Chapter 24
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The café was slightly noisy as usual.
Yamini had texted Pooja to meet at their usual place.
After breakfast, she had taken the helicopter to the city and was then transferred to a waiting car, which took her to her apartment, where her belongings were neatly packed into suitcases to take back to the Jogra palace.
It had barely taken thirty minutes to pack her meager things.
Two suitcases and a camera bag were all that remained of five years of her life in another country, one failed marriage, and a fresh start.
And now someone had packed it all into a car heading to a royal palace in the mountains.
Yamini had asked the royal security to remain near her apartment so she could meet her friend for lunch.
The security in charge didn’t look pleased, but she had insisted.
Before they changed their mind, she quickly stepped out, hurried to the nearby cafe, and took the corner table.
It felt strange sitting in her old neighborhood waiting for her friend, as usual, even though her life had changed drastically.
She wrapped her hands around her chai cup and told herself to breathe.
Pooja arrived seven minutes late, slightly out of breath, but her eyes were already bright.
“Are you alright?” Yamini asked with a short laugh.
“More than alright,” Pooja announced, dropping into the chair opposite and immediately stealing Yamini's chai for a sip.
“First of all, Rajasthan was insane. The family had four hundred guests, three separate function venues, two camels that were not in the original plan, and a mother of the bride who changed the color scheme the morning of the wedding.” She set the cup down and spread her hands. “And I handled all of it. Perfectly.”
Yamini smiled. “Of course you did.”
“The feedback was incredible. They want me back for the younger sister's wedding next year.” Pooja leaned forward.
“I'm thinking of hiring two more coordinators. Expand properly.” She rattled on, describing the venue and the lighting and a particularly dramatic moment involving the groom's aunt and a peacock that had wandered in from the garden.
Yamini listened and smiled. She knew how passionate Pooja was about her work.
Twenty minutes later, Pooja stopped to take a breath. “Okay, enough about me. What’s up with you? How are things? Is Tina Mehta still bothering you?”
Yamini had almost forgotten about Tina Mehta. Although she had seen the woman barely three days ago, it felt like a lifetime.
“She tried to get me fired,” Yamini said. “Accused me of corporate espionage in front of the team.”
Pooja's mouth fell open. “She did what—”
“I handled it.” Yamini waved a hand. “Mentioned defamation. She backed off.”
Pooja looked both furious and impressed. “That’s good.”
Then suddenly, Pooja’s eyes widened as she looked past Yamini. “Whoa, some big shot must be coming in. Why would they come here though?”
Yamini turned slightly to see the royal security team hovering outside the small cafe.
She sucked in an annoyed breath. She had asked them not to follow her, but they still came. Most likely because they were ordered to by their boss, the Jogra maharaja.
Controlling jerk.
He probably didn’t trust her and thought she would run away, even though they were married.
She turned back to look at Pooja, who was still watching to see who the big shot was that the security was guarding. “Maybe some celebrity secret affair,” Pooja said in a conspiring tone. “This place wouldn’t be frequented by the media or anyone important. So it’s safer, I guess.”
Yamini looked down briefly at her chai.
It wasn’t pink-hued or salty like the one she had in the morning.
“They are here for me,” she muttered.
Pooja turned to frown at her. “What do you mean?”
Yamini took a deep breath. “Something happened recently.”
Her serious tone immediately caught Pooja’s attention.
“What is it?” Pooja asked, looking concerned.
“I… uh… got married yesterday,” she said.
There was silence.
Pooja stared at her.
“Sorry,” Pooja said carefully. “You got what?”
“Married.” Yamini kept her voice low and even. “Yesterday.”
Pooja continued staring. “You got married? To whom?”
Yamini met her eyes. “Bharat Singh Jogra.”
The silence that followed lasted nearly thirty seconds.
Then Pooja shrieked.
Every head in the café turned.
“Pooja—” Yamini grabbed her arm.
“Oh my God—”
“Lower your voice—”
“You are married to—”
“Shh—”
The royal security head came by her table. “Your Highness, is everything alright?” he asked, looking alert.
Yamini nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Please leave. I’m having a private conversation with my friend.”
The man looked at Pooja’s widened eyes for a moment and then nodded before stepping away as though confirming her friend wasn’t a threat.
Yamini watched him step away and felt the other customers still staring.
Pooja pressed both hands over her mouth, her eyes enormous above her fingers. She took one breath. Then another. Then she leaned across the table and whispered at a volume that was still frankly too loud. “You are married to Maharaja Bharat Singh Jogra!”
“It's not public yet,” Yamini said firmly. “No one can know.”
Pooja nodded rapidly, her hands still over her mouth. She looked as if she were physically containing herself.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered. “When did he propose? How did he propose? Was it romantic? Did he get down on one knee? Did he—”
“He didn't propose,” Yamini whispered back.
Pooja blinked. “Then how—”
Yamini's cheeks heated. “I proposed to him.”
Pooja's expression cycled through shock, confusion, and then a kind of delighted disbelief. “You proposed to Maharaja Bharat Singh Jogra! How? When?”
Yamini’s face burned. “I went to his office to confront him about Tina Mehta’s allegation, and then I was angry because he ignored me and hadn’t acknowledged my presence since we met again. I got reminded of your crazy suggestion and proposed, just to provoke a reaction.”
Pooja was slowly grinning as though she didn’t find any of it surprising.
Yamini pressed her fingers briefly against her temple. “I didn't think he would actually agree.”
“But he did!”
“Yes.”
“Immediately?”
Yamini closed her eyes briefly. “Immediately.”
Pooja sat back in her chair and looked at Yamini with a wide grin. “That is the most dramatic, ridiculous, wonderful thing I have ever heard in my life.” Pooja grabbed her hand across the table. “Tell me everything.”
Yamini told her. The contract, the lawyer's office, the heir clause, her grandmother's inheritance conditions, the temple in the mountains, the ceremony with no guests.
Then the visit to the Rewa Palace. She kept her voice low and matter-of-fact, watching Pooja's face shift through approximately forty expressions.
“It's a contract marriage,” Yamini finished. “Three years. Heir clause on both sides. Nothing more.”
Pooja was quiet for a moment, which was unusual enough to be alarming.
Then she said, “It sounds like a romantic movie with a happy ending.”
Yamini stared at her. “It’s more of a legal document.”
“He flew his runaway bride to his ancestral temple in the mountains and married her,” Pooja said dreamily. “That is not a legal document. That is a fairytale.”
“Pooja—”
“I'm just saying what it sounds like.” Pooja’s eyes brightened. “So Rani Suchitra Devi knows, and you’ve met her after the wedding?”
Yamini nodded. “Yes, but…”
Pooja's eyes sharpened. “But what?”
Yamini shrugged, keeping her voice light. “Rani Suchitra wasn’t exactly thrilled. The wedding was a surprise for her. His grandmother was particularly... clear about her feelings.”
Pooja waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, please. You are the best they could ever get. Beauty, lineage, and spirit. What else would they want?”
“You're biased,” Yamini said with a laugh. “You're my best friend. Of course, you’d think I am the best they can get.”
“Absolutely,” Pooja agreed without hesitation. “But I'm also right.” She propped her chin on her hand and looked at Yamini dreamily. “You know what else would be the best?”
“What?”
“Your babies.”
Yamini choked on her chai.
“They would be breathtaking. You and Bharat Jogra. Think about it. His cheekbones. His eyes. Your dusky skin and smile. Your children will be absolutely—”
“Stop it!” Yamini said, her face heating.
Pooja grinned. “I'm just being realistic.”
“You're being ridiculous.”
“I'm being both.” Pooja squeezed her hand. “I'm happy for you. Even if you're not happy yet. I think you will realize you are his chosen one.”
Yamini shook her head. “I told you it’s just a contract.”
“Oh please. I’m sure—”
“We have separate bedrooms,” she said.
Pooja's smile dimmed slightly. “Oh.”
“Separate suites… connected by a door.” Yamini kept her voice carefully neutral.
Pooja was quiet for a moment. Then a thoughtful look appeared on her face. “Maybe he's giving you space. Being considerate. You've just got married. You barely know each other. Maybe he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable before you're ready.”
Yamini tried not to blush, recalling the previous night and the soreness that still lingered between her legs.
“Yeah, maybe,” she muttered.
Pooja continued to talk, asking about the wedding attire, the visit to Rewa Palace, and then about the Jogra Palace.
Even as Yamini answered her excited friend, her mind kept circling back to the previous night and then that morning. She still didn’t know what Bharat Jogra’s motive was.
Why did you marry me?