❝"I refuse!", was her deafening scream. The temple full of people stood in silence. He watched her, taken aback at the audacity, but not out of his icy cold composure.
He took a step towards her.
"Step back! Step away-"
He yanked her by her wrist...
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Devika :
AWEEK of being locked in this big palace of marble and stone with nothing to do. I had just finished my morning dance practice.
Aviram rarely stayed in the palace. Half the time he had meetings, went out to different places for business trips and the other half, he just sat back in his study reading books.
What a boring man.
I lay back on the bed, shutting my eyes. I had called up Gurukul. When I mentioned I was married to the Aviram Raghuvanshi, they went from "We can't talk" to "Yes ma'am, whenever you want you can do."
Probably there are perks too in this deal with the devil. I drew in a deep breath and shut my eyes. I was wearing a light red saree today, yet another recommendation from Raja ji.
Just then the door of the room flew open, almost with a bang. I sat up instantly.
"Who—"
"Who are you?!", It was a child. A rather rude and ill mannered child.
I looked at her with a raised brow. She had her hands on her waist, furrowed brows, hair tied up in a pony tail behind her. She wore a yellow polo t shirt and blue denims with a small bag pack on her back.
"Who are you?", I asked getting off the bed. She raised a brow, looking at me with an amused smile.
I have definitely seen this smile before.
"Who am I?", She asked as if I had cracked a joke. She straightened up, dusted the collar of her polo t shirt and said, "I am Nayantara Raghuvanshi. The Princess of this Palace."
Oh. Of course.
I forced a fake smile at her, dusting off invisible just like her, "I am Devika Leela Aviram Raghuvanshi. And..", I took a step towards her, standing right at the threshold of the room, "I am the Queen of the Palace."
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"Oh..", she crossed her hands before herself, "So you are that woman Aviram got for himself?"
S
he calls him by his name?! The audacity. Wow.
"He is your father. How can you call him by his name?", I asked absolutely taken aback. Her lips curved into an almost evil smile. "That man is not my father.", She said spitefully, "Now get out of this room. It was my mother's."
I drew in a deep breath. Never had I seen a girl who was this ill mannered.
"Your mother left. And now I live here. Okay?", I said with all the sugarcoating I could possibly do.
"Who is troubling my little girl?", This was an unknown male voice. I looked up to find a man, with a smile. It didn't look like a genuine one. His eyes did not speak. They were jet black, almost concealing secrets. He wore a grey blazer and brought a small suitcase with himself. Probably Nayantara's.
"This illiterate woman, Vinay chachu!", She said pointing at me. "How dare you?!", I snapped at her, "I have passed my highschool with a whopping ninty percent, understood?! Mind your—"
"Mind your language, madam.", Her Vinay Chachu said sharply. I looked at him with a raised brow. "Mind mine?! Please tell this girl to behave.", I stated.
"Nayan!"
That was Aviram. I could hear, he was almost jogging down the corridor. Nayantara's expressions immediately shifted from annoyance to disgust.
As far as I knew, Aviram was in the US yesterday. Probably Santosh informed him about his daughter's homecoming.
He paused right beside Nayantara, teary eyed. I hated him, but I couldn't help feeling bad for the man. A man of that kind of composure, that aura of power and that command of respect - was treated like nothing by his own blood.
"You.. you came back?", He mumbled. I casually glanced at Vinay, who stood expressionless.
Too concealed. A secret hider for sure.
"Obviously. Can't you see?!", Nayantara snapped at him. He gulped, looking down, almost embarrassed.
He knelt before her. I noticed the way his fingers trembled. The bandages were off now, the scars were still evident. But his daughter didn't seem to care.
He slowly placed his hand on her cheek. He immediately stepped away. "Vinay chachu brought me here, so that I can live in my mother's room, with her memories.", She glanced at me loathfully, "Why on earth is this woman here?!"
Aviram sighed.
"She.. she is.."
"I know.", She stated coldly, eyes fixed on me, "She is your mistress."
I could have slapped her, then and there. But somehow I held myself back.
"How dare you?!", I shouted at her. "Hey! You can't talk to my Nayan that way!", This was her darling Vinay chachu. No wonder the girl was such a spoilt brat.
Aviram seemed to have frozen, kneeling before his daughter, looking down.
"You shut up, please!", I snapped at Vinay. Then I looked down at Nayantara. "You will behave nicely with me.", I stated sharply, "Otherwise I have my ways to get children like you right."
Nayantara narrowed her eyes and then walked into the room, right past me.
This is the greatest test of patience.
Aviram stood up, drawing in a deep breath. I looked at him, and he looked at his daughter, right past me. She had thrown her bag on the bed.
"Ghungroos?", She asked spitefully, looking at the ghungroos that I had just removed from my ankles.
"Stay away from them.", I said irritably.
She looked at them, half amused.
She picked one up and walked down to Aviram, just behind me.
Aviram seemed to be lost. Lost in the midst of people, in his own home.
"You got yourself a kothey wali?", She asked in dry humour.
And I failed the test of patience.
I turned around, yanked her by her hand. And slapped her. Hard.
