Chapter 29
The grand hall had barely settled into silence when the deep echo of a conch shell rang through the palace corridors.
Once.
Twice.
Every servant froze.
Rani Kalyani Devi straightened at once, her sharp eyes lifting toward the eastern archway of the darbar.
“The King has arrived,” someone whispered.
Moments later, the heavy doors of the court opened wide.
Maharaj Rajveer Singh Rathore entered the darbar with slow, commanding steps.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in ivory and gold his presence calm yet unyielding, like a mountain that did not need to announce its strength.
His eyes held years of wisdom, battles, and authority.
Where Rani Kalyani’s aura was fierce fire, Rajveer Singh Rathore carried the still weight of the earth.
Every noble bowed deeply.
Rajveer Singh Rathore took his seat on the throne, his gaze sweeping the hall once sharp, observant, missing nothing.Only one seat beside him remained empty.
Randhir’s.
Rani Kalyani noticed it too.Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
She raised her hand slightly and turned to a guard standing near the pillar.
Rani Kalyani (low and controlled tone): Raja Subhan aur unke parivaar ko suchit kar do. Maharaj unse darbar mein milna chahte hain.”
The guard bowed.
“Ji, Maharani sa.”
As the guard left, a subtle tension crept into the air thin, invisible, but unmistakable.
Rajveer leaned back slightly, fingers resting on the arm of the throne.
Rajveer:Randhir abhi tak lauta nahi?
It wasn’t a question.
It was an observation.
Rani Kalyani kept her voice steady.
Rani Kalyani:Abhi nahi, Maharaj. Sandesh bhej diya gaya hai.par hume nhi lgta vo aaega aur wajah aap bhi jaante hai.
Rajveer only looked at her without saying anything.
Soon, footsteps echoed again as Raja Subhan, Rani Veena, and Saanvi entered the darbar.
Saanvi walked confidently, chin lifted, silk lehenga brushing the marble floor as if she already belonged there. Raja Subhan greeted the king with practiced respect, and Veena followed, her smile polite, eyes sharp and calculating.They bowed deeply before the throne.
Subhan:Pranam, Maharaj.
Rajveer Singh Rathore inclined his head.
Rajveer:Swagat hai. Aapki yatra kaisi rahi?
Formal words followed customary pleasantries, alliances, old promises revisited.
Saanvi (she softly to herself):Unhone aana bhi zaroori nahi samjha…
Veena shot her a warning look.
Raja Subhan cleared his throat, forcing a calm smile.
Rajveer noticed everything but said nothing.Instead, his gaze moved toward the empty seat again.
The absence spoke louder than presence ever could.
...................
The darbar slowly emptied.
Silk brushed against marble, heavy doors closed one by one, and the echo of courtiers faded into silence.
Polite conversations masked a single, unspoken question that lingered in the air. ...
Rajkumar Randhir kyu nahi aaye?
But when it became clear that the prince would not arrive, Rajveer rose from the throne.
“ Aaj ka Darbar samapt hota hai.”
The words echoed, final and heavy.
Everyone dispersed Raja Subhan, Veena, Saanvi escorted to their respective chambers. Servants guided them through unfamiliar corridors, while guards returned to their posts.
Only two remained behind.
The King and the Queen.
The doors to the private chamber closed with a soft but decisive thud.
Rajveer removed his crown and placed it aside, rubbing his temples slowly. The weight on his shoulders tonight was heavier than gold.
He looked at Kalyani.
She stood near the window, back straight, hands clasped behind her, staring at the darkening sky beyond the palace walls unyielding, regal, unbothered.
Rajveer : Samjhati kyu nahi aap… apne bete ko?
Kalyani did not turn.
Kalyani:Kya samjhau use?
She turned then, eyes blazing.
“Samjhega bhi kaise? Apne baap pe jo gaya hai.”
Rajveer exhaled slowly.
Rajveer: Dekhiye, Kalyani… aap hi hain jo use is shaadi ke liye mana sakti hain.
A sharp scoff escaped her lips and her eyes narrowed.
Kalyani:Aur hum aisa kyu karenge?
Wo nak chadhi ladki humein humare Randhir ke liye hargiz manzoor nahi hai.
Rajveer straightened slightly.
Rajveer:Kharabi kya hai usme?
Kalyani let out a humorless laugh.
Kalyani:Toh achhai bhi kya hai usme?
She stepped closer, every word landing like a strike.
“Is rajya ki rani ban payegi wo?Humare sanki bete ko sambhal paayegi wo?Uske saath kadam se kadam mila kar chal paayegi wo?”
She stopped right in front of him and asked in a challenging voice.
Kalyani: Jawab dijiye, Maharaj.Chup kyu hain?
Rajveer looked at her and said nothing.The silence stretched thick, undeniable.
Kalyani’s lips curved, not in triumph, but in certainty.
Kalyani:Nahi de paa rahe hain na uttar?
She turned away, her voice firm, final.
“Hum de dete hain.”
She faced him one last time.
Kalyani: Nahi.Wo inmein se kuchh bhi nahi kar sakti.
Her eyes hardened.
“Ye rishta kabhi uchit tha hi nahi, Maharaj.Abhi bhi samay hai.”
She adjusted her pallu, dignity flowing in every movement.
Kalyani:Soch lijiye.
And with that, she walked out
Not in anger, Not in haste but with the commanding grace of a queen who feared no one.
Rajveer remained standing alone in the chamber, staring at the closed door knowing deep down that Kalyani was right…
and yet fate had other plans.
.......
...............
The palace lay wrapped in silence, lanterns flickering softly along the long stone corridors.
Guards straightened the moment hoofbeats echoed through the outer courtyard.
Randhir had returned.
Dust clung to his boots, his black shawl hung loosely over his shoulder, hair slightly disheveled from travel.
He moved through the palace like a shadow tired, distant, carrying thoughts he refused to name.
He had barely taken three steps inside the inner corridor when
Snap.
“Aah...!”
Rani Kalyani Devi appeared from nowhere and twisted his ear with surprising strength.
Kalyani :Kahan the aap, Rajkumar?
Randhir winced, bending slightly.
Randhir:Ahh... maa! Kaan chhodiye!
Her grip tightened for a second more
Kalyani: Pehle ye bataiye darbar mein aaye kyu nahi?Aapke pita bohot naraaz hain.
Randhir sighed, the fight leaving his shoulders.Kalyani finally released his ear, folding her arms.
Randhir:Aap jaanti toh hain, maa.Hume us ladki se shaadi nahi karni.
Kalyani raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
Kalyani:Toh phir kisse karni hai?Aap bataenge tab toh hum aapki madad karenge na.
Randhir looked away, jaw tightening.
Randhir:Nahi pata, maa.Mujhe shaadi hi nahi karni kisi se.
His voice softened, honest, tired.
“Ye saari cheeze… mere liye nahi bani hain, maa.”
Kalyani’s expression changed not angry, not mocking just thoughtful.
Kalyani:Phir wahi baat.
She stepped closer, her voice calm but firm.
"Kabhi na kabhi toh karni padegi na.Aise zindagi bhar thodi reh sakte hain aap.”
She paused, then added quietly,
“Dekhiye, Randhir… wo ladki hume bhi pasand nahi hai.”Isiliye keh rahe hain agar aapko koi pasand hai toh hume bataiye.”
Randhir turned to her, eyes clouded.
Randhir:Maa… koi hai hi nahi toh batayein kaise hum?Koi nahi hai abhi.
A faint, bitter smile touched his lips.
“Aur shayad… koi hoga bhi nahi.”
Kalyani’s gaze softened.
She lifted her hand and rested it gently on his cheek so different from her fierce nature.
Kalyani:Beta, tumhe pata hai na…
Bhagwan sabke liye kisi na kisi ko banata hi hai.
Her voice held quiet faith.
“Tumhare liye bhi koi bana hoga.”
“Shayad abhi tak mila nahi hai, isiliye tum aisa keh rahe ho.”
She smiled knowingly.
Kalyani:Jis din tumhe pyar hoga na…
Us din tum khud ko rok nahi paoge.
She tilted her head slightly.
“Aur us din hum tumse puchhenge ye cheeze aapke liye bani hain ya nahi.”
Randhir exhaled deeply.
Randhir:Maa…
He ran a hand through his hair.
“Hum aapse kal baat karenge.Hume neend aa rahi hai.”
He folded his hands lightly.
“Hum sone ja rahe hain.Aap bhi so jaiye.”
A small smile appeared.
“Shubh ratri.”
He turned and walked toward his chamber, footsteps echoing softly down the corridor.Kalyani stood there, watching his retreat back.
A slow smile curved her lips one filled with certainty, not hope.
..................
Aaryan stepped out of Saanvi’s chamber with a small, careful bow, the white dupatta pulled tightly over his face just as she had ordered.
“ kal subah Jaldi aa jana,” her voice said.
He nodded and turned away.
The door closed behind him and suddenly Silence.The corridor outside was nothing like the lively halls he had seen earlier. No guards. No servants. No flickering chatter. Only long stretches of stone lit by silver moonlight spilling through tall, arched windows.
Aaryan slowed.
Yahan… koi nahi hai?
His fingers tightened around the edge of his dupatta as he took a hesitant step forward. His soft kurta brushed against his ankles, pale fabric glowing faintly under the moon, making him look almost unreal like a fragile shadow that didn’t belong to this grand place.
He turned his head to the left.
Empty.
To the right.
Empty.
The palace that had been so full of life hours ago now felt endless… and unfamiliar.His heart began to race.
Shayad galat raasta aa gaya…
He took another step. Then another.
The sound of his own footsteps startled him.Aaryan stopped abruptly, breath shallow.
His eyes darted around, wide and glistening.
The dupatta slipped slightly as his hands trembled, and he hurriedly adjusted it, as if the cloth was the only thing protecting him.
“koi bhi n..nhi hai…?” he whispered.
No answer.Only the echo of his own voice returning to him.
His chest tightened.
He turned back the way he thought he had come but the corridors looked the same. Identical arches. Identical doors. Identical shadows.
His vision blurred.
Tears welled up in his big eyes, clinging stubbornly to his lashes.
Main kho gaya hoon…
Aaryan swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, but the water spilled anyway hot and silent, tracing their way down beneath the cloth.
He hugged his arms around himself, the soft fabric of his kurta offering little comfort against the cold stone air.At the far end of the corridor, a single door stood slightly ajar.
Light spilled from it.
Aaryan’s breath came out uneven as panic swallowed him whole.
The corridor felt endless now too long, too empty, too quiet.
His chest tightened.
Galat aa gaya…Yahan koi kyun nahi hai…
Tears blurred his vision as he took a step back, then another his hands clutching the white dupatta as if it were the only thing holding him together.
“No… no…” he whispered, voice trembling.His heel slipped.
And suddenly
Thud.
A solid presence collided with his back.Aaryan gasped sharply, his balance completely lost.
His body tilted backward, fear flashing through him.
Before he could hit the floor, strong arms wrapped around his waist.
Firm and Unyielding.In one swift motion, he was lifted, pulled forward against a hard chest, feet barely grazing the ground.
Aaryan cried out softly, instinctively clutching the front of the stranger’s clothes, fingers digging in.
His heart was pounding so loudly it hurt.The world stopped.
He froze.
The arms around him didn’t loosen.
Didn’t tighten either.
They just… held.
Slowly very slowly Aaryan lifted his head.
And then....
Their eyes met.
Sharp.
Dark.
Intense.
Eyes that had seen battles.
Eyes that commanded silence.
They stared straight into
Big.
Black.
Doe-like.
Eyes filled with tears, lashes wet, shimmering under the moonlight wide with shock, fear, and untouched innocence.
For a heartbeat
Nothing existed.
Not the palace.
Not the corridor.
Not the world.
Only that gaze.
..
.
..
.
..
.
..
Thanks
Love u all ????????