Aarohi's POV:

"I'm very sorry for your loss", a random person pats my shoulder but I don't bother to look at him.

My face is focused on Daadu's photo. Pari di is sitting beside me, her hand entwined in mine, her expression blank.

Mom, dad and I flew into Rajasthan as soon as I reached home. Karthik promised to take care of Lizzie till then. The last rites were already performed and now the entire city had come to pay their homage to Daadu.

I haven't seen someone as brave as Daadi. Her face composed, she thanked every and each one of the guests who had attended the funeral, and received their gratitude and apologies with a small smile on her face.

All the relatives had gathered. Naanu looked particularly shaken up. He and Daadu got along together like a house on fire. Everybody was assisting Daadi with the guests while us children were asked to sit down quietly.

I glance at dad. His eyes are puffy and red, and his head is resting on mom's shoulder, as she is trying to stay strong for the both of them. Mom sees me looking at him and gives me a small smile.

Pari di suddenly gets up from my side and without a word, runs into the arms of a stranger guy, sobbing onto his chest. I guess that must be Pari di's boyfriend, Dhaval Lodha.

Aziza di comes and takes Pari di's place. She gives me a small smile and sits silent for a while. Then says, "It all happened too suddenly, didn't it?"

I nod my head, silently. I honestly don't feel like talking.

"I mean, I don't know him much, but Naanu always used to talk about him, and how simple and generous he is. I mean, look at Daadi. She's like Daadu's reflection."

I crack a small smile at that. "She's a superwoman."

"Yeah, she is", Abhimanyu pipes up from behind. "She's an amazing woman. Apparently she had promised Daadu that she will always keep smiling even if he's not with her anymore. I can't imagine the amount of effort it must be taking her to not break down."

I look at Daadi, who is still smiling and making small talk with some guest, and gesturing towards an empty chair, probably asking them to take a seat.

"Kids", we turn around to see Kiara chachi calling us. "It's time."

It's traditional in our family for every member to say something about the person who has just passed away. The last time I had attended a funeral was when one of Daadi's sisters passed away. She died due to a heart attack as well.

We say a few words about what the person means to us and pray for his or her soul to rest in peace. It is customary in my family.

Daadu's ashes are already in a container which Daadi will be taking to Rishikesh tomorrow. They're next to a big photo of his. His smiling face automatically brings tears in my eyes.

Daadi is the first to say something. She stands in front of everybody, her demeanour still composed, but her voice is a little shaky.

"My husband", she begins and then pauses. "My husband was a very good man. Perhaps the best person I've ever known. And you might think I am biased while saying this because he is my husband, but that's not true. Well, not entirely true." A few of us smile at that.

"He was always a giver. He was generous, helpful, free of spirit, caring, loving and protective towards his family as well as his people. He has always gone out of his way to help people, be it anybody. He was a rational and a just man. He was always calm and composed, unlike me. And he was the most handsome man in the whole world", she smiles and so does everybody. "He was my whole world. He always used to tell me to do great things but keep my feet on the ground. He has been my better half, my supporter, my teacher, my motivator- and most importantly, my life. I'm going to miss him so much. May his soul rest in peace."

Daadi cannot stop the tears from flowing down this time, and neither can any of us. Dad and Prithvi chachu help her take a seat, as Naani puts an arm around her and lets her cry in peace.

Prithvi chachu is the next in line to speak. "My dad", he says and then corrects as he looks at all of his siblings. "Our dad", he smiles at dad. "Our dad was the best father, and we were blessed to have him. He made sure that all of our wishes were fulfilled, but at the same time, taught us the importance of hard work. He never stopped us from pursuing what we wanted in life, and we could always lean on to him for support whenever anything went wrong. I could not have been more lucky to be born as his son. I love you, dad. May you rest in peace."

He departs, with tears in his eyes, and Kiara chachi hugs him tightly.

Next to speak is my dad. He clears his throat. I know my dad's problem. He is a man of few words.

"Our father", dad says. "I owe my entire life to our father. He adopted myself and Vikram when our real parents passed away and strived to bring happiness into our lives. I could not be more grateful. He changed my life. He was just. But most importantly, I am thankful towards him for the one person I value and cherish the most in the world- my wife, Radhika. If it hadn't been for him and his wise words, we wouldn't have been together. He taught me the importance of love, and for that I am eternally grateful. I love you, dad. Always have, always will. May God bless you and may your soul rest in peace."

He ends the speech with an applause from people, and then goes on to hug my mom tightly and plants a sweet kiss on her forehead. They then look at me and beckon me to come over and then hug me tightly as well.

Soon it's my turn to say something. I walk up in front of everybody and clear my throat. I had always been afraid of an audience.

"You're a good orator", I can hear Daadu saying as I remember his reaction when I had recited my speech in front of him once. "You will do great things, Aarohi. You're a born leader. A maverick. You just need to put more feelings in your words to make them even more powerful."

"My grandfather", I find myself saying, as I smile at the memory, and then correct myself. "My Daadu was a gem of a person. He always believed in me. Always. He was the one to encourage me to think outside the box. He was the one to motivate me to do something different. He was the one who always laughed at my jokes, no matter how silly they were", I chuckle slightly at the memory. "Daadu was a person you could go to whenever you needed any help of any kind. He never judged you, never underestimated you, and he always listened. He had the talent to connect to people of different generations. He had the art of getting a point across without overruling the other person's opinion. My Daadu is my inspiration. If I can be even a quarter of the person he was, I'd count myself lucky. I love you Daadu. I miss you."

My speech is received with a huge round of applause.

I am immediately pulled into a hug by my family. All of them tell me that what I said was beautiful, and pat me on my back. Naanu teases me that he is sad that he couldn't be my inspiration. But I know that Daadu is Naanu's inspiration as well. Daadu was Naanu's best friend.

All of us are having lunch, when Prithvi chachu beckons all of us (just those on dad's side) into Daadu and Daadi's bedroom, saying it's urgent.

Daadi is sitting on the bed with a bunch of legal papers, in front of someone who looks like a lawyer. Everybody is standing around the bed. As soon as I enter, each eye falls on me, as if in anticipation.

I look at all of them, perplexed. "What's going on?" I ask dad.

He looks at Daadi, who clears her throat and says, "It's your grandfather's will."

I shrug and put my hands inside my pockets. I never really cared about wills. I am about to excuse myself since I left my lunch halfway through, but dad stops me. "Wait. This is important. You need to stay."

I look at him but he is carefully avoiding my eye.

Okay now I am definitely suspicious. What the hell is going on over here?

"This will states that half of your father's fortune would be in my name", Daadi reads. "And the rest of it would be divided equally among each child. That's, ofcourse, including Reehaan and Vikram."

"It also states, that the estate would be made in my name, and Prithvi would be the rightful King to the people. The selection of the next kin in line is left to us. That we can worry about when the time comes", Daadi says and adjusts her reading glasses.

"Since Prithvi would be the King now, Reehaan would technically be in charge of the business and Vikram would be the one assisting him. But I have spoken to Reehaan and it is his wish that he would like to remain in Mumbai and therefore, Vikram would take over the business and Reehaan would keep assisting him. We will have a formal ceremony declaring you as the King of Amer Fort", Daadi tells Prithvi chachu.

Then Daadi turns to look at me, and everybody stares at me, my elders in apprehension, and my cousins in confusion.

"Aarohi", Daadi says. "Can you come here, please?"

I walk towards her and she makes me stand in front of her. She peers through her glasses and smiles at me. "Your grandfather has written a letter to you in his will. Would you read it aloud for all of us, please?"

My eyes widen in surprise, but I oblige. "Sure", I say as I take the will from her.

"To my darling granddaughter Aarohi,

If you're reading this letter, it means I am no more. But don't worry, I have moved on to a better place. And don't mention this to your Daadi, but I know there will be some really beautiful angels up in heaven. Just kidding. Nobody is a match to your Daadi.

Now, I know you are confused as to why I have addressed a letter only to you, and not my other grandchildren. Well, let me tell you a secret. You're my favourite grandchild. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my grandchildren equally, but you are the only one who is very close to me.

Listen to me carefully now, Aarohi. Remember when I told you that you would be a good orator and a fantastic leader? Do you remember what your speech was about? It was about the social issues faced by a certain tribe in our country and your research about that tribe and their problems was so deep, and your feelings so intense when you were simply telling me about them, that I knew at once that your true calling lied in social work. Not engineering.

Since the past one year, me and all the other Kings and Queens have been in talks regarding the Umaid Bhawan Palace. When my brother and his wife passed away, eventually we took over the working of the city and the villages that my brother and my sister-in-law were ruling. But soon, the population grew and so did their problems and so did our work. We could not pay as much attention to the other places as we did before.

Hence, we are thinking of reopening the Palace for the Royals again. Not as a tourist place, but as a home. Your rightful home. Your father's rightful home. Since Reehaan and Vikram both have denied ruling the people of Jodhpur, you would be the next in line as a ruler. You, my dear Aarohi, are the rightful Queen of Jodhpur.

I know this is a bit too fast and too sudden, but there is no doubt that you would be able to do it. In our conversations, you have always expressed a desire to work for the people and how you wished you had an opportunity to do that. Well, now you do. I have already spoken to your parents and they have agreed, but ultimately it's your decision.

Trust me, Aarohi. You would make an amazing Queen. You are perfect, my sweet little granddaughter. It is my wish that you would take over your rightful claim to the throne and rule the people of Jodhpur wisely, with humility, with justness in your actions and with love and care. I have full faith in you. I know you can do it.

If you are up to the task, please ask your Daadi to give you an envelope. It's a letter from Massachusetts Institute of Technology admitting you to their Bachelors program in Business Administration this fall. Now, I wanted to talk to you about this on your birthday, since you're turning twenty one and it can be pretty life changing. Please think and decide. I truly hope you take up the course in the United States. I know for sure, that you would exceed everybody's expectations and be a far better ruler than I ever was.

Just remember Aarohi, life doesn't offer you second chances all the time. So grab every opportunity, live every moment, and make the best use of your time. Be good, and be you. Never lose faith in yourself and never doubt your worth. Always be confident, always be kind. Keep your head in the air, but feet firmly on the ground. Take care sweetheart.

Love,
Your Daadu."

My mind is absolutely blank as I try to register what is written in the letter.

I finally look at mom and dad. Particularly at dad. "Is it true? What's written in this? Am I the actual Queen of Jodhpur?"

Dad looks at me and nods, but his expression is slightly grim. So is my mother's. Rest all of my relatives look very excited and happy for me.

This is huge! This is life-changing!

Am I ready to leave my old life and go study in the United States of America? I must say, getting admitted to MIT is a huge deal. And I've always wanted to do social work, but I took mechanical engineering because I was good at it.

Can I actually rule people? Can I actually be the Queen and stay in Umaid Bhawan Palace?

Can I be the person my Daadu has said that I am?

Or will I end up a failure?!

I read the letter again. This time the words stand out of the letter and are imprinted inside my brain.

Silence falls in the room as warmth settles inside my heart, and flows uninhibitedly through my entire body, making me feel alive.

I can do this.

I can definitely do this.

I can change people's lives.

I can be the hero I always wanted to be.

I can help people.

I can certainly do this.

"Ro?" Dad says and looks at me, his expression partially masked. "You don't need to decide right now. You can take a few days and think over this carefully."

I look at him, a determined expression on my face. "I want to be the Queen of Jodhpur. I will do it."

"Are you sure?" Mom asks hesitantly. "Don't just agree to it because it's your grandfather's wish. Think this through. Take your time."

I shake my head, as I can feel my entire being screaming at me and saying that this is what I should do. It just feels so right.

"No, mom. I want to do this. I really do. And I know I will be good at it", I smile and tell her. Mom and dad smile back, however they seem a little sad, but I don't get to ponder over it much, since I am pulled into a hug by Daadi and the rest of my family.

I am so overwhelmed by their love and this new turn of events that I forget that tomorrow is my birthday.

I forget that I have to leave my parents and stay in a foreign land.

I forget that I have to leave my friends and college.

I forget that I have to leave Karthik.

And it isn't until night-time that I am reminded of all of this.

Because I have to leave for the States in four days. The paperwork and everything has already been taken care of. My temporary packing has already been done. And I am going to stay at Lipi chachi's house with Samrat bhaiyya and Saloni di.

It's almost as if Daadu knew that I was going to say yes.

And basically, it isn't until I read Karthik's "hey, how are you?" message that I remember that I have confessed to him before coming to Jaipur.

Oh my freaking God.

What have I done??!