"Huh!! Shareef, gentleman, well-honoured. Waah! Baba! Vish theek kehti hai yeh raja-maharaja beshak biwi ko sone se bhar dein par bahar ek-do ladkiyan zaroor rehti hain."
Pacing to and fro in the room, she has been trying to calm her nerves by punching her palm from one fist.
Badi Rani Maa has been noticing her problem from few days. Sanam appeared very changed in these two days. She's neither talking to her properly nor doing her works. Badi Rani Maa starts thinking of complaining about her to Mahir.
"Suno ladki! Humein wheelchair par baitha kar zara bahar lawn ki sair karwa lao! Andar baithe-baithe humara jee ghabra raha hai."
"Mera mood nahi hai jaane ka! Aap kisi aur se keh lein."
Badi Rani Maa's jaw drops open - "Haye! Kisi aur se kyun? Tum yahan kis liye ho? Humare liye na? Agar humari dekh-bhal nahi karni toh apna boriya-bistar sameto aur niklo."
When Bela misbehaved, Yashoda Sehgal didn't give another thought to threat her.
Bela listens her quietly and picking up her cell, she walks out from back door. There's too many messages of Vish. She had returned home two days back and now missing her terribly.
She sits on the stairs down to lawn and begins replying to Vish. She has told Vish that she's with Bua to her village. If she had told her about being in Dubai with Baba then Vish would have called him to confirm.
She told Baba and Bua about being with Vish to Chennai for a wedding. If by any means, three of them crossed each other then it would be a doomsday for Bela.
"Bas Bela! Bahot hua! Jo investigate karna tha kar liya. Banda bhi dekh liya. Andar se wahi hai.. Auron jaisa. Haan dekhne mein handsome hai. Bolta hai toh dil jeetne ki taqat rakhta hai. Par woh teri qismat nahi kyunki uske dil par toh kisi ka qabza hai na. Aur jab ghar par doosri nameplate lag gayi ho toh uss ghar ko apna nahi keh sakte..", she thinks deeply, placing her chin on hugging knees.
She admires the beautiful environment around her, so calm and peaceful but what's the benefit if her heart is on fire. The beautiful butterflies wandering from one flower to another gave her a feeling of being caged. She feels herself misfit for this place.
She misses her Baba, Bua and home terribly - "Bas kal ya parso ghar ke liye nikalti hoon. Yahan aur rukne ka koi reason nahi hai mere paas.", with a glistened vision she looks around.
Her eyes fills up to unknown reasons. Why she's restless? She's homesick or it's something else..
"Suno! Chhote sahab tumhe bula rahe hain?", Imli peeks through back door.
"Koun chhote sahab?", she asks dazedly.
"Mahir Baba!! Aur koun??", Imli says in a fury.
"Saath mein koun hai unke?", she asks again distractedly.
"Mrinal sahiba hain unke saath."
"Tum jao! Main aati hoon.", she replies without looking at her.
"Such mein kamre mein baith kar project discuss karne ke saath-saath aur bhi hazaron baatein ho rahi hongi. Mrinal ki pasand, napasand, taarifein..", her heart surrounds with melancholy.
"Par mujhe kya hota jaa raha hai.. Bhale hi dono shaadi kar lein.. Mujhe kya?! Main itni disturbed kyun ho rahi hoon? Main aayi hi isiliye thi ki Mahir ki khaamiyan nikalun aur use Baba ko as an evidence doon. Toh ab jab mera aana bekaar nahi hua toh phir bekaar mein depressed kyun hoon main?", and she is answerless. All she has, is silence.
At night, she turns on her right side, to avoid his dark eye penetrating her soul, his portrait! On her right, Badi Rani Maa has been gawking at her.
"Tumne aaj humare baalon mein kanghi nahi ki, humari maalish nahi ki, khaana bhi humne apne haathon se khaya, humare kapde bhi nahi badalwaye, humne tumhari sari report Mahir ko kar di hai. Ab wahi tumhari khabar lega. Humein toh tum bin baap ki bachchi ki gareebi pe taras aa gaya tha isiliye chup the warna tumne toh teen raaton se humare pair nahi dabaye hain.."
She listens her complains quietly.
"Vidhva Maa, aath bhai-behan.. Aur maharani ke nakhre dekho.", on her constant silence Badi Rani Maa mutters and changed her side.
*
Next morning, whole Palace bloom with peoples, relatives and friends. Today was Ridya's birthday. Caterers needed help so Bela was also assigmed to work in kitchen by Sumitra.
"Magar Rani Maa, yeh toh koi kaam theek se nahi karti. Uss din korme mein bhi zyada mirch isine dali thi, aapne Jamini ko daant diya tha. Aise hi har kaam bigaad deti hai ya phir haathon mein haath daal kar baithi rehti hai.", Imli complains about her.
"Kyun ladki tumhe kaam karne ka mann hai ya nahi?", Sumitra questions her in an authoritative voice.
Bela's anger increases at Sumitra's tone. She wasn't habitual of such way of talking. She's the one who always orders on others, not even her Baba or Bua commanded her to do anything. But suppressing her anger, she politely nods and leaves after saying - "Muaaf kar dein Rani ji! Ab dhyaan se kaam karungi."
"Arey Sanam! Tum tayyar kyun nahi hui?", Paridhi shocks out of her wits on seeing her in two days old clothes - "Tumhe jo kapde diye the woh kyun nahi pehne?"
"Mujhe woh kapde pasand nahi aaye. Bahot hi dark aur vibrant colour hai. Main aise worked kapde nahi pehanti.", she answers carelessly.
She has always talked with Paridhi in any casual tone because Pari was a humble and modest. She had no unnecessary arrogance and she behaved mildly. She talked very softly and had a familiar accent.
"Kamaal karti ho, agar pasand nahi aaya tha toh mujhe kehti. Main tumhe apna koi suit de deti. Aao tumhe apna koi joda doon.", Paridhi drags her to her room.
"Yeh lo tum mera yeh suit pehan lo", she forwards a very beautiful dress to her. Pari was a wide-hearted person who distributes her stuffs frankly and today it was more ecstatic of her as its her daughter's birthday.
"Par aapke husband mujhe aapke kapdon mein dekh kar kya bolenge?", Bela says hesitantly, she wish she could say it more clearly that she didn't want to wear her worn dress.
"Arey! Woh kuch nahi kahenge. Waise bhi mera naya suit hai, ek baar bhi nahi pehna toh kisine dekha bhi nahi hai, isi chakkar mein Delhi se liye tha.", Pari laughs comicly. Pari looked elegant in the black shiffon saree with a thin diamond necklace.
She changes her dress in Pari's room. Bottle green coloured dress fit her perfectly. A three-quarter sleeved plane anaarkali with a large light-green and red floral dupatta.
Bela looked herself at mirror and felt glad to see her old self back. She felt better otherwise she fell sick of the veil and baggy clothes.
"Yeh lo! Yeh earrings pehanni ho toh pehan lo, match karenge aur tum zara yahin tayyar ho jao, main bahar ke intezaam dekh kar aati hoon.", Paridhi tells and leaves the room.
A lot of cosmetics were on the dressing table but she wasn't interested in makeup. Even before, she lived simply. She just used kohl in her doe eyes and made it more attractive. Applied gloss on her lips and that's it. Yes! she perfumed herself happily after such a long time. She kept her silky brown hair open. Enough of braids!!
"Pari.. Paridhi yaar.. baat suno!", someone calling loudly for Paridhi enters the room and stand still on his place, gaping at Bela.
"Wow! What a masterpiece!!", praise for her slips suddenly out of his lips.
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FanfictionIt's the story of Bela who is a modern free willed girl stuck in an arrange marriage proposal from a rural landlord royal family. The supposed groom is the son of her father's best friend. What Bela does to come out with reasons to reject this propo...
