Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya

Part III: The Unraveling Truth

Chapter 19: The Unraveling Memory

The shadows of the past seemed to grow longer in the palace, their cold fingers curling around every corner. Raja Vikram sat alone in his chambers, staring at the fireplace as the flames flickered low, casting dancing shadows on the walls. His mind wandered back to Rani Aranya—her laugh, her smile, the softness of her touch. Yet, these memories now felt tainted, as if they were mere reflections of something much darker.

Ever since Maya had discovered Rani's diary, unsettling thoughts gnawed at his mind. He had loved Rani deeply, but was her love for him ever truly pure? Was it ever real, or had it always been poisoned by her obsession? Vikram shook his head, trying to banish the disturbing questions, but they clung to him like a shadow that would not leave.

A knock at the door broke his reverie. It was General Bhanu, his loyal confidant and old friend. Bhanu entered the room, his expression grim.

"Vikram," Bhanu began, using the informal name only a close friend could, "you’ve been distant. The palace is in turmoil. These strange occurrences... and now Maya’s fears... It’s as if something is closing in on us all."

Raja sighed, his gaze still locked on the fire. "I don’t know what to think anymore, Bhanu. Rani Aranya... her memory, it haunts me. But not in the way I expected. I feel as though I’m remembering things differently now."

Bhanu furrowed his brow and sat beside the Raja. "Differently? What do you mean?"

Vikram hesitated, the words thick on his tongue. "I’ve been thinking about her final days, about how she fell ill. The healers could find nothing wrong with her, nothing physical. And yet, she grew weaker, slipping away from me. I remember the way she looked at me... almost like she was accusing me of something. As if I had betrayed her."

Bhanu frowned. "You did everything you could to save her, Vikram. We all saw it. You were by her side day and night."

"I thought so too," Vikram murmured, running a hand through his hair. "But now... now I’m not sure. Her death... it feels different in my memory, as if there was something more going on. Something I missed."

Bhanu leaned forward, concern etched on his face. "What are you saying? Do you think someone harmed her?"

Raja Vikram’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. "Not someone else... but her. What if Rani wasn’t as innocent as we all believed? What if she was—" His voice broke, the thought too horrible to complete.

Bhanu shook his head, disbelief clouding his features. "Rani Aranya was devoted to you, Vikram. She loved you more than anyone."

"Did she?" Vikram interrupted, his voice harsh. "Did she truly love me, or was it something else? Was it obsession? Control? I’ve been remembering... strange things. The way she would speak of our bond as something unbreakable, as if she owned me."

Bhanu’s eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Vikram stood up abruptly, pacing the room. "There were times when I felt uneasy around her, as if her love was smothering me. She spoke of us being together for eternity, but there was a... desperation in her eyes. She wasn’t speaking of a normal love, Bhanu. It was something more dangerous, more possessive."

General Bhanu watched his friend closely, his own unease growing. "What are you suggesting, Vikram?"

Vikram paused, his back to Bhanu. "Maya found something—a diary. Rani's diary. It reveals that she dabbled in dark magic, that she was trying to bind me to her. She didn’t just want to love me; she wanted to control me, even after death."

Bhanu’s face paled. "Dark magic? I had heard rumors of her interest in the occult, but I never believed them to be true."

"I didn’t either," Vikram admitted, his voice strained. "But the evidence is there. She wrote about it. Her love wasn’t pure, Bhanu. It was twisted by obsession. I’m starting to believe she didn’t die naturally."

There was a heavy silence between them, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Bhanu stood, his voice low. "You think she took her own life to bind her spirit to you?"

Raja Vikram nodded slowly, his heart heavy with the realization. "It explains everything—the hauntings, the whispers, the way the palace feels suffocated by her presence. She’s still here, Bhanu, and she won’t let me go."

Bhanu clenched his fists. "Then we need to find a way to end this. If she used dark magic to bind herself to you, there must be a way to break that bond."

"Rajguru," Vikram said quietly. "He warned me, didn’t he? He always told me not to act hastily in matters of the heart, that love can blind us to the truth. I didn’t listen. I was blinded by my love for her, and now... I don’t know how to fix this."

Bhanu placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "We’ll figure it out, Vikram. You are not alone in this. Maya is suffering too, and we cannot allow Rani’s madness to destroy the kingdom."

Vikram met Bhanu’s gaze, his eyes filled with a mixture of grief and determination. "I don’t know how to fight something that’s already dead, Bhanu. How do I confront the woman I once loved, the woman who is now haunting me?"

"You don’t fight alone," Bhanu said firmly. "You have me, you have Maya, and you have the Rajguru. Together, we will find a way to put Rani Aranya’s spirit to rest, and we will restore peace to this palace."

Vikram nodded, though doubt still gnawed at him. The weight of Rani’s ghost hung heavy in the air, but now, for the first time, he understood the truth. The woman he had loved was not the same woman whose spirit now lingered in the shadows.

As Bhanu left the room, Vikram turned back to the fire, his mind racing. He had to confront this darkness, not just for himself, but for Maya, for the palace, for the kingdom. He had loved Rani Aranya once, but now, it was time to let her go.

Even if she refused to leave.