❝"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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THREE YEARS LATER.
Hall of Legislature, Raghuvanshi Palace. Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
The Hall of Legislature in the Raghuvanshi Palace was magnificent. Built of white marble and mirrors, a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the centre, the elevated throne of the Raja and the beautiful carpeted floor, in red.
For ages, the hall had been the room of discussion for the Ministers of the State. All rules were made here. The throne stood at the end of the hall. The structure made of gold and copper, studded with precious stones. The hand rests were designed like the face of a lion.
For years, the hall had been shut. Until three years back, when it was opened, for discussions of the state.
There sat a Council now. Two men, in suits looking at each other skeptically as they put forth the envelope on the small table, before the Raja. "Rajaji, we personally believe that we should find a public figure to stand from this constituency. The person will just be for face value.", One of them said. "Yes, Rajaji. Nowadays, it is quite common as well. These celebrities just stand for elections from different parties and get elected because of their past reputation. Anyways, they will not be politically inclined, we will do everything.", The other man added.
Santosh stood beside the throne. The man seemed to have aged decades in three years. He looked fatigued, exhausted even after a good night's sleep. His gaze remained fixed on the copper glass that the Raja held.
The glass was emptying.
"Where is Anamika?", He asked. The dragging voice, raspy tone unmissable.
He has drunk three bottles of wine, he must be losing senses of everything already. Santosh thought, icily. The two men straightened up.
"She will be joining us tomorrow, Your Highness.", Santosh said softly, "She has gone back to Bengal, to visit her parents."
Aviram Raghuvanshi sat back, putting the glass on the small table before his throne. He shut us eyes, his head ached, almost like a painful withdrawal symptom was hitting him. "Give me my medicine, Santosh.", He said. Santosh inhaled coldly, but without another word, he pulled out the prescribed medicines that Anamika had handed him before leaving.
Their action was not truly known to a rather illiterate Santosh, but he knew, they kept his Raja from remembering anything apart from what Anamika had fed him over the years. Santosh gulped, feeling the lump in his throat. After years of sworn loyalty to his Rajaji, now he was feeding the man what impaired the once powerful Aviram Raghuvanshi a mere puppet in the hands of the tyrant Queen Anamika.
