The Royal Mess

Helpless

The evening rolled in as the guests started flocking in the hall. Sau was in a bad mood.

"For you, I can't dance. I hate you so much." She complained to Chaks who chose a simple suit as she sat pretty in an orange saree with black stripes that Heer had chosen for her. The bride herself looked pretty in the Golden and Fuscia lehenga. As she walked down the stairs Shakti appeared in his light orange sherwani and helped her down and frowned.

"This is not fair." Shakti shook his head.

"What?" She looked tense. Her hand was cold.

"You design for the ladies, make them look pretty! What about us? Don't we deserve to feel handsome too?" He made her giggle.

" I thought, Kunwar Shakti Singh doesn't need Heer Kanwar's Designer line to look handsome. I was so wrong!" She smiled.

"Smart! Stop saying Kunwar, it sounds so uncool! Doesn't suit my image." He pointed a finger at her as she shook her head saying "Grow up Shakti, act mature."

"I am," he frowned. "When it's needed."

"I don't think you are. You take things so lightly." She said smiling as she sat down at her place, opposite the groom.

"Being serious is boring Heer Kanwar Baisa, you are an example of that." He folded his hands making her shake her head.

"Shut up." She snapped. " Stop calling me Baisa, it doesn't go with my image too!"

He laughed and walked away to tease Patta talking to a girl. Heer watched him go with a sigh then blushed at the groom sitting on the other side in a golden Sherwani.

"Where is Jija?" She looked at Sau with the question of who was staring at the stairs.

She looked up to see Pratap in a Royal Purple Sherwani walk down as the girls started. Heer and Shakti exchanged a glance and smiled at the reactions Pratap ignored. He smiled at Heer faintly then walked up to Ranima. Jalal and Rukaiya had teamed up in a green Pathani Kurta and Sharara looked elegant as he guided her hand down the stairs.

All eyes were fixed on the staircase as Ajabde appeared in her light blue Anarkali looking elegant with a pasha on one side and a heavy neckpiece. The relatives praised her simplicity as she walked down the stairs and Pratap couldn't look away. Out of these hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at her one, made her heart race. She wished he would look away but he just smiled seeing her avoid his glances. Shakti walked up and bowed, giving her his hand. "My Lady."

"Uff the drama!" She said with a smile as she took it and walked down the remaining stairs past Pratap and towards Ranima.

Patta soon took the stage. "Tonight we are hosting the Sangeet of my sister Heer Kanwar with Toranmal and..."

Ajabdeh helped Heer sit down beside her groom as she took the seat beside it. Pratap sat beside the groom as Heer introduced them. The groom's stare at Ajabdeh made Pratap know that he knew.

"You look sexy." The groom's words made Heer blush as Pratap looked disturbed and stared at his watch again and again.

"The evening will start with my performance!" Patta was excited. "Because I am the youngest!" He made everyone laugh as Heer murmured

"This Monkey!" and smiled at Ajabdeh. The music played as the hall went dark and the spotlight fell on the stage.

"When did he learn dancing?" Shakti whispered to Ajabdeh. "He's still learning." She smiled only to turn and stop at a pair of eyes fixed on her in the dark. Brown like Brownie's fur. She couldn't look away. His eyes looked troubled. Worried. As if they wanted to tell her something... Pratap got up and left in the dark. Ajabdeh looked around before she followed him down the corridor. "Pratap." Her voice and his name made him stop with a pale face. He turned around.