Rudra-Nandani

20 ~ The Promises

I slowly forwarded my feet and my mother slid the toe rings inside my middle two toes of both the feet.

She pressed them lightly and looked at me.

Her eyes were also filled with tears and she asked me in a slow voice.

"Why did not you let your father interfere in between?"

Tears fell from my eyes and lowered my gaze saying.

"I have everyone besides me to hold me up when I fall but he has no one. And, if I will also go against him then he will never give the life another chance of being good,"

My grandmother sat beside me and held my hand.

Kissing them softly, she smiled looking at me.

"He is not even that bad. I just see another Raj in him,"

I smiled hearing her and muttered in a slow voice.

"Me too,"

My mother sat on the other side of the couch and hugged me tightly.

"Keep writing to us about everything. You will have so many things to hold into the new Kingdom. Being the Queen it would not be easy,"

I smiled weakly and closed my eyes.

"Of course, I will,"

Ruhani sat in front of me and held my hands. She was smiling weakly and muttered in a slow voice.

"I hope everything will go right,"

I nodded.

Outside, I was giving everyone hope and smiling to make them worry less about me but inside I was feeling scared and frightened.

Because he was not even looking at me and the way he chuckled muttering 'faithful', it just made me feel strange. For a moment, I felt like I was witnessing a different Rudra.

"Nandani,"

Suddenly my father's voice caught my attention and I looked at him holding the plate of food in his hands.

My mother moved to let him sit beside me as he slowly muttered.

"Time for dinner,"

I nodded and I did not know but suddenly looking at him, I just burst into cries.

He immediately hugged me back and for the first time, I saw him shedding tears too.

He patted my head and kissed my forehead.

"Mahabaleshgarh was your home and it will always be your home. You can come here anytime you want. I will never even ask you the reason for your arrival. Always remember that. In the bad or the good times, we will always support you,"

I nodded and burst into even more cries.

"Shhh....shhhh, stop crying otherwise people will think I am scolding my daughter. You can consider this your vacation, hnn,"

I chuckled suddenly hearing him and he smiled looking at me.

"You will need the energy to cry,"

I laughed even more and he brought the plate forward.

He started feeding me and everyone also fed me after me, my mother, my grandmother, Ruhani, and my Bua but Suman did not.

Because she was coming with me.

My father left after meeting me and my mother asked me to take some rest before departure.

My grandmother also left along with Ruhani and my Bua leaving me alone with my mother.