Praise The Husband

Chapter 6

But Jagruti was not ready to accept Kalyani's words. "We may be from the same place, but our mothers are not equal," she said, her voice dripping with contempt.

"My mother is the queen, and she is the highest ranked lady in the palace. Meanwhile, your mother is just a concubine, and she will never be respected the same way."

Litvik nodded in agreement. "It's true, Jagruti," he said. "Our mother may be respected, but she will never be considered equal to the queen. That's the way it is, and there's nothing anyone can do to change it."

Rudransh felt his anger boiling over. "That may be true," he said.

"But it doesn't give anyone the right to treat anyone else differently, I have never treated anyone of you differently. We all deserve to be treated with respect, no matter what our mother's status is."

He looked at the king, hoping for some support. But the king remained silent, watching the argument unfold.

Jagruti snorted in disbelief. "You can talk all you want about respect," she said. "But the truth is, your mother has almost been banished from the palace because of her lover. That's how much respect she really has."

Litvik chimed in, "And if the king hadn't taken a liking to her, she would still be in exile!"

He wanted to shout out his frustration, but he forced himself to keep his composure. "You may be right," he said. "But that doesn't change the fact that my mother deserves respect, just like anyone else."

the argument continued as the king stayed quite and finished his meal.

Bagwati scowled but left without saying anything.

Rudransh knew that this was going to be a long and lonely journey. He couldn't wait for the day when he could make his own choices and not be burdened by the expectations of his father or the hate that the concubines had for each other and the queen.

Rudransh felt a sense of relief as he reached the garden beside the small creek. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing thoughts. But before he could even settle down, he heard footsteps behind him again. He turned back to see Raivati and the concubines walking towards him, making him feel trapped.

Raivati spoke first, "Rudransh, I know there is tension between us, but we need to talk about our wedding."

Padama interrupted her, "No, let's talk about how much we adore you, Rudransh."

Madhavi added, "Yes, we will do anything to please you."

Runjhun chipped in, "You are the center of our world, Rudransh."

Vineeta said, "We all love you, Rudransh. You are ours, forever."

Rudransh sighed inwardly. He had hoped to be left alone for a while, but it felt like the women were always there, cramping his space.

He tried to keep his composure and replied, "I appreciate your affection, but I need some time alone. Can you please leave me?"

Raivati replied, "But Rudransh, we are your women. We have a right to your attention."

Padama added, "Yes, Rudransh, we are devoted to you. Please don't ignore us."

Madhavi said, "We just want to please you, Rudransh. Is that so wrong?"

Runjhun chipped in, "We all want to be by your side, Rudransh. Why can't you see that?"

Vineeta said, "Rudransh, please don't push us away. We love you too much."

Rudransh felt a sense of exasperation rising within him. He couldn't believe that the women couldn't see how much he needed space and time to himself. He tried to control his anger and replied in a calm voice, "I am not ignoring you. I just need some time alone. Please understand."