Cittaja || Indian Historical Romance

39.

Diksha couldn't hear what she heard in the servant's gossip.

"Maharani Raashi is actually doing this? This is like setting up Rajkumari Yuvika's marriage for failure."

"You're thinking about Rajkumari Yuvika's marriage. Aren't you seeing exactly how Maharani Raashi is extracting her revenge against Rani Madalasa even if she is so far away? She is turning a princess into a Crown Prince's concubine...."

"WHat???!!!" Diksha almost shouted at them. They were alarmed by Diksha reaction.

"Oh.... you're Rajkumari Mayurakshi's head servant, right?" They gave her a pity look.

Before anything else happened, Karma showed up. "You're Diksha, right?"

Diksha nodded, "I want to have a small conversation with you. Can we go somewhere alone?"

"Sure. Come with me."

Diksha took Karma to a secluded location. Her brain was panicking with what she had heard, "Did your Prince just ask for our Princess as concubine?" Diksha asked in disbelief.

Karma closed her eyes and sighed, "Maharani Raashi. She's playing a horrible game." Karma put her hands over her mouth, not knowing what to do, "Our Emperor wouldn't have accepted Maharani Raashi's offer. Everyone in Kalika Empire's court knows that Yuvraj is in love with Rajkumari Mayurakshi. He didn't hesitate to say the exact words and I quote 'I want to marry Rajkumari Mayurakshi' in the court before all the people in there. Hence, knowing his feelings for Rajkumari Mayurakshi, the Emperor had almost written a letter in refusal of the proposal and offering a marriage proposal with Rajkumari Mayurakshi instead. But, Rajkumari Mayurakshi used a favour she had with the Emperor and offer him the proposal to marry Yuvika and Yuvraj. The Emperor promised to fulfil her wish when she request it and hence the Emperor accept it."

"Then Yuvraj told that to Maharani Raashi before everyone. She was burning in rage that it took Mayurakshi's letter to actually have this proposal work out and not hers. She wants to ruin Mayurakshi."

"Diksha...." Diya came up instantly, panicking.

"WHat happened?" Diksha asked in fear.

"Rajkumari had a letter from Yuvraj Shakrajit asking where she wants her quarters to be in Rang Bhavan...."

Karma and Diksha looked at each other about the new drama that was starting.

Mayurakshi couldn't believe it. Her father was sitting with Maharani Raashi and Yuvika when she arrived there, "What is the meaning of this?" She asked waving the tiny piece of letter in her hands. Shakra's scribbly handwriting over it. "Why is the Crown Prince of Kalika Empire asking me where I want my quarters to be?"

She threw the letter towards the three of them.

"What?" Gokula asked, clearly offended at Shakra's antics. He picked up the letter and read.

Bangaram,

I've been told that you're going to come to Sri Kota with me. All of this is so sudden. So, i didn't get time to prepare a beautiful room for you. Don't worry I'll have your room far away from your sister's because I know you hate her. You already know the layout of Rang Bhavan, let me know which room you want because I have to move those rooms, then move mine closer to yours, decorate your room with everything you'll need and all the luxury and comforts.

With love,

Only yours,

Shakra.

"He must be lying. Why will I every allow anything of that manner?" Gokula almost shook with anger.

Mayurakshi laughed at the audacity, "That man can lie to anyone but not me. He wouldn't dare write something as crazy as this unless he knew I was being sent with him. Obviously he has the audacity to write to me to tell me I am about to become his whore but not so much of an audacity to make that decision by himself or force someone to do this."

"Mayurakshi, have your lost your mind? You think I accepted something like this? You... you're my daughter. Not that thing you said."

Her laughter was filled with venom, "Oh, so my father has hesitation in saying the word 'whore' but not when he is giving me as one to a Prince?"

"Mayurakshi!!!! Mind your tongue." Gokula shouted at her, "How can you think of something like that about me?"

"Really? Then how do you explain this letter?"

"He must be trying to hurt you."

"I am pretty sure that it is his way to torture me but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have that much audacity to write all this when without any basis for it. He wouldn't ever outright decide to ask me something like this without someone offering to send me to Kalika Empire. He's not that much of a bastard. Clearly enough to accept a proposal but not one to demand it himself."

"You trust his word but not mine?"

"Nanna, look into my eyes and tell me that your wife wasn't involved in this. Isn't your wife your Queen? The Queen whose orders even you can't change?"

Gokula turned to Raashi, "You did this?" He asked, appalled.

"Oh, don't you remember him asking it? He's the Prince of Kalika Empire. You think we are at a position to say no to him? He won a war against us."

"So? Just because he asked, you said yes? I was there and I already told him his request was ridiculous." Gokula questioned her morality, "I'm going to teach that brat a lesson."

"Nanna, please..." Mayurakshi's voice cracked, "I will never believe that Shakrajit's exact words were 'I want you to give me Mayurakshi as my concubine'. I know exactly how he functions and I know what he says. I know his words would be in the lines of 'I want Mayurakshi' but never the word concubine or a whore."

"You believe him so much?" Gokula asked in disbelief.

"That man has been the only man who had the courage to stand and declare before everyone that he loves me and wishes to marry me. So, for you to tell me that he said he wanted me to be his whore is outright ridiculous."

Gokula couldn't believe his daughter trusted that man so much and blamed him. "Nanna, every single moment since I came here abandoning Amma when she kept saying that it is useless to try, every single moment I have wanted to be the child you loved. To have at least 2% of how much of affection you showed to Akka. Every single thing I have done is to please you. Yet, you still cannot fight for me. I don't understand what I lack, Nanna. What do I lack that Akka has?"

Her life began to crumble. All of her hope seemed to be dying, "Am I toy to be given away from his pleasure?"

"Mayura, I never said anything about giving you to him. This conversation ended even before we properly fixed the wedding date. He walked away angrily when his eununch was arguing with him about his words."

She chuckled as she cried, "It takes his eununch to speak out and stand up for my honour."

"No... no... I told him this was useless and he was being totally horrible even saying that..." Gokula didn't know what to say.

"Why won't you love me like you love Akka, Nanna? Why can't Amma stay here in Krishneri where she is married? Why can't Amma ever come back here? Why can't I get even a little love from you?"

"Mayura...." Gokula tried to comfort her as she started crying.

Mayurakshi stood up and ran away.