𝑰𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 ✎

[35]

Maneka's POV

I watch from my balcony as the grandeur of the Palace comes to life with the onset of evening.

Its almost six in the evening and the celebration of the king and queen of Mewar's marriage anniversary has begun with the lighting of the oil lamps in the royal garden.

My temporary handmaiden helped me dress in a white saree with golden border and instead of the stack of bangles that usually adorned my wrists, I now have a pair of thin gold bangles on my hands. My hair is untied and left to cascade down my back, the customary thing for a widow like me.
Honestly the traditional thing would also be for me to not be invited to participate in the activities of today's celebration but Mewar's royal family is progressive or atleast they are trying to be, because despite my refusals I have been forced to make an appearance.

Its almost time for me to gather with the crowd already present at the courtyard. The puja ceremony was already done in the morning so right now is for the celebration and dinner alone. All the ministers and their families have been invited as well as some important and close allys and dignitaries to the celebration. All of this information I know thank to Vaidehi who has been making me keep her company the entire past week. Its sweet honestly. Atleast one person here is trying to make me feel like I am not unwanted.

I hear the maid servants and guards whispering behind my back many times. My own temporary maid servant was assigned to me only because she is a widow too. No unmarried or married women would want to be my handmaiden afterall. I could rub off my bad luck on them.

There is a small part of me that cracks whenever I hear whispers calling me, "bad luck" or a misfortune. But I can't blame them can I? I did afterall loose my husband to death.

I think its time for me to make an appearance downstairs. So with a heavy heart I walk toward the doors of my quarters. While Raghavendra's family has been nothing but warm and kind, the others not so much. I see eyes following my movements, judging me. Every stare if I smile or laugh or even talk, because its a sin apparently for a widow to function like a normal human.
But Vaidehi and the Queen insisted that I show up so out of respect for them I am doing this.

The second I reach the hall of public where the celebration is being hosted, I know it was a bad idea. The stares find me one by one and are followed by hushed whispers. My skin crawls and my cheeks flame with embarssment. The queen and Vaidehi can be progressive all they want but the society is not going to catch up with them. And its hard, its really hard to face all these people by myself.

"Yuvraj Raghavendra Shivraj Pratap Singh aur Rajkumari Vaidehi Padhar rahe hai!" The guards announce forcing all the eyes to distract from me and focus on the curtains opening to let their prince and princess bride arrive.

They look stunning together. Raghavendra's tall and powerful presence sitting exactly well with Vaidehi's regal poise. She is dressed in a golden blouse and an auburn lehenga set. Her head is veiled with a matching auburn dupatta heavily bordered with gold. Her jewellery is gorgeous too. She looks like a true royal.

I am not going to lie, when I first met Vaidehi I was not expecting her to be so elegant and poised. One would imagine a village born and bred girl would find it hard to assimilate into the intricacies of royal families. But Vaidehi makes it look so effortless its unreal. Maybe its because that afterall its a king's blood running through her veins or maybe its just the way her mother brought her up. Maybe her mother knew that she will marry into a royal family so she made sure her daughter was no less.

Whatever the reason maybe, no one can fault her. She is simply faultless. She is kind to the servants, gentle with the crowd, knows how to hold her own and not to forget, gorgeous.
I would like to imagine those are all the traits I have too afterall I was raised to be all of that. But I can't be sure about the gorgeous part. That was genetics, I didn't have any say.