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At Morning
The first knock didn't wake her.
Neither did the second.
Or the third.
The sun was barely kissing the sky when someone began banging loudly on the door, but Dhara lay unmoving on the cold floor. Her sleep was deep, heavy-like she'd fallen into a pit of exhaustion so dark, even sound couldn't reach her.
It wasn't until the knocking grew frantic, sharp like thunder, that her eyelashes fluttered open.
The moment her vision cleared, the reality hit hard.
Her body was stiff, her skin freezing from the chill of the stone floor. No blanket, no pillow... just her curled-up frame surrounded by a mess of ash, burnt wood, and broken glass.
The charred remains of photographs still smouldered faintly.
Last night hadn't been a dream.
It was all real. Samar... the fire... the silence he left behind.
"Dhara! Are you dead or what?!"
A voice thundered from outside.
That voice.
She jolted upright, terror instantly reflecting in her wide eyes. Netra.
With trembling fingers and a racing heart, she reached for the door handle, unthinking, unprepared.
The door creaked open.
"Dhara, you b-" Netra's furious tongue was halfway through a curse when she suddenly spotted **three other palace women** behind her, their eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Netra froze, her fury disguised with a sweetened fake smile.
"Sh-she's already late for Rajgardh," she stuttered, adjusting her tone.
"Rajmata wants everyone gathered, and I didn't want her to get scolded. Let's not waste time here, you're all late too."
She shoved Dhara inside roughly and slammed the door shut behind her. Her composed mask dropped like a curtain.
"What is wrong with you?!" she hissed. "I thought you were actually dead!"
Another breath. Another build-up.
"Every day I pray that this wretched job ends-that I finally escape this prison, this hellhole, and stop being your damn babysitter! Always stuck between Ranasa's silence and Abhinav Sahabji's rage-I'm sick of it!"
Slap.
Her palm collided hard with Dhara's cheek.
Dhara flinched, tears immediately spilling from her eyes-but not a word left her mouth. Not a scream. Just... silence.
Because she was used to this.
Pain was an old friend.
Netra's anger was only warming up.
Tears spilled again from Dhara's eyes, but she said nothing more. Because there was nothing she could say to change Netra's hatred.
She was always going to be the villain in someone else's story-even when she hadn't done anything wrong.
Poor Dhara was trembling like a frightened leaf caught in a storm. Her sobs came out in broken hiccups, her thin frame shaking as she tried to shield herself with her arms.
She had always been a punching bag-first for her uncle and aunt, and now for Netra, who seemed to take pleasure in breaking whatever little strength Dhara had left.
Ever since she was thrown out of the palace, she had known only one language-pain.
And Netra? She made sure to teach her new lessons in cruelty every day.
YOU ARE READING
Royal Secrets (Shhhh)
Romance"Royal Secrets (Shhhhh)" unveils the shadowy tale of a royal family, where the ancient palace of Rajgardh guards centuries-old mysteries within its walls. Secrets so dark they could have shattered generations, buried alongside long-gone kings, whisp...
