Bhanumati's Curse

14. The Deception of Love

Bhanumati had been waiting for this moment—waiting for Rajendra to fall so deeply in love with her that he could no longer distinguish between loyalty and betrayal. What had begun as a complicated journey toward healing and reconciliation now spiraled into a dark, calculated act of revenge. All the moments she had shared with Rajendra, the kindness she had shown to his son, and the affection she had seemingly cultivated were part of a plan. A plan to avenge her brother’s death, to break the very man who had destroyed her family.

Rajendra, now completely entranced by Bhanumati’s charm, had let down his guard. For months, he had opened his heart, believing that Bhanumati was his redemption, his chance to heal the wounds of the past. The once hard, vengeful king had softened, allowing love to take the place of anger.

One evening, as they sat together in the royal chambers, Rajendra held Bhanumati’s hand, his eyes filled with warmth.

Rajendra said with deep affection
"You’ve given me more than I ever deserved, Bhanumati. You’ve shown me a future I thought I’d lost."

Bhanumati smiled sweetly, though her heart was cold. She had learned to mask her true feelings well over the months. Her eyes shimmered with false affection as she leaned into Rajendra, letting him believe that she, too, was as invested in their future.

She said softly
"I’ll always be here for you, Rajendra. Always."

But Bhanumati’s true intentions were far more sinister. She had waited for Rajendra to be at his most vulnerable, his heart fully invested in their relationship. And just when he believed that their bond could not be stronger, she began to pull away.

It started subtly—a coldness in her words, a distance in her touch. Rajendra, blinded by love, tried to ignore the signs, believing that perhaps she was just overwhelmed by palace duties or the pressures of being queen. But the truth became undeniable one fateful evening.

Rajendra was walking through the palace gardens when he spotted Bhanumati, not with him, but with another man. A noble from a distant land, one who had come to the court under the guise of diplomacy. Rajendra watched from the shadows, his heart pounding, as Bhanumati laughed and touched the man’s arm in a way that she had never done with him.

His chest tightened as the scene played out before him, the reality of her betrayal slowly sinking in. This wasn’t the woman who had comforted him, who had stood by his side. This was someone else—someone who had used his love to manipulate and weaken him.

He said whispering to himself, devastated
"How could I have been so blind?"

Later that night, Rajendra confronted Bhanumati. He had hoped, in some small corner of his heart, that it had been a misunderstanding. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw none of the love or warmth he had come to cherish. Instead, there was only cold indifference.

He said angrily
"What is this, Bhanumati? Who is that man? After everything we’ve been through, after everything I’ve given you… this is how you repay me?"

Bhanumati met his gaze, her expression unreadable. She didn’t flinch, nor did she attempt to defend herself. Instead, she stepped closer, her voice calm and calculated.

She replied coldly
"You gave me nothing, Rajendra. What I’ve done, I did for my brother—for my family. You took everything from me the day you killed him, and now, I’ve taken everything from you."

Her words struck Rajendra like a physical blow. He stumbled back, his mind reeling as the truth hit him. Every tender moment, every touch, every kind word—it had all been a lie. She had played him perfectly, waited until he was consumed by love, only to rip it all away when he was most vulnerable.

He said hoarsely, in disbelief
"You never loved me? Any of it—none of it was real?"

Bhanumati’s gaze hardened.

She said with venom in her voice
"Love? You think I could love the man who killed my brother? I played my part well, Rajendra. I wanted you to feel the pain I felt, the loss I endured. And now you do."

Rajendra stood there, stunned, the weight of her words crushing him. His knees buckled, and he sank to the floor, unable to reconcile the woman he loved with the one standing before him. He had been so blinded by his own desire for redemption, so eager to leave the past behind, that he had missed the warning signs all along.

His voice broke as he spoke, the pain in his heart overwhelming.

Rajendra pleading, desperately
"Bhanumati… you don’t have to do this. We could still—"

But Bhanumati cut him off, her voice sharp and unyielding.

Bhanumati:
"This was always going to end like this, Rajendra. You were a fool to think otherwise."

He again said while a tear escaped from his eyes
"Why you did this Bhanumati why don't you ever feel something for me why can't I deserve a moment of love

"Oh so you asking me Mahraj Rajendra Singh Rajput you asking me why I did this with you didn't you ever thought what you did with my family you killed my brother you're the reason that my sister-in-law widow and their children will not get the love of their father all just because of you....you deserve this"

She completed her every word saying how much she carrying inside her how much she hurt but without saying further she leave him there alone in the vulnerable state..
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In the days that followed, Bhanumati’s betrayal became clearer to everyone in the palace. Rajendra, once a powerful and confident king, was now a broken man. His trust had been shattered, his love twisted into something unrecognizable. He could no longer look at Bhanumati without feeling the sharp sting of her deception.

To add salt to the wound, Bhanumati flaunted her relationship with the nobleman, ensuring that Rajendra saw every moment of it. Every laugh, every touch was a reminder of how deeply he had been fooled. Rajendra tried to ignore it, to focus on his kingdom and his son, but the weight of his grief and anger was too much to bear.

He had wanted to believe that love could heal, that they could build a future together, but now he saw that Bhanumati’s heart had been set on revenge all along.

He said to himself, filled with regret
"I was a fool to think I could escape the consequences of my actions."

Bhanumati, now having completed her revenge, stood tall in the palace she once thought she’d never rule. She had avenged her brother, broken the man who had taken everything from her, and now, she held all the power. But as she looked over the kingdom, a strange emptiness filled her. The revenge she had so carefully planned, the satisfaction she thought it would bring, was fleeting.

Yet, for now, she savored her victory. Rajendra was a shell of the man he once was, and she had taken everything from him, just as he had taken everything from her.

But deep down, in the quiet moments, Bhanumati wondered if she had also lost something along the way—something that went beyond vengeance.

For Rajendra, the betrayal was complete. He had opened his heart to the woman he thought he could build a future with, only to find that her love had been nothing more than a weapon to destroy him.

The once-golden empire of Rajadhrapura now stood tarnished, its king broken, and its queen consumed by the hollow triumph of revenge.

To be continued...