Kamrupa dynasty....one in the northeast part of India was considered as one of the strongest throne of Tibetan Subcontinent.
Claiming its descent from 'Asura Narak', this dynasty was won back by Emperor KishoreNanda ten years ago...but Lavanya had got so much impressed with the grandeur of Nandas that she herself had proposed the marriage, defying her parents.
The ten years of her life spent in Nandagiri, Queen Lavanya had learnt that her dream of being the Nanda Empress could never be true....and now she was craving for love....which Emperor could never provide her.
After a couple of her affairs...she was now behind Arnav. Went blind in her selfishness, she had gone the most cruel, ruthless and unmerciful person.
So much so that she felt not even an ounce of guilt for what she did with Khushi, and how she had blamed her, demeaned and degraded her, with no mistake of hers.
'Khushi deserves it!'
She had thought that it was easy to get Arnav if he was kept away from Khushi.
But unaware to her, Arnav had got clue of her every word, she had spoken to Khushi....
No one knows...how???
But he had returned back to Palace a few moments ago...and instead of getting drowned in his den, he had taken the upstair corridor....and now sitting quite comfortably in this royal chamber of Queen Lavanya...on the red velvet sofa, his legs sprawled wide, a hand cupping the wine glass, while other one on his chin, waiting for the red fox to appear.
And his chain of thoughts broke, as his prey for the night drew towards his web....the door opening wide.... and he looked up.
Concluding her dinner, Lavanya had moved back to her chamber. When she stepped inside...the couple of maids following her up.... she caught the glimpse of one man, whom she had been wanting so desperately.
"Rambha...aaj hum ne kuch zyada hi pi li hai kya!"
"Rambha....did I drink too much today!" She mumbled to her maid....thinking his presence to be her dream. "Kya ye sach me Rajkumar hain?
"Is it really Prince?"
While Arnav gave his as usual cold expressions to her, now moving his gaze to the wine bottle, kept on the table before him....untouched.... unconsumed.
"Ji Rani Sahiba!"
"Yes, your highness!" The maid whispered and Lavanya chuckled, raising her hand to ask her maids to get lost.
Now no one was needed here, except her and HIM.
Prince Arnav Singh Raizada....sitting in her chamber himself, on his own accord, it was not less than a miracle.
'Seems my threat to Khushi, gave results!' She thought, stepping towards him, 'I knew Khushi was a fool...to succumb to my warnings!'
Arnav saw her wobbly legs, moving towards him, as he leaned back on the backrest.
The maids had gone away and the doors were closed behind them.
"Aaj raat ki to baat hi kuch aur hai!"
"Tonight seems special!" Lavanya slurred, as she stood near him, making him stiff ,
"Ke Janab ne humpe apni nazar dali!"
"That his highness have put his graceful glance on me!" She had leaned to him, putting her both hands on his either sides, speaking on his face....
She was almost hovering over him, with just an inch of distance between their faces. But she failed to read his expression as she took liberty to put her finger on his cheek...her one hand still to his side. Slowly she moved her hand down, sensually, sexily, towards his lips, trying to turn him on.
But he was far from getting effected...his jaw clenched tight, eyes cold and expressionless, lips set on a straight line. Not even once he blinked his eyes amd was ready to burn her with his sight only.
"Aapne ab tak madira nahi chakhi?"
"Haven't you tasted the wine yet?" She looked at the glass full to brim, while giving him a sleek smile,
"Khaas Yunan se aayi hai!"
"It is specially imported from Greece!" She whispered hoarsely, while the glass in her hands, raising it to his tightly set lips.
But even before the metal edge could touch him, he held her wrist... stopping her abruptly. She frowned, trying to gauge his mind.
"Itni bhi kya jaldi hai. Is Yunani sharab ke kayi aur kaam bhi liye jasakte hain!"
"Not so soon. This imported wine could be used in numerous other ways Queen Lavanya!"
The line made her smirk, as she tried to find some innuendo meaning of his words.
"Humein nahi pata tya ke Rajkumar itne shararati hain?"
"I didn't know Prince is so naughty!" She smiled again, but it soon turned into a painful expression as Arnav stood up, turning her backward with one push, clutching the wrist tightly against her waist.
"Aah!! Rajkumar dard horaha hai!"
"Aah!! Prince it's hurting!" Pain was visible on her face but she tried to speak with a fake smile. Thinking it to be some romantic gesture from Rajkumar.
In reaction Arnav tightened his hold, stripping all the smile off her face.
"Chhodiye humein!"
"Leave me!"
Screaming with the pain coursing through her arms which had turned with under his ruthless grip, making her struggle more.
She had forgotten that the man behind her was the psycho, mad lunatic man, who could be the most ruthless person.... surpassing her to the highest levels.
"Chhod dun tumhein? Laikin Raat to abhi shuru bhi nahi hui!"
"Leave you? But the night has not even started!" He whispered to her, angrily... her back plasteres to him, while she was wiggling to free her hand.
"Kya...kya matlab hai aapka?"
"Wh...what do you mean?" She had got the slight idea of the threat in his voice. It didn't seem romantic anymore.
"Zyada kuch nahi...Sirf tumhare pati ko yahan bulaya hai!! Vyaktik roop se!! Take wo apni Rani ke hunar ko apni aankhon se dekhein!"
"Nothing much...I have just called your husband here!!! Personally!!! To witness one of the many talents of his Queen!" He spoke, in a hazardously dark voice.
"Kya????"
"What????"
Lavanya widened her eyes, listening to him. All her drunkenness was gone
The metal glass from her fingers fell on the floor as she seeped in his words.
"Mm..Maharaj!" She gulped, while Arnav left her hand with a jerk.
"Kyu nahi...aakhir tumhein bahot kuch batana jo hai unhein...."
"Of course...you might have a lot of things to tell him...." He threw back her words spoken to Khushi, while Lavanya was shivering with the fear.
She looked sideways to his evilly smirking face, her eyes following his every moves as he took the sealed wine bottle in his large palm...and opened the tight cork with his thumb effortlessly.
Raising it to his nose he sniffed it. "Yunani hai...kyun?"
"Imported.....huh?" He raised his eyebrow.
Lavanya was looking at him with confused eyes, when he suddenly upturned the bottle....and the plush liquid fell down, gushing out with the pressure of gravity....as he moved ahead, circling around her scared self...and she got rooted to her place, not getting what he wanted to do.
"Khushi se kya keh rahi thi tum?"
"What were you telling Khushi?" He now whispered.... close to her ears.
'Khushi!! Maharaj!!!' Now she understood why all this drama was happening...
"Nn...nahi Rajkumar...hum.."
"Nnn... no Prince.. I.. !" Lavanya shook her head in no....as she saw Arnav emptying the bottle. She could feel the expensive wine flowing on floor near her feet..
Arnav gritted his teeth as he clutched her shoulder and turned her to face her... his angry glare piercing her bones.... as he threw the bottle away.
"Agli baar... tum ne us ke sath koi hoshiyari ki ya uske sath koi khel khela...to tumhein andaza bhi nahi hai ke mai tumhara kya haal sakta hun Lavanya!"
"Next time... you tried to be smart and play with her...you have no idea what I can do Lavanya!" He spat the words on her face, his face set squarely and dangerously, as he left her shoulder, "Tum mujhse maut ki bheek mangogi, aisa haal karunga mai tumhara!"
"You'll beg me for death.... such would be the castigation!"
He was satisfied with his warnings... as he saw her gulping the insult, silently...with widened eyes.
"Khushi se door rehna...samjhi!"
"Stay away from Khushi....Keep that in mind!" He ordered in thundering voice and moved towards the door.
"Aap ne Maharaja ko to yahan nahi bulwaya haina?"
"Th.. that means you didn't call Maharaja here?" She managed to ask, outraged that he made fool of her.
"Main khokhli dhamkiyan nahi deta!"
"I don't give empty threats!"
He had stopped a few feet away from the door...when he took a burning lamp from the table...and she scrunched eyes, trying to know what he was doing.
Raising the lamp in front of her eyes, he simply dropped it down. And the flammable ethanol caught fire and soon the whole Chamber enlightened with the dancing flames.
"Aaaaa!"
Lavanya shrieked as she saw the flames suddenly rising significantly...
Quite done with the drama for tonight...Arnav took a step back, turning his feet back towards the door...The burning room had actually soothed his burning rage. And now he was content...
No one could mess up with him...and no one could mess up with his girl!!! Sooner Lavanya got it....better it would be!
"Rajkumar!!! Kahan ja rahe hain aap? Hamari sahayta kijiye!!"
"Prince!!! Where are you going? Please help me!!" Lavanya couldn't believe that Arnav had set her chamber in fire....and now leaving her alone to die!!!!
Not paying attention to her shouts, Arnav left the room lazily as if nothing happened.
The orange-gold flames had soon taken a dangerous form, the whole chamber sparkled and illuminated with the dancing flares...the dark smoke following and Lavanya screaming for help....
._._._.
After a few days...
A very impatient Khushi opened the letter she had got in the evening, from Guptali.
Of course it was shocking for her.
She had not expected her parents to even remember her, forget about any message to get.
"Sheetal jiji aarahi hain?"
"Sheetal jiji is coming?" Khushi's face broke into a smile...as she read further without any difficulty.
Well back in old days, if there was any ruthless person in her life...it was Sheetal, her step-sister and the eldest daughter of Garima.
'Maybe she is missing me now!' Khushi thought, quite naively. According to her, the distance increases love. She was away from her family since more than six months.
Keeping the letter back in her chestbox, Khushi did a happy dance, as she twirled contently...her yellow veil waving up and down....
Since last few days everything was going good with her.... precisely after that eventful day of her lunch with Prince....
'Seems all bad things ended with that day!'
To be exact, Prince Arnav was not present in Palace since then. She had heard that he had gone with Prince Akash to some neighborhood city as Akash's mother was not well.
While she had maintained a distance with Anjali, by not coming in front of her....
Even Lavanya had not bothered her after that day...
'Maybe due to that deadly fire in her chamber!' She remembered....how someone had informed Emperor about it in advance and Lavanya was saved without any injury.
But the whole chamber and the west wing of Palace had burned into ashes.
"Thanks to Devi Maiyya, Maharaja and his guards had reached there on time...!" She mumbled, as she prepared bed for herself, dressed in a simple yellow saree, ready to call it night..
Her hair were open, all jewellery removed, while her kajal had smudged a little, giving her eyes a smoky look.
That's when she heard her door being knocked... and her heart skipped a beat.
'This time? Who could it be!"
Madhumati was also not here.
Gulping her fear, Khushi looked back at the closed door, blinking her fearful eyes, fidgeting with her open tresses, she directed her soft milky feet towards the door.
Taking a long breathe, she opened the door wide....
"Maharaja!" She looked at a smiling KishoreNanda, and she sighed with relief.
To be honest she had expected someone else....
'But Prince Arnav never knocks! He just enters authoritatively... ' Her consciousness reminded her.
"Aasha hai ke aapke aram me koi vighn na pada ho!"
"I hope your sleep is not disturbed Rani Saheb!" KishoreNanda spoke. He was accompanied by his servant who had a small colourful trunk in his hand...laced with pearls.
Khushi shook her head in gentle no, as a smile broke on her lips.
"Nahi, nahi Maharaja. Aaiye na! Aapne humein bula liya hota!"
"No, no Maharaja. Please come in! You should have called me!" She moved back, and suddenly got conscious of her outfit.
She had never been dressed such casually in front of Emperor. But seems he didn't mind it.
"Darasal humein Maharani Devsena ki ek...sandooqchi mili!
"Actually... I have found this trunk....of Maharani Devsena!" He had a nostalgic smile with a longingness.
"Oh!" Khushi remembered, Maharaja had promised her that he would share his love story with her and she smiled.
"Kya apko wo patr bhi mile Maharaja!"
"Did you find those letters Maharaja!" She asked, gently closing the door, as all of Emperor's guards were outside.
"Ji ji bilkul. Isi liye to hum yahan aaye hain!"
"Of course of course. That's why I am here...!" He chuckled on her excitement as both of them took a seat on her Queen sized bed. The servant put the trunk in front of them and withdress while both of them got engrossed in their talks like long lost friends....
....unaware that this ordinary action of theirs would bring ground-shaking ripples in Sheesh Mahal....
Now only next morning could tell what exactly was going to happen....
._._._.
What if Arnav saw the Royal couple together... behind closed doors... so late at night🙄
Take Care ❤