Chapter 31
The morning light crept softly into the palace corridors, but it did nothing to ease the tight knot in Aaryan’s chest.
He stood outside Saanvi’s chamber, eyes lowered, hands clasped nervously in front of him.
He hadn’t slept. His eyes were swollen, lashes still heavy from crying, but he had washed his face carefully making sure no one could tell.
“Aaryan!”
The sharp call made him flinch.
“J... ji…” he whispered and stepped inside.
Saanvi stood near the mirror, adjusting her jewelry, irritation already written across her face. The moment her eyes fell on Aaryan, her expression hardened.
Saanvi (coldly):
“kaha the tum?”
Aaryan’s fingers trembled.
“Ji… vo… mai...”
She turned sharply, cutting him off.
Saanvi:Tumhe pata hai ghadi me kya waqt ho raha tha jab tum aaye?
Hum kab se bula rahe the tumhe?
Aaryan bowed his head further.
“Ma... maafi ji… r.... raasta bhatak gaya tha…”
Saanvi scoffed.
Saanvi: Raasta bhatak gaya tha?
She stepped closer, voice dropping into something far more dangerous than shouting.
“Rajmahal koi mela hai?Ya tumhe ghoomne ka shauk chadh gaya hai?"
Aaryan shook his head frantically.
“N... nahi, ji… aisa k... kuchh nahi hai…”
Saanvi’s eyes narrowed.
Saanvi:Phir itni der kyu lagi?
Tum jaante ho agar kisi ne tumhe raat ko idhar-udhar ghoomte dekh liya hota to kya hota?
Aaryan’s breath hitched.
He remembered those sharp eyes in the dark corridor.
His silence answered for him.
Saanvi clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Saanvi: Zara si akal nahi hai tum mein.
Her words cut deep.
Aaryan’s eyes burned, but he didn’t dare let the tears fall.
“m..aaf kr dijiye…” he whispered.
Saanvi turned back to the mirror dismissively.
Saanvi:Aakhri baar bol rahi hoon.Agli baar agar bina bataye gayab hue na....
She paused, smirk curling her lips.
“ ....toh tumhara yahan rehna mushkil kr dungi.”
Aaryan’s heart dropped.
“Samjhe?”
He nodded immediately.
“J...ji… samajh gaya.”
...............
A soft knock echoed against the heavy wooden doors.
Randhir lay awake, eyes fixed on the ceiling, when the doors opened without waiting for permission.
Rani Kalyani Devi stepped inside.
Randhir turned his head slightly.
“Maa.”
She stood tall, regal as ever, her presence alone enough to command the room. Her sharp eyes swept over him once taking in the untouched bed, the tension in his shoulders.
She didn’t sit.
Kalyani (firm voice): Aaj sabha mein aapko upasthit rehna hai.
Randhir frowned faintly.
“Kis baat ki sabha?”
Kalyani’s gaze didn’t waver.
Kalyani: Aapki shaadi ke vishay mein.
Saanvi ke saath vivaah sambandh par charcha hogi.
Silence fell.
Randhir sat up slowly, jaw tightening.
Randhir: Humein pehle hi keh chuke hain, maa.Hum us shaadi ke liye haan nahi kahenge.
Kalyani took a step closer, her bangles chiming softly.
Kalyani (cold and controlled): Haan ya naa kehne ka avsar aaj milega.Par sabha mein na jaane ka vikalp nahi hai.
Randhir looked away.
“Hum wahan baithkar bhi kuchh nahi badlenge.”
Kalyani’s lips curved not in anger, but in a quiet challenge.
Kalyani:Badlav aksar tab hi hota hai jab hum saamne khade hote hain.
She paused, watching him closely.
“Aur yaad rakhiye, Randhir, raja banna sirf talwar uthana nahi hota. Kabhi-kabhi faislon ka bojh bhi uthana padta hai.”
Randhir clenched his fists.
“Maa...”
Kalyani (cutting him off): Ye aadesh hai.
Her voice softened just a fraction.
“Aapke pita bhi wahin honge.”
That did it.
Randhir exhaled sharply.
“Hum aayenge,” he said finally, voice flat.
“Par iska matlab ye nahi ki hum is rishtay ko sweekar kar lenge.”
Kalyani nodded once, satisfied.
Kalyani: Humein sirf aapki upasthiti chahiye.
She turned toward the door, then stopped.Without looking back, she added quietly.
“Randhir… bhaagne se kismet nahi badalti.”
She left.
The doors closed.
Randhir remained seated on the bed, staring ahead, chest tight.
.......................
The sabha hall stood grand and solemn, pillars rising high, oil lamps burning steadily along the walls.
Ministers, senapati, and trusted nobles had already taken their places.
Murmurs filled the air soft, curious, expectant.
One seat remained empty.
Then...
The massive doors opened.
Rajkumar Randhir Rathore entered.
His presence alone silenced the hall.
Clad in dark royal attire, shoulders squared, expression unreadable, he walked forward with measured steps. Every noble immediately rose and bowed deeply.
“Rajkumar ko pranam.”
Randhir did not acknowledge them.
He stopped only before the throne.
He bowed once to his father.
Then turned slightly and bowed to his mother.
Respect.
Duty.
Nothing more.
Without another glance at the court, he moved to his seat and sat down, back straight, jaw set, eyes forward.
The sabha resumed breathing.
Raja Rajveer Singh Rathore surveyed the hall quietly, his face calm but thoughtful. Rani Kalyani Devi sat beside him, regal and composed, fingers resting lightly on the armrest of her throne.
Her sharp gaze flicked once toward Randhir.Then she raised her hand.
Clap.
The sharp sound echoed through the hall.A servant immediately stepped forward and bowed.
Rani Kalyani (clear and commanding):
Saanvi ko darbar mein upasthit hone ko kaha jaye.
The servant bowed again.
“Ji, Maharani sa.”
He turned and hurried away.
A subtle shift passed through the hall.
Whispers stirred.
Eyes moved some toward the entrance, some toward Randhir.
Randhir remained still.
No reaction.
No curiosity.
No impatience.
Only a tightening of his jaw betrayed anything at all.The alliance being discussed concerned him, his future, his name, his throne.
Yet his mind, traitorous and unwanted, drifted for a fleeting second
To a pair of wide, teary black eyes he had seen the night before.
He clenched his fingers lightly against the armrest.
.
..........
The heavy doors of the sabha opened again.All eyes turned.
Saanvi entered first.
Her chin was lifted, steps slow and deliberate, silk whispering against the marble floor as if announcing her presence.
Confidence dripped from her posture calculated, practiced, arrogant.
She wore her pride like a crown, gaze sweeping the court as though she already owned it.
Half a step behind her...
Aaryan.
His face was covered with a white dupatta, pulled carefully in place. His shoulders were slightly hunched, hands folded nervously in front of him. His eyes stayed lowered, lashes trembling as he walked trying to disappear into the marble beneath his feet.
Servant.
Shadow.
Invisible.
They stopped at the center of the sabha.Saanvi bowed lightly just enough to fulfill formality, not enough to show humility.Aaryan bowed deeper.
Lower.
Longer.
His heart hammered painfully in his chest.He could feel the space.
So many eyes.
So much power.
Saanvi moved ahead and took her seat with practice grace.
Aaryan stepped aside and stood beside her, just behind exactly where he was meant to be. His gaze remained fixed on the floor, breath shallow, fingers twisting into the fabric of his kurta.
He didn’t know why his chest felt tight.
He didn’t know why the air felt heavier than usual.
Across the hall Randhir sat unmoved.
He didn’t even glance at Saanvi.
His attention was turned outward, eyes resting beyond the open arches of the sabha, jaw set in indifference. As if the woman meant nothing more to him than a name tied to a promise.
He didn’t know.
He didn’t see...That just a few steps away stood the boy whose eyes had haunted his sleepless night.
The same boy.
Hidden behind cloth.
Standing silently.
Heart racing.
Aaryan felt something stir in the air an inexplicable pull but he kept his eyes down, obeying instinct over curiosity.
Silence stretched.
Rani Kalyani’s sharp gaze moved between Randhir and Saanvi.
Between power and pretense.
.............
Rani Kalyani Devi straightened on the throne.
Her gaze swept the sabha once commanding, unwavering.
Rani Kalyani: Aaj sab yahan ek saath maujood hain.Toh aaj faisla hona hi chahiye.
A brief murmur rippled through the hall.Before anyone else could speak, Saanvi leaned forward, lips curving in a confident, almost mocking smile.
Saanvi (arrogantly): Kya faisla baaki hai, Rani sa? Humari shaadi ka din pakka karna hai bas.
The hall still went.
Rani Kalyani slowly turned her head toward Saanvi.
She didn’t raise her voice.She didn’t frown.She simply looked at her.
Deep.
Sharp.
Piercing.
The kind of look that stripped arrogance bare.
Saanvi’s smile faltered.Her lips pressed together as she fell silent under that gaze.Rani Kalyani then turned toward her son.
Her voice was calm. Deadly calm.
Rani Kalyani: Randhir.A pause.
“Ek shabd.”Another pause longer this time.“Haan… ya naa?”
Rajveer shifted slightly.
Raja Rajveer: Rani sa, aap....”
Rani Kalyani said cutting him off
“Randhir.”
Her eyes never left her son.
“Haan.”
“Ya.”
“Naa?”
The entire sabha held its breath.
Randhir finally turned his head.
His eyes moved toward his mother
But then....
They stopped.
Accidentally.
On a pair of eyes that were not looking at him.
Downcast.
Hidden behind white cloth.
Standing quietly beside Saanvi.
Something in his chest is stilled.
Those lashes.
That curve of the brow.
That familiar, unbearable softness
Randhir’s breath hitched.
His lips parted slightly.
The word he had prepared…
died before reaching his tongue.
At that exact moment.
..
As if sensing something...
Aaryan lifted his gaze.
Just for a second.
Just enough.
And his eyes collided with Those sharp, intense eyes from the night.
The same eyes that had held him above the floor.The same eyes that had almost uncovered him.
The same eyes that had haunted his sleep.
Aaryan froze.
Shock flashed across his face.
His breath caught painfully as recognition struck not the name, not the power But the presence.
Ye… to... wahi…
Randhir’s world narrowed.
The sabha vanished.
The thrones disappeared.
There were only those teary black eyes, now wide with fear, staring straight into his soul.
Time stopped.
Rani Kalyani waited.
The court waited.
Saanvi waited.
But Randhir Rathore the man who had never hesitated in front of anybody could not speak.
The sabha was so silent that even breath felt loud.
Randhir did not look away.
Not from his mother.
Not from the court.
Not from Saanvi.
His eyes stayed locked on those black, terrified eyes standing beside her.Those same eyes.
Wide.
Soft.
Panicking.
The world narrowed to that gaze.
And then Without blinking, without shifting even an inch..
Randhir spoke.
“Naa.”
Just one word.
Low.
Firm.
Final.
A ripple of shock tore through the sabha.Whispers erupted instantly.
“Rajkumar ne inkaar kar diya...”
“Sidha inkaar...”
“Ye kaise...”
Saanvi’s head snapped toward him, disbelief flashing across her face.
“Kya…?” she breathed.
But Randhir still didn’t look at her.
He was still looking at Aaryan.
Rani Kalyani Devi leaned back slightly on the throne.A slow, knowing smirk curved her lips.
Not surprise.
Not anger.
Pride.
As if she had already known this was how destiny would speak.
Aaryan’s chest tightened painfully.
His breath came fast, shallow.
Why while looking at him?
Fear crashed over him all at once.
His fingers curled into the fabric of his kurta, knuckles whitening as Randhir’s gaze seemed to pin him in place.
It felt too sharp. Too aware. As if the man could see through the cloth, through his silence, through everything he was hiding.
Aaryan’s eyes filled instantly.
No.
No, no, no....
This was wrong.
He dropped his gaze hurriedly, lashes trembling as tears threatened to spill right there in the sabha.
His body began to shake, barely noticeable but inside, he was breaking.
Main kya kar raha hoon…
Ye sab meri wajah se…?
Randhir finally blinked.
But only once.
And even then, his eyes didn’t soften.
They only deepened.
Rani Kalyani’s voice cut through the rising chaos, calm and sharp as steel.
Rani Kalyani: Sabha shant rahe.
Silence returned, heavy and stunned.
She looked at Randhir not questioning, not scolding.
Approving and then, for the briefest moment, her gaze slid to the trembling boy standing beside Saanvi.
Something unreadable flickered in her eyes.
Aaryan stood frozen, head bowed, heart pounding so loudly he was sure everyone could hear it.
He still didn’t know who that man truly was.
But one thing is terrifyingly clear now....
That single word…
spoken while looking only at him…
For a second, the sabha stayed silent.
Then suddenly......
Saanvi stood up.
Her chair scraped loudly against the marble floor, the sound cutting through the hall like a blade.
Saanvi (furious):
“Kya matlab naa?”
“Yahan mazaak nahi chal raha hai, Rajkumar!”
Randhir did not move.
Did not react.
Did not even look at her.
That silence only fueled her rage.
Saanvi:Aap aisa nahi kar sakte!
Her voice cracked not with hurt, but wounded pride.
“Hum aapse prem karte hain.”
“Hum aapse hi shaadi karenge!”
But still Randhir sat there, stone faced, eyes cold, unreadable.
The humiliation burned.
Saanvi clenched her fists and stormed toward him.
Gasps rippled through the sabha.
Randhir finally stood up slowly, deliberately his height alone forcing her to stop for half a second.
But anger drowned her senses.
Saanvi: Uttar dijiye, Ran.....”
The air split.
Randhir said in his razor-sharp voice
“Bas.”
One word.
Enough to freeze the room.
His eyes dropped to her with cutting contempt.
Randhir: Aapke liye Rajkumar.
His jaw tightened.
“Hume humare naam se bulane ka haq humne aapko kabhi nahi diya.”
A stunned silence crashed over the sabha.Saanvi’s face twisted shock mixing with wounded pride.
Saanvi (desperate and loud): Rajkumar aap humare saath aisa nahi kar sakte! Aapne wada kiya tha aap...
She lunged forward in anger
Her hand shot toward his collar.
Before she could touch him Randhir stepped back violently. As if her touch itself was an insult.A collective gasp ripped through the hall.
Randhir’s eyes darkened dangerous, blazing.His voice dropped, thick with fury.
Randhir: Kisne kaha…
He took a step forward, forcing her back.
“…aap hume chhoo sakti hain?”
“Huh?”
The word hit like a blow.
Saanvi stumbled back, horror flashing across her face.
Never in her life Had anyone rejected her like this.
Randhir’s control snapped.
Randhir (roaring): “Hume shaadi nahi karni matlab nahi karni!”
His voice thundered through the sabha.
“hume nhi yaad ki Humne koi wada nahi kiya tha! Toh hume nibhane ki koi zarurat nahi hai!"
The walls seemed to shake.
At the edge of the hall....
Aaryan flinched violently.
His whole body jerked.
The anger.
The volume.
The raw dominance.
It terrified him.
His breath hitched, tears instantly filling his eyes as he shrank into himself, fingers curling into his kurta like a frightened child. The white dupatta trembled.
Randhir turned sharply, rage still burning in his veins.
Without bowing.
Without permission.
He stormed out of the sabha.
His boots struck the marble hard each step a warning.The doors slammed shut behind him with a force that echoed like a verdict.
Silence followed.
Saanvi stood in the middle of the sabha humiliated, shaking, fury and disbelief tearing her apart.
No one dared speak.Rani Kalyani Devi sat still on the throne.
Calm Collected and almost satisfied.
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