A Glimpse of Red

Acceptance

Nitya entered the vast, dimly lit prayer room, where a grand idol of Goddess Kali loomed—a fierce, divine protector who had always brought Nitya peace in her most turbulent times. But tonight, peace felt like a distant memory. The room was shrouded in shadows, the faint glow of a single, enormous oil lamp illuminating the frail figure of her grandmother, Queen Mother Antra.

The queen sat before the deity, holding the heavy lamp in her trembling hands, her face hollowed by exhaustion and age. Her once immaculate hair was now unkempt, her sari crumpled and dull—a stark contrast to the regal woman Nitya had known all her life. The queen, once the pride of the empire, looked like a shell of herself.As Nitya approached, the queen's eyes met hers, weary and haunted. "You're here," Antra whispered, her voice distant.

Alarmed by the sight, Nitya knelt, gently taking the lamp from her grandmother's hands, feeling the raw burns from its heat. "Dadi Saheb, what's happened to you?" she demanded, anger and worry lacing her voice. "Who has driven you to this state?"Queen Antra's gaze sharpened, a strange mixture of sorrow and bitterness filling her eyes. "It's you," she replied softly. "You... your very birth."Nitya staggered back, stunned. "Me? How could my existence cause this?"

Ignoring her, Antra's voice grew distant, and her face was set, as if casting judgment. "Do you know how many sacrifices I've made to keep this family from ruin? Your father was promised to Princess Rajnadani of Rewar—the only hope to bind our family to theirs and end this bitterness between us. But he broke the promise and chose your mother instead. Because of his selfishness, Rajnadani died in heartbreak in the form of car accident. Her family came for revenge, demanding blood for blood."

Nitya listened, her heart pounding with each word."Your father... he killed their closest warrior, Bhairav Singh, which only fanned the flames. Raj Singh Rawal swore to end our line that night." Antra's voice grew even quieter. "I pleaded for mercy, for my son's life, and in return, I promised them my first granddaughter—to be wed to Raj's son, to pay for my son's sins."Nitya's hands clenched, the betrayal cutting deeper than any blade. "So you bargained my future... for your son's?"

"Yes," Antra replied coldly. "For my son's life, and for the honor of this house, I would sacrifice anything—even you. That is the burden of a queen."The heavy silence was broken by the distant sound of a carriage pulling up outside, its crest bearing the emblem of the Rawal family. The weight of her grandmother's words sank into Nitya like stones, each one dragging her further into despair.

She looked into Antra's eyes, trying to find a trace of regret or guilt, but all she saw was resolve. "So that's it," Nitya whispered. "You're asking me to pay your debt—to give up my life to protect a family that uses me as a pawn?"Antra nodded, almost imperceptibly. "You may despise me, but this is your duty, Nitya. As my granddaughter, you must fulfill the promise that saved your father. This is the path you were born to walk."Nitya felt her heart fracture, the weight of her family's betrayal pressing on her with unbearable force. Her grandmother's expression softened, as if offering sympathy, though the demand lingered in her gaze.Without another word, Nitya turned and left the prayer room, each step echoing through the silent palace. She felt the walls close in around her, binding her to a fate that had been decided long before she had a say. As the grand doors closed behind her, the full magnitude of her grandmother's betrayal settled in her heart—a marriage not born of love, but a debt.

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The procession of the Rawal carriage drew the attention of everyone along its path. Adorned in dark silk, with silver and ruby accents reflecting in the afternoon sun, the royal carriage was unmistakable. But today, it carried neither celebration nor peace.