"Innocence and Intrigue"

Part 36

Nitya's POV:

Wow, everything's completed! Now, arranging them on the table is the only thing left. First, I'll call Maa and ask her what I should do now. Thinking this, I asked the maid to arrange the dishes on the table. When I came out of the kitchen, everyone was present there except Rudransh ji. I took blessings from Rudransh chacha and chachi, then greeted everyone and went near Maa to ask her.

"Maa, did it take too long that everyone is present here?" I asked. But before Maa could reply, I cut her off, saying, "Sorry, Maa, from next time I will make it fast." Seeing my worried face, Maa said, "No need to worry about anything, Nitya. No, you haven't taken long, but we all came here due to the aroma of the food, and we don't want to waste your time, so we all are here before you even called us. Anyway, what did you prepare?"

Before I could answer her, staff came to arrange the dining table. Seeing them, Maa said, "Why did you stress yourself, bacha?" I replied, "No, Maa, I did not take any stress. I love to cook, so I did it, that's all."

After arranging the table, the maid left, and I turned towards Maa, saying, "Nothing much, Maa, just I prepared dosa, aloo paratha, poha, besan chilla, idli, Methi Thepla, Dhokla, Chole Bhature, Pav Bhaji, Avocado Toast, chia seed pudding, and Pineapple Juice. That's it."

Then Maa said, "What do you mean by 'that's it'? Are they not enough?" Gauri replied, "Maybe she thought to prepare more, but she didn't, so she said that."

But before Maa could respond, I added, "Maa, I forgot to say, I prepared sweet dishes as you suggested: Gulab Jamun, Rasgulla, Gajar ka Halwa, and last but not least, Brownies for Ishika."

Then Raj said, "Bhabhi, did you prepare them all by yourself?"

I replied, "What do you mean by 'all by yourself'? Yes, I prepared them for you all because they are your favorite dishes. And here you are, thinking that I bought them from a restaurant." I said it with a pout on my face. Seeing this, Gauri intervened, saying, "Don't you ever dare to start your drama here. No one is going to do anything for you." Raj was shocked to see all the dishes and said, "You said you prepared it alone. It's their first day with you; they didn't know that you are like Rajdhani Express in everything."

Before Gauri could continue scolding, Maa came in front of me and said, "No one is going to say anything to my daughter here. She prepared everything for you all, and you all are scolding her. And you, Mr. Raj Raghuvanshi, how dare you question my daughter?"

Then Raj replied, "Maa, I just asked."

Maa responded with a curt, "Whatever." Everyone felt the change in the room's atmosphere. Until now, there was bickering and lovely enjoyment, but now everything had shifted to a cool and tense environment. I heard footsteps coming from the stairs, and when I looked, I saw Rudranshji. He asked everyone what was going on, and Raj replied, "Nothing."

Then Maa and I served everyone. Everyone took their first morsel, but no one was saying anything. I thought to myself, "Is the food bad? What happened? At least say something." But then, I got an answer from Ishika, Priya, and Raj, saying that the food was delicious. From then on, everyone complimented the food except Rudranshji.

Then Maa insisted me to join. I was about to object, but seeing Rudranshji's face as he looked at me, I just went near him and sat there because it was the only chair left for now. I served myself, feeling too good as I listened to Raj and Ishika who didn't stop appreciating me until the end of their breakfast. However, with Rudranshji, I could see a satisfied expression on his face as he ate, but I didn't know whether he liked it or not.

After that, Maa called me over. She handed me a box and said it was a gift from her side for my "pehli rasoi." I told her it wasn't needed, but she insisted, saying it was a ritual to give something to the bride when she cooks for the first time. I interjected, saying I wasn't a newly wedded bride, but then we heard a dominating voice from Rudranshji telling me to take it. Feeling a bit cornered, I glanced at his face and then turned towards Maa. Her face reflected surprise, which puzzled me. When I looked around, everyone else had similar expressions except Gauri and me. I asked Maa what was happening, why she seemed surprised. She just replied, "Nothing like that," and everyone gave me gifts for my "pehli rasoi."

Grandma and Grandpa gave me a beautiful set of jewelry, and Chachi and Chacha gave me a bracelet. Then, we all went to the hall and sat there. Everyone was present except for Ishika, Priya, Raj, and Vikram bhaiya. I asked Maa where Ishika, Priya di, Raj, and Vikram bhaiya went. Hearing me, Maa asked, "Bacha, why are you calling Raj and Vikram 'bhaiya'?" I replied, "Because they are elder than me, Maa." Then Maa said, "No, bacha, they are not Rudransh's elder brothers; they are his younger brothers." I responded, "Yes, Maa, I know that.

Grandma asked me, "Bacha, what is your age?" Before I could reply, Rudranshji responded, "25." I shook my head in disagreement, but Grandma questioned how Rudra knew. Rudranshji, with his dominant and possessive voice, replied, "I know. I saw that in her resume, and she is my wife. I will get to know if I don't." His tone was rude, and I knew I had to talk to him about it. But before I could gather my thoughts, Gauri interrupted, saying, "Then you have to know so many things about her, jiju." Rudranshji asked, "What do you mean by that?" Gauri replied, "Nitya is not 25; she is 20."

Suddenly, we heard voices from behind. We turned to see Raj, Vikram, Priya, and Ishika asking, "Bhabhi, are you really 20?" I nodded, confirming. They turned to Rudranshji and questioned, "Did you do child marriage?" Rudranshji was taken aback, asking, "What do you mean by child marriage? I saw her documents, which clearly state she is 25. Gauri, stop making jokes in front of me." Gauri insisted, "I am not joking, jiju." Rudranshji retorted, "Then what are you doing now?"

I turned towards Rudranshji and said, "She is right, Rudranshji. I am 20 years old." He sighed and said, "Explain to me, Butterfly. I want a clear explanation. No more jokes, okay?"

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Author's Note:

English is not my native language, so I appreciate your understanding if there are any errors in my writing. Your feedback is valuable to me, so please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed my story or if there's anything I can improve upon. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!