ROYAL VENDETTA

01

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The Rathore Haveli was adorned with lights and flowers, as if it was a new bride itself. It was the day of the double wedding of the Rathore heirs.

Naintara Singh Rathore, the matriarch of the Rathore clan, was sitting on a throne-like chair, beaming with happiness as she watched her grandsons Abhiraaj Singh Rathore and Dev Singh Rathore.

Abhiraaj was the elder one, the future head of the family. He had already married once, but his wife had died in a tragic accident, leaving him with a young daughter, Esha. Naintara had persuaded him to remarry, for the sake of Esha and the family name. He had agreed, but he had no love for his second bride, Aawanya. She was his first wife's twin sister, and he had always resented her for being alive while his beloved was gone.

Dev, on the other hand, was marrying his love, Ishani, but he had to face the opposition of his family. They did not approve of Ishani, who was an orphan with an unknown lineage. They thought she was not worthy of being a Rathore bahu. He had threatened to leave the family if they did not accept Ishani. Naintara had relented, but only for the sake of Dev. She and the rest of the family still looked down on Ishani, as if she was unworthy of their blood. They treated her with coldness and disdain.

"Thakur sa, Bindani is not in her room," Reva, a servant of the Rathores, informed Abhiraaj in a low voice. Abhiraaj felt a surge of anger and frustration. He glared at Reva and stood up from his chair, throwing his safa on the floor. He had a bad feeling that Aawanya had run away from the wedding.

"You chose the wrong path, Aawanya. You will regret it," he muttered under his breath. He clenched his fists and walked towards his grandmother.

"Abhiraaj, where is Aawanya? How can she do this to us, to Esha? How can she run away?" Naintara asked, her voice trembling with worry and rage. She stood up from her chair, ready to confront her granddaughter-in-law.

"Calm down, Dadi sa. I'm going to find her," Abhiraaj said, as he gently pushed her back to her seat. He did not want to cause a scene in front of the guests. He had to handle this matter discreetly. He did not care about Aawanya's feelings, or whereabouts. He only cared about his reputation, and his daughter.

"Let me come with you," Dev said, following him. He spoke in a cold tone,

"You don't have to. Just get married," Abhiraaj said, as he brushed past him. He did not want Dev's help, or sympathy. He did not want to share his problems with anyone. He had to deal with this alone.

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