The sun was almost down when Shefali woke up after the long day. Rani-sa asked everyone to have the dessert she made during dinner so that her son could have it with the rest of them. Shefali was pleased with her decision.
Drucilla and her husband were out in town to meet a friend of Amar who had retired after a severe injury.
Rana was asleep when Ekta took her to him but she asked Ekta not to wake him up. He looked peaceful while he slept.
Shefali combed her hair in a bun and walked out of the empty mansion.
"Shekhar, ask someone to clear out the bushes in the mansion's garden"
She instructed a soldier before leaving.
The soldier nodded in a hurry.
Shefali walked down the lane to the entrance gate of the brothel.
"Open the gates"
She instructed.
The guard was well aware of who she was and what she was before.
"But-"
He hesitated.
"The palace women are not allowed here"
The other guard finished.
Shefali did not flinch.
"Open the door"
She emphasized.
They looked at each other and then opened the door reluctantly.
She looked back at the Royal palace.
No one was out. They were still asleep, she assumed.
She walked inside, a shiver running down her spine.
The iron gates she walked through do not scare her anymore. They cannot confine her to a place anymore.
"Who do we have here?"
Abilasha's voice walked into the courtyard way before her steps did.
Shefali smiled.
"What brought you back here? Don't tell me they kicked you out already"
She said with a jolt of mockery and playfulness intertwined.
The word selection stiffened Shefali but her smile remained unbothered.
"Sunbai, you should probably go back"
A guard whispered to her from behind with a concerned tone.
Shefali paid his words no attention because she knew she would face something similar here. This place was a stiffened ground of mockery. They mocked the good, the bad, the one not concerned as well as the one who was held responsible. They were envious of one another. They even pitied each other.
They held pride yet craved sympathy.
Shefali never related to them yet there was some part of her intertwined with theirs.
"I thought of paying you a visit, Abhilasha"
Shefali stepped forward.
"Wouldn't this land be too fortunate than it is if you walk on it?"
Abilasha laughed showing her the way inside.
Shefali did not reply but followed her.
Many known faces have started gathering around.
"What are you doing here?"
Barkha walked in from somewhere drawing Shefali's attention.
"Barkha?"
YOU ARE READING
𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟗: 𝐀 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐣𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚| Indian Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 Ⅰ 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐈-𝐁𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 Shefali Roy had lost her parents in a pandemic when she was just one year old. That was the first time she was orphaned. The next time she was orphaned was when she was seventeen. The army of...
