Third Person
Mishka entered her room to see her husband still working on his laptop, so without giving much heed to it, she took her clothes and went to take a quick shower.
While she was still showering and cleansing her body, she suddenly remembered the letter she had brought inside the washroom, so she turned the shower off, wrapped a towel around her body and took out a candle and a lighter from one of the cabinets.
She lit it up and held the parchment above it for a few minutes, making sure that it won't burn, and stared in awe as the letters suddenly appeared on the blank page.
"Mujhe pata hai aap hamse nafrat karenge jab aapko humare dhoke ke baare main pata chalega, par hum aapse ek aakhri baar bharose ki apeksha karte hai.
Hum aapko batana chahte hai ki hum aapko jaan bujhkar dukh kabhi nahi pohchayenge. Hum aapko ek aakhri baar batana chahte hai ki hum aapse bohot prem karte hai. Hume pata hai ki hum aapke saath puri zindagi nahi bita paaenge, kintu hum aapko upar se avashya dekhenge, toh apna aur humare parivaar ka dhyaan rakhna. Aasha karte hai ki aap humare marne ke baad humari majboori ka pata laga lenge.
Humesha yaad rakhna ki Rani Padmaja apne Raja Amar Kumar se prem karti thi, karti hai aur humesha karti rahegi.
Aapki priye
Rani Padmaja."
After reading this, she felt so bad for the Queen who had done nothing but still had to suffer its consequences.
Little did she know that the history was going to repeat itself, very soon.
She harshly wiped her eyes when she heard a knock on the door, and blew off the candle, putting it back in the cabinet and wearing her clothes before opening the door.
"How much time do you need to take a shower?" Dhruv glared, but Mishka didn't bother to answer him and stepped past him to get on the bed and sleep.
Dhruv, on the other hand, gave her a confused stare before shutting the door.
***
"Manav, wake up." Aastha called out, trying to wear her earrings and wake up her husband at the same time, but he moaned and snuggled into her pillow before going back to sleep once again.
"Manav-"
"What?" He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his wife's face which was sure to make up his whole day.
"We have to visit the temple. Get ready."
"Is it necessary?"
"Yes, of course." Aastha turned back to the mirror and wore the nath her mother-in-law had gifted her on the day of her wedding before turning back to see her husband, who hadn't moved from the bed yet, staring at her with an indescribable emotion in his brown orbs.
"What? Don't I look pretty?" She raised her brows and glanced at herself once to make sure she didn't look ugly.
She had chosen to wear a pretty red saree and her neck was bedecked with a heavy necklace which was gifted by Dhruv and Mishka on her pehli rasoi. Her ears were adorned with gold jhumka and her bangles made a pleasant sound whenever she moved her hands.
Seeing the vermillion on the partition of her forehead and the nuptial chain around her neck, Manav felt satisfied; for everybody in the temple would know that this beautiful woman belonged with him.
"You do look pretty. I was just wondering why you are wearing a saree."
"Because we are going to the Royal Temple?" Her statement came out as a question, and she looked so cute with her scrunched brows and tilted head that Manav wanted to punch himself for not treating this amazing woman the right way before.
"You can wear a kurti too, you know."
"Mr. Rajput, I am the daughter-in-law of a Royal Family, so I can't jeopardize your reputation. Besides, I like wearing sarees. They make me look pretty."
"You are already pretty, Aastha." He muttered, before walking to the washroom, leaving a flushed and confused Aastha behind.
***
"Manasvi, don't you think you are pretty underdressed?" Kabir asked his wife, who was busy in clicking mirror selfies.
"You are one to talk. You are not even dressed." She pointed her index finger at his naked chest.
"So, what? I am a man and you are a woman. You should wear your mangalsutra and sindoor to show that you are married and-"
"What will you do to show that you are married?" She asked back, surprisingly in a calm voice.
"Well, I can't wear a nuptial chain and-"
"Then you wear the wedding ring I gave you." She picked up the diamond ring and gave it to him with an overly sweet smile.
"I don't like this." He said, but took the ring from her hand anyway.
"Then neither do I." She shrugged, going back to examine the photos she had clicked.
"Well, okay. If I wear this ring, you will wear whatever I give you. Deal?"
"Deal!" She promised, keeping her phone aside to see what this husband of hers would make her wear.
Manasvi had chosen to wear a classy silver saree which had managed to highlight her fair complexion fairly well, and since this saree was in itself heavy, she had not bothered to wear any jewellery. Her long hair was pinned up in a messy bun, and this hairstyle framed her face satisfactorily.
She watched as Kabir slipped on the ring she had given him on his ring finger before stepping forward toward the vanity table. He rummaged through all of her jewellery collection until he found what he was looking for.
"Turn around." He ordered.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
Manasvi rolled her eyes and did what he told her to do, curious to see what he would do. Kabir held her shoulders and jerked her backwards, making her back collide with his chest. He then clasped the nuptial chain around her neck before backing off to let her see her reflection in the mirror.
"Hey, this looks pretty. Thank you."
"Maybe you should thank me by giving me a kiss."
"Fuck off, Kabir." She rolled her eyes once again before sauntering towards the direction of the living room.
***
"Aashika, we don't have all day. How much time do you need to wear a stupid saree?" Arjun snapped at his wife who was locked up in the walk-in closet for an hour now.
"Well, it's not my fault you married someone who is 4 years younger than you and doesn't know how to wear a saree." She snapped back.
"Then who told you to wear one?" He sighed, dropping down on the couch.
"I am a married woman, so I have to act like one."
"A piece of cloth doesn't define your relationship status."
"Yeah, but not everyone thinks that. If I don't wear a saree, the judgmental aunties will grill my head with their talks. And that will ruin your reputation. Just, call bhabhi for me."
"Say the magic word then." He smirked.
"Arjun, don't fuck with me right now. I am already very frustrated." She threatened.
"Okay, fine." He raised his hands in surrender and went out of the room to search for Mishka.
"Arjun, where is Aashika? We are getting late." He thanked God when he saw the person he was searching for coming towards him, wearing a scarlet red coloured saree.
Her nuptial chain rested proudly around her neck, and her anklet and bangles made a soothing sound whenever she moved. She wore a pretty nath which highlighted her button nose, and her hair cascaded down her back.
"You look beautiful, bhabhi."
She chuckled,"Thank you, devar ji. Ab bataiye hamari devrani kaha hai?"
"Aapki devrani ko madad chahiye, bhabhi sa." He played along, conversing in Rajputi style, which made her giggle like a child.
"Toh der kis baat ki hai, devar ji? Agar humari devarani ji ko hamari zaroorat hai, toh hume deri nahi karni chahiye na?"
Arjun cracked a smile and led the way to his room before heading to the living room himself, not wanting to see his almost naked wife draping a stupid saree around her curvaceous body.
"Aashika? Come out." Mishka called out to her sister-in-law, who sighed in relief at the sweet voice of her bhabhi.
"Oh, thank God you came." She stepped out with the white piece of cloth in her hand.
Mishka expertly draped the saree around Aashika's body, before making her wear the jewelleries too.
Aashika had gone for a much simpler look, opting to wear a white saree with hot pink dupatta which she put on her right shoulder to get a royal look.
Her necklace was as simple as her attire, a diamond choker and earrings, and she let down her hair in natural waves before finishing her makeup and following Mishka to the porch outside their palace.
***
After an hour of sitting in awkward silence, the four daughters-in-law and their husbands had arrived at the ancestral temple which was pre-booked by Dhruv to get some privacy.
The Royal Family looked so perfect together that the onlookers and media personnel felt envious of them. The by-passers wished to be a part of Rajputs, unaware of the hostile emotions brewing between them, and the paparazzi rushed forward to capture the enigmatic family in their cameras, but were blocked by the bodyguards surrounding the members of the Royal Family.
Dhruv wrapped an arm around his wife's bare waist, which elicited tingles up their spine, and whispered,"Don't ruin my family's reputation."
"Don't worry, Mr. Rajput. I have carried the facade of a perfect wife for 3 years, I think I can manage to do that until we sign the divorce papers." Her sassy remark left a bitter feeling in his heart, but instead of lashing his anger out at her, he pulled her flush against him, his every single body part brushing against hers.
"You are so annoying, Mr. Rajput." Aashika muttered in annoyance when, even after telling Arjun to leave her waist for a hundred times, he didn't.
"Thank you, Mrs. Rajput. Your compliment would be forever cherished by me." He bowed down a little to make her even more angry, and he was successful in doing so.
"Are you comfortable?" Manav asked, a little concerned.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She looked up at him and raised her brows.
"You know, because you are wearing all this, and that might be uncomfortable for you."
"Oh, that's fine. Thank you for expressing your concern though." She smiled, and this time her smile reached her eyes.
"Make sure you don't trip, Manasvi." Kabir hissed when he saw his wife struggling to climb up the staircase because of the clothes she was wearing.
"Shut up, Kabir. Instead of helping me, you-" Her sentence turned into a surprised gasp when he suddenly picked her up in bridal style.
The media people turned their cameras towards the couple, but Kabir didn't seem to mind and that was what made Manasvi's cheeks as red as a tomato.
"Why so shy, wifey? We have already touched each other, haven't we?" He reminded her of the foreplay they had on their wedding night, and it made her so hot and bothered that she wished she was at the palace right now instead of this sacred area.
'I am so sorry for thinking about unholy deeds, God. Please forgive your beautiful child.' She apologized in her mind.
"Kabir, we are in a temple for God's sake. Mind your words." She hissed, but was grateful at him for diverting her mind off the hundreds of eyes on them.
He smirked, and kept quiet until they reached the top of the stairs.
"Devar ji, kripya kar humari devarani ji ko niche utare. Hume puja karni hai." Mishka requested, and Kabir had no choice but to let his wife escape from his embrace.
"Jaisi humari bhabhi maa ki icha." He played along, smiling a little at the end.
"Dhanyawaad, devar ji." Mishka smiled and pulled Manasvi towards the area where Aastha and Aashika were already standing.
"Bhabhi, this thaal is so heavy. How will I hold it?" Aashika whined.
"You are not a child, Aashika, so shut up and do what you had done the last time you came here. Manasvi, the Rajput family follows a rite which has been passed down by their ancestors for centuries. We always come here once a year, and at the time of festivals or weddings. We couldn't bring you because of the sudden upheaval of the Rajput daughters-in-law's revelation."
"Then how come you never got caught by the media?" She asked.
"That's because Dhruv bhai made sure paparazzi didn't come here when we were here. He didn't bother to do the same this time because the news is already out, and it would be better if we don't hide ourselves from the media anymore." Aastha answered.
"Oh! So, what do I have to do?" Manasvi asked, looking at the silver plate which had fruits, sweets and a silver kalash.
"You have to take the same seven vows you took in front of the Agni Dev, and then make your husband drink water from this pot." Mishka informed, handing the silver thaal she had brought with herself to her sister-in-law.
"Okay!" She forwarded her hand to take the heavy plate and traversed through the temple, trying to find her good-for-nothing husband.
"Aashika, follow her, okay?" Mishka looked at the youngest woman of them all in the eye and ordered.
Aashika had no choice but to agree, picking up the extremely heavy plate herself before walking to her husband who was texting someone with much wrinkling of his brows, seemingly irritated at the other person.
"Aastha, you will manage, right?" Mishka asked.
"Yes, bhabhi. Don't worry." She smiled and picked up her plate before sauntering towards her husband who looked up at her when he heard the sound made by her bangles and smiled.
Mishka watched as the three daughters-in-law took the seven pheras with their husbands and didn't notice when Dhruv came beside her and took hold of the thaal for her.
"You plan to stand here the whole day?" He asked, snapping her back to her senses.
She looked up at him, sighed and offered to hold the plate but he shook his head and said,"It's quite heavy. You won't be able to hold it."
She rolled her eyes and placed her palm over his hands before guiding him through the lengths of the temple, reciting the vows she had made to him but had no intention of following.
***
Note:- The rites mentioned in this chapter came from my mind, and I have no idea if something like this actually happens, so please don't ask me if it actually happens or not.
~From your anonymous author