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"Chali jaao." She hear a faint whispered in her ear. Her blood turned cold and almost run towards her room untill she meet him. Her eyes got widened in fear.

"Sidharth", she got scared for a second.

"What are you doing here Shehnaaz?." He asked getting concerned for her.

She hugged him tightly.

"Sidharth mujhe yaha se jaana hai...mu..mujhe nahi rehna yaha please."

He caressed her hairs and spoke softly.  "Hey relax Shehnaaz, chalo pehle room me chalo." He take her to the room and make her sit on the bed. "Ab batao kya hua?."

She looked at him, her voice trembling. "Mujhe yaha kuch theek nahi lagta, Sidharth. Yeh haveli... yahan kuch ajeeb hai. Mujhe dar lag raha hai."

Sidharth frowned, his brows furrowing as he tried to understand her fear. "Dar? Kis baat ka, Shehnaaz? Yeh bas tumhara vehem hai."

She got out of bed, pacing the room anxiously. "Nahi, yeh mera wehem nahi hai! Tumhe yaad hai woh awaaz jo maine us raat corridor mein suni thi? Ghungroos ki awaaz? Phir Naina ne aaj kuch batane ki koshish ki thi, aur achanak woh hawa..."

Sidharth interrupted her, his tone calm but firm. "Shehnaaz, haveli purani hai. Aisi cheezein hoti hain purani jagahon me. Iska matlab yeh nahi ki kuch galat hai."

She turned to him, her eyes wide with desperation. "Aur woh room? Woh jo band hai? Tumne kabhi socha hai kiu? Naina bhi kuch chhupa rahi hai. Main yaha aur nahi reh sakti, Sidharth. Hum chalte hain yahan se. Please."

Walking over to her. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Shehnaaz, tum khud socho. Agar hum har choti baat se dar kar bhaag jayenge, toh iska matlab kya hoga? Yeh haveli meri family ki hai, hum isse aise kaise chhod kar jaa sakte hain? Main bachpan se yaha raha hu aur koi aatma nhi hai yaha sirf logo ki kahaniya aur vehem hai."

His words, though rational, felt strangely cold to Shehnaaz. It was not like Sidharth to dismiss her feelings so easily.

"Par tumhe meri baat samajh nahi aa rahi, Sidharth!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "Mujhe se jaana hai bass."

He sighed, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Agar tumhe ye sab lagta hai, to main kuch logon se baat karunga aur tumhara vehem dur karunga. Par Shehnaaz, mujhe lagta hai tum bas zyada soch rahi ho. Hum yahan se nahi ja rahe."

Shehnaaz stared at him, her frustration mounting. "Tumhe kyun lagta hai ki main galat hoon? Sidharth, main bas apni safety ke liye keh rahi hoon!"

Sidharth's expression shifted, his eyes darkening for a brief moment, but he quickly softened his tone. "Main tumhare saath hoon, Shehnaaz. Tumhe mujh par bharosa karna padega. Kuch nahi hoga."

She hold his hands and said in pleaded tone. "I trust you Sidharth but please chalo yaha se please."

Sidharth left the room without saying anything. She signed and sat on the bed holding her head.

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That night, Shehnaaz could not sleep. Sidharth's reassurance felt hollow, his demeanor unnervingly calm despite everything. She tossed and turned, the weight of his refusal pressing down on her.

Why was he so adamant about staying? Sidharth was usually quick to put her comfort first, but this time, it felt as though he were bound to the haveli by something unseen.

In the middle of the night, she heard the sound again, the faint jingle of ghungroos. Her heart pounded as she sat up, scanning the room. The sound was coming from the direction of the eastern wing.

The next morning, Shehnaaz brought up the topic again during breakfast, hoping to convince him to leave. But Sidharth's response was the same, his calm defiance unnerving her further.

Naina, who sat quietly at the table, glanced between the two of them but did not say a word. Shehnaaz noticed the flicker of fear in her eyes and resolved to press her for answers later.

By evening, the tension between Shehnaaz and Sidharth had grown. She kept her distance, watching him from across the room as he talked with his uncle and cousins.

There was something off about him, something she could not put into words. His movements were the same, his voice unchanged, but there was an unfamiliar weight in his presence, like a shadow lurking beneath the surface.

That night, as the wind howled outside and the haveli creaked under its own weight, Shehnaaz sat by the window, staring into the darkness. She felt trapped, not just by the haveli, but by the growing distance between her and Sidharth.

And in the silence, the faint sound of ghungroos echoed once more, sending a chill down her spine.

Sidharth enter the room and this time she was determined to get her answers.

"Sidharth", she went towards him.

Sidharth sat on the edge of the bed, calmly unbuttoning his cufflinks, "Haan"

She gulped down and took a deep breath.

"Tum itne pareshan kiu ho kuch baat hai kya?". She asked him.

He look at her for a brief second at look away. "Aesa kuch nahi baba"

"To phir mujhe ignore kiu kar rahe ho?." She hold his hand and asked him.

He smile and cupped her face. "Sorry tumhe aesa laga ho to bass kaam ki wajhe se paresha hu tum jaanti ho na ye haweli bechne ke chakkar me main yaha aaya tha bass us hi ke kaam me kuch problems aa rahi hai usme busy tha main".

Shehnaaz take a breath of relief and hug him. He caressed her hairs and broke the hug.

"Aur kuch puchna hai?"

She nodded, she hesitated, unsure if she should share what she had discovered. Something about Sidharth's composed demeanor unnerved her. Taking a deep breath, she decided to test the waters.

"Kya tumne kabhi Yuvraaj ka naam suna hai?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

Sidharth's hands paused for the briefest moment before he continued unbuttoning his shirt. "Yuvraaj?", he repeated, his tone even. "Kiu puch rahi ho?"

She bit her lip, watching him carefully. "Bas aese hi. Naina uska naam le rahi thi aur hawa achanak chalne lagi. Wo dar ke bhaag gayi. Tumhe nahi lagta ki yeh sab ajeeb hai?"

Sidharth stood and walked to her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. His touch was warm, yet it did not calm her. "Shehnaaz, tum ye sab chhodo. Shayad tum zyada soch rahi ho. Main hoon na, tumhare saath. Kuch galat nahi hoga."

His words were reassuring, but his calmness felt off.

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Shehnaaz found Naina sitting by the courtyard, her expression distant as she absently braided her hair.

"Naina, main tumse baat karna chahti hoon" Shehnaaz said, sitting beside her.

Naina glanced at her, her usual cheer nowhere to be seen. "Haan, bhabhi?"

Shehnaaz leaned in, lowering her voice. "Wo baat jo tum kal mujhe batane wali thi... uska kya hua? Tumne Yuvraaj ka naam liya tha, aur uske baad tum chup kyu ho gayi?"

Naina froze, her hands stilling mid braid. Her eyes darted toward the haveli, and she swallowed nervously. "Bhabhi, main us baare me baat nahi karna chahati."

"Naina please jo mere saath is haveli main ho raha hai, wo normal nahi hai aur uski piche ki wajha janne ke liye mujhe is haveli ke raaz ke baare me janna hoga" Shehnaaz reassured her. "Bas mujhe sach batao."

Naina hesitated, glancing around to ensure they were alone. Finally, she whispered, "Bhabhi, yeh haveli... iske andar ek purani kahani hai, jo sab chupana chahte hain. Lekin main...."

Before she could finish, a sudden gust of wind blew through the courtyard, scattering leaves and causing the trees to sway violently. Both women instinctively held their dupattas, shielding their faces from the dust.

Shehnaaz's heart raced as the eerie timing of the wind unsettled her again. "Ye kya ho raha hai? Phir se hawa?"

Naina stood up abruptly, her face pale. "Mujhe jaana hoga," she said, her voice trembling. Without another word, she hurried back inside the haveli, leaving Shehnaaz alone with her questions.

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That evening, Shehnaaz decided to explore the haveli's library, hoping to find something that might give her a clue about Yuvraaj. She wandered through the dimly lit corridors, her footsteps echoing in the silence.

The library was massive, with shelves filled to the brim with old books and scrolls. The scent of aged paper and dust hung heavy in the air. She picked up a diary, its cover worn and faded, and flipped through the pages.

She open the diary and found Yuvraaj Rajvanshi name in the front page.
Her breath hitched before she read further a sudden the shelfs start shaking and some books fall down, a book fall on her hand and the Diary fall down from her hands somewhere.

"Ye....ye sab kya ho raha hai, earthquake?" She murmured to herself and decided to leave the room when a sudden gust of wind rattled the windows, making the pages of the book flutter violently. Shehnaaz looked up, startled, as the temperature in the room seemed to drop. The air became thick, heavy with something she could not place. Her heartbeat quickened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Then, without warning, a soft sound broke the silence, a faint jingling, like the sound of ghungroos.

Shehnaaz froze.

Her breath caught in her throat. The sound was coming from somewhere nearby, almost as though someone was walking in the room with her, though she saw no one. It was unmistakable. The soft, rhythmic chime echoed around her, and she instinctively turned toward the sound.

But the room was empty.

The wind outside howled louder, making the floorboards creak beneath her feet. Shehnaaz's pulse raced. She felt a cold presence in the room, an oppressive weight that seemed to follow her every move. Her eyes darted around, searching for the source of the noise, but there was nothing. The shadows seemed to stretch further across the walls, as if they were alive.

Her hand trembled as she reached for the book again, trying to steady herself. The moment her fingers touched the pages, the jingle of ghungroos grew louder, as though the person who wore them was approaching her.

Chan, Chan, Chan...

The sound was getting closer. Shehnaaz's heart pounded. She took a step back, her legs shaky, but her feet felt like they were glued to the floor. She tried to move toward the door, but it felt as if the room itself was pressing against her, trapping her in place.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, casting the room in an eerie half darkness. In that instant, Shehnaaz saw something that made her blood run cold, a shadow.

It moved quickly, just beyond her peripheral vision, and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The ghungroos stopped. The room fell silent.

Shehnaaz chest tightened. The air was thick, almost suffocating. She looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. The feeling of being watched was overwhelming, and yet, the room remained empty.

She tried to step forward again, but before she could reach the door, a loud crash echoed from the far end of the room. She spun around, her heart racing, her breath shallow. Something had fallen perhaps a book, or something heavier. She could not see clearly, but the shadows seemed to move, shift as though they were alive, as though something was lurking in them, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Then, a voice soft and distant whispered in her ear. It was just a breath, barely audible, but it was enough to make her freeze in terror.

"Chali jaao yaha se...."

Shehnaaz's blood turned to ice. Her legs felt weak, and the room seemed to spin. She stumbled toward the door, reaching for the handle, desperate to escape the oppressive atmosphere of the library.

But just as her fingers brushed the door, she heard it again the faint sound of ghungroos. The rhythmic, deliberate jingling seemed to follow her, echoing in the space around her. She felt it something or someone was closing in on her.

With a final, frantic push, Shehnaaz threw the door open and rushed out of the library, slamming it behind her. The moment the door shut, the eerie jingling of the ghungroos stopped.

She stood in the corridor, gasping for air, her heart pounding in her chest. The library door loomed behind her, silent once more, but the oppressive, cold feeling still lingered. She turned back, looking at the old door, unsure of whether she should go back in or flee the haveli altogether.

But she knew one thing for sure, the library was hiding something. She did not know what it was yet, but she was certain that whatever it was, it was not finished with her.

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That is it for today.

Hope you all like it.

Thanks for reading.