𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 : 𝑨 𝑴𝒂𝒇𝒊𝒂 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

{36}•ʜɪs ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴀ•

I’ve created an Instagram group for all the readers, and it’s going to be so much fun! Some of the characters will be joining in and playing their roles too. I’ll drop the group link in the comments if you’d like to join in! It’s going to be a great time, so don’t miss out! 💅🏻😭

BONDITA

As Nani Maa gently led me away from the crowd, I could feel the weight of the moment press down on me. Her grip on my hand was firm, yet comforting, as if she were guiding me through something unknown, something significant. My heart was racing with curiosity and confusion. Why was she taking me away from Anirudh, and what was she going to show me?

We walked down a long hallway, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stone walls. The palace seemed even more enormous when I was walking through it with someone else. I tried to steady my breath, but there was something unsettling about the unknown that lingered in the air.

Finally, Nani Maa led me to a room. As soon as we stepped inside, she closed the door behind us with a soft click. The room was dimly lit, with only a few candles flickering on a nearby table. But Nani Maa didn’t seem to mind the shadows; she walked confidently to the wall and flicked a switch, illuminating the room.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me.

There, on the wall, was a large portrait. The image was of a man—young, handsome, with sharp features and dark, intense eyes. His hair was neatly combed, his posture regal. But it wasn’t the man himself that caught my attention. It was the woman standing next to him.

She was breathtaking. Her beauty radiated from the painting, her eyes full of grace and elegance. But it wasn’t just her beauty that made my heart skip a beat—it was the resemblance. The woman in the painting looked strikingly similar to someone I knew. The way her face was shaped, the way she held herself... I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen her before.

I gasped and turned to Nani Maa, my voice trembling with confusion. "Yeh? Yeh kon hai, Nani Maa?" (Who is this? Who is she, Nani Maa?)

Nani Maa stood in front of the portrait, her eyes softening as she stared at the painting. I could see the sadness that settled in her expression, a deep, quiet sorrow that I hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t the sadness of a recent loss, but rather a pain that seemed to have lasted for years, perhaps decades.

"Yeh meri beti hai," Nani Maa said softly, her voice thick with emotion. "Raj Kumari hai yeh Yaha ki." (She is my daughter. She is the princess of this kingdom.)

I stood there, stunned, my mind racing. My eyes darted between the painting and Nani Maa, trying to comprehend what she had just said. Her daughter? A princess? The woman in the painting was part of Nani Maa’s family? But then why hadn’t I heard of her before? Why didn’t anyone mention her?

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but the words got stuck in my throat. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion, my thoughts unable to make sense of it all.

"Why have I never heard of her?" I whispered, almost to myself. "What happened to her, Nani Maa?"

Nani Maa’s gaze shifted from the portrait to me. Her eyes seemed distant, as if she were looking at something far beyond the room. For a moment, she said nothing, her silence heavy in the air.

Finally, she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "She was taken from us, Bondita. A long time ago. But this is a part of our past, a part of the royal family’s history... and now, it is part of yours as well."

I was silent, my heart heavy with the weight of the mystery I had just uncovered. The woman in the painting—Anirudh’s family, Nani Maa’s daughter—there was so much that didn’t make sense. And the deeper I looked, the more questions arose. What had happened to her? Why had she been taken? And why was Nani Maa showing me this now?