Royal Vs Rebel (Royal #2: Book 1)

10

Surprise ✨

-• so, who won? •-

[ August 31, 2000 ]

Ever since Avani got married, Sara had stolen the rare opportunities she could to spend time with her sister. Things at Rajawat Palace never run on personal choices, they are always decided by Abhimanyu Singh Rajawat, her grandfather.

Hence, that evening when she comes home, it's with the determination to spend the next ten days of Ganesh Chaturthi at her sister's house. She might not believe in God as ardently as her sister does, but she's certainly in love with the sweets Avani prepares in order to welcome Him home.

Her backpack slings off her shoulder and she drops it on the couch. Ignoring the one year old kid and his nanny playing in the living room, Sara makes her way upstairs towards her father's room. She knows he'd rather be spending his time gambling away his father's money than be a father figure to her, but she also knows he'd be easier to persuade than her grandfather.

Knocking once, she places her hand on the knob and twists it. It unlocks, the door pushes ajar on its own. Her father looks up from the couch he's sprawled on, watching something on the television and enjoying a drink. He raises a brow at her, irritated at best due to the unwelcomed intrusion. Sara stiffens, her tongue freezing in her mouth.

"What?" He barks.

The timid, young figure flinches, lowering her gaze to the floor. Her shiny raven hair curtains her face, framing the flushed chubby cheeks. She rubs her toes together, nibbling on her bottom lip, hating the way her confidence dwindles in front of a man.

"Get out if you've nothing to say!"

She blinks nervously. Now or never. "I- I'm on five days holiday from tomorrow."

"So?"

"It's Ganesh Chaturthi."

"Cut the bullshit and come to the point!"

Her frightful eyes meet his. "Didi."

"Didi what?" He asks, annoyed.

"Didi ke paas jana hai. (I want to go to Didi's house.)" She murmurs shakily.

"Then go." He waves his hand in a dismissal.

Her eyes light up. "Really? Can I go now?" She asks, her tone catching an iota of joy.

"Yeah, leave." He says, his attention stolen by the South Indian movie running on the screen.

"But- But Grandpa -"

"He doesn't care." Virendra snorts, his eyes zeroing into the distance in aggression. "Ever since that pest was born, he doesn't care about anyone else. Fuck off."

Pest.

He referred to Shourya as a pest. She had no emotional attachment with the kid, but still, he is her brother. She couldn't mask the feeling of hurt that consumed her hearing her father call her brother a pest. That's all they were in his eyes anyway, but she's glad at least her grandfather doesn't think the same. He may not love his granddaughters as much as he loves his grandson, but she's not jealous. The baby has no mother, their father could care less, and Sara, as selfish as it might sound, feels no sense of responsibility towards him. She knows if Avani was here, Shourya would have been loved to bits and pieces, but in this palace without her, they are as good as orphans.