Third Person
The wooden door of the bar creaked open and Aayansh's attention steered away from the glass of wine he was sipping to the little figure peeping inside the room.
"Princess? What are you doing here?" He stood up from the bar stool and approached her.
"Uh- a lady told me to give this envelope to Dhruv Uncle." Her meek voice rang throughout the quiet space, and Dhruv's face scrunched up hearing 'uncle' from the little girl's mouth.
"I will take it from here. We will go home in an hour or so, okay? Will you call Ramesh Ji and ask him to get the plane ready?" He handed out his phone to his sister who quickly nodded her head and walked away, not forgetting to pass a smile at her soon-to-be bhabhi.
"Who is this 'lady' your sister was talking about?" Dhruv stood up from his bar stool.
"Aashika!" Aayansh mumbled the name written on the back of the white parchment while handing out the letter to Dhruv.
"Why is my wife writting letters to you?" Arjun narrowed his eyes in suspicion, trying not to let his imagination of his wife cheating on him with Dhruv get the best of him.
"How will I know? You should have kept a check on your wife." Dhruv's sarcastic remark left a bitter feeling in Arjun's heart, and he tried to curb the desire to strangle his oldest brother's neck.
"Shut up, both of you. Aayansh, give me that letter." Vishakha effectively shut her brothers up and snatched the white parchment from her prospective groom before anyone could even blink. "If you want your wife to give you another chance, you will have to help us unravel the secrets. I am asking this because I know you don't know the whole truth. Do we have a deal, Dhruv bhai? If yes, then meet me in the library at 12."
Arjun's posture visibly relaxed, and instead a confused stance replaced the former stiff one. He raised his brow and wondered if Mishka knew about this. If she did, this would be like a golden opportunity for Dhruv.
"It's a golden opportunity. You shouldn't miss it." Vishal muttered, a thoughtful expression taking over his visage.
Dhruv just shrugged, but he couldn't help analysing the pros and cons of accepting his younger brother's wife's stupid deal.
'Maybe it's not a bad idea.' He thought, glancing at the paper in Vishakha's hands with hope and curiosity twinkling in his eyes.
***
"You did what? This is my life, Aashika. I can't just forgive people like that." Mishka screeched, enraged at the thought of giving him a chance.
"You can't marry anyone else, anyway. Why not try to understand him for once?" Aashika shrugged, plopping down on the couch placed in the library, waiting for Dhruv to herald his arrival.
"Oh, I will say that after Arjun makes a mistake."
"You think we have the most perfect relationship ever?" Aashika narrowed her eyes.
"Considering you are still with him, I guess."
"Well, what do you want me to do? Run away like you?" She didn't mean that, she really didn't. It just slipped out of her tongue before she could stop it.
"Aashika!" Manasvi reprimanded in a stern voice, letting her know that she had crossed the line.
Mishka stood still, her mind revolving the words spoken by her dear sister-in-law. Was it true? Was she really running away? But, didn't she deserve a break? Didn't she deserve to be loved by a man? All she ever asked for was a simple life, full of love and laughter. Was that too much to ask for?
"I-I didn't mean that. I am sorry." Aashika mumbled, trying to ignore the disapproving looks Aastha and Manasvi were sending her way.
"It's okay!" She cleared her throat, choosing to stay silent and wait for her husband to walk through the doors any minute now.
Just then, the door opened with a bang, revealing the insensitive faces of Rajput brothers.
"Why are you here?" Aashika scoffed, openly showing her displeasure at seeing her husband. While Manasvi was not so happy to see her husband either, she knew her boundaries and refrained from openly disrespecting him.
Whatever arguments and glares commenced between them, it all happened behind the closed doors of their room. This was an unspoken rule between them, and she supposed it would stay that way for the rest of their lives.
Aastha smiled at Manav, which was immediately reciprocated by him. Their relationship had progressed a lot these days. Aastha had gone from being afraid of him to openly express her desires without having the fear of being judged. While, Dhruv and Mishka had already passed the phase where they had a mutual understanding between them.
These couples had a complex relationship, and not to forget these brothers could not tolerate each other even if their lives depended on it. This family was indeed very complicated.
"It's my house." Arjun remarked, and Dhruv couldn't stop himself from interfering.
"Well, technically, it's my house. I am the rightful owner. You are just an extra son my parents accidentally got. Condom gone wrong case, you know?" Dhruv wasn't usually this talkative, but today he couldn't stop himself from blurting out the words swirling in his head.
"Shut up!" Arjun muttered, standing stiff in a state of shock at having a direct, cordial correspondence with his brother after so long.
Dhruv and Arjun were the closest of these brothers, simply because Dhruv was overly protective of his youngest sibling. He was protective of his other siblings too, but he was much more possessive of Arjun. And so, after that one incident, when Dhruv had stopped talking to him, Arjun had cried a lot.
"Well, your presence wasn't needed, but since you are here anyway. We will let you in on our plan." Manasvi said, keeping her tone as polite and sweet as she could.
"You are such a sweetheart, aren't you, honey?" Kabir's overly sweet voice made her roll her eyes in annoyance, but she chose to ignore his words.
"Well, we want to know the history of Rani Padmaja. And, since all this ruckus in your married life started because of her, I figured you know something and are trying to hide it for obvious reasons." Aastha elaborated.
Mishka remained quiet, observing her husband's expression, but it went in vain. Dhruv didn't express even a single emotion, keeping his stature calm and composed. It made Mishka wonder why Dhruv got so angry that day if that topic didn't bother him.
"Why do you want to know that? I told you to stay out of our family's business, didn't I?" He raised a brow, folding his arms against his chest. His stance served its purpose and managed to successfully intimidate everyone, except Mishka who imitated his actions and stepped forward.
If she had still cared about this relationship as much as she did in the initial years, she wouldn't have dared to go against her husband. But, she had nothing to lose now, so why not give this a try?
"What makes you think we will listen to you? Think about it, Dhruv. This is the only chance for you to gain my forgiveness."
"What makes you think I want to be tied in this stupid relationship with you?" She tried not to let his words affect her, but it did. She was hurt, but determined to unravel the mysteries now more than ever before, simply because Mishka Rameshwaram loved challenges, and Dhruv was providing her one.
"If you didn't, you wouldn't have left that godforsaken bar at all. Don't think I don't know you just because we haven't talked much. Unlike you, I cared about my husband and observed every little detail about him."
"Cared, you say? You don't care about me now when I finally want to give us a chance?"
"The world doesn't revolve around you, Your Highness. Just because you decided to give us a chance, you expect me to suddenly change my mind and run back into your arms?" This argument seemed to ring a bell in Aastha's head.
She looked up at Manav to see his eyes on her. She suddenly thought of the day they had made a truce, and it made her wonder what had caused a sudden change of heart in this heartless man. If it was what Mishka was stating then, she would never forgive him.
Who did he think he was, coming back to her only after he wanted to give her a chance? What about her feelings, her emotions? Couldn't he have bothered to ask her if she wanted to give them a chance? She wouldn't have denied if he would have asked her like a normal person.
Anger flared in her, and she had to curl her fingers in a fist in order to refrain from punching her husband square in the face.
"We are moving off topic. You can discuss about this in your room. Now, Dhruv bhai, what do you think? Do we have a deal?" Manasvi intervened when she noticed the argument was getting heated every passing moment.
"No, we don't. I am not going to forgive this asshole for the sake of knowing stupid history about a place I don't even care for." Mishka's firm voice shocked the wits of the women, and they decided it would be better not to go ahead with the initial plan.
"This deal is on. Whether you like it or not. Don't forget whose in charge here, my love." Dhruv spoke, tempting her to give out a reaction.
"Listen here you supposedly man of the house, you get nothing out of this. And it's not fit enough for a businessman to make deals where all he gets in return is loss."
"A true businessman turns that loss into profit, my love. You should know that, considering you have done your masters from Oxford." He smirked.
"Start spouting then." She spat out, moving to sit on a chair.
But their eyes never frayed away from Mishka, so she had to snap at them to resume,"Stop looking at me."
"Right! So, what's the deal with Rani Padmaja and her sacrifice for her love?" Aashika asked, trying hard to dissipate the awkward silence weighing in the room.
"Who is Rani Padmaja?" Kabir asked.
"She was our late great-great- grandmother." He closed his eyes, remembering the pain and sorrow he had seen in his great-great-grandfather's eyes when he was just a kid.
"And she betrayed her husband?" Manav asked, suddenly interested in the unheard tale.
"Yes! Or that's what everyone believed, until these women found out this letter written by her."
"The reason why I spent a month in that stupid dungeon." Mishka rolled her eyes.
Dhruv sighed and went on to recite whatever he knew,"Rani Padmaja lived happily with her husband, but tragedy struck and Raja Amar Kumar witnessed his wife sexually involved with another man. It was really devastating for him, and he decided to hang her for her infedility. He had refused to talk, eat or do anything, for he felt so depressed. He would spend hours in their room, drowning himself in alcohol and wallowing in self pity, until he came back to his senses and decided to be a good and just king for his empire once again."
"So, from her letter, we know that she wasn't cheating on her husband. I am positive she was forced to do this." Aashika spoke on everyone's behalf.
"Get on with the next point." Mishka snapped. She usually wasn't this snappy, but she had reached her limit of facing her husband today.
"Okay! We need to find out this man who raped her." She concluded.
"He's dead!" Arjun remarked.
"I know that, you idiot." She rolled her eyes, and then continued in a grave tone,"We find that stupid imbecile, then we think of the reason behind Kabir bhai and Manasvi bhabhi's wedding."
"What's the connection, Aashika?" Manasvi muttered, conscious of the sudden attention on them.
"Everything is connected, bhabhi. These people don't do anything if they don't get something from it."
"That's not true. I married you, didn't I? What profit did I gain from marrying you?" Arjun argued, supporting his brothers even if he didn't want to.
"You got yourself an amazing and wonderful wife who has been handling your tantrums ever since." She slipped out a sickeningly sweet smile.
"What a joke!" He scoffed.
"Stop fighting like kids. Dhruv, where is the former King and Queen's room?" Mishka reprimanded, and then turning her gaze to her husband who responded almost immediately.
"Follow me."
"I will check the room. Aashika, you surf this library for anything useful. Aastha, I suppose you want to clear something with your husband, so you are free to go. Manasvi, help Aashika." She ordered, standing up to follow her husband to the forbidden room.
***
"Did you, or did you not, decide to give us a chance without asking me?" Aastha raised her brow, effectively intimidating Manav.
Who knew a timid, fragile woman had the power to intimidate a man who was afraid of absolutely nothing in the world? Maybe it was the power Aastha had as his wife, or maybe she really was quite scary.
"I did! But, hear me out, please." He requested, and continued after Aastha nodded in approval,"I was afraid of rejection, Aastha. I knew if I asked you, you would say no and I was terrified of that."
"Doesn't mean you will make decisions yourself. I am highly disappointed, Manav. I thought you were a gentleman, and I was so happy to know that I was marrying you because you were a little more sufferable than the rest of your brothers. This, however, is not a gentlemanly act. You could have just asked me once instead of assuming. I would have atleast thought of giving us a chance had you asked me before." She shook her head in disbelief.
They didn't yell, they didn't hurt each other with their words, and they certainly did not have a full blown fight. They talked it out like mature adults. This was a proof of the stability of their relationship, and Aastha could see it but she was too hurt to care at the moment.
"I know! I am sorry, sweetheart. Forgive me?" He stepped towards her, cautiously holding her hand and covering it with his palms.
She stepped back immediately, as if his touch burnt her skin, and her behavior hurt him, but he understood it and took a step away from her to give her some space.
"This is not how a person asks for forgiveness." She sidestepped him, and went to open the door of their room, but stopped when she felt a gentle touch on her wrist.
Her feet stopped voluntarily, and she turned towards him to see he was kneeling on the floor, holding his earlobe and smiling like a child.
'Why is he so cute, God?' She pressed her lips to refrain from smiling, and kept her face emotionless.
"I am so sorry, my sweetheart. I know what I did was wrong, and I am really very sorry. When we got married, the wounds of betrayal were still fresh in my heart, and I wasn't in my senses when I said those horrible things to you on our wedding night. However, I know it doesn't excuse my behavior, and I am ready to do anything to make you stay beside me, forever. I know I don't deserve you, Aastha, but I am really very selfish and possessive. You are my wife, and I would be stupid to let you go. So, please, love, all I ask for is another chance. Will you give it to me? I promise to never disappoint you, and always care for you." His heartwarming speech melted her heart, but then she remembered the struggles she had to endure because of him.
"It's not easy, Manav. Give me some time." She sighed.
"Take as much time as you want, my love. I will be just here, waiting for you." He smiled, and left her alone in the room to sort out her thoughts.
***
"Kabir, read this book and tell us if you find anything useful." Manasvi shoved a heavy book in her hand at her husband, before turning around to take a seat at the table reserved by Aashika and Arjun. But before she could take a step away, Kabir grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.
He dragged her to a dark corner, making sure that her twin brother and his wife couldn't see them, before wrapping an arm around her clothed waist.
"Don't order me." He commanded.
With a roll of her eyes, she had successfully managed to annoy him. He turned her around and pushed her to the shelf, hovering over her. The book in his hand was the only thing separating their chests, and Kabir would have chugged it away but decided against it, for he knew he would lose the miniscule amount of control he had if he did that.
"What? Step aside, Kabir. I have work to do." She tried to push him away, but immediately got tired when he didn't budge.
"When are you joining your office?" The sudden change of subject almost gave her a whiplash, but she composed herself and answered.
"Tomorrow."
Manasvi had taken a leave because of the commotions brewing inside the house, and she hated the amount of leaves she had to apply after her marriage with Kabir Rajput.
"Good. Do you want me to drop you?" He didn't know why he asked her this, but he couldn't control himself. Her eyes, it seemed, had hypnotized him and he couldn't control the words he wanted to say. Under normal circumstances, he would have never asked her something like this.
"No, it's okay." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she waved it off and instead thought about the arguments which must be flowing around the closed room of the former King and Queen's chamber.
"The reporters have still not let go of the sudden revelation of Rajput's daughters-in-law. You shouldn't leave alone like that." That was not true. Dhruv had threatened the reporters and made sure they wouldn't pester his family again.
"Why do you care?" She bit back, oblivious of the lies spouting out of her husband's mouth.
"You are my wife. Of course, I care."
"Oh, so now I am your wife? When was your wife on the day of the wedding?" She taunted, trying to get rid of his grip around her waist, but his hold got tighter than before to stop her from moving out of his arms.
"I did pleasure you, didn't I? If you want more of it, you just have to ask, baby. I will be more than happy to fulfil my husband-ly duties." He smirked.
"Aren't you too dillusional?" She scoffed, taking advantage of his distraction and successfully pushing him away, before sauntering to the, surprisingly, quiet table.
She wondered what happened to Aashika and Arjun, because a fight always seemed to commence between them whenever they stayed in the same room for more than a second.
***
Mishka was tired of searching the same place over and over again, but she couldn't find any evidence that could prove the Queen's innocence. The letter could help, of course, but the people would easily turn it down by saying that it could be fabricated.
Mishka didn't gain anything from this, so why was she trying so hard to remove the traces of dirt from the family she was thinking of leaving? The reason behind this was something only she knew.
Because of Rani Padmaja's betrayal, the people of Kushalgarh (the erstwhile Rajput Empire) had lost faith in the Royal family, and that was why the Queens after her couldn't win the love and respect of their people.
Even though the monarchy had completely dissipated from India, the Rajput family was respected by everyone even now. However, they couldn't bring themselves to respect Rashmika or her daughters-in-law. The people just refrained from saying anything bad about them because they didn't want to anger the Rajput men. Nobody wanted to see their bad sides.
So, when Akhilesh got to know that his daughters-in-law had accidentally discovered a letter written by the former Queen, a different kind of hope bloomed in his chest. He requested Mishka to dig deeper into this matter, and she couldn't refuse her father-in-law.
So, here she was, tired of scouring the big room but coming out empty handed every time.
"Why are you standing here?" She couldn't help but snap at her husband, who hadn't bothered to lend her a hand and was just standing there, staring at her.
"Because." He shrugged, not bothering to give a real answer.
"You are so annoying."
"I have heard worse, sweetheart." He smirked.
"You definitely deserved it then." She huffed, opening the bedside drawer to find it empty.
She was on the verge of pulling her hair out in frustration, but then she noticed the hidden drawer on the side of the bedside drawer.
"Do you have the key of this hidden drawer?" She pointed it out, and Dhruv frowned before walking towards her, crouching behind her to take a closer look.
His breath brushed against her neck, and Mishka visibly shivered before composing herself. Dhruv, knowing the effect he had on her, stepped a bit closer and stretched out his hand to inspect the small, hidden drawer, his hand brushing on her arm in the process.
"I don't think so." He whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear.
Mishka cleared her throat and stood up abruptly, making him fall on the floor due to the sudden movement. She then looked down at him and smiled,"Break it then."
"What? You want me to break this?" He asked in disbelief, sitting on the floor properly and turning his neck around to look at her.
"Are you afraid that you won't be able to break this?" She mocked with a teasing smirk, knowing how fragile his ego was. And, it seemed she was right because the very next moment he latched his hand onto the small, hidden drawer, pulling it with all his might.
***
An extra long chapter to apologise for going MIA for a while now. I am really very sorry, but the studies kept me from writing.
Forgive me?