After the media was done clicking Gauri's pictures, they left her alone but before Om could go up to her, guests started coming towards her so that they could wish her happy birthday. 

Gauri in mind: oh god, these people could give their expensive clothes and jewellery to people who actually deserve it. I never thought that I could get annoyed being around people. 

After saying thank you a gazillion times, finally the guests left her alone. Om was about to go up to her when another man came up to her.

Om in mind: I just want to compliment her but people keep coming to her. 

Gauri: who are you?

Man: I'm Ajay, care to dance?

Gauri: no thank you.

Ajay: okay, no worries.

He went away. Gauri sighed. Finally she was alone, so Om went up to Gauri.

Om: hey.

Gauri: hi. 

Om: you look very beautiful.

Gauri smiled: thank you. You also look handsome.

They smiled at one another. Gauri wasn't fond of all this fancy decoration, posh people, this, that so she decided that she needed some fresh air from all this fancy stuff. 

Gauri whispering: I need to go outside in the garden for a few minutes. Can you tell my parents if they ask?

Om whispering: yes I can but why? Are you okay?

Gauri whispering: I'm okay...I just need some fresh air.

Om whispering: do you want me to come with you?

Gauri shook her head with a smile. Om nodded so Gauri left the massive hall. Svetlana and Sanjana noticed Gauri leaving. 

Sanjana whispering: Pooja has left now. I will take care of her, you go to Omkara.

Svetlana whispering: okay Mum, please make sure that Pooja gets taken care of. 

Sanjana whispering: of course. Now go to Omkara!

Svetlana nodded and walked towards Om whilst Sanjana went out of the hall to follow Gauri. Svetlana reached Om who was talking to his sister now. 

Svetlana: Omkara?

Om: yes Svetlana?

Svetlana: everyone is dancing and I don't see Pooja anywhere so do you care to dance with me?

Om: but I am only supposed to dance with my fiancée. 

Svetlana: but I am your fiancée's cousin, it wouldn't hurt just to have one dance.

...

Sanjana was following Gauri...Gauri was unaware that her aunt was following her, she continued walking till she found the entrance to the garden. She smiled, happy that she managed to find the garden and walked out. 

Sanjana in mind: why is this Pooja going out to get fresh air and that too during an event? Pooja always stays inside during events with the guests....whatever! She is making mine and Svetlana's lives easier. 

She went on her phone and dialled in a number. You couldn't hear what she was saying but once she was done talking to the person on the phone, she cut the phone and smirked, going back to the party.

...

Gauri was now in the garden...if there was anything that she liked about this palace then that was the garden. She could stay away from her mother who abandoned her, her father who didn't exactly love her, her brother who wanted the other sister and everyone else who thought that she was Pooja. 

The air felt so fresh in the evening...it was almost sweet and floral.  The air on the skin felt like silk on a hot day, cool and smooth. Gauri looked around the garden, it was more beautiful in the evening than in the day since the fairy lights which were wrapped around the bonsai trees...the fairy lights added to the garden's beauty and it also reminded her of Ekta, her little sister.

Gauri was walking, being guided by small children since she was blindfolded. 

Gauri: kids, are we nearly there yet? 

Child 1: oho why are you being impatient?

Gauri: I am not, I am scared because what if you kids make me fall?

Child 2: why would we make you fall?

Gauri: you never know, life is very unpredictable.

Child 3: now we are here. 

That child took the blindfold off Gauri's eyes and Gauri saw an area of the park....the trees were decorated with fairy lights, the park bench was covered with a pastel yellow cloth and on it was a birthday cake...the cake was a triumph of sugar and flour, towered with buttercream and strawberries to bring it that celebratory colour and freshness. There were some Indian snacks on the bench surface as well. Ekta and some other little girls were hiding behind the bench but as soon as they heard child 3 saying that they were here, she and those little girls jumped from hinding.

Ekta and the girls: SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAURI DIDI!

Gauri in mind: I miss you little kids and I miss you Ekta and maa. 

...

Indore:

The scene had shifted to an area in the park which was decorated with fairy lights, the bench was covered with the pastel yellow cloth and on top of it was the same Victoria Sponge cake and Indian snacks. Surrounding the bench was a young girl with big dark brown eyes and thick black curls which reached her waist, she was wearing a flowy baby pink kurta, next to her was a middle aged woman who had the same big brown eyes and black hair tied in a plait, she was dressed in a light purple patola sari. They weren't alone, they were with so many little kids. 

A boy spoke to the girl with the thick curls asking: Ekta didi, are you done pouring this soft drinks?

Ekta: oh hello be patient!

Little girl 1: Ekta didi, this all snacks...

Ekta: these are all Gauri didi's favourite snacks, if she can't be here with us then we can at least celebrate her birthday with her favourite things. 

She was done pouring the soft drinks and all the kids reached out for the glasses when Ekta spoke: oh, what do you think you kids are doing?

Little girl 2: getting a drink.

Ekta: no one gets a drink, I brought all of this with my pocket money and this cake I spent ages making it perfect so show me what gifts you have got then you can eat.

Little boy 2: Inayat aunty (middle aged woman)....

Inayat: Ekta, they are only kids, let them have some food.

Ekta: gifts first then food.

The kids one by one showed Ekta the gifts they have brought for Gauri. She smiled at each gift then allowed the kids to have food.

...

As Gauri was lost in her own little world, a gun was shown from a bush...the gun was pointing towards Gauri. You couldn't see who was holding the gun but by the hands, you could tell that it was a man holding the gun. Before the trigger was pulled, Om came to Gauri.

Gauri: you? Here?

Om: they want you to come and cut the cake.

Gauri: let's go then. 

Om nodded and the two went inside. The man who was holding the gun groaned. He should have shot her sooner. Why did he take so long? When Gauri and Om came back, the media started taking their pictures...Gauri was not liking the media having to take her pictures all the time and Om had hated the media ever since he was little, so he was not enjoying this unwanted attention. 

Sanjana and Svetlana were once again shocked to see Gauri in front of them, smiling and they were annoyed to see Om looking down at Gauri, smiling at her but they faked smiles in front of everyone. Om and Gauri were brought to the middle and a servant brought out a cake....it was a massive elegant lemon thyme cake, with alternating layers of lemon curd and vanilla buttercream, and then decorated with rich golden icing, candied citrus and sprigs of mint to top it off.

...

Indore:

Ekta: okay guys time to cut the cake. Let's all cut it together. 

Kids: yay!

They all held the knife with Ekta and Inayat as they pushed the knife against the soft cake. 

...

Gauri was given the knife decorated with a pink ribbon, Ahana signaled her to cut the cake with Om. Gauri and Om cut the cake together and the media wanted Om to feed Gauri the cut slice of cake. Om picked up the slice of cake and Gauri took a little bite from it.

...

Indore: 

Ekta picked up the slice of cake and said: here you go Gauri didi....

Everyone looked at her, sadness was shown on their faces but Ekta gave a small smile and turned to Inayat, feeding her the cake slice first. 

Inayat: I'll cut the slices now. You kids play in the park, I will call you when the slices are cut and ready okay?

The kids nodded and Inayat told Ekta to go with the kids. Ekta agreed and went with the kids. As Inayat started cutting the cake, she was thinking about Gauri.

Inayat in mind: I hope those royals are taking care of Gauri. If they are not, they will see my worst side. 

...

When Gauri took a small bite of the cake, she looked at Om's eyes...she only just met him, she didn't want to marry him but would it be a crime if she said that she wasn't in love with his eyes? They may have been black but they were gorgeous...his eyes looked like they were made out of atoms which were born in the brilliant stars. She was so memorised by his eyes that she ignored the sour taste of the cake. 

Gauri was wishing deep inside that her mother, Ekta and the little kids were with her in this palace or she was with them in Indore because her birthday meant nothing without them. 

Everyone clapped their hands and the cake was taken away so the kitchen staff could cut the slices for the guests. Once the cake was taken away, everyone was about go back to their whispers and gossips when Siddharth spoke: today is not just Rajkumari Pooja's birthday, it is also Yuvraj Omkara and Rajkumari Pooja's engagement. We have decided to do their engagement again because last time, they were quite young. This engagement will be done with our family rings. 

Everyone smiled as two servants came with the rings...one was holding the Oberoi family ring which was gold and had a massive moon blue diamond in the middle, the other servant was holding the Mittal family ring which was a gold Celtic ring with a sapphire oval. Gauri was given the Mittal ring and Om was given the Oberoi ring. They were told to exchange rings so that's what they did. 

As Om held Gauri's hand to put the ring on her fourth left finger, he felt a current...Gauri felt it too but they didn't react because they were surrounded by so many guests. 

Gauri then put the ring on Om's fourth left finger, once again the two felt a current. Svetlana flumed in anger seeing the two exchanging rings. She wanted to be the one exchanging rings with Om but instead it was her cousin exchanging rings with him. 

Svetlana in mind: why can't this Pooja die? Is she some sort of immortal being? 

...

The party was finally over, once all the guests left, the Mittals and the Oberois went to their respective rooms. Svetlana stormed in Sanjana's room whilst her mother was wiping off her makeup. Svetlana locked the door and said: what sort of people do you hire? They can never do the job right! 

Sanjana: I got a call from the person I hired and he told me that he was about to shoot when Omkara came and took Pooja inside! 

Svetlana: I don't care! I want Pooja gone! You know it is so unfair that Pooja gets Omkara! She is younger than me by one year so shouldn't I get him?

Sanjana: unfortunately Pooja is Siddharth bhaiya's daughter and Siddharth bhaiya is king hence she gets Omkara.

Svetlana: so just because she is a king's daughter, she gets the most desirable prince! That is not fair! You know if you didn't divorce dad, then maybe Omkara could have been mine!

Sanjana: I was not happy with your dad. You didn't want to stay with your dad, you wanted to go with me so if you had stayed with your dad, then you could have got Omkara!

Svetlana: good to know! I wish that I wasn't your daughter...I wish I was Siddharth mamu's daughter because the eldest daughter of the king gets Omkara right? 

Sanjana: you know that if Pooja dies, you get Omkara.

Svetlana: I am starting to believe that she is immortal. I mean how can anyone survive such a grave fall? 

Sanjana: you're right...how can anyone survive such a grave fall?

Svetlana: today could have been the day that she disappeared from our lives but that didn't happen! I will make sure mum that I will be the one marrying Omkara not Pooja! Omkara is mine, only mine! 

Sanjana: you will get Omkara, my daughter deserves to be happy not that Pooja. 

She hugged her daughter and Svetlana hugged her back. 

...

Indore: 

The kids went to their houses, and Inayat and Ekta were now at their flat. Ekta was wrapping the gifts up since when the kids gave the gifts, they weren't wrapped up.

Inayat: what are you going to do with these gifts Ekta?

Ekta: I am going to find out the Pithampur Palace's address then I will send these to Gauri didi. 

Inayat: accha...

She turned on the TV and switched the channel to the news.

Ekta: mum, put Star Plus on...Yeh Hai Chahatein is coming on soon, Rudra is going to reveal the truth and I need to know if Saransh passes or fails! 

Inayat: you and that show, you are so addicted to that show. Let me just see what's on the news. 

News Reporter: Yuvraj Omkara Singh Oberoi and Rajkumari Pooja Siddharth Singh Mittal are looking gorgeous together. Today along with Rajkumari Pooja's birthday event, the royals also hosted Yuvraj Omkara and Rajkumari Pooja's engagement for the second time, the first time was when they were little children.

Inayat: POOJA LOOKS LIKE GAURI?!

Ekta looked up and was also shocked: GAURI DIDI LOOKS LIKE POOJA?!

...

Gauri was finally free of that bun and that dress, she didn't get out the contacts yet but she did take off all that makeup and the earrings...changing into a simple light grey kurta with white leggings. She allowed her hair to be down, after brushing it, she went out of her room. She avoided every servant because she wanted to go to the kitchen and Natasha told her that princesses don't enter the kitchen but she needed real tea...chai with glucose biscuits. 

She entered the kitchen, letting out a sigh of relief seeing that no one was there. She started finding the ingredients for her glucose biscuit chai. She found the ingredients for chai but she couldn't find the glucose biscuits anywhere.

Gauri: why don't they have any glucose biscuits? Is it not too fancy for them? 

She bent down and started opening the bottom cabinets, closing each one since they didn't have the biscuits. Five bottom cabinets later, she found a packet of glucose biscuits hidden by silver utensils. She picked it up, closed the cabinet then stood up, smiling at the packet. 

Gauri: yay!

Voice: you sound happy!

Oh shit! Someone has caught her in the kitchen, she stood there frozen, not daring to turn around to see who it was. The person's footsteps were then heard, coming close to her, she felt someone's hot breath, her heart beating fast as the voice whispered huskily in her ear: relax princess, it's me Om.

Gauri turned to see Om in a black kurta with a few buttons undone. Oh god, he looked so handsome in a black kurta, she started getting not so sanskari thoughts in her head. She sighed and asked: what are you doing here?

Om: I could ask you the same question.

Gauri: I asked first so you give me an answer.

Om: fine, I am here to get some water. I was feeling thirsty. Why are you here?

Gauri: to make chai.

Om: I thought you didn't know how to make chai.

She didn't just know how to make chai, she knew how to make a wide range of Indian dishes...she learnt because there were days and nights Inayat would have to work late so Gauri learnt cooking for Ekta and herself but Om didn't know that she was Gauri nor did he know about her little sister Ekta. 

Gauri: yes I know how to make chai. Natasha mam taught me once. 

Om: that's nice. 

He found a glass and found the water jug to fill up his glass whereas Gauri started making her chai.

Gauri: do you want some chai?

Om was about to say yes but he saw Gauri breaking the glucose biscuits. 

Om: why are you breaking glucose biscuits?

Gauri: they add more flavour to chai. Let me do one thing, I will make one cup and you can try it okay?

Om nodded though he was a little unsure...he didn't know that Pooja liked glucose biscuits and that too in her chai. Gauri finished making one cup of chai and gave it to Om.

Gauri: you will love it trust me.

Om: if you insist. 

He took a small sip and was actually surprised that chai with glucose biscuits tasted nice. 

Gauri: how is it?

Om: really good. 

Gauri smiled and made herself another cup. Once she made her cup of glucose chai, she started drinking it.

Om: why did you cry earlier?

Gauri stopped drinking her chai and started thinking of an answer: Natasha said that Siddharth's mother died and that Pooja was very close to her dadiji, I can tell him that. (talking) I was missing my dadiji. 

Om: oh...I know that you miss her but she is alive in your heart.

Gauri smiled as they continued drinking their glucose biscuit chai. After they were done, they exited the kitchen and as they were going up the stairs, Gauri spoke: is it okay if you don't tell anyone that you saw me in the kitchen, not even Natasha mam?

Om: of course not, just don't tell anyone you saw me in the kitchen.

Gauri: deal!

They smiled at one another as they went their separate ways to their rooms.

.

.

.

Is Svetlana psycho enough for all of you or do we need her to be more psycho? 

What are Svetlana and Sanjana cooking up?

Anyone have a clue of what could have happened to the real Pooja?

Is Gauri starting to become interested in Om?

How will Ekta manage to get Gauri's gifts to the palace without anyone in the palace suspecting anything?

So I was wondering do you all want a masquerade ball in the next chapter or puja? Let me know.

Also do check out my book Pure Fate on my other account @foreverrikarafan

Target: 20+ votes and 10+ comments