Love and Redemption

Chapter 96

“Stop”, the prince of Shivgarh Yuvraj Veerbhadra Singh Rajput cried when the mighty queen of Vijaygarh Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore got up to leave with a zillion of emotions in her eyes. Her body felt heavy and her shoulders drooped as her legs seemed to be glued on the ground. She wanted to shriek and cry but she knew that the responsibilities on her shoulders would never let her lament for her unrequited love.

Aparajita did not turn as she was not comfortable to display her vulnerability to the man for whom she was just a pawn. Initially the prince wanted to make her fall for him for the sake of her kingdom and now he had saved her to repent on his deeds and get his kingdom back. She was ashamed to be an emotional fool.

Veerbhadra gulped in sorrow as he realized that he had broken the golden heart of his queen. He was proud of her since she had overthrown him and made sure his treacherous plans had failed. Having lost the battle and his hollow pride during the course, he desired nothing but apology.

Somewhere in his heart, he craved to spend his life with his queen but he knew he had wronged her and she would never trust him anymore. With utmost genuineness in his voice, he spoke gently, “Aparajita, I know I was wrong when I planned to usurp Vijaygarh.”

Aparajita, on the other hand, was fuming in anger. For the first time in her life she was mortified as she reminded herself of her vulnerability when Veerbhadra had taken an arrow for her just to repent his sins. The man she had fallen for, wanted nothing but atonement of his deeds. He was simply manipulating her emotions to get Shivgarh back.

Enraged at him, the queen clenched her palms and turned towards him. She hollered, “I know you wanted to crush my soul and crumble my dignity along with usurping my kingdom because you are a coward, a sly, cunning coward, who cannot fight the opponent in the battlefield. You are a blot of shame to the Kshatriya community.”

Veerbhadra flinched in terror as the angry queen spat at him with disgust. Gathering all the courage he had, he confessed, “Aparajita, I was blinded with the idea of revenge. I missed my grandfather who was brutally killed by you in the battlefield. I could not differentiate between right or wrong. I am your culprit. I know I have no right to apologize but all I seek is, your apology.”

“Your grandfather killed my brother but that does not mean I would plan to seek revenge using unacceptable ways. You are a perfect example of coward and a hypocrite.” Aparajita spat out at him angrily.

The mighty queen of Vijaygarh strengthened her resolve of returning Shivgarh back to the prince after all, he had saved her by taking a poisonous arrow. She decided to keep her emotional turmoil in check as she replied in a monotone, “Prince, I will make arrangements of returning back Shivgarh to you as a token of gratitude.”

Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, she said, “Thank you for saving me without any invitation in the battlefield. I can understand you wanted to be in my good books to get your kingdom back after all, the life after getting banished would have been difficult.”

“Dear queen, you are taking me wrong. All I seek is apology.” Veerbhadra stated looking into her chocolate brown eyes and he could not help but notice the emotional turmoil inside her. Taking a deep breath, he mumbled, “I don’t want my kingdom back”.

“What?” Aparajita shrieked getting flabbergasted. “It is your duty to protect your kingdom as a Kshatriya”, she suggested.

“Is it not your duty as a Kshatriya to protect your acquired kingdoms?” retorted Veerbhadra back.

“As a Kshatriya you should act as a ruler and be a leader. Running away like a coward is a sin.” Aparajita tried to persuade the prince to take Shivgarh back in his rule with a stoic face despite her heart was aching as she realized the man she had fallen for was perhaps renouncing his royal life to become an ascetic.

It was a common practice for the rulers to become an ascetic but not before producing children for their royal lineage. She was horrified at his sudden decision as the little girl inside her craved to spend her life with him.

“I am not running away, Aparajita”, Veerbhadra confessed. His hazel green eyes could not meet her chocolate brown ones when he admitted, “I took an oath that I will sit on the throne of Shivgarh only when I take my revenge.”

“Now that you are defeated, you cannot accept the throne of Shivgarh”, taunted Aparajita. She despised Veerbhadra’s materialistic desires but she decided to remain unbiased with her words for now. All her expectations and desires were burnt in the fire of guilty after all, she had let her guards down and displayed her emotions for someone who cannot reciprocate her feelings.

Veerbhadra nodded. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he continued his confession. With guilt rising inside him, he admitted, “As much I tried to wrong you, Aparajita, I could never deny the attraction with which I was pulled towards your wisdom and selflessness.”

The mighty queen with an emotionless exterior could sense butterflies fluttering inside her upon being praised. Taking slow steps, she sat beside him admiring his masculine features and decided to hear him out. Veerbhadra’s breath hitched at their proximity.

With a newly found confidence, he spoke, “I know I have committed irredeemable sins but I could not see you suffering at the end of the day. Having lost my kingdom, I accepted my banishment because I wanted to feel the pain I had inflicted on you by breaking your trust. Aparajita, when your sister-in-law informed about the danger on you, my heart urged to protect you even if it meant to lose my life.”

“Why did you put your life in danger for me, Veer?” asked Aparajita sweetly. She was happy that the prince was regretting his deeds. She could feel that his apology was a genuine one. His hazel green eyes were guilty and Aparajita did not like him being vulnerable. Having realized her feelings and longing for him, she was not only ready to forgive him but also forget all his indecency and lead a happy life with him.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to be selfish and acknowledge her emotions for the man she had fallen for. She knew he would never cheat her again after all, his action of sacrificing himself for her had revealed the truth. She just wanted him to reciprocate her feelings.

♥️♥️♥️

Hi everyone

So, confession coming up in the next chapter!🥰

Let's hope that things will turn out positively.😉

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I will be back by tomorrow morning or today evening but before that, please VOTE AND COMMENT.❣

It was really difficult to write this chapter, I hope you will share your views. 😊

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