Aditya and devyani cuteness #5
Silence.
He knocked again, a little louder this time. "Devyani? Dinner is ready."
Still, absolutely no response.
Sighing, Reyansh turned the brass door handle and stepped inside.
The room was completely dark, save for a sliver of moonlight filtering through the heavy drapes.
And there, right in the center of the massive king-sized bed, was a giant, unmoving lump of blankets.
He walked over and pulled back the edge of the duvet, only to be met with the glorious sight of Devyani, fast asleep, wearing a furry panda hood with little rounded ears over her head.
Her face was smushed against a plush pillow, her lips slightly parted as she let out tiny, rhythmic soft snores.
"Devyani," Reyansh called, lightly tapping her shoulder. "Wake up. Everyone is waiting downstairs."
Devyani didn't even open her eyes.
She just let out a low, irritated groan and aggressively pulled the blanket back over her head, burying herself deeper like a stubborn turtle.
"Go away... sleeping..." she mumbled incoherently.
Reyansh stared at her in utter disbelief. He was used to dealing with high-level corporate negotiations, but handling a half-asleep, panda-suited sister was entirely out of his wheelhouse.
He leaned down and grabbed the edge of the blanket, tugging firmly.
"Dadi sent me. If you don't come down right now, she's going to send someone up here."
That made her eyes fly open or at least crack open into tiny, sleep-swollen slits.
Devyani sat up abruptly, her panda hood falling sideways over one eye. She glared at Reyansh with pure, sleepy fury, her cheeks puffed out.
"Reyuuuuuu!" she rasped out, her voice thick with sleep. "Why are you kidnapping my sleep?! It is a criminal offense to wake up an exhausted bride!"
"It's 9:00 PM, Devu," Reyansh said calmly, keeping a completely straight face despite how hilarious she looked.
"You've been sleeping for four hours. Move your panda feet."
"I am NOT a panda, I am an angry princess!" she snapped, swiping her hand through the air defensively.
"You can tell her that yourself," Reyansh replied, casually grabbing her by her hands and pulling her upright.
"Try me," Reyansh smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow.
Devyani let out a dramatic, soul-crushing sigh.
Downstairs in the grand dining hall, the family was halfway through serving their plates when footsteps echoed down the grand marble staircase.
Reyansh walked in first, looking completely unbothered, while Devyani shuffled in right behind him like an absolute zombie.
Her hair was a messy, glorious bird's nest sticking out of her panda hood. Her eyes were barely open, her slippers dragging loudly against the polished floor as she rubbed her nose with the back of her oversized sleeve.
She looked completely lost, utterly adorable, and entirely out of it.
The entire dining table went dead silent.
Virendra stopped his spoon halfway to his mouth, staring in absolute shock.
Dadi's jaw dropped slightly as she took in the sight of her prospective grand-daughter-in-law marching into a formal royal dinner dressed as a giant cartoon mammal.
Rudraksh choked on his glass of water, coughing violently while Payal hammered his back, both of them trying desperately not to burst into hysterical laughter.
Rivan's eyes widened as he tracked her movement.
His heart instantly melted at how insanely cute she looked, but a sudden spike of panic hit him she was clearly walking on absolute autopilot.
"Devyani,—" Rajmata began, utterly bewildered.
Devyani didn't hear a single word.
Her sleep-deprived brain was functioning on pure instinct, and right now, her instinct only recognized one safe sanctuary in the entire universe.
She completely ignored the empty chair Reyansh pointed to. She didn't even glance at parents or Dadi.
Instead, she shuffled straight past everyone, walked right up to the head of the table where Rivan was sitting, and before anyone could even process what was happening she climbed directly onto his lap.
A collective gasp echoed across the entire dining room.
Rivan's breath caught in his throat.
His hands automatically shot out to catch her waist so she wouldn't fall, his mind screaming DADI IS LITERALLY WATCHING US!
"Kitten, wait—" Rivan whispered urgently, his face flushing warm as he tried to adjust her. "Dadi said—"
Devyani didn't care about Dadi, the wedding rules, or the ancient traditions of the Thakur family.
She simply wound her arms tightly around Rivan's neck, buried her face deep into the warm nook of his collarbone, and let out a long, contented sigh.
Within three seconds, her entire body went completely limp against his chest as she instantly fell back into a deep, peaceful slumber right there on his lap.
Silence descended upon the dining hall a thick, heavy, utterly stunned silence.
Rivan sat there, completely frozen like a statue, one arm securely wrapped around her lower back, holding his sleeping panda wife in front of the entire family.
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