She walked to the window and gazed intently towards the wing of the palace where her old room used to be. The sight was a physical pull on her heartstrings. The memories of a safe, loved childhood felt like a lifetime ago, belonging to another person entirely.
'Mother... Father...' she thought, her silent words a prayer sent into the evening air. 'I have returned. This time, I am not alone. I have come back as the Maharani, and it is as the Maharani that I will deliver justice.'
The image of their faces, so full of life and love, flashed before her eyes, only to be violently replaced by the haunting memories of their final moments. A fresh wave of resolve, cold and sharp, washed over her, cleansing the last remnants of her temporary melancholy. She clenched her fist so tightly her nails dug into her palm, the small, sharp pain a welcome anchor to her purpose.
'Vidhaan, your grand performance is about to end. The curtain is ready to fall on your reign of treachery. And my performance... mine has only just begun. The final act is mine to write.'
Viddhi had returned to the very palace that was once her own. But this time, she was in a different role—a role that had taken her to the pinnacle of power, and one that would now lead her to the summit of justice. She was no longer a victim fleeing in the night; she was the storm gathering within the castle walls.
The Maidservant's Secret
A few days later, a seemingly ordinary moment unfolded in Viddhi's chamber. She was seated at her vanity, the quiet hum of the palace a constant backdrop. A young maidservant, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, was meticulously arranging her clothes in the massive wardrobe. Her name was Gauri, and from the moment Viddhi had first seen her, she had noticed a strange, skittish wariness in the girl's demeanour, as if she existed in a perpetual state of fear, her eyes constantly darting around as if expecting a reprimand or worse.
Seizing the opportunity of this private moment, Viddhi decided to cast a careful line. She used her softest, most non-threatening tone. "Gauri," she began, not looking directly at the girl but observing her reflection in the mirror, "What do you think of this palace? It's very old, isn't it?"
Gauri flinched almost imperceptibly at being addressed directly by the queen. She kept her head bowed, nodding nervously. "Yes, Your Highness... very old."
Viddhi continued her gentle probing, her voice a calm, conversational murmur. "I've heard... this palace has a long and rather thrilling history. So many kings and queens have ruled from here. Do you know anything about it?"
At the mention of history, Gauri's face drained of all colour, turning a sickly pale. She glanced around the room frantically, her movements becoming jerky. "No... I mean... Your Highness, I don't know anything."
Viddhi allowed a light, disarming smile to play on her lips, still watching the girl's reflection. "Oh, I was just asking casually. I'd heard something about the old royal family... that something happened to them... perhaps a tragic event?" She kept her tone deliberately vague, inviting confidence rather than demanding it.
The Maidservant's Fear and a Revelation
Gauri began fiddling desperately with the folds of a sari, her hands trembling so violently she could barely straighten the fabric. "Maharani... please... I don't know anything." Her voice was a terrified whisper.
Leaning forward slightly, Viddhi poured all the fake sincerity she could muster into her voice. "Gauri, don't be afraid. I just want to know. I won't tell a soul that you told me. I promise you." She held the girl's fearful gaze in the mirror, trying to project a bubble of safety around them.
A long, internal struggle played out on Gauri's face. Fear warred with a desperate need to unburden herself. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a barely audible, conspiratorial whisper. "Maharani... they say that... a year ago... one night... someone... murdered the old Maharaja Veerendra Pratap and Maharani Devyani here."
Viddhi's heart seemed to stop in her chest for a single, suspended moment. Hearing the names of her parents, their titles spoken aloud in this context, was a physical blow. But years of practice and a will of iron kept her face a smooth, impassive mask. She didn't even blink. "Oh? And then what happened?" she prompted, her voice unnaturally calm.
Gauri swallowed hard, her words tumbling out in a hushed, frantic stream. "And... they say that Prince Veer Pratap and Princess Vidhika... they fled the palace that night."
Viddhi held her breath, the entire world narrowing down to Gauri's next words. "And then what became of those two?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper itself.
"The word is... that Princess Vidhika was also killed, along with her husband," Gauri's voice faded to almost nothing, "but... Prince Veer... about him, it is said that... perhaps he was taken captive. That he is being held... somewhere in secret."
Facing the Truth
The world tilted on its axis. A bracelet Viddhi had been holding slipped from her suddenly nerveless fingers and clattered onto the marble floor, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence. 'A captive? Bhaiya is alive? But where? WHERE?'
Her mind raced, a torrent of hope and terror. She forced herself to take a slow, silent breath, wresting back control over her emotions. She bent down, her movements deliberately slow, and picked up the bracelet, her voice eerily calm when she spoke again. "Where? Where is the Prince being held captive?"
Gauri shook her head, her eyes wide with pure fear. "I don't know, Maharani. No one knows. They are... just rumours." The girl was visibly shaking now, the weight of her confession crashing down upon her.
Suddenly, Gauri threw herself at Viddhi's feet, clutching the hem of her sari. "Maharani, I beg you... please don't speak of this to anyone. If they find out I told you this... then... then my life will be in danger. They will kill me!"
Viddhi reached down and firmly, but kindly, took Gauri's hands, pulling her to her feet. She looked the terrified girl directly in the eyes, her own gaze steady and commanding. "Get up, Gauri. Do not be afraid. I made you a promise, didn't I? This will remain our secret. Now go, attend to your work. And... thank you."
As Gauri scurried away, looking relieved but still deeply frightened, Viddhi stood motionless. The single, devastating piece of information echoed in her mind, a beacon of hope in her dark mission. Veer was alive. He was a prisoner somewhere within this very palace or its grounds. The game had just changed entirely. The hunt for her brother's cell was now her paramount objective. And she knew, with chilling certainty, that the walls had ears, and her every move was being watched.
Later that night, as Viddhi lay awake, ploting how to begin her search, a faint, almost imperceptible scraping sound came from the secret passage behind her wall—the same passage only a member of the original royal family would know about. Someone was there.