Resurgence of Kohl

20. Arrival of Deceit

Decked in intricate jewels and lehenga, I was standing in front of the large towering gates of the palace to welcome the one who doomed my previous life. My family was surrounding me, all having formal looks on their faces similar to mine, but the only difference was that there was fear in my eyes. My palms tightly held the lehenga to avoid shivering. A turmoil was raging inside me, an ominous feeling creeping up to my senses. All the memories of the catastrophic day running in front of my eyes. Even the calm and soft breezes of a summer night were not able to calm the fear I was hoarding within.

I was startled by the loud voice of conches blowing that marked the arrival of that man whom I despised. The one for whom I left my whole family once. I was berating myself for loving this man, the man who killed my entire family and my daughter.

I saw the lean torso of Urjit dismount his chariot, he was the same; same visage as on the day when the fire blazed the halls of Medinikhand. The vicious dark brown eyes that could easily be mistaken for obsidian stared at the crowd, his high jawline clenched while the bow-shaped lips arched in a smile hidden behind his stubble that could deceive all was marked on his visage. I shuddered, knowing what demons lie within those eyes and that smile.

My lips parted and I started to shiver at my spot. With every step, he took toward us, ominous feelings were raised inside me. As he walked on the innocent flower petals that were thrown over him, images of Bhumija flashed in front of me. I could hear the words that she said to me in my subconscious state. I was getting anxious by his very same sight again.

"Are you alright didi?" I felt a warm hand touch my shoulder and at that exact moment, I came out of my subconscious mind. I was taking deep breaths and a thin sheet of sweat accumulated on my forehead. I scooted closer to my brother's warm body and managed to give a small shaky nod. He did not further press on the issue, maybe seeing my condition but the worry did lace his eyes.

"I bow to the great king and queen of Medinikhand and thank them for letting me stay in your palace for a few days so I can fight for the hands of your jewel of a daughter, Rajkumari Vijetri."

His deep and a bit coarse voice silenced the area. His face morphed into sincerity as if he was truly obliged to get a chance to fight for my hands. His dramatics and that innocent face was the one that won me over in my previous life. I was too naive at that time to look past the veil of innocence that covered his face and come across his true vicious self. I rolled my eyes and heard a giggle next to me.

"Enjoying yourself too much brother?"

I ignored most of Urjit's fake and sincere speech and instead focused on the expressions of my family members. All my brothers were enjoying his drama knowing well that our father and mother would be mentally rolling their eyes at his speech. Chaitanyagadh was a small kingdom compared to Medinikhand and in no way my parents were going to wed me there. Unless I proposed the alliance.

"What can I do didi? This one is truly trying to flatter our parents with his introduction speech."

His voice held mirth which distracted me from going into the abyss of my thoughts and drowning myself in guilt.

"We too are glad to have you at our place, Rajkumar. We hope that you do not face any difficulties over here. I would like to extend my invitation to you to have dinner with us if you wish to that is."
My father's voice was plain but the people knowing him could hear the undertone of boredom in his voice.

"I am honored that his majesty has considered me good enough to allow me to have a meal with him. I would be a fool to disrespect this opportunity."

With his flattery and a final round of greetings, we all moved toward our respective chambers. It was still early for dinner so all of us decided to meet in the dining chambers after relaxing for a bit. My muscles were tired due to the deeds of the day and all I wished was for the day to get over.

"Seems like you are in a rush to rest, didi."

The mischievous voice of my younger brother made me stop and turn around to look at him. Leaning at a nearby pillar, a smirk adorned his face.

"Yes, I am dear brother. But seems like I would not be able to get it due to your presence."

He chuckled and move toward me. His structure and stance are that of a warrior but his body is that of a child. Seeing him like this made me chuckle before we both fell into a comforting silence. We restarted moving towards my chamber with silence and rhythmic steps. The only things audible were the crickets and the jingling of my anklets.

"You do not like this new Rajkumar, do you?"

His sudden question broke the silence and brought confusion to my eyes. Though he was a child, he had a bit deeper in him, a thing that royals were born with. He would surely not ask me a childish question like this without a reason.

"I saw you getting uncomfortable and bored just by his presence. You are surely not going to accept him."

He further elaborated and that made my confusion vanish. He did notice my discomfort with his presence, and I was not going to lie about him. I had nothing to do with him and I was surely not going to accept him as my husband.

"You are right. He is nothing similar to my liking. Maybe a naive part of me would make the error to fall for his fake politeness but I am not going to hear my naive part, am I?"

My reply was followed by a gentle smile on his face and his usual chirpy self was back. He looked toward me and gave a warm smile. "You are right, didi. Now I shall let you rest before the dinner."

"That my dear brother is not possible now as you already occupied the time of my rest. You go, I would be there in a while."

He just simply chuckled before turning back towards the dining chamber. I smiled seeing his retreating back before rushing to replace my jewelry with lighter ones.

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Rajkumar- Prince

Rajkumari- Princess

Didi- Elder Sister

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