Priyamvada's stillness fully camouflaged the fact that her mind was speeding recklessly along multiple routes. It had gone berserk since a couple of hours....to be more precise, since Prithvi had informed her that Rajeshwari had come to the palace earlier in the day and would be staying with them henceforth. The news had disturbed her so badly that she had forgotten to be worried about the looming menace of the Bharadwaj family's curses.   

Now she couldn't let go of a burning anger and couldn't reveal it either. She had already caused a major disaster this morning. And despite his continued gentleness, she knew her actions had enraged her son and had led to heartbreak for him. She didn't want to be the cause of any more hurt for Prithvi. But how could she endure the knowledge that the worthless offspring of her despicable brother was living in the same palace as her...

Why had she not expressed her true sentiments during the talk? She couldn't have shown the rage she had felt, of course. But she could easily have explained to Prithvi that Rajeshwari could not stay with them. Why hadn't she done so...

Priyamvada recreated the conversation – and the events leading up to it - in her head again...seeking an explanation for her failure to speak her mind...

A while before the conversation, she had gone through a medical examination conducted by the doctor hired specifically for her. She had also undergone two tests with the portable medical equipments that had originally been brought to the palace for Indrajit. Blood tests and a couple of other major examinations were scheduled for the next two days. Nevertheless, as per reliable sources, the doctor had assured Prithvi that he didn't have to be unduly worried about her health.

After they had returned to the suite, they'd had a quiet, early dinner. Then once she'd settled into bed, her son had sat near her and told her about the tests that needed to be done over the next two days. She had agreed reluctantly to go through the ordeal.

And then, after a small pause, he had said...

******************************

About two hours ago

"Your father might arrive by tonight," Prithvi said casually. "Haimavati will reach tomorrow."

The information about her father astounded Priyamvada. She had anticipated a waiting period of at least a day. "Father will reach tonight? How is that possible? Devgarh is far away from here."

"He isn't in Devgarh right now," Prithvi explained briefly. "He's somewhere closer."

Priyamvada mulled over the news for a moment. She felt inordinately pleased to know that her father was desperate to meet her. Should she meet him today itself? Wouldn't it be a nice show of power to make him stew till tomorrow? Unexpectedly, however, her heart rebelled at the idea. 

Priyamvada suddenly realised that she didn't want to wait for an extra minute to meet her father...

"Oh...alright...I want to see him as soon as he arrives," she told her son keenly.

After a difficult moment, Prithvi lightly said, "Of course, Maa." Then in the same tone, he added, "I need to tell you something else. Rajeshwari arrived today. She will be staying with us now onwards."

Priyamvada heard him, but the announcement took its time to penetrate her mind. And when it did, wrath and shock swept through her. But she kept her reactions under control with gruelling effort. If she behaved as she wanted, her son would probably have her shut up in an asylum. She had to pretend to be as self-possessed as he was.

"Rajeshwari? Harsh's daughter? Why is she here?" Priyamvada asked  rigidly, fists clenched under the coverlet.

"I invited her," he said peacefully.

Appalled, Priyamvada stared at her son with growing anger. "You asked her to – after everything I told you about -"

"Rajeshwari is not responsible for her father's actions, Maa," Prithvi said softly. "You need to try to remember that."

Priyamvada clenched her fists tighter. Her son was not speaking offensively. He was just stating his opinion. He didn't know yet that the only opinions that were of any importance were hers.

"You should rest. I'll be working in the sitting room. Give me a call if you need anything," he added soothingly, and then coolly stood up and left the room.

******************************

Priyamvada struggled to figure out why she hadn't stopped him from leaving and demanded that they discuss the issue further. Was it because of the hint of steel in his voice towards the end? It had been so much like the tone that Aditya had used at times, but not towards her...never towards her...

Did her son expect her to just make her peace with an unacceptable fact? Was Prithvi truly that naïve? Then he couldn't really be her son.

Or was he doing this because of some petty need for revenge for what she had done to Nandini, Priyamvada mused warily, and evaluated his demeanour in the preceding few hours.

During the entire process of her medical check-ups and tests, Prithvi had made sure that he was in the immediate vicinity. He'd responded instantly whenever she had called out to him, being unruffled and responsible at all times and displaying the utmost care and dedication. It was only because she'd experienced his unreserved affection until today morning that she knew he had become aloof towards her since Nandini had left.

Well, if this was this way of seeking vengeance for Nandini, it was going to misfire badly. 

Had Harshvardhan and his wife been alive, she would have butchered Rajeshwari before their eyes to teach them a lesson. But it would be pointless to eliminate the girl in the current circumstances, Priyamvada mulled resignedly. In fact, it could cause further harm to her relationship with her son. That wouldn't do.

But irrespective of what Prithvi thought, she would not give Rajeshwari the tiniest bit of place in their lives. The girl had to leave.

With her mind made up, Priyamvada sat up in bed and asked the maid and the nurse to leave the room for a while. As she had expected, on watching the two women leave, her concerned son abandoned his work and strode into the room to ask if everything was okay.

"I wish to speak to you," Priyamvada said unsmilingly and gestured to the plush chair that he had vacated about two hours ago. "Please sit down."

With a crease forming on his forehead, Prithvi sat down on the chair.

Priyamvada started to say, "I want you to understand that -"

Her statement was interrupted by a short trill emitted by Prithvi's phone.

He looked at the screen, and then he glanced up at his mother.

For a second, Priyamvada felt it was her small, sweet child who was looking at her, innocent black eyes filled with tremendous pain and worry.

"What is it, Prithvi?" Priyamvada asked in alarm.

"Your father will arrive in about an hour and a half," Prithvi muttered.

Priyamvada was astonished by her own instinctive joy. It was probably the effects of the nerve-wracking day that had caused her to react in such a positive manner to the news. However, she was careful to hide her emotions. She knew Prithvi was unhappy about this meeting with her father. But whatever she was doing was for his benefit too...

With a tranquil air, she said, "Fine, I will meet him in the hall where -"

"I'll send the manager," Prithvi interposed. "You can discuss it with him."

The indifference in his voice disconcerted Priyamvada. But she mollifyingly said, "Okay, I'll speak to the manager."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked formally.

"Oh...that..." Priyamvada hesitated. This did not seem the right time to deal another blow to her son, but there was never going to be a good time to do it. It would be better if all the unpleasantness was wrapped up in a single conversation.

"Prithvi, I have been thinking about Rajeshwari," she began gently. "I'm afraid you will have to ask her to leave."

"And why will I have to do that?" Prithvi asked just as mildly.

He was deliberately refusing to understand her, Priyamvada gauged with a sudden irritation. If he thought he could be adamant with his mother, he had another thing coming.

"I cannot forget what her father did to me...to us," she said stiffly. "It is intolerable to me that she is living this palace that is sacred to your father and me. Rajeshwari will not stay in Aadyabhoomi, and she will certainly not stay with us or interact with us in any way in the future. So, as I said, you will ask her to go back to Devgarh tomorrow morning. If you are not comfortable with telling her yourself, leave it to me. I will take care of the matter in my own way."

Relieved at having spoken her mind clearly, she waited for Prithvi to agree to do the needful.

But then a frisson of fear went down her spine.

Her son's features seemed to have turned into stone. And his eyes had become startlingly cold and intimidating.

"Let me tell you what's actually going to happen," Prithvi stated grimly. "I will introduce Rajeshwari to you tomorrow. You don't have to be friendly, but you will not be unkind either. And you will not tell her about her father's actions. After tomorrow's meeting, you don't need to spend time with her or talk to her. but you will not hurt her intentionally....in any way. In return, I will try to pretend that your father does not exist, because if I don't do that, I might end up killing him. Do we have a deal?"

Shell-shocked, Priyamvada didn't give a response consciously. But she appeared to have consented in some way, because Prithvi nodded and offhandedly said, "Good. I'm going back to my room now. If you need to see me, you can reach me on my phone or send a guard. But make sure your father is nowhere in sight when I arrive. And that holds for all the coming days. Good night, Maa."

Priyamvada didn't breathe properly till her son was gone. When the maid and the nurse returned, she got down from the bed and asked the maid to help her dress up. Neither of them got an inkling that she was stupefied on the inside.

No one had ever spoken to her in that manner.

And now she had to counter the unimaginable fact that she'd felt terrified of her own son.

She'd not been afraid of anyone before, especially not her father or brothers or husband, because she'd known they loved her too much to be upset with her for long or punish her. But could she have the same confidence in her son...

What frightened her the most, though, was an instinctive awareness that he possessed several traits that she'd thought were unique to her. 

Their son truly was half her...half Aditya...

He had the best of both of them...and the worst too...

*******************************

Rajeshwari flipped through the pages in the middle of the empty diary that Kadambari had secured for her. She smiled on finding the right date, and then meticulously began noting down the events of the day.

It was not her habit to do so, and it was unlikely that she would stick to the practice.

But she wanted to remember this day. From the moment she had met her brother to this moment when she was about to sleep, this had been the happiest day of her life till date. 

She also wanted to write down everything that everyone had said to her. But the words had become jumbled in her head.

That was okay, Rajeshwari decided. She remembered the gist. Anyway, the words weren't as important as the intent behind them, and today, everyone who had spoken to her had done so with affection and concern. She didn't want anything else in the world...

**************************

Kadambari closed the doors and walked towards the bedroom. Halting under the archway, she gazed concernedly at the girl who was sitting on the bed with the covers pulled to her waist.

Rajeshwari had been writing in the diary for some time now with an innocent concentration. It was a sweet scene, and Kadambari felt reluctant to disrupt the girl's peace. Still, it would be best to convey the news at the earliest, Kadambari decided, so that the princess wouldn't suffer any unpleasant shocks tomorrow.

Or maybe she was just trying to unload at least one worry from her mind, Kadambari thought with a guilty pang. She didn't have the strength to carry any more burdens.

If only everything had been normal, how relieved and happy she would have been about Rajeshwari's unusual cheerfulness. But her heart was heavy, and she'd been praying mentally for hours for Prithvi to receive some solace. And despite her anger, some of the prayers had focussed on Nandini too. She couldn't forgive Nandini for hurting Prithvi, but she was also certain that something dreadful had happened or the young girl wouldn't have taken such a decision...

As sadness began to overwhelm her again, Kadambari automatically blocked out her emotions and concentrated on Rajeshwari.

"Your Highness..."

Rajeshwari glanced up at Kadambari.

"Your grandfather is on his way," Kadambari divulged nervously.

Rajeshwari gripped the pen tighter, seized by an unreasoning terror.

Kadambari hurriedly added, "But you shouldn't be worried. Your brother is taking care of everything. Prithvi has given orders for him to stay in a corner of the palace. He's not allowed to be in your vicinity, and he will not be allowed get in touch with you."

Rajeshwari didn't absorb much of what Kadambari had said. Her brain was scrambling to focus on her brother, using him as a talisman.

The fear and hate triggered by the sight, and even mention, of her grandfather would probably never go away. She had grown up with those emotions, and they had almost become a habit.

But unlike the previous times, the terror started to reduce after a couple of minutes. The more she concentrated on her mental image of Prithvi, the better she started to feel. She was not alone, helpless and unloved anymore. A protective wall had come up around her, and it wouldn't allow her to be affected by her grandfather's hate.

Rajeshwari tried to remember part of a conversation she'd had with Prithvi.

The talk had happened right after they had departed the room where her brother had ordered Uday Singh to rest and had also left behind two guards to keep a watch over the old man.

"Tell me, Rai, why didn't you faint in Indrajit's room?" Prithvi had asked her curiously as they walked along a wide passageway.

"Why should I have fainted?" she had asked anxiously.

"Well, I distinctly remember a day in our childhood when you tried to kill yourself because you saw a thorn in my finger," Prithvi had reminded her.

She had giggled at his recollection of her hysteria, and then diffidently explained, "I don't like seeing blood. But there was no blood on your brother, there were only bandages."

"I like the attitude," Prithvi had said, looking impressed.

She'd laughed, and then had inquisitively remarked, "It must have been a bad accident."

"It wasn't an accident," Prithvi had confessed uncomfortably. "Indrajit said something I didn't like, so I beat him up."

She had stared at him with awe. Then her brain had made unconsciously made linkages that caused her to apprehensively say, "If grandfather finds out Priyamvada Bua is here, he will not stay away."

Her brother had stopped walking and gazed at her kindly. Then he had gently said, "He will not be allowed to hurt you again. He will not be allowed to meet you or even see you. If he does happen to cross your path and doesn't behave like he should, it will be one of the unluckiest days of his life, second only to the day of my birth," he'd added solemnly.

Trusting his words implicitly, Rajeshwari eagerly asked, "Will you beat him up too?"

"I'll be waiting for a reason," Prithvi had said with utter sincerity.

She had smiled gleefully at him, and then impulsively said, "I hope he doesn't come here. I don't want to see him again."

"I'll have you know his own mother did not want to look at him a second time. First, she demanded a replacement from the hospital. Then she begged them to take him for free," Prithvi had said seriously. "But the hospital knew no one would want to take the gargoyle-like thing home, so they refused. And after that, his mother wore a blindfold in his company till the end of her life," he'd claimed.

Fascinated, she had said in a hushed voice, "I didn't know that story."

"You couldn't have...I made it up just now," Prithvi had confessed.

She had laughed in surprise. And then she had enjoyed herself tremendously for the next hour as he narrated many more hilarious, albeit wholly fictitious, stories about their grandfather's childhood and youth. It was the most fun she'd had since her childhood...

Rajeshwari realised Kadambari was still talking to her, trying to reassure her.

"It's okay. I'm not afraid," she interjected with a smile. "You should go to sleep now."

Rajeshwari looked down at her diary and continued to write description of the day that her life had changed permanently for the better. The only thing that could have made her memories better was if she could have met Nandini. But the desire to meet the other girl had decreased now that she knew that her brother was just as sweet and kind. If people didn't know how to stay on his good side, that was too bad for them, Rajeshwari decided, thinking about Indrajit and her grandfather.

But it was wrong to put the two men in the same category. If Indrajit was evil as everyone said, Prithvi wouldn't have forgiven him. He hadn't forgiven their grandfather, had he?

And Indrajit had looked so pitiable and alone. Maybe she could visit him again tomorrow for a minute...if he was sleeping. 

*******************

Sumer Singh wasn't sure how long it had taken him to draft a simple message that said Rajyavardhan Singh would be landing at the doorstep soon. Or how long it had taken for him to click on the send button.

He'd only been aware of his helpless rage while typing those words.

If he'd had the slightest authority at this time, he would have forbidden Rajyavardhan Singh from coming anywhere close to Prithvi. The boy's entire childhood had been destroyed by his grandfather's insane quest for vendetta. And now he had to endure the sadistic man's presence for who knew how long...

Sumer Singh looked up quickly from the floor when the door to Priyamvada's suite opened. He stared closely at the young man who stepped into the corridor with a laptop in his hand. He hadn't seen such exhaustion on the fair face for a long time now.

Prithvi asked the two women waiting outside to go to his mother and then closed the door behind him.

Sumer Singh walked to him downheartedly, feeling wretchedly ashamed at his powerlessness.

"Did you fail your board exams for the third time?" Prithvi asked sympathetically.

"I – eh – what – No," Sumer Singh fumbled, confused.

"Then stop looking like you did," Prithvi said dryly.

Sumer Singh tried to smile, then gave up and emotionally vented, "I wish I could have done something to spare you all this."

"Baba, in case you've forgotten again, you rescued me from the streets and gave me a life that I hadn't dared to dream about back then – and the affection of a father," Prithvi said quietly. "You could kill me tomorrow, and I would still be indebted to you for a thousand lifetimes. In fact, my gratitude will only increase," he smiled ironically.

Sumer Singh looked down at the floor and shook his head clumsily.

Prithvi glanced away to give the older man a few private moments to collect himself. Then he nonchalantly asked, "What did Manohar say?"

Sumer Singh thickly said, "He told me they were on the way and begged that the king should not be stopped from meeting...I didn't respond."

He'd heard Manohar's pleas in silence and had cut the call without saying a word. He was not in the habit of using foul words, but he had come dangerously close to it while listening to Rajyavardhan Singh's minion.

"You've given the manager the list of rules?" Prithvi asked.

"I was thinking of waiting for them and giving it to Manohar myself," Sumer Singh said cautiously

"You can do that if your plan is to assassinate Rajyavardhan on arrival and feed him to vultures that are following a crap-only diet," Prithvi retorted. "If that's not your intention, hand it to the manager, along with the other instructions. Then go to your room, take your medicines and go to sleep."

"As you say, My Lord," Sumer Singh smiled weakly. "Will you be going to your room now?"

"Yeah...have to complete the assignment. Couldn't get much work done today," Prithvi muttered. "And Baba...I've told Maa about Rajeshwari. Didn't want her to find out from anyone else," he shrugged.

Sumer Singh nodded. He didn't know why Prithvi had wished to keep Rajeshwari's presence a secret, but he had done the right thing by informing his mother. With Rajyavardhan arriving tonight and Haimavati turning up tomorrow, the truth was bound to come out very soon.

"Alright...I'll see you tomorrow morning," Prithvi said tiredly. "Before you retire for the night, ask the manager to meet Maa. She has some instructions for him. And Baba, I'm serious...don't let me find out you were part of that m***********'s welcoming committee," he warned with a frown while walking past Sumer Singh.

Sumer Singh smiled faintly and nodded again. Then his gaze fell upon the doors to Priyamvada's suite. Anger sparked in his eyes momentarily, then he wearily walked away.

***************************

Priyamvada waited till the servants had filed out of the room before permitting her features to show the strange anxiety swelling in her chest. She leaned against the back of the beautiful throne chair, and tried to figure out the cause.

The panic caused by her son's attitude had nearly killed her excitement about seeing her father again. But after about fifteen minutes, she had managed to calm her nerves down and win control over her fears. If any other person had talked to her in that fashion, she would have destroyed them. But this was her own child, and despite what he believed of her now, she loved him exceedingly and wanted the best for him always. Yet, he had to learn obedience. And to be able to teach him that, she had to rise in his esteem...

So, she would set aside her hate for Rajeshwari temporarily and focus only on re-establishing a good impression on her son. In the time that it took for her to accomplish that objective, she would study Prithvi well and then decide on the best way to deal with him. In addition, she had to find a specialised cure for the problem named the Bharadwajs. A solution that could help protect her family from ill-fortune while she saved her son from their influence. And the only person who could be a useful and trustworthy ally for her for these missions was her father.   

That is...after she had broken him. 

For their meeting, she had already made her calculations and knew precisely what she was going to say, and how she was going to portray the right combination of strength, grace and dignity.

She had chosen to meet her father in an enormous, gorgeous hall near the main entrance to the palace, and had prohibited the presence of any external party so that she could behave any way she liked. When her father entered the hall, he wouldn't spot her immediately. He would have to turn to his right, and then he would see her sitting on a beautiful throne chair. She looked starved and ugly, but she hadn't forgotten how to convey power without saying a word. 

In Devgarh, she had been a wretched, helpless woman whose position had been lower than that of the servants. Here, in Aadyabhoomi, she was the queen, and her father was merely a beggar.

This visit would be painful for her father for one more reason as well.

No ancestor of hers had step foot in Aadyabhoomi, Priyamvada recalled amusedly. Centuries ago, her forefathers had planned to storm the palace. However, the ruling family, Aditya's forefathers, had crushed them before they'd breached the boundaries of the kingdom. The story of the defeat had rankled every descendant since then.

On the whole, everything was in place...so why was an odd mix of emotions muddling up her head at this crucial time...

A guard sought permission to enter, and informed her respectfully that her father was waiting outside.

She could only nod and the guard went away.

Feeling cold and sweaty all of a sudden, Priyamvada stared at the doors fixedly. She heard the tapping sound first...the sounds of her father's golden cane that he merely used for show. The cane he had used occasionally to beat her little son...

Rage overtook Priyamvada, and her previous determination returned with force. She would make her father suffer for his crimes. He had lived for too many years with the egotistic faith that the world ran according to his whims and fancies. She would bring him down to earth and make him realise the gravity of his sins...

The tapping noise grew louder, and Priyamvada waited eagerly for her father's appearance, grimly anticipating the moment when she would know the sweet taste of revenge.

An old, extremely frail-looking man entered the hall, walking unsteadily and leaning on a walking stick for the support. He proceeded for some feet on plainly wobbling legs. Then he stopped and turned to the right.

Priyamvada frowned in consternation. She had barred everyone apart from her father from stepping inside the room. How had this stranger convinced the guards to flout her diktat? And why was he staring at her like he knew her?

Priyamvada was on the verge of snapping angrily at the stranger to get out of the hall when she noticed the eyes. 

The eyes in the gaunt, excessively lined face...the eyes that were shedding tears down hollowed cheeks...those eyes belonged to her father. And the cane in his hands was golden.

Struck dumb with disbelief, Priyamvada gaped at the skinny figure and stooped shoulders. The man looked disturbingly weak and sick...almost on the threshold of death...

This was not her father. It couldn't be.

Her father had been a proud, powerful, sturdy man, with an impeccable posture and fierce eyes that seemed to be aggressively challenging the world at all times.

How could he have transformed into this shrunken, wrinkly man who had the pathetic appearance of a broken, discarded toy. How had he aged a hundred years since she had last seen him, Priyamvada thought with stunned despair, oblivious to the tears flooding her eyes.

She had expected to see the usual effects of time. But not this...not this...

Without warning, the events that had occurred over two decades started to flash cruelly before her eyes, unfolding one by one in a linear order with ruthless precision.

And for the first time in her life, Priyamvada understood fully the devastation she had wrecked on her loving, devoted father in her mindless pursuit of love.

Rajyavardhan Singh bent his head to hide his crumpling features. His life had been littered with losses so far. His parents had died in their prime. Then he had lost the wife he had loved genuinely...then his children...and even his grandson. But through all those tragedies, the world had only seen his stoicism. Wasn't it absurd then that after all the pain that he had endured, it was unrestrained joy and soul-deep gratitude that finally managed to break his self-control...

Priyamvada saw her father bow his head. She heard a feeble broken cry of pain but her mind refused to believe where it had come from. Even the muted quaking of her father's shoulders seemed unreal to her.

She had never seen a drop of water in his eyes before. And now she was watching him cry like a child.

Shivering unaccountably, Priyamvada walked to her father. When she reached him, she dropped to her knees and clutched his feet. Then she bowed down to him, causing her tears to splash down on the marble floor...

*********************************

Prithvi worked through the night. When the assignment got over by around three in the night, he thankfully found more work waiting in the mailbox. Some were projects from companies, some were requests from old classmates.

They kept at least a part of his mind busy till dawn.

Then he finally shut down the laptop and walked to the balcony.

Prithvi gazed at the reddish globe rising over the hills. 

He'd heard people say that watching the sun rise filled them with the powerful hope of a brand new day. It was definitely a new day for him. And all he could feel was a numbness induced by the darkest form of despair.

He understood now that his time in Shamli had been a beautiful aberration. And his life was returning to the isolated, barren path that had been destined for him from the start.

However, it was a path with which he was well acquainted.

He couldn't spend any more time uselessly mourning the loss of what he'd treasured above everything else....and he was done with trying to make sense of the emotional mayhem in his life...

Whatever macabre wonders lay ahead on his journey, he was ready.

***********************************