CHAPTER 44
The helicopter descended toward Rewa Palace.
Yamini watched through the window as the lawns came into view, green and wide, bougainvillea spilling over carved balconies, the courtyard fountains catching the afternoon light.
“I hope Rani Ma likes my gift,” she said.
Bharat glanced at the wrapped frame resting against her knee. “She will.”
He didn't elaborate. He rarely did. But she had learned that when he said something with that particular certainty, he usually knew something she didn't.
“You are just biased like Pooja is,” she said with a laugh.
But her fingers, which had been pressing hard against the frame, loosened slightly
Despite preparing herself for the trip, she was still slightly nervous.
She had been to Rewa Palace before. As a child, she had come with her mother during the summer, running through these same corridors, sneaking into the kitchens, getting scolded by palace staff for climbing things she shouldn't have climbed.
Rani Suchitra was amused every time, rather than annoyed by the unruly behavior.
She had never once made Yamini feel like a nuisance. Even when she absolutely was one.
But Yamini wasn’t a child anymore.
She recalled the last visit to Rewa Palace as an adult. It was on her wedding day. She had been dazed and convinced none of it was real. She had stood in these courtyards in bridal red and been certain she was dreaming.
She wasn't dreaming now.
The helicopter landed smoothly.
Bharat stepped out first. Then he waited. And when she stepped down, his hand came to her waist. Firm and easy, as though it had always belonged there.
For months, he had avoided touching her in public. She understood now that it had never been because he didn't want to.
The contract hadn't covered public affection.
Once he knew she wanted his touch, he stopped holding himself back.
She glanced sideways at him.
Dark sunglasses, charcoal jacket, perfect posture—every inch the maharaja.
The other helicopters landed in sequence.
Samar stepped out first. Viraj next. And then, Ram stepped down from the third and immediately turned back to help Sanjana, his hand at her waist.
Sanjana caught her eye and smiled.
At the palace entrance, Rani Suchitra waited with Mira.
She wore a cream silk saree edged with gold. Pearls rested at her throat. Silver threaded through her hair, which was pinned into a low knot. She looked regal as always.
Bharat and his brothers greeted their mother one by one.
Ram approached first. “Happy birthday, Amma.”
“Happy birthday, Mouj,” Bharat said.
Samar followed. “Happy birthday, Ma.”
Viraj offered his greetings next. “Happy birthday, Mei.”
Yamini noticed that although they each greeted with a particular formality, there was love and protectiveness in the way they stood around their mother.
Sanjana stepped forward and embraced Rani Suchitra. “Happy birthday, Rani Ma.”
Then it was Yamini's turn.
With a small nervous smile, she stepped forward. “Happy birthday, Rani Ma,” she said.
For a moment, she expected a regal nod of acknowledgment.
But Rani Suchitra drew her closer. The gesture was brief but unmistakably affectionate.
“You look well,” Rani Suchitra said.
“Thank you,” Yamini said, her chest tightening with warmth.
She hugged me.
She felt Bharat’s hand settle lightly on her back.
Her heart raced with happiness and hope as he led her into the palace.
Inside, the staff moved efficiently around arriving gifts. Velvet boxes and bouquets had been arranged along a side table.
“More arrangements from Delhi, London, and Muscat, Rani Ma,” a staff member said. “Several ministers have sent personal messages as well.”
Rani Suchitra acknowledged with a nod and moved toward the sitting room.
Yamini stepped forward with her wrapped frame. “I hope you like this, Rani Ma.”
She had spent three weeks deciding. In the end, she had chosen the photograph she had taken at the Apple Blossom event at the Jogra valley.
A staff member took it to place it with the other gifts.
“No,” Rani Suchitra said. She looked at the frame for a moment. “Take it to my private quarters.”
The photograph would not be stacked with hundreds of gifts. It would go directly to Rani Suchitra's private quarters.
Warmth spread through Yamini’s chest.
The family gathered in the main dining hall shortly afterward.
Sunlight streamed through tall windows overlooking the inner gardens.
The long table was set with polished silver and crystal, and the kitchen had prepared dishes from the Rewa region.
Yamini sat beside Bharat.
Conversation flowed easily around the table.
Rani Suchitra looked at Sanjana. “Ram tells me the structural work is done for the new cardiac wing.”
Sanjana smiled. “Yes, equipment installation starts next month. If everything goes to plan, we should be seeing patients by summer.”
Ram looked up briefly from his plate when she said it. He didn't say anything. But Yamini could see the proud gleam in his eye.
Rani Suchitra's expression softened slightly. She turned to Yamini. “When are you having your next exhibition?”
Yamini was surprised by the question. “I'm still working on the PR project for the Jogra steel. Maybe once I’m done with that.”
“I saw some of your photographs displayed in a London exhibition,” Rani Suchitra said. “The children of earth series.”
Yamini was shocked. She hadn't known anyone from the family had looked through those.
She had submitted that series under her professional name. Yamini Dhar, not Gaur.
Rani Suchitra had found it anyway.
“They were remarkable,” Rani Suchitra said simply.
That series had won her first international award.
“Thank you, Rani Ma.” Yamini said.
She was shocked but also touched that Rani Suchitra had seen her photographs and remembered them.
The conversations continued around the table. The topics shifted from the Rewa garden restoration to international business and politics. In between, Sameer and Viraj made dry jokes that were quite funny.
She laughed while the rest of the table smiled.
Soon, the dessert arrived. It was a regional specialty, dense, sweet, and soaked in syrup. She remembered having it during her visits to Rewa.
Yamini took a generous bite, and it was delicious.
She felt Bharat's gaze on her and turned. He looked at her for a moment, and then, without a word, he reached across and brushed the corner of her lip where a trace of syrup must have remained.
Yamini froze.
The table went quiet for half a second.
Samar paused mid-sentence.
Viraj's brows rose slightly.
Across the table, Ram's expression didn't change. But his eyes did.
Sanjana's smile was wide.
Rani Suchitra calmly continued sipping her tea.
Bharat went back to the fruit platter on his plate as though nothing had happened.
Yamini's cheeks turned hot, and it wasn’t just from embarrassment.
The warmth didn't leave for a long time.