Author's POV
"Everything has unfolded according to your plan, yet you seem unhappy, Ilavarasi..."
"Ilavarasi...Am I Ponni?"
She addressed her companion without shifting her gaze from the seashore; Ponni remained silent. Both stood atop the lighthouse, witnessing the havoc she had wrought.....
"what do you think Ponni.........The emperor Udaiyan Sethupathi who is crying there alone screaming her name as if the dead Rathnamadevi would come back from death will accept me?"
She asked with a chuckle, yet her tone held neither victory nor sadness; it was empty, mysterious—just like her.....
"Come and stand beside me Ponni........ "
Ponni was taken aback by the tone of her voice; it wasn't the usual commanding tone, but rather sounded like a request, which was unusual....she wants a companion now who actually cares about her as she herself was the reason behind loosing those who loved her
Ponni took a step closer and stood beside her....she pointed at the shore.......Him
"If He releases all his tears and the emotions overwhelming him at this moment... from this day forward, he will stand as Emperor Udaiyan Sethupathi, a sovereign of the people, stripped of personal sentiment.
As Emperor, he possesses everything, yet he has nothing... his soul is adrift...
I no longer desire a relationship with him; he can't reciprocate my love. I refuse to squander my affection on him, so I will not present myself before him to face another rejection..."
She laughed softly, recalling their first encounter... the initial conversation she shared with him... his refusal, declaring his heart belonged to his "Udaiyaal" alone.
"I feel sorry for them, Ponni. What is his fault in all of this? He has only ever loved her and has always remained loyal to her...
And Rathnama, she doesn't even know I exist... yet I separated them, driven by a desire for revenge for what befell my parents and what happened to me follow by that... If my mother hadn't been so innocent, hadn't made that great sacrifice for her mother... none of this would have happened... perhaps I would have been his Udaiyaal, not Rathnamadevi...
may be she would have been alive...............what do you think Ponni?"
"What do you want to hear Ilavarasi?"
Ponni inquired politely... Finally, she offered Ponni a smile, accompanied by an appreciative glance....
"You always spoken what I want to hear Ponni, Now I decided to give you some liberty to speak out yourself what actually you want to say....."
Ponni took a deep breath and nodded her head lightly before speaking....
"You mentioned you pity them, Ilavarasi... but the one who is truly pitiable is...
you."
Ponni paused and glanced at her master, wondering if her words had riled her up...
She appeared unaffected, her gaze fixed on the individual at the seashore rather than the one beside her, who was about to reveal truths she certainly did not want to hear.
Ponni gulped the lump formed in her throat and took a deep breath....she is now going to let out all that she kept suppressed with in herself all these years...
"Your parents sacrificed their lives to save you, leaving you with a challenging childhood seeking refuge in a temple. The prince of a rival kingdom became infatuated with you, taking you to his realm and declaring you the Crown Princess. You decided to exploit his affection to avenge the Sethupathi empire, tricking him into believing you would marry him only if he conquered it.
However, when the Sethupathi empire's crown prince saved your life, you fell for him, even proposing marriage, which he declined as he was already married to Rathnamadevi and won't accept any other women in his life.
This rejection rekindled your desire for revenge, not just to overthrow the Sethupathi empire but also to usurp his love. You cunningly persuaded the Kadamba prince of your loyalty, convincing him to delay war until your command.
You bided your time until Queen Rathanamadevi became pregnant, then instigated the war, keeping Udaiyan Sethupathi distant from his domain and orchestrating internal strife to preoccupy Rathnamadevi.
Secretly, you executed your plan in the palace by the pawns you choose to assassinate the heir of the Sethupathi empire and subtly poison Rathanamadevi.
By the time she discovered your pawns, it was too late, and she met her end in the very ocean that now bears your secrets........
And even after doing all this you aren't happy you aren't at peace....you fired your own life destroyed others along with it........
What have you gained by doing all this? Nothing... nothing but emptiness.
You are no longer the princess of the Kadamba empire, which has become a part of the Sethupathi empire. The only man who loved you perished in war while protecting his people. His sole error was loving you, a woman deemed unworthy of anyone's love.
You neither been loyal to your motherland nor to the one which accepted you as it own...
how can you be this Cruel...
The Sethupathi empire is predicted to face its decline following the reign of Emperor Udaiyan Sethupathi, with the provinces engaging in power struggles, leading to widespread destruction....
The very same Sethupathi's empire's blood runs in your veins you destroyed your own clan..."
Ponni declared everything once and for all, then looked up at the woman who was smiling back at her. The next moment, Ponni let out a loud scream seeing her leap from the lighthouse into the ocean with a smile................
The smile which held emptiness......
Rathnama awoke, panting heavily by what she saw in her dream, She couldn't beleive it and surely it wasn't a mere dream..............its real that's what exactly happened after her death in the past....
But her....how is that possible....
Rathnama got down from the bed and rushed towards the mirror and looked at herself.........how can it be possible....
"How? How is she related to me? who is she?"
Rathnama found herself unable to fathom anything.
That women in her dream looked exactly like Rathnamadevi..............
"She is Madhangi"
His voice came from behind, startling Rathnama. She was shocked to see Udaiyar sitting on the couch, leaning back comfortably, taking a bite of guava....
Author's Note
We are moving towards the end people.....
Only few more chapters...
Happy Reading 📖📖📖📖📖
Thank you❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
