THE ROYAL MISFIT

Ch58: The Annual Charity Ball

CHANDRALEKHA'S POV:

Time passed while living in the palace so quickly, it made me realize that this was where I was always meant to be.

The perfect people, the perfect life and I was the happiest. The third day after my wedding, all of our distant relatives decided to leave. Vikram and I, despite being exhausted to the core, escorted each one ourselves. The feet touching never ending, our backs hurt by the end of the day.

My parents and Shekhar too left.

Ma was impassive as always, probably because of the way I had spoken to her during the wedding. I'm not going to lie, a little part of me wanted to become the old 'me' and beg for her forgiveness and blame everything on myself.

But the proud self had long ago replaced her and I was no longer in the mood to 'beg'. Despite everything,

I passed her a small smile which she returned with a nod and I hugged my father and brother instead.

I didn't realize I would be crying so much with Shekhar but the tears emerged as soon as I hugged him. He automatically put a protective arm around me and hugged me.

He mumbled that he would miss me and how the house would finally be 'quiet' without me.

I chuckled at that.

Vikram stood nearby, watching with a smile on his face. Seeing me shed a few tears, his face became softer and he gave me a reassuring smile. When everyone was seated in the car finally, he came closer, keeping a hand behind my back and rubbing it to reassure me again.

I watched the car leave the gates, with Shekhar waving for a final time before my hand dropped by itself and my smile faltered.

It's not like I wasn't happy at the palace.

I was the happiest when I was with Vikram but the one thing that I hated was to let my father and brother go.

They were the only family I had before this and it was difficult to digest that I was maybe no longer a part of theirs.

Vikram must've noticed that my mood was off because he placed a light kiss on my head before leading me inside quietly. He didn't ask anything and didn't say anything and the silence wasn't haunting either.

Everything was peaceful.

Days after that passed quicker than I imagined.

I was busy with understanding the workings of the palace and even helped with the NGOs. Ma would often take me there along with her and we would serve there the entire day before returning home.

People respected her and me through her.

Even though I talked to everyone politely, I realized it might take some time for them to become comfortable with me. The NGOs were my favorite task ever and I would almost ask Ma every time to take me with her and she would happily oblige.

At night, Vikram would come back early from the office, telling me the details about his day.

He would tell me how Anushka and Arjun no longer quarrelled and were actually found nowhere without each other.

He told me about the deals that he cracked and even offered me to join the office.

I had to get back in my earlier rhythm and everyone was quite supportive with the idea of me joining it. The days passed so quickly that I began seeing the palace as my home. Vikram and I often visited the Vijaygarh fort together and he had even given me the job of redecorating it.

Even though it was filled with his and Maithili's childhood memories, he wanted to get it redecorated as a way of saying that the past remained the past but there was a need to walk in the present.