His to Hate.

Chapter - 10

Three days were passed like a blur. The room had become a strange mix of safety and suffocation. I would mostly lie on the bed or sit by the window sometimes, trying not to think about anything because everything hurt when I did. My body was healing slowly, but my mind felt heavier than ever.

That morning, the door was suddenly flying open.

Dadi Ranisa was standing there, her face tight, her eyes already filled with anger.

"So you snitched to Rudra about the cars?" she said the moment she stepped inside. Her voice was sharp enough to cut through me and my heartbeat went up.

"I didn't tell him anything." I replied, trying to stay calm even though my stomach was twisting from the hatred in her voice.

She let out a harsh laugh. "Don't lie to me. You ran to Rudra, didn't you? Trying to make me look wrong? Trying to get sympathy?"

I shook my head quickly. "I didn't say anything to him...."

But she didn't listen.

"You think you can play victim in my house?" she snapped. "You think you can turn my own grandson against me? Know your place, girl."

She stepped forward suddenly, grabbed the book from my hands and threw it on the bed like trash.

"You won't hide behind books." she said sharply. "You will learn your duty today. Go to the servants' quarters. Clean the kitchen floor with your hands, scrub the pots and serve everyone. Let's see how much strength you have without crying."

"I will do all that without a single complaint ma'am because that is a dignified work that you are trying to portray as a punishment and as far as me telling anyone anything is concerned, I did not." I got up from the bed, looked at her in the eyes and said.

She stared at me for a long second, like she couldn't believe I had dared to speak back. Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment I thought she might actually raise her hand at me.

"How dare you?" she whispered, her voice trembling with anger. "How dare you talk to me like you have a voice in this palace?"

I swallowed, but I didn't look away. My whole body was shaking, but I stood straight.

"I am not lying." I said quietly.

Her face twisted. "You think your dignity matters here? A murderer's daughter talking about dignity?"

The words hit like they always did. Hard, sharp and like stones thrown without mercy.

I felt something sting behind my eyes, but I blinked it away immediately. Crying would only make her more vicious.

She moved closer, so close that I had to lift my chin to look at her.

"You will crawl before you become Raanisa." she said. "You will break. And I will make sure you do."

My breath caught as she yanked me forward and her grip tightened on my wrist so hard I almost gasped.

Before I could even steady my feet, she dragged me out of the room, pulling me down the hallway like I was some object she could toss around.

My arm was burning, my steps stumbling to keep up with her pace.

"Move faster," she snapped without looking back.

I didn't answer. I just tried not to fall.

She dragged me straight through the main corridor, down the stairs and toward the back area of the palace to the servants' wing.

The smell of spices and hot oil grew stronger as we neared the kitchen and the moment we reached it's entrance, she shoved my wrist away as if even touching me was some form of contamination.

"Go inside." she ordered sharply. "Clean every inch of that floor. Not a single stain should remain."

I nodded once because arguing would only make her worse and besides, I will get some exercise but most of all, I will not give her the pleasure that she was trying to derive because no matter what, this was not something humiliating. It was just work.

"And after that, scrub all the pots stacked there," she pointed toward a mountain of steel vessels, "and wash the serving plates. The staff will tell me if you slack for even one second."

I swallowed hard, already exhausted, but I stepped inside.

The kitchen staff looked up. Some startled, some uncomfortable but no one stopped me. Of course no one would. Dadi Ranisa stood right behind me like a shadow.

I knelt on the floor, the cold tiles pressing into my knees, and began scrubbing the surface with my hands.

I had a lot of practice from COVID times when mumma would wake me up and make me clean the house while she would wash clothes and cook.

From the open back door of the kitchen, I saw her walking to the garden area just outside and settling down on a chair, like she was watching a show. She folded her hands, her eyes on me every time I looked up even slightly.

I kept my head down and focused on the floor. The tiles were cold, the water was freezing and after a while my fingers started to wrinkle and sting, but at least the work kept my mind from running wild.

I moved from corner to corner, pushing my palms against the tiles. Every few minutes, I felt her eyes on me from the garden. She wasn't even pretending to hide it, she was just sitting there, watching like she was waiting for me to cry or fall apart.

I didn't give her either.

"Don't pretend to faint again. Finish the pots next." came her sharp voice from outside.

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

Of course I was not going to faint. I was not a China doll. I have worked hard all my life and I like that about myself.

I moved to the sink and picked up the first steel pot. It was huge and still oily from whatever had been cooked in it last night. My wrists already felt sore, but I held it steady and started scrubbing.

The rough metal dug into my palms with every movement. I could feel my skin rubbing raw, but I kept going. I wasn't fragile, and I wasn't going to let her think she had broken me.

I finished one pot, then another, and another. My arms were shaking a little now, my shoulders stiff, but I refused to stop. If I paused even for a second, I knew she would call out some taunt just to make it worse.

Outside in the garden, I could hear her shifting in her chair, still watching me like she was waiting for me to collapse.

I bent down to reach the next pot at the bottom of the pile. It was heavier than the others, and when I lifted it, my grip almost slipped because my fingers were wet and numb. I caught it just in time, my breath escaping in a tiny gasp.

I set it on the counter and leaned forward for a moment, letting my arms rest. Sweat was sticking my hair to the sides of my face even though it was cold. The constant scrubbing, bending and lifting was catching up to me.

Still, I picked up the scrubber again.

I had barely gotten through half of the pot when I felt someone behind me, making me look over my shoulder.

It was Rudra's brother, Yuvaan, I think that was his name.

His jaw was clenched, his eyes moving from my hands to the pile of pots, then to the open garden door where Dadi was sitting.

He didn't say anything at first. He just took in the whole scene quietly, like he was trying to process it.

Then he walked a little closer.

"Stop." he said, his tone firm but not loud.

My body froze out of instinct. I blinked at him, confused. "I'm almost done with this one...."

"I said stop." he repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

I set the scrubber down slowly, unsure what to do.

He walked past me and stepped toward the open doorway where Dadi was sitting. He didn't raise his voice, but every word was cold and steady.

Just like his brother.

"What exactly are you doing?" Dadi looked irritated immediately. "She needed to learn some basic discipline. She thinks she can misbehave and then run to Rudra...."

"She did not run to anyone." He cut in.

"I have been told that she has been working here for more than two hours," he continued. "This is not discipline. It's unnecessary."

"She deserves worse." Dadi snapped. "Look at where she comes from. Look at what her father did...."

"I have not forgotten what her father did." he said sharply. "Don't ever think I have."

"But treating her like this," he continued, "is not going to change anything."

"She needs to know her place." She insisted.

"She will." Yuvaan said. "Bhai will make sure she does. But this," he gestured at my red hands, "is not your place to enforce."

Dadi glared at him. "You boys have become weak. You let emotions...."

"These are not emotions Dadi." he said flatly. "She is going to be Bhai's wife soon which means she cannot be treated like this. She is going to be the Maharaanisa of Ratangarh and she will get the respect that comes with the title."

Only then did he look at me but not with softness or pity. Just acknowledgment.

He turned to Dadi again and said, "If Bhaiya finds out you did this, you know what will happen."

That was the only thing that made her go quiet. Completely quiet.

After a long, tense moment, she stood up with a stiff huff and walked away without another word.

When she was gone, the kitchen felt bigger somehow, but I still felt small standing there with my hands dripping water and my heartbeat loud in my ears.

Yuvaan looked at me again, this time more directly.

"You should go to your room."

I nodded but didn't move. My legs were shaking from kneeling and bending for so long.

Then he added, sounding almost tired,

"And Parthvi..." he added, glancing at me once more, "don't misunderstand this. I am not your friend here. I cannot forget what your father did. None of us can."

The words stung, but his tone wasn't harsh. It was just honest and no one in their right mind could blame him.

"But you are going to be my bhabhi," he continued, "and that means something in this family. So I won't let anyone cross a line with you."

He stepped back toward the door.

Then he just turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving me standing there with a half-washed pot, aching hands and a heart that didn't know what to feel anymore.

I kept the pot aside and stepped into the corridor, looking around because I was so bad with directions that I had no idea where to even walk towards to reach that room.

All the hallways looked the same.

Tall walls. Fancy carpets. Huge paintings. Endless doors.

I turned left. Then right. Then left again. Every corner looked identical, and not a single person in the staff even met my eyes. Everyone walked past me with their heads lowered, their faces blank. They probably didn't even know if they were allowed to speak to me.

I opened my mouth to ask one woman, but she quickly stepped away before I could even call out.

Great.

After a few minutes of wandering, I noticed sunlight spilling in from a wide archway at the end of the hall. I walked toward it because fresh air sounded better than panicking in another empty corridor.

And then I saw it.

A garden.

A huge, bright and colourful garden that looked like it belonged in some fairytale book.

Flowers of every colour were blooming everywhere from the reds to yellows to whites to pinks.

Bushes were trimmed neatly, the grass was soft and green and a small water fountain stood right in the centre, the water falling around.

Then, I saw the cutest looking rabbits hopping around that fountain. There were at least ten of them. White ones, grey ones, little brown ones.

For a second, I stood there admiring them and then before I could stop myself with logic, I walked into the garden.

One tiny white rabbit hopped near me, sniffing the air. I slowly crouched down, my hand stretched out. It came closer, sniffed my palm, and then just settled there.

I smiled because I hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

Another rabbit hopped closer, then another. Soon, I was sitting on the grass, cross-legged, with three rabbits near my lap and one nudging my foot.

"Hi." I whispered to them like an idiot. "I don't know where my room is, but I guess this is better."

One rabbit pawed at my sleeve and I laughed quietly and the sound almost startled me because I hadn't heard myself here. My cheeks hurt from smiling, my heart felt strange and lighter, like a piece of myself had slipped out without permission.

The rabbits hopped around my legs while I stroked their fur. For the first time since coming to this palace, I wasn't scared or tense or trying to hold myself together.

I was just... me and that felt good.

"You know, I always wanted to have one of you with me but mumma never agreed.

She always said that you will be too much work and I won't be able to take care of you and at the end, she would be responsible for you.

She even said that I was her little rabbit so we don't need another one.

" I said to that one who was trying to get inside the sleeve of my sweater.

I was telling them that I also had a phase in my life where for three consecutive birthdays, I asked for a rabbit as a gift from my family and how all those times, I got stuffed bunnies and one time I got so mad that I threw one of them out of my window.

Then mumma made me go and pick it up from outside.

That's when I heard a crunch of gravel and the sound of the closing of a car door. I did not turn.

I kept my hands on the rabbit's fur and listened. The footsteps were slow, even and heavy.

I knew that it was him because I did hear a faint Ranaji around somewhere and he was coming closer.

He stopped a few feet away from the fountain as I could see his silhouette by the side of my eye. The rabbits did not scatter. They were calm, and for some reason that small calm made my chest loosen a fraction.

He did not say anything.

He was only standing there, looking without saying a word.

My heart was trying to jump out of my ribs but my hands were steady on the soft fur. I kept stroking the rabbit like that would make everything normal again.

I don't know why he made me so nervous but what I knew was that I had to learn to stop being intimidated by him because there was no other way I would be able to breathe in this palace because his presence was almost everywhere.

My head was full of a thousand things I wanted to say and a thousand things I was too scared to say.

I could feel his eyes on my hands, on the rabbit and on my hair that were covering the side of my face.

I could feel him measuring me like he always did, as if I was something he needed to understand.

Still, I did not turn my face.

I was not brave. I was being stubborn. I was saving all my words for later when I could say them without my throat closing.

He took a step closer, and the sound of his movement made a small rabbit hop away. It was the only noise breaking the quiet.

He was close now. Close enough that if I looked up, I would see him clearly. Still, he did not say a word.

I didn't know if he was angry, confused or just watching because I just kept looking at the rabbits.

When I finally spoke, my voice was low and calm, almost to myself.

"I'm not doing anything wrong."

He didn't answer.

He stayed exactly where he was, breathing slow and steady behind me, like he was giving me space to say more if I wanted to. Or maybe he was waiting to see if I would turn and meet his eyes. I didn't.

I kept stroking the rabbit. My fingers were still sore from scrubbing pots, but touching something soft and harmless felt good. It grounded me.

I finally exhaled and said, still looking at the rabbit, "I got lost. I was trying to find my room."

The truth and nothing more.

I heard his breath shift, like he had opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. Then, after a moment, his voice came, "You are far from your room."

I nodded once. "I figured."

The fountain kept running. The rabbits kept hopping. The garden was warm with late sunlight and for the first time, being near him didn't feel like a threat. It was still intimidating, yes, but not dangerous. Not in that moment.

I finally set the rabbit down on the grass. It hopped away toward the bushes, and the others followed it. My lap felt strangely empty without them.

I still didn't turn to him, but I stood up slowly, brushing the grass off my hands. My legs were stiff from sitting cross-legged, but at least they weren't trembling like earlier.

"You don't have to worry." I said quietly. "I was not trying to runn away or anything. I just ended up here."

I didn't know why I said that. Maybe because I knew what he thought I was unpredictable, stubborn and difficult. And maybe I wanted him to know that I wasn't trying to cause trouble. I was just lost. Literally.

He didn't respond right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm.

"I know." his words surprised me.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak again. My throat felt tight from the long day, from everything that had happened, from how confusing his presence always was.

"I'll... find my way back." I said softly.

"You won't." he replied. "This palace is not easy to navigate even for people who have lived here their entire lives."

And for a second, I almost smiled because finally someone admitted this!!! And that I was not completely a directionless person, pun completely intended!

Before I could say anything, he stepped slightly to the side, making room for me.

"I will walk you to your room." he said.

I finally turned my head just enough to look at him. His expression wasn't soft, but it wasn't cold either.

"Okay." I whispered.

He didn't nod. He just turned and began walking.

I followed him, walking a few steps back and realised that in these almost ten days, I had smiled here for a minute for the first time.