CHAPTER 5: Part 3 (CONFRONTATIONS)
~ ISHIKA (POV) ~
On the terrace:
"Why does it feel like there is something everyone is hiding from me? Bhagwan ji jab hamare beech kuch ho hi nahi sakta toh hamein milaya hi kyu tha. (Why God, why did you bring us together if nothing could ever be between us?)" I started pouring my heart out to God.
"Maybe this is the best thing," I muttered to myself, the cool night air doing little to soothe the turmoil within.
"I am so stupid, we never even had a full conversation, I didn't even know his name till today. What was I thinking? He is so out of reach for me, we are worlds apart from each other." I whispered to the night.
The realization hitting me with full force. A sense of hopelessness washed over me as I contemplated the vast chasm between us, as I questioned my own judgment.
"Ishu, what are you doing here at such an hour?" Karan Bhai Sa's voice cut through the quiet of the night, startling me out of my thoughts.
He was standing on the doorstep of the terrace.
"Bhai Sa..." I looked at him, and this reminded me of the night I saw him at the Rathore Palace, I completely forgot about it.
With everything that has been going on with me. 'Should I ask him, but isn't it better this way? Maybe I should just let it go.' I thought to myself, but I decided against it.
"Bhai Sa, achchha hua aap mujhe yaha mil gaye, mujhe kuch puchna tha aap se, Aanika bata rahi thi ki usne aapko Rathore Palace mein kisi party ke doran dekha tha, aap waha kya kar rahe the? (Bhai Sa, it's good that I found you here, I wanted to ask you something, Aanika was telling me that she saw you in Rathore Palace during some party, what were you doing there?)" I asked him just because. Maybe its because I don't have a sense of self-preservation.
"Aanika ko galat phehmi hui hogi main toh kabhi Rathore palace nahi gaya. (Aanika must have misunderstood, I have never been to Rathore Palace.) " Such a blatant lie, and that too right to my face! I nodded in agreement.
What more can I do now?
"You're right, she must have been mistaken. I should go to sleep now. I have to wake up early tomorrow." I stood up and left.
~ AUTHOR (POV) ~
In the study room of the Jaiswal manor, Anant Jaiswal was seating holding a photo album of his family looking at little Ishika in the old pictures helplessly, he had never felt so helpless in his entire life.
Being a daughter's father even at this day and age is not easy.
"Itni Raat gaye aap kya karrahe hai. (What are you doing so late at night?)" Anant turned to find Madhu Jaiswal, Ishika's mother, looking at him with a question-filled gaze.
"Kuch nahi bas dekhraha tha hamari pyari bitiya rani ko. Jaldi hi chali jayegi na humse dur. (Nothing, I was just looking at my darling daughter. Soon she will leave all of us.)" Anant explained to Madhu.
"Achanak se ye aapko ho kya gaya. (What happen to you suddenly.)" Madhu asked in confusion.
"Chaliye bohot raat ho gai hai, hamein sona chahiye. (Come on, it's very late; we should go to bed now." said Anant and left for his bedroom.
Ishika's father was not in the state to explain any further, it was making him feel like a useless father who wasn't even able to protect his own family.
~ MRITYUNJAY (POV) ~
The air in my room felt different the moment I stepped inside.
Badi Maa Sa was waiting for me, seated with a posture that spoke of decades spent holding this family together with an iron grip. She is one of the only two people in this palace who receive my respect—not because of her bloodline, but because of the wars she fought in the shadows long before I was born.
"Badi Maa Sa," I acknowledged, my voice dropping its lethal edge but remaining firm. I do not bow to anyone, and she does not expect it, yet there is a silent understanding between us.
She looked at me, her eyes sharp and territorial. "I heard your conversation in the study, Mrityunjay. Your grandfather's obsession with the Jaiswals is reaching a breaking point."
"Then he will have to break alone," I stated, my tone final. "I will not be the sacrificial lamb for a fifty-year-old grudge. I have already refused. The Jaiswal girl is nothing to me."
A flicker of something—perhaps pride, perhaps worry—crossed her face. She is authoritative to the rest of the world, but with me, she is the shield. "You are the King of this house, and no one questions your word. But remember, battles aren't always won with a gun. Sometimes, they are won with the right alliance."
"I decide my alliances," I countered. She didn't press further; she knew better than to challenge a decision I had already set in stone.
"Sandhya and Daksh are returning tomorrow," she informed me, her voice hardening. "Ranveer's hands have become too bold again. It is a serious matter this time."
My jaw tightened. I knew the history of violence in that branch of the family. "They will stay here. In the Rathore Palace, they are under my protection. I will have their quarters prepared by dawn. No one touches what belongs to this house."
She nodded, satisfied with my decisiveness. "I had chamomile tea placed on your side table. Drink it. Even a King needs to rest if he intends to rule tomorrow."
She stood up, her traditional attire rustling with a quiet authority, and left the room without another word. She is one of the few who can command my attention, and I respect her for the steel in her spine.
Once the door clicked shut, I went to my cupboard and opened it to reveal a box containing the muddy white shirt from our second-to-last meeting and an earring she'd dropped during our first encounter.
I opened the box to add the dress and ID card.
The dress still carried her scent, driving me crazy. I couldn't wait to see my little rabbit, Ishika Jayshree, tomorrow.
The thought of her reaction filled me with excitement. Obtaining the ID card felt like a sign from the universe, as if fate was conspiring to bring us together.
Just wait patiently, my love. I will definitely make you mine in every conceivable way possible.
There is no escaping from my clutches when I have my claws buried deep inside you. My sweet little rabbit.