Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya

Part III: The Unraveling Truth

Chapter 18: The Hidden Diary

The palace had become a maze of secrets, each more unnerving than the last. Maya, restless and unable to sleep, wandered through the empty halls. Her nights were now filled with whispers and shadows, and the weight of the palace’s dark history pressed on her like a shroud. She needed answers—answers that no one seemed able to provide.

The servants whispered about Rani Aranya, about her love for Raja Vikram, and her untimely death. Maya had heard it all. But there was something deeper, something lurking just out of sight. She felt it, like eyes watching her every move. She had to know the truth.

It was late, the palace quiet save for the faint flickering of torches. Maya found herself in Rani Aranya’s old chambers, a room that had been sealed since her death. She stood before the large wooden door, its intricate carvings illuminated by the soft moonlight streaming in through the windows.

"Maya, what are you doing here?"

Maya jumped at the sound of Meera’s voice. The old maid had appeared at the end of the corridor, her face pale, her eyes wide with worry.

"I need to know what happened, Meera," Maya said, her voice firm despite the fear rising in her chest. "I can't live like this, haunted by something I don't understand."

Meera hesitated, glancing around as if the very walls had ears. "There are things better left forgotten, my lady. This room... it holds memories that should remain buried."

Maya shook her head, determination tightening her grip on the door handle. "No more secrets. I’m going inside."

With a deep breath, she pushed the door open. The air inside was stale, untouched for years. The room was exactly as Rani Aranya had left it—lavish, adorned with silks and tapestries, but with an air of abandonment that made Maya’s skin crawl.

Meera followed her reluctantly, wringing her hands. "Please, my lady, this is dangerous. The Rani was not well in her final days."

Maya ignored her, walking slowly around the room. Everything felt frozen in time, as if Rani Aranya's presence still lingered, trapped between the past and the present. Her eyes fell on a large wooden chest in the corner, covered in dust. Something about it called to her.

She knelt before the chest, her fingers tracing the intricate designs carved into the wood. With a small creak, she opened it. Inside were silk gowns, jewelry, and... a leather-bound book, worn with age.

Maya’s heart raced as she pulled the book out, its weight heavy in her hands. "A diary," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Meera gasped. "The Rani’s diary! I didn’t know it still existed…"

Maya looked up at the old maid, a sense of foreboding washing over her. "This could tell us what really happened."

Meera shook her head, her voice trembling. "Rani Aranya was obsessed with the Raja. Her love for him... it consumed her. Whatever is in that diary, my lady, it may be more than you want to know."

But Maya couldn’t stop herself. She opened the diary, the pages yellowed with age. The handwriting was elegant but grew more erratic as the entries went on. Maya began to read, her voice barely a whisper.

"‘The Raja is mine,’" she recited the first passage. "‘No one else will ever have him. Our love is eternal.’"

The entries grew darker, filled with paranoia and possessiveness. Maya's hands shook as she turned the pages, the words revealing a woman descending into madness.

"‘I feel them watching,’" Maya read aloud, her breath catching. "‘They all want to take him from me. But I won’t let them. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him. Even if it means...’"

Her voice faltered as she read the next lines to herself.

"Even if it means I have to bind his soul to mine… forever."

Maya’s eyes widened, her pulse quickening. "She… she was practicing dark magic."

Meera stepped closer, her voice hushed with fear. "I told you, my lady. The Rani was not well. She sought out forbidden rituals, spells to control the Raja’s heart and mind."

Maya flipped through the final pages, each one more disturbing than the last. The Rani’s obsession had driven her to the edge of sanity. She had written about rituals she had performed, sacrifices she had made. The last entry was the most chilling.

"‘Tonight, I will make sure that the Raja and I are bound together for eternity. Nothing will keep us apart. Not even death.’"

Maya closed the diary, her hands trembling. She looked up at Meera, her voice shaking. "She was mad. She didn’t just love him… she wanted to own him."

Meera nodded solemnly. "The Rani believed that if she couldn’t have him in life, she would have him in death. That’s why she practiced the dark arts. She wanted to bind his soul to hers, no matter the cost."

Maya felt a cold chill run down her spine. "That’s why she haunts the palace… She’s still here. She never left."

Meera’s eyes were filled with sorrow. "Her soul is trapped, my lady. She bound herself to the Raja through her dark magic. Even in death, her obsession with him lingers. That’s why the palace is cursed."

Maya’s mind raced. The haunting, the whispers, the cold drafts… it all made sense now. Rani Aranya’s spirit was not at peace. She was still trying to claim the Raja, even from beyond the grave.

"What do we do, Meera?" Maya asked, her voice desperate. "How do we stop this?"

Meera hesitated, then spoke softly. "The Rani’s magic was strong, but there may be a way. We need to break the bond she created. Only then will her spirit be freed."

Maya nodded, determination filling her. "Then we’ll do whatever it takes. This ends now."

As they left the room, Maya clutched the diary to her chest, her heart pounding. She knew that the road ahead would be dangerous, but she couldn’t let Rani Aranya’s madness destroy everything. The palace was crumbling under the weight of the past, and if they didn’t act soon, it would drag them all down with it.

The echoes of Rani Aranya’s obsession still whispered through the halls, but Maya would face it head-on. She was determined to free the palace from its ghostly grip—even if it meant confronting the darkness that had consumed the Rani’s soul.