Kama: Liberation(Vol-II)

Chapter 15. Rajbharya

All is good. And all will be.

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"Am I looking good?"

Nadira fidgeted with her beaded skirt. Well, even if she wasn't looking great, it was too late to change. Then and now she flicked her hair and tucked a lock behind her ear. The skirt was light as a feather, billowing with the breeze. It clung to her thighs tightly. Although she knew Aryamna loved her, sometimes she felt if all the flesh and fat on her thighs, or anywhere else, were making her less desirable.

"You are good," Devanj replied. "Whatever you wear, you look absolutely stunning. No comparison."

She smiled. Lately the memories were returning. She could remember Mataraj; due to the perils of ageing, the old woman was waiting in her tower and did not come down because of a backache. She now knew who Devanj was– the oldest son of Gandhar's late Rajan Hridayank, the beloved stepson of Amba and the stepbrother to Petra Mansi. She knew every turn of the corridor, the secret passages of this palace, the transformation the courtroom had gone through, and so on.

"Yes, you look so sweet. Yellow makes your complexion shine."

Nadira would have appreciated the compliment had it come from someone else besides Dilrobar. That woman, with her accursed burnt face, stood with a smile which was surely genuine, but still bitter in Nadira's perspective. Perhaps even unrequired. "Thank you," she said politely. "You can go and oversee the cooking."

Devanj pretended to not have heard the order and so would not be obliged to ask Dilrobar to stay. Inside, he couldn't help but like how Dilrobar was getting treated. With a past so repulsive, she ought to suffer harsh ignorance. But when he saw the redeemed woman's teary gaze, he felt a knot in his stomach.

"Yes. I shall." Dilrobar bowed and left the spot. She knew Nadira didn't want her here during the welcoming of the Rajan, and of course Rudra himself despised her.

Nadira heaved a sigh. She wasn't willing to think about the treacherous past or anyone related to its wicked deeds. Fine, Dilrobar had changed, but forgiveness was something which could not be forced.

"There, your brother has arrived," Devanj waved towards the royal lion gate. Hand-in-hand, the Rajan and Indumala bent to touch the soil in reverence. Nadira's heart swelled with happiness upon seeing her daughter (although no one knew that) and her brother in love. Unfortunately, it had dampened her spirits when she got to know that Rudra wasn't her own blood, that Ranavato was only her mother.

It was fate's miraculous play. Both Rudra and Indumala believed they were orphans. Nadira knew she was the true mother of Indumala, but who had sired her lovely brother? One day, she would find it.

Indumala started a happy dance, hopping from one side to another upon seeing her. Nadira threw a flying kiss at her. Rudra wrapped an arm around Indumala's shoulder. They spoke while climbing the stairs. Suddenly, his face morphed into horror. Pointing at a nearby tree, he held Indumala close, as if an eagle was to snatch her away.

Nadira was on the verge of screaming at the guards to go help, when Rudra scooped up Indumala. His lips quivered in a mischievous grin. Stupid was the way he showed his teeth, yet adorable his smile. Indumala gripped his hair and demanded to be let go. But the Rajan was a man who listened to mostly himself .