"You will be the Yuvraani of Suryagarh but you will never be my wife."
When they were only kids, Ridhima and Hruday were promised into a bond they didn't even know the meaning of.
Hruday Singh Tanwar, grew up into the Prince he was destined to be. T...
I stand in front of the mirror, not even recognizing the man that I was seeing. What I was wearing was chosen by them, how I should stand and walk was taught by them, what I was going to say today was written by them. And now, as if all these things were not enough, the person I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with is being decided by them.
I was only thinking about all this, when the door to my room burst open and in walked none other than Ishaan Singh Rawat, my cousin and best friend.
"Sup." He says, waving at me and laying down on my bed without my permission. I walk over to him and kick my freshly polished shoes against his legs, making him cry out in pain.
"Get your filthy body off my bed." I tell him, kicking again. "God knows where you have been last night."
He groans but gets up anyway, and moves over to the couch. He lays on the couch with his hands behind his head and looks at me with a cheeky smile. I am jealous of the way Ishaan can smile even at the worst situation, I am jealous of the way he gets to live a live that is not burdened by the weight of responsibilities and duty of carrying your family's traditions forward.
"So, how are you feeling Mr. Groom to be?"
"Shut up."
"Why? My best friend is getting engaged and you tell me to shut up? I should be singing and dancing instead."
"This engagement..." I say, clenching my teeth. "It has nothing to be happy about."
"Then you should just say no." Ishaan says and this time I can tell that he is not joking but seriously asking.
I choose not to say anything. The truth is, I don't have anything to say. I cannot tell him that there are some things that you must do in life even if you don't like it. I cannot tell him that if it were up to me, I would not be getting engaged. The truth is, if it were up to me I would not even be here.
"Hey, guess who I met today. You are not going to believe-"
"Yuvraaj..." A voice comes from the other side of the door with customary knocking. "Rani-Sa, is calling for you. It's time."
Ishaan leaves his sentence incomplete and shrugs after he was interrupted by the servants calling. Even I already have enough on my mind to ask him again.
I get up and take one last look at myself in the mirror.
It's time.
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On my way to the press room, I intentionally walk slower. The later I reach there, the less time I will need to spend in front of the cameras, in front of all those prying eyes that always want to know more that I am willing to let them know. Sometimes, I feel like the Raj Palace is made of glass and anyone who sees from the outside can see everything. The thought makes living here even worse.
