❝ ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ'ᴛ ʙʜᴀʙʜɪᴍᴀᴀsᴀ sᴛᴀʏ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜs? ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴋᴜɴᴡᴀʀᴀɴɪsᴀ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ.❞

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

"Baijisa, you missed the grand welcome of our crown-prince!" exclaimed a frantic and a bit displeased Saubhagyavati across the sanctum. Breaking her book induced trance.

"Bhagya, you're aware of my schedule at the hospital. I couldn't leave my patients unattended," replied Baijisa to her still adamant best-friend. Thankfully, Chakrapani entered at that very moment.

"Khama ghani Baijisa." He greeted her with that everlasting smile.

"Ghani khama Panditji," she replied back. Chakrapani then handed her the red scroll with the official symbol which he was assigned to hand over to her.

"This is sent by him, to you," he said with a smile. A small smile graced her lips. But her sulking friend was yet again not satisfied.

"Panditji, how unromantic this friend of yours is? I am sure this letter contains business or other work related issues. And after many years, even Baujiraj came back. Why can't he-" she was stopped by the firm voice.

"Saubhagyavati." Chakrapani countered. It was rarely seen that Chakrapani warned or stopped his wife. So when he did, she better knew when to stop. Saubhagyavati pouted and went away from there, making him frown.

"Don't worry Panditji, she will come around," reassured Baijisa. Chakrapani just nodded and smiled. He knew she was right.

Saubhagyavati's heart was like that of a child. She spoke anything in it freely. But sometimes, your curiosity or questions can cause pain to your loved ones too. And Chakrapani knew that.

"Panditji." She spoke. Chakrapani was not referred as a scholar for nothing. He knew she, who was not only now his wife's best-friend but his too, wanted to ask him something.

"Do ask freely, bhabhisa," he said. Bhabhisa, a term used for the wife of a brother or best-friend. He knew she was hesitant about her question.

She took a deep breath and asked, "Is naath in Udaipur?" The question that she knew the answer of, yet wanted to know was asked by her.

Chakrapani could never hide anything from her. He was a rigid brahmin who spoke truth on the face regardless of it being bitter. He knew the answer would break her. Yet he didn't want to sugarcoat it.

"Yes he is. And he is currently visiting his family. And I don't know if he will come here. But as a friend, I would advise you to not hope for anything from the man." Stated Chakrapani indigenously and left the sanctum giving her the privacy to process his words.

She strongly closed her door and sat on her bed. She was a woman too, and sometimes she just wanted her husband to be beside her and be her strength like she was his.

But fate was a cruel joke. She just wanted a glimpse of a man, whom she gave her soul, body and mind completely for this and the next seven births of hers.

She unrolled the scroll and was determined to read the letter, though the emotional turmoil in her body was at its peak.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

Khama ghani Baisaa,

Your letter was received three months earlier. On your and maasa's insistence, I decided to visit Udaipur before going to war for Chittor.

I will try to visit, but do not keep your hopes high for the same. Regardless, your strategies were applied and admired by Kunwarsa greatly.

I am thankful for your wits and support. Regards from my side.

Sa aadar sahit,
Naath.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

And with that she allowed herself to pass a single sniff of sorrow. But she was thankful that at least he was not being a hindrance between her and her knowledge.

As many males of their time do not appreciate women doing anything other than being a house-wife. If she would have been in her father's house in Mithila, she would just been another daughter to be groomed and married off to rich men regardless of their age or her consent.

Their marriage has happened in worst condition, yet she doesn't regret it a bit. She was adamant to avenge every tear of her regardless of the relation with the responsible person.

Death is a mercy. She will bring them and their pride to their knees in front of her. Because, death of the king is not the only way of vengeance.

She placed the letter with others in a box and wiped the single tear before it escaped her eye. Today, she had no intention to write a reply which she did everytime queit eagerly.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

Meeting his brother Jagmal and having dinner with his family was a pleasant affair for Adhrik.

"Badimaasa, it's time for my kheer now," recalled Shakti while Maharani sighed looking at her husband. Maharana just smirked at his wife who was ordered by her king to prepare jalebis.

"Jalebis will be presented today. So if anyone has a problem, you can simply not eat it," replied his father smugly while his queens shook their heads for teasing their son.

Ignoring his wives, Maharana took an extra piece of jalebi. Immediately Rani Dheer bai narrowed her eyes in warning for his health while he stopped eating more with a gulp.

That was enough to make his kids and other two wives laugh at him good naturedly while he rolled his eyes. Shakti was still busy sulking.

"Just because he is king, he can't do everything he likes. I should have visited bhabhimaasa. She would have surely made delicious kheer for me," muttered Shakti under his breath which was heard by everyone though.

"Shakti, Kunwarani Veer baisa doesn't know how to make kheer," Sajja baisa immediately replied to rectify her son's blunder. But the blunder was done and even Maharana froze anticipating his son's reaction.

"Uff- Sajja maasa, bhai Shakti is talking about our bhabhimaasa. And not Kunwaranisa who is always busy in doing dress-up and nothing else," replied Jagmal innocently.

Adhrik, who realized whom they were talking about, froze mid morsel. He immediately straightened and gently took Jagmal in his lap.

"Bhai Jagmal, when did you meet your bhabhimaasa?" Adhrik asked Jagmal. And being the innocent kid he was, he narrated the incident with fine details making the elders and especially Shakti tense.

"When bhai Shakti visited Udaigadh three years back, he and I went to deliver badimaasa's letter to bhabhimaasa. I wanted to meet the elder kunwaranisa," he said.

"When we reached there, I was tired and hungry. So she made me and bhai food and kheer. She made us eat from her own hands like maasa. So when I called her bhabhimaasa, bhai followed me." He explained further.

Dadabhai will make today my Maran-tithi, though Shakti. Afraid of his brother's anger. Kunwarsa Adhrik's anger was known all over the land. His enemies tremble at just it's mention.

He was literally a monster when he was angry.

"Dadabhai," started Jagmal quietly, "Why doesn't bhabhimaasa stay here with us? I like her better than Kunwaranisa anyway." Asked Jagmal gazing straight in Adhrik's eyes.

Though his question was innocent, it touched Adhrik in more ways than one. The question for getting whose answer, whole royal family was in severe anticipation.

°•~━━✥❖✥━━~•°

sʜᴀʙᴅ-ᴋᴏsʜ :- ᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʀʏ

ʙʜᴀʙʜɪsᴀ : sɪsᴛᴇʀ-ɪɴ-ʟᴀᴡ.

ʙʜᴀʙʜɪᴍᴀᴀsᴀ : sɪsᴛᴇʀ-ɪɴ-ʟᴀᴡ ᴇǫᴜɪᴠᴀʟᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴋʜᴀᴍᴀ ɢʜᴀɴɪ : ɢʀᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢs.

ɢʜᴀɴɪ ᴋʜᴀᴍᴀ : ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀɪɴɢ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢs.

sᴀ ᴀᴀᴅᴀʀ sᴀʜɪᴛ : ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴜᴇ ʀᴇsᴘᴇᴄᴛ.

ᴍᴀʀᴀɴ-ᴛɪᴛʜɪ : ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ.

ʙʜᴀɪ : ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.