The Devil's Substitute (Book #1)

|| Chapter 6 ||

Ignoring Piyali's whines, Nandini made her wear a maroon saree which looked absolutely beautiful on her pale, petite body. Riya then, adorned her neck and hands with jewels. 

"Babhi, look." Piyali glanced at the mirror with no interest but the next second her lips curled up into a beautiful smile. 

"OH MY GODDD !. I AM SO GORGEOUS." Piyali exclaimed loudly being surprised with her new attire. Standing up from the seat, she started walking like a model in front of them. 

"Aunty, I am looking beautiful right." Nandini nodded with a smile. 

"And sexy right." Hearing that, Nandini's smile fell. Riya giggled. 

"Babhi, you are stunning, hot, sexy, gorgeous." Riya flattered her. Piyali grinned and flicked her brown tendrils proudly. 

"Beta, let's go down. Everyone is waiting for you." Nandini said and Piyali's face paled as she remembered other family members glares when she stepped in the house on her grahapravesh. 

"Aunty, I don't want to go down." She mumbled making them shock.

"Why baccha ?" Nandini queried. 

"Ahm...that..I am scared." Piyali finally answered. Nandini and Riya understood the inner meaning. 

"Beta, you know the circumstances of how you got married to Reyansh." Piyali nodded. "Ah...they are still in that shock. It will take some time for them to adjust with this." Nandini explained. 

"Ok"

"Babhi, some may scold you. But you should not speak anything against them ok." Riya added. Piyali nodded with a sigh. 

                                              . ______________________ .

The Raguvanshis were waiting for the new bride. All were sitting in the dining area. 

"Reyansh, where is that wife of yours." Samaya asked with a fake sweet smile. Ranveer nudged her, gesturing her to close her mouth. 

"In my room chachi. Mom and Riya is with her." Reyansh replied.

"Ma, she is getting ready for the remaining rituals." Nayana added. 

"What is there to get ready ?. She is not the actual bride right." Samaya taunted. Reyansh closed his eyes clenching his jaw. 

"Samaya, close your mouth." Ranveer yelled. 

"Ranveer, why are you shouting at her. She is right. We still have not accepted that girl as our Reyansh's wife." Rani retorted.

"Babhi, is coming." Kairav immediately informed, interrupting their talks. 

Piyali climbed down along with Nandini and Kajal with head bowed down. Nandini sensed the tension in the atmosphere. She cocked an eyebrow at her husband who blinked his eyes in return. 

"Beta, now go and take elders' blessings," Nandini whispered in her ears. Piyali hesitantly nodded and took baby steps towards Rani and Raguveer. She kneeled, touched their feet and asked them for their blessing as Nandini taught her. 

Rani and Raguveer were startled being surprised by her unexpected action and were highly impressed. Samaya scoffed and looked away. 

"Bless you." Both blessed, caressing her head. Nandini sighed in relief. Piyali smiled, stood and went near Nandini. She winked and grinned at her MIL and SIL who silently giggled. 

Karan sighed when he saw Reyansh playing with his phone. 

"Atleast look at your wife." He whispered. Reyansh threw an uninterested glance at him. He gripped his phone tightly not to look at Piyali but failed. He slightly turned his head and was instantly shocked to see her. His eyes were shamelessly roaming on her petite figure.

"Beautiful." His mind whispered and was taken back. 

"Shut up." He screamed internally and controlled his racing heart. 

"She is ugly...she is ugly....she is ugly...." He chanted continuously.

"Piyali, today is your Pehli Rasoi. You have to make tasty and perfect food for everyone." Rani ordered and Piyali became pale.

"WHAT." She shouted and stared at Rani wide eyes before averting her gaze to Nandini. "Aunty, I am not a servant and so why should I prepare khaana for everyone." 

"It's a ritual choti bahu and you are shouting as if you don't know cooking." Samaya commented doubtfully. Piyali, Nandini and Riya gulped together. 

"Do you know cooking ?" Raguveer asked.

"Haan, muje juice bananna aata hai, oatmeal bananna aata hai aur ting-ting chutney bhi bananna aata hai. (Yes. I know to make oatmeal, I know to make juice and also I know to make ting-ting chutney)" Piyali replied and raised her head proudly.

All stared at her as if she is from another planet. Nandini and Riya let out a defeated sigh because a few minutes ago only they instructed her not to tell anything stupid like this which she did. Kairav took his mobile, googled 'ting-ting chutney' in which he received 'There are no results to show." 

"Here goes next one." Reyansh muttered under his breath. He took cotton balls and plunged into his ear, not to hear her next speech. 

"Um..Piyali, what is that chutney ?" Karan enquired curiously. 

"You mean ting-ting chutney." Piyali asked for clarification and he nodded. 

"Well, my best friend Tammanna's chudali aunty has a useless Youtube channel called Pinky's cookery show. No one used to watch it except me and Tammanna for making memes. And ting-ting chutney was her christmas edition which became hit for it's variety because she used lizard's tail in it." Piyali scrunched her nose and made a gagging expression. 

Riya closed her mouth as she felt to puke. Others were also feeling nausea. Karan closed his mouth and was about to complain to Reyansh when he saw him sitting on the chair relaxed. He noticed the cotton buds in his ear which made him surprised. He threw the bud in his right ear away and Reyansh stared at him annoyingly.

"Hey, why did you do that ?"

"Bro, here your wife is literally making us vomit with her talks and you are busy in daydreaming." Karan whispered. 

"What did she say ?" Reyansh asked and Karan started explaining everything. 

"What stupid things are you rambling? Are you trying to make us starve today ?" Samaya yelled, standing from her seat. Piyai flinched first then looked at her innocently. 

"But what wrong did I say aunty ?" She asked. 

"Seriously !. Humans won't eat lizards. Don't you have that much knowledge?" Samaya snorted. 

"Aunty, people in Korea and china are daily eating lizard fry, cockroach fry etc..Then what is the problem in ting-ting chutney." Piyali retorted back making her speechless. 

"Your wife will make us Koreans one day." Karan said to Reyansh who curled the fists He was extremely ashamed thinking that he is married to an immature, stupid wife. 

"BAHU." Rani shouted and stared at Piyali. She immediately clutched Nandini's hand in fear. 

"You are not a kid but a woman. So act like one. And you wasted half an hour with your talks. So as a punishment make everyone's favourite and it should be on the table within an hour. No one will help you. Make sure the food is tasty and pest free." Rani ordered. Piyali gulped and felt like fainting.