Till Life Bring Us Together... {COMPLETED}

Chapter 37

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A day after the new sigil was launched there were uproars. After all, the sigil was a sign that their emperor was head over heels in love. What scared the close minded masochists was a queen consort, a begum, a woman was given equal powers as a man. It was a drastic revolution of which the ripples would compel women all over the empire to demand equal rights from men like the Emperor had bestowed upon Queen Ruh.

Ruh quietly hummed her morning prayers in tranquility as eunuch guards barged into her chambers. "Ruh Begum as of now you are arrested and will be presented before the Religious Council."

"Why?" She asked but she was dragged without a further answer before the religious council. A group of old men in black robes stood beyond the muslin curtain. In the room were her mother -in - law and Ada. Ada looked at her with pity. She looked at everyone confused. She noticed her husband and Prince Salim were missing.

"Ruh Begum, you are accused for illicit copulation before marriage and hereby sentenced to exile." A man said in a dreary tone.

"What?" She asked not being able to grasp the reality of the situation. Illicit copulation? She had not given her virtue to anyone except her husband the day before.

She was presented with a white sheet of cloth. She looked at it confused. "It is the sheet from the night before yesterday. As you can see there is no sign of your virtue on it."

    She just reeled in disgust. How can they judge her by just a sheet? Anger flurried through her as she opened her mouth to convey exactly what was wrong with their mindsets. She was cut short as she found him barge into the room with Salim. He stood right before her, shielding her, unlike other times she felt he was furious too. Her head tipped in pride as he argued back and forth with the old men.

      "What is the meaning of this? How dare the council arrest my wife, a queen?" His voice dipped in anger.

   "Your majesty, we have proof that Ruh Begum is not as virtuous or pure that you might believe her to be. She did not bleed, inspite of it being the first night of your consummation." The old man spat, every word an insult to her.

    "And what proof do you have that the night before yesterday was our first night of consummation? I thought the religious council was more intelligent than this, how idiotic it is that you asked a married woman if she is virtuous or not? Of Course she is not!" He spat back in anger.

   Dumbstruck by his words, all that the council could do was gape at him with their mouths open. He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room. She watched him quietly following him as he led her to her chambers, his jaw was tightened and his lips formed a firm line.

         "You should've taken precautions. You should've done something to cover up!" He directed his anger at her.

    She let go of his hand in shock repulsed by his words. She believed him to be the last person to doubt her character. Presuming he was wise she believed he wouldn't believe these notorious traditions. Blinded by his courage she had wrongly assumed that he was supporting her, that he had unshakeable faith on her.

"I did not know that such barbaric customs were still followed in your family!" She snapped at him. "And how would I know? No matter what you told before the council you and I both know that I hadn't had any intimate relations prior to you! Unlike you ofcourse." She pinpointed the only flaw in the masochist mindset of people, he was married before, he had a hoarde of concubines in his beck and call, he had a royal mistress and when he himself wasn't any pure, how can they subject her to such a hypocrisy.