried.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ranvijay,” she yelped. “You know nothing about each other. You married her believing her to be Kavya.”
“It doesn’t matter, Ma. Shivina and I know what we are doing.”
“Do you?” asked Ma sceptically. “Shivina, do you really mean to tell me that you want to stay married to the man who kidnapped you to punish you for deceiving him?”
“No, Your Highness. But I do want to stay married to the man who rescued me - a complete stranger - from his cousin’s unwanted advances. I want to stay married to the man who rode out in his chopper to rescue my sister, even though he didn’t have to.”
“Well, I’m sure his palace and his wealth were adequate compensation for your troubles,” said my mother coldly.
“Ma! Do not speak to my wife like that,” I thundered.
Shivina gave me a small smile before she stood up straight and stared my mother down.
“I know you won’t believe me if I say they weren’t. But how was it different when Kavya Baisa was willing to marry him for his money? Isn’t money the biggest consideration in all arranged marriages?”
“Because she’s from the same social class as we are,” said Kumudini Kaki Sa furiously. “Who and what are you? What do you bring to the table? Kavya came from a royal bloodline. She had good breeding and class...”
“She was a promiscuous drug addict,” retorted Shivina. “But I guess those faults can be swept under the carpet when one is a princess. As for what I bring to the table, I bring loyalty and the capacity to work my ass off, which is more than can be said about your son, who tried to molest me during the engagement party. But I understand if that isn’t good enough for your family. I’m willing to walk away from this marriage right now if you can’t accept me as the new Maharani.”
It was fun to see Kumudini Kaki Sa reduced to a gobbling, incoherent mess as she tried to defend Sangram’s actions. I realised that Shivina didn’t need me to defend her. She could defend herself, but I didn’t like that she’d painted herself into a corner with her statement.
“My wife does not need anyone to beg for anyone’s acceptance,” I said, with a pointed look at my aunt. “If she’s good enough for me, she’s good enough for everybody. And I will not tolerate anyone implying otherwise.”
“I feel for you, Didi Sa. I truly do. But I will not stay here and be insulted by the likes of this con woman,” said Kaki Sa, drawing herself up angrily. “Come along, Sangram.”
That little rodent had jumped for cover behind a sofa the minute Shivina brought up his actions, and he sidled out of the room hastily behind his mother without looking at any of us.
“That man is not welcome in our palace anymore, Ma. Please make that clear to Kaki Sa,” I told Ma, who nodded immediately.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on my sister,” said Shivina.
With a polite smile, she went upstairs, and I waited for the onslaught of protests from everyone in the hall.
“Let’s discuss this in the sitting room,” said Ma.
I didn’t want to discuss anything. I just wanted to go upstairs and get to know my new wife a little better. But I followed Ma into the sitting room because I owed her this conversation. Diya and Isha followed on my heels, even as their husbands tried to hold them back.
“Babe, this is a family matter,” hissed Veer.
“And we are family,” Isha hissed back.
“That you are, shortcake. Come along now and defend me,” I called out with a laugh.
“I’m glad you find something funny in this situation, Ranvijay,” Ma said bitingly.
“I didn’t take you for a snob, Ma. Don’t tell me you disapprove of Shivina just because she’s not royal,” I drawled.
“I don’t give a damn about that, and you know it! If you loved that girl, I’d be dancing for joy right now. But you don’t, do you?”
“Were you under the impression I was in love with Kavya when I was marrying her?” I enquired politely, trying to keep a lid on my temper.
“I knew you weren’t. Which was why I wasn’t happy about the marriage. But I also knew that Kavya was capable of taking care of herself. If the two of you chose to settle for a loveless marriage, that was on you. But Shivina is different. She’s not cold and calculating like Kavya. I’m worried that she’s blinded by the grandeur of the palace and by our wealth, and I’m worried that you’re taking advantage of that fact to trap her in a loveless marriage.”
My mother’s words cut me to the heart. Is that what she thought of me? That I’d take advantage of a woman?
“Don’t mince your words, Ma. It’s not like I have any feelings,” I said coldly.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think she’s the right wife for you. Not until you learn to open your heart and take a chance on love. I don’t want you to break her heart, Ranvijay.”
“Well, I have news for you. Shivina is not some lovestruck fool. She knows exactly what this marriage is. It is a marriage of convenience, just like my marriage to Kavya. And she’s happy to settle for that, Ma.”
“You make it sound so sordid,” said my mother unhappily.
“I’m not, but you are,” I replied angrily. “Shivina and I can be perfectly happy if you just get off our backs. I won’t have you making her miserable about our situation, Ma. If you keep this up, Shivina and I will move out of the palace. Is that what you want?”
Ma stared at me for a long moment, and I wondered if I had gone too far.
“Are you upset because I might make Shivina unhappy, or are you upset because I’m messing up your plans for a cold and loveless marriage?” she asked eventually.
What kind of dumbass question was that?
“I don’t want you or anyone making Shivina unhappy or shaming her about the events that led up to this marriage,” I yelled. “As for your assumption that my marriage will be cold and loveless, Shivina and I are friends. We are very clear about what we both want from this marriage, and that’s a far better start than either of these two fools had when they got married.”
“Hey! What did we do?” asked Veer and Dheer together.
“You didn’t give them any grief when you arm-twisted them into marriage, so I don’t get why you’re being so mean to my wife.”
“You idiot, Nandini Aunty is not being mean to your wife. She’s protecting her. From you,” said Diya, who was ensconced in the big armchair.
“My wife doesn’t need any protection from me,” I replied furiously.
“Doesn’t she? You’re currently treating her like a commodity,” snapped my mother. “As if she and Kavya are exchangeable.”
“Enough! Shivina and I know what we’re doing, Ma. Back. Off!”
“Fine! Do whatever you like. But don’t blame me when this blows up in your face, beta. I’m trying to protect you both from a lifetime of unhappiness. Treat the holy bond of marriage with a bit more respect, that’s all I ask. It is not a business contract,” said Ma.
But that’s exactly what our marriage was. And I couldn’t explain that to my mother or my friends, who were blissfully happy in their marriages. They’d never get it.
Besides, it had nothing to do with them. I had the right to live my life on my terms, and if Shivina agreed to the terms of our marriage, I didn’t think anyone else’s opinion mattered.
“This discussion is over, Ma,” I said, heading to the door.
“Where are you going?” asked Isha.
“To check on my wife,” I replied and ignored the whistles and hoots that followed me out.
When I walked into my bedroom, Shivina was standing by the window in a t-shirt and pyjamas. This had to be the most anti-climactic wedding night ever, I thought ruefully. She turned around to stare at me in apprehension.
“Has Zarna settled in all right?” I asked gruffly.
Damn it! Why did I have to sound like Darth Vader? I wanted to put her at ease, and growling at her was not the way to do it. Look how she jumped at a simple question.