Mayanshi - The Disgraced Queen

Chapter 38 - The portrait

I'm sorry. I was ill for a considerable time. Been sleeping like a log.

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"Devika garu. I have received orders. You are not allowed to leave."

Devika turned around, masking her expression of surprise with that of strictness. "I am slightly wiser than the time you used me for extracting information, Venu garu. Hence I beg your forgiveness for not believing your words."

"I understand that I am one of the last persons you would trust. But you cannot disobey orders."

Devika shook her head. "Whose orders? The queen's? She gave me her permission this morning. If you want to lie your way through this, I suggest you thoroughly learn what actually happened before venturing into... whatever it is you are trying to do."

Venu was taken aback. She wasn't the naive handmaiden he once befriended.

Nevertheless, he tried again. "The queen is resting in her chambers. And we both know that if she wanted send a message to anyone, it wouldn't be through me. It is the queen mother. She commanded you to stop your journey." He said, in a well-practiced, no-nonsense tone he used, whenever he had to lie. 'I am so getting exiled this time.'

A frown conquered Devika's forehead. "I will personally request her to allow me. I am sure she will see that this is for the best." She started walking towards the prayer hall, where she believed Vaishali would be, at the moment.

'Maharani must have calmed down by now. They just need to meet again, to patch things up. And she better not run into Rajamata.' He thought to himself.

But when Devika reached the prayer hall, she neither found the queen mother as she hoped, nor the queen like Venu planned.

She was greeted by Samyukta.

"Devi, where is everyone? The evening prayer should start by now." Devika asked her.

"Maharani is asleep. And Rajamata is busy setting up portraits of new royal couple in the art gallery." Samyukta offered her a tray of sweets, who took one. "I heard you are leaving."

"Yes. Tomorrow."

"Good. Even I can't wait to get out of this Godforsaken place."

"Why do you say so?" asked Devika.

"Did you see what has become of this empire? Enemies attacking us at the border, war, rebels rising and all. Virata has fallen from grace. I don't know which inauspicious person has set foot on this soil and brought about all these calamities. But I feel the council of ministers should check the horoscope of the person before letting them anywhere near the throne, let alone sitting--"

"What do mean by that? Who exactly are you talking about?"

"You know exactly who. Ever since she came here, we have only seen problems. It's all her fault."

"Devi! You should be ashamed of yourself. My queen is the reason you are being united with your love. And you dare utter such words about her?" She fumed at the healer, disregarding the fact that she was talking to the future princess of Srimukha.

"One good deed doesn't undo all the bad."

"Bad? What bad did she bring to your esteemed empire? Did she kill the previous king? No. He died of ill health. Did she ask the enemies to attack? No. They took advantage of the temporary instability after the king's death. Did she request them to wage a war against us? She brought the army from Srimukha for God's sake. She is the reason your fort still stands. And this is how you repay her? By calling her inauspicious? By holding a baseless superstition against a woman whom you should be worshipping? She--"