nighttime:

mishti and ashok's room:

ashok was walking back and forth whilst mishti was on the bed, taking her bangles off.

mishti: patidev, are you still thinking about what papaji said today?

ashok: yes. no matter what I do mishti, in the eyes of raja Abhay, his eldest son yuvraj ruhaan is perfect, just bloody perfect whereas his youngest son rajkumar ashok, me, is flawed, flawed in every single possible way! everything that I do, pitaji sees a mistake in it and everything that ruhaan does, pitaji sees no mistake in it, just perfection. ruhaan is pitaji's only pride and me? I am just nothing, I am a nobody. 

mishti: don't say that. you are meant to be something patidev, something special. and you are perfect patidev. ruhaan is just being favoured because he is the eldest one. ruhaan can't be perfect, there is one flaw in him. one flaw that will be used to our advantage and that one flaw will ruin his life.

ashok: but what is that flaw? tell me mishti! tell me!

mishti: at the moment I don't know but soon that flaw will come to light. I promise.

ashok: I hope we will see that flaw soon.

mishti: we will, don't worry.

meanwhile:

pooja looked through the window as she was plaiting her hair. akshani was taking off the little jewellery she had on. she noticed pooja only focused on the sky.

akshani: what happened Gudiya? is something wrong?

pooja: kuch nahi akshu maa. I am waiting for the moon to come out because the moon's beauty is just breathtaking.

akshani: really?

pooja: haan really. 

akshani: well you wait for the moon, I am sleeping.

pooja: ok you sleep. goodnight.

akshani: goodnight Gudiya. 

akshani lied on her bed as pooja tied her plait. just then the moon appeared. pooja smiled and got up from the bed, tie toeing to the entrance. she left the building and walked towards the gate where a figure was. she walked closer only to see it was the lovesick yuvraj ruhaan.

ruhaan: I am so happy.

pooja: really?

ruhaan: yes because you finally came. 

pooja: why are we near the gate?

ruhaan: because we are going to climb over it.

pooja: kya?!

ruhaan: a little louder pooja, I don't think everybody heard you. 

pooja: I am not climbing over that gate. 

ruhaan: pooja, this is an order from the yuvraj.

pooja: fine. bend down. 

ruhaan: kyu?

pooja: so then I can climb over the gate.

ruhaan: fine.

ruhaan bent down and pooja stepped on his back. 

ruhaan: you are so light. just like a feather.

pooja: thank you for such a nice compliment. 

ruhaan: your welcome.

after a lot of hesitation, pooja managed to reach the other side of the gate. once she was at the other side, it was ruhaan's turn to climb over the gate...which he easily managed to climb. 

pooja: how did you do that so easily? isn't it your first time?

ruhaan: no it isn't.

pooja: matlab?

ruhaan: you will find out soon. just hold my hand and I will lend you to this beautiful place.

pooja: ok...

she held ruhaan's hand and both started to walk. 

ruhaan: the moon is shining brighter than it usually does. 

pooja: yes it is. 

ruhaan: and you know why it is shining brighter?

pooja: kyu yuvraj?

ruhaan: chandni aanchal mein bhar layi hai tu ... raat yeh chamki hai jab aayi hai tu (you have brought the moonlight in your cape ... the night has started shining since you came).

she could feel the heat growing in her cheeks. they must be beyond an attractive rosiness. due to the bright moonlight, ruhaan could see her pink cheeks. he smiled and said: you has gotten even more beautiful because of your blush. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                       pooja didn't reply but she was smiling with her baby pink lips. just then they reached a forest. 

pooja: why are we in a forest?

ruhaan: keep walking. you will find out.

they found a rocky cave, the entrance covered with ivy garland. they went through the ivy garland revealing a beautiful place...

pooja: wow. this place is so pretty. 

ruhaan: almost every night, I climb over the gate and come here.

pooja: kyu?

ruhaan: for a peace of mind. I love nature. in nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful. you know something pooja, if you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.

pooja: you want to know something yuvraj?

ruhaan: bolo.

pooja: I also love nature but I never dared to climb over the gate. so I would admire nature from afar, from my window. why are you showing me this place yuvraj?

ruhaan: you can call me ruhaan.

pooja: fine ruhaan, why are you showing me this place?

ruhaan: because you are special to me. 

he caressed her soft cheek and managed to pin her against a tree. both of their hearts started to beat very fast and loud.

pooja: you should be showing this place to a princess, not a dancer.

ruhaan: but I didn't fall in love with a princess, I fell in love with goddess saraswati. I fell in love with a dancer. I fell in love with you pooja. only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. you tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. for me that someone, that soul is you pooja. you. 

pooja didn't speak. she just looked at ruhaan, her face softened. 

ruhaan: I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. but the first time I met you, all I could see was your back and your decorated plait. but I fell for you. your voice. so what if I am a yuvraj, and you are a dancer? you keep saying ek yuvraj aur ek dancer...impossible. I know that it is the law that a royal can only marry a royal, but what I also know is that once I become raja, I can change the laws and I will change the laws! 

pooja: you would actually change the laws for a simple dancer?

ruhaan: haan! and you are not a simple dancer, you are a goddess! the only reason why I will change the laws once I become king because I want you to be my queen, I want you to rule besides me because I love you pooja! I love you!

he had made her big declaration of love, the grand speech he had been rehearsing the entire day and now the silence lay on his skin like a poison. it seeped into his blood and paralyzed his brain, his pupils became dilated and there was a tremor in his hands.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       pooja opened her mouth and stuttered: r..ru..ruhaan...I al..also love you.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       ruhaan gave out a smile and pooja also gave a smile back. 

ruhaan: for now we should meet here every night. 

pooja: we should. but are you ready to risk it?

ruhaan: yes I am ready to risk everything just to spend some time for you. are you?

pooja nodded, making ruhaan kiss her cheek.

ruhaan: haaye. you are so beautiful when you blush.

pooja: chalo ruhaan, we should go back to the palace.

ruhaan: ok pooja. let's go.

they started to walk out of the cave. ruhaan held pooja's hand. they didn't talk, instead they just exchanged sweet smiles. silence was somehow comforting and spoke for itself, it was peaceful.

finally they reached the palace gates.

pooja: please may you bend down?

ruhaan: of course.

he bent down allowing pooja to climb over the gate. then ruhaan easily climbed through the gate.

ruhaan: tomorrow night, when the moon appears?

pooja: I will be there, the only question is that will you be there?

ruhaan: I will be there.

pooja: goodnight ruhaan.

ruhaan: goodnight pooja. 

they walked to their buildings but turned to smile at one another and then they walked to their buildings.

in their rooms, they got out their diaries and wrote the events of tonight...smiles glued on their faces.

precap: secret meetings

will ruhaan and pooja get caught?

will ashok and mishti find a flaw in ruhaan?

is there a flaw in ruhaan?

will pooja become ruhaan's queen?

will ruhaan and pooja' s love story be a tragic? who knows?

...

hope you all liked this chappy. do vote and comment. I am not really happy with the response this book is getting but it's ok. I am giving this book a few chances. :)

target: 12+ votes and 5+ comments