RANISA-HIS FIRST WIFE

40. drive me mad

Vedanti has not forgiven abhirath, what ever she is talking to protect in this chapter is the kingdom that abhirath vedanti made together, her kids that it. ❤

Vedanti's POV:)

God, please give me strength because this 35-year-old man is going to drive me mad.

I stormed into the palace, my boots clicking sharply against the marble floors. The entire place was lit up as if a grand festival were about to begin—banners, lanterns, flowers. A celebration. My eyes burned with disbelief. Instead of preparing for an attack, they were decorating the palace as if we were welcoming guests.

My patience snapped. I spotted Abhirath's most trusted man and stalked toward him. "Why the hell is everyone decorating this palace? Where are the soldiers?" My voice cut through the air like a blade.

The man bowed slightly, his face calm despite my clear rage. "My queen, the king and his men are returning soon. We are preparing for their welcome."

Of course, they are.

Before I could respond, a shrill voice interrupted my thoughts. "OH MY GODDDDDDD!" The sound made me cringe internally. I turned, already knowing who it was. Trupti. She came rushing toward me with a fake, gleeful smile plastered across her face, her arms wide as if she were about to embrace me.

She hugged me, but the memory of last night's incident flashed in my mind—how she had ordered my sons to be thrown out of the king's quarters. My fingers curled into fists. It took every ounce of self-control not to let the rage boil over right then and there.

Forcing a tight smile, I stepped back from her embrace. "I did what you asked, Trupti," I said, my voice steady though my heart raged. "Are you happy now?" I held her gaze, my words heavy with meaning.

Trupti, Abhirath's second wife, stared back at me with her usual arrogance. I had never treated her poorly, not once. I gave her respect, trusted her with the palace's responsibilities as one of Abhirath's wives. But she... her eyes betrayed a deep hatred for me, for my sons, and even for my husband. And I couldn't fathom why.

I remembered the early days after her marriage to Abhirath. There was a particular incident that had burned itself into my memory.

It had been only a few months after the wedding. Abhirath and I were spending time together in the garden, laughing, sharing stories about our plans for the kingdom, when Trupti had approached us. She had insisted that Abhirath needed to focus more on her, to treat her as an equal. I remember how she'd subtly tried to make me feel like I didn't belong, as if she were the new center of his universe.

For a moment, jealousy had flared in my chest. I'd felt insecure, wondering if Abhirath's affection for me was slipping. But then, without missing a beat, Abhirath had shut her down so smoothly, it left no room for argument. He had placed his hand on mine, looked her directly in the eye, and said, "Vedanti is my queen. She has earned her place by my side, and no one will ever take that from her."

That day, I knew Trupti didn't think well of me. Her forced smile hadn't hidden the venom in her heart. Ever since then, her behavior toward me had become more calculated, more cold. She didn't just despise me; she wanted to see me fail, wanted to see me suffer.

But what gnawed at me more than anything was that she even hated Abhirath. Despite everything he had done to maintain peace between us, she harbored nothing but bitterness for him. I could see it in the way she looked at him, the way she manipulated situations to create rifts between us.

"Trupti," I said softly, my voice carrying a hidden edge. "What is it that you truly want?"

She blinked, momentarily thrown off by my question, but quickly regained her composure. "I just want what's best for the palace, for the kingdom," she replied sweetly, though the poison behind her words was unmistakable.