The king's first wife

Punishment

" AAAAAAA!" it was early in the morning. The entire palace was filled with the news of the prince's first wife's pregnancy and everyone was happy. Especially his mother. She was over the moon to finally see that day come because she knew that now, her daughter like daughter-in-law would get her proper place and respect in the society. No one would taunt her anymore. She would get the place that she deserved.

The old hag though wasn't all flowers about the news. She knew that once the prince and his wife were alone for over 2 months, something might happen but this was clashing with his wife's pregnancy... Now, she didn't know for sure who would be queen and no way in hell did she want to see Pari sitting on the throne of queen in the coming few years.

Still, tradition was tradition. She couldn't do anything about the pregnancy and that would most probably be the very first biological kid of the prince. She knew it. The tricks the other princess played. She knew all of them. Just that she didn't care much about her lies.
After the incident at Suhani's wedding, that old woman had shaken in her feet and no longer did she see Pari as someone who could be manipulatef easily. She now saw that girl as an enemy who needed to be gotten out of the palace as soon as possible. Now, she was seeing the flaw in her plan of getting a radical man married to the woman who would sooner or later bring change in her country.
The only options left for her were either to get that princess killed which was pretty difficult considering she was Sohit's favorite wife or...

" ADITI!?"
" Aaah!" A woman screamed once again... A pregnant woman who had just fallen down a hundred stairs and was currently bleeding from the wrong place.

A maid was tending to her while one other woman with a plate of Aarti stood over the stairs with a pale face. She had frozen in her place as she tried to figure out how that happened.

Early that morning, Rani ma had come to her room and told her that she and Aditi needed to go to a temple to pray for their childrens' good health. And she had just been walking down, talking really nicely with that woman. In fact, she had even begun to think that they could be friends when something happened and that woman suddenly lost her balance. Within seconds, she could see her on the floor, bleeding heavily and screaming in pain as people began gathering around them. Maids, servants, guards, the prince.

He was there too. Had heard that his wifes had to go to the temple so, he had decided to keep an ear out for trouble and the moment he heard a scream coming from that end of the palace, he came rushing there, hoping that nothing happened to his dear but what he saw there left him speechless.

She was completely fine. A little shocked and scared as she stayed glued to her place but, she was also so very shaken. Still, she was fine. Instead, the person who was hurt was on the ground, screaming in pain.

He was right there when he saw medics pick her up and take her to the infirmary. He was right there when she screamed. He was right there when her agony filled screams touched his ears and now, as he looked at his love, he kept asking the question through his eyes.
" What did you do Pari?" But she hadn't done anything.

" We couldn't save the baby," and when that news was filled in the minds of everyone, he just knew that his love was not going to be spared. So, he held her hand as she kept tearing up and stood behind a huge crowd. He wanted to give her the benefit of doubt but he had also seen the other woman scream and beg for help. Why would someone do something like that to themselves? He couldn't just completely dismiss the fact that it could have been Pari...

" PARI!!!! WHERE IS PARI?!" And when a voice boome through the halls of the big white palace, he knew that she was doomed for a long time now...

" HOW COULD YOU!? SHE'S LIKE YOUR YOUNGER SISTER!" the old hag shouted at her as she continued sobbing softly. Her head constantly shook in a big no and she could swear on her life that she didn't do any such thing. She was innocent and not guilty of the crime of killing another innocent. She was a naive little girl who was caught between the expectations and evil plots of her own family members.
Sohit was there too but by that point, he was just standing behind his father and looking at her in disbelief.

Did he believe that she could do such a thing to someone? He couldn't. But he made it look so to her.

" N-no. Ajji... I didn't... I didn't do anything-"
" ENOUGH! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! YOU KILLED THE NEXT HEIR OF THIS COUNTRY!!! BECAUSE OF WHAT?! JEALOUSY?!" She was desperately looking at her husband now as she shook her head. Telling him through her eyes that she could never push a pregnant woman down the stairs. She couldn't and wouldn't. That just wasn't like her. She was born and brought up in the palace. No matter if she liked that woman or not, she could not do such a thing...

But he didn't seem to believe it. His expression told her that he was disappointed in her. His face told her that he was ashamed that she was his wife. Like, just one thing made her look so very bad in everyone's eyes. Even the mother who once showered her with love was now showering her with suspicion.

" No. Ajji... I didn't-"
" SO WHAT?! THAT POOR GIRL FELL DOWN THE STAIRS ON HER OWN?! WHO WOULD DO SUCH A STUPID THING?! AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE IN THAT PLACE EXCEPT ADITI!" the old hag determined and most of the people there looked away from the pregnant woman in disappointment. She was a Pari. A real angel, till that moment because not even her own husband was ready to believe her when she said that she didn't do it.

" THAT'S IT. I AM NOT LETTING A SNAKE LIKE YOU LIVE IN MY PALACE! I BANISH YOU!!!! FROM NOW ON, YOU ARE NO PRINCESS! AND YOUR PUNISHMENT IS TO STAY IN RANIGANJ TILL THE CHILD IS BORN! DON'T SHOW US YOUR DISGRACED FACE AGAIN!" a judgement was passed and many wanted to oppose it, especially the woman who felt so very guilty as she begged for forgiveness for something that she hadn't even done...

Yet. No one answered. Neither did anyone help her when the guards took her out.

" SOHIT! SOHIT! I DIDN'T DO IT! SOHIT!?" She kept screaming too but with the ghunghat over her face and the guards dragging her away, no one could believe her. Not even him.

Because it was the matter of an innocent's life... A child was killed. No matter whose it was. It was killed before it even let to take a single breath in the world.

What an irony... Because girl children were massacred in that very place like they were flies and no one would punish the killer after the kid was born. Yet, when it was in the womb, it was a big issue...

If only someone could change that system a little... Maybe, it would be liveable for the daughters of the royal family.