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Rudra POV

"What are you doing?"

The moment my ear heard my Maasi-ma's voice, I turned as Nandani was startled all of sudden. I immediately turned to hold her to prevent her from falling. 

She fell in my arms and I immediately put my arm under her head.

My heartbeats turned insanely fast at that moment not because my Maasi ma was standing there but because she could have gotten hurt.

I stared at her, my eyes unknowingly scanning her frightened face and body to see if she was alright or not.

"Are you okay?"

I immediately asked and she gulped looking at me, blinking slowly with a slight nod.

"What do you mean is she okay or not?"

Maasi ma said and I tried to stand up a little.

She also stood up and I looked at my Maasi-ma who walked closer to me and said.

"She should know how to behave with a King,"

She said in a polite voice I did not know but it kind of pinched me.

"What is she doing wrong Maasima?"

I asked after helping her stand up. She corrected her cloth and hair a little and I looked at my Maasi-ma.

She smiled and looked at us.

"You both are King and Queen now. Your time is the property of your people. Instead of using it for your own enjoyment, you both better be using it for the welfare of the people. And, let me remind you, Rudra, what your mother wanted for you. She wanted you to be the best King, someone for whom, nothing comes over the people and their welfare even if it costs you your own happiness,"

She said and gulped, not able to agree anymore. But.

"But, Maasi-ma, I do not see anything wrong in it. I do not know how does it hampering my duties towards my Kingdom. Nandani is my wife and if she is lying over me, what's wrong with that?"

I questioned and she furrowed her eyebrows a little and crossed her hand over her chest.

"Oh, I see now. Well, Ranaji if you do not see anything wrong with it. Then, there might not be any wrong with it because it's pretty clear that it is already correct in your eyes and now any justification or advancement does not matter because you have set your boundary for this thing. That it is not wrong,"

She said and I inhaled a deep breath. The hurt was clearly visible on her face with what I said.

"No, Maasima, I did not mean that. I know you know better than me and please do not call me Ranaji. You will always be like my mother, my second mother and I will always be your Rudra,"

I said turning a little emotional as I could not see her hurt like that.

"I think I should go now,"

Nandani interrupted and I looked at her leaving us silently.

"Rudra, you know what Guruji said, right,"

She said once she left and I looked at her.

"I know Maasima and I am trying my best to not let the words of Guruji turn into reality,"

She lowered her gaze.

"You know me, Rudra. I do not have my own children and dedicated my whole life to bringing you three up. When Surgami Dev threw you three out of the Kingdom after your mother's death. I took the responsibility of bringing you three up by working day and night. And, it had never been a secret to you what kind of work I had done to earn the money. I did everything that could help me earn money to feed you three. And, never in my worse nightmare, I could see you three falling down back to the place where you started growing up,"

She turned emotional and tears filled in her eyes.

"I do not have any problem with her but trust me these people, these people of Mahabaleshgarh are so selfish. Her father used me like garbage and did everything he would like to do to me and I bore it with a stiff lip. And, when suddenly he found Abhishree, Nandani's mother he threw me out like someone who pulls out a fly out of a glass of milk. At that moment, I felt that I was no one but a toy to him. I got so jealous, so insecure seeing him suddenly closer to his wife who he married forcibly because he did not want her to marry your father. His ego was so big that he ruined so many lives. First mine, then Abhidev's, then Abhishree's, then your father's only in the name of love. The love, they proudly call so divine, so beautiful and the love which makes them so selfish that they do not give two thoughts about someone's life,"

She said and tears fell down from her eyes continuously.

I stepped closer to her and collected her in a soft hug.

"I know Maasi-ma, I know everything. Please do not cry. I will never let myself fall into their trap or anyone. I know how hard you had worked for us to bring us three to the place where we are now. I promise I will never let you down,"

I tried to console her and she said.

"I know Nandani is your wife and I do not have any problem with her. But, you have to focus on your goal. Surgami Dev Singh and Rajvardhan are still alive. You know what you have to do,"

She said and I closed my eyes inhaling a deep breath.

"I know, Maasi-ma,"

She pulled from the hug and said.

"May God give you the share of my happiness too,"

I smiled weakly and she walked back from there. When she left I palmed my face to control my tears. I did not know but suddenly all the memories of my childhood danced over my brain. The night we slept on empty stomachs, the days which we spent working hard as labourers only to earn food for a time. Unwantedly tears collected in my eyes and Maasi-ma was right.

Maybe, with Nandani I was forgetting where I had come this far, I was getting distracted from my goal.

I did not know but there was a storm building inside me, which was making me insane and mad. On the one hand, I wanted to feel happy with Nandani and spread this happiness but on the other hand, my rage, my hatred and my past were pulling me to avenge my father's death, because of which we three suffered all this, because of which my mother died.

And, one thing was sure, both things could not go hand in hand. Either I could avenge my father's death or I could live happily with Nandani.

Because Nandani would not accept me after I would kill her father. Without killing him, I could not avenge what I suffered because of him.

I screamed internally and opened my eyes.

But, I could not leave Nandani, could not make her unhappy. She left everything just for me, and my heart wanted her. There would be no use of anything if she would be the cost of all this.

I inhaled a sharp breath and started walking towards the bathing area. 

Since we were having all the Kings as guests right now in the Kingdom, I did not think it was a good idea to take bath in the command area today.

I went to the dressing part and took out my clothes.

"Ranaji,"

Suddenly an attendee's voice caught my attention and I turned to look at her.

"Ji,"

"Do you want us to prepare for your bath?"

She asked and I shook my head a little.

"No need, just make sure the pool is filled,"

I held my clothes and she informed me.

"Yes, the pool is filled,"

"Okay, thank you,"

I reverted back and she left from there.

I walked towards the bathing area and took a quick bath and changed into the fresh pair of white and maroon kurta and overcoat.

After dressing up, I went to the dressing area and there my sight fell on Nandani standing in front of the mirror and drying her hair with the help of attendees. The moment her sight fell on me through her mirror, she slowly spoke them to leave.

The attendees left and she placed the ash pot on the table. Throwing back her hair behind, she turned to look at me, walking closer to her.

"I am sorry, Rudra. I did not do it purposely. I did not know that your Maasi-ma would get angry seeing us like that,"

She said in a slow voice and lowered her gaze.

"I know she is someone important to you. I am sorry but I did not know about her much,"

She said and I furrowed my eyebrows a little.

"You heard our conversation,"

I asked and she lifted her gaze shaking her head a little.

"I did not want to but it kind of got into my ear,"

She said and I looked at her lips trembling a little. I could see her shaking a little, her face upset and she turned her head away.

I immediately held her hand and pulled her closer to me slowly.

My hand cupped her cheek to angle her face to look at me.

"I want to tell you something, little eavesdropper,"

She blinked and looked deep into my eyes.

I caressed her cheek a little and said.

"Nandani, dignity and respect are not something that comes with a set of rules. They are not something that comes with boundaries. These stay in the human's eyes, their vision and their behaviour lie in the eyes of a spectator. For me, you are the purest and the most beautiful person not because you are a virgin, not because you are a princess, not because you love me, not because you are beautiful outside, not because I have feelings for you but because the definition of the dignity of purity does not mean all these things. For me, dignity and purity mean duty, values and humanity. You are the purest one for me because you think about people. Definitely, your ways are sometimes immature and unrealistic but you care and that's the only thing that matters and that is the prime requirement of a dignified person. And, the people who talk about you being undignified might have forgotten what you have done for them. What I did with you made me lose my dignity, you did not lose anything, nothing. I lost my dignity, I lost my self-respect. I do not see anything wrong in what you did. You loved me, everybody loves someone, it was nothing wrong. I was wrong. Do not ever dare think again that you lost your dignity. I lost my dignity. You are still pure and always will be. You were right, you are right and you will always be right because you are not selfish like me, you are not thinking about your life but about others. You are the purest soul and if people cannot see it, it is their bad because they have set a few boundaries and rules for certain words. But, you have to understand that love, dignity, respect, and all forms of emotions lie in the eyes of a spectator, not in the person. My Maasi-ma was your father's mistress and just as you heard she had to do many other things too to earn the money. She is disrespectable, undignified and impure for many people but not for me. For me, she is respectable because I see her from a different perspective, with a different vision. You also have to see yourself with that vision, do not question yourself, your purity, or your dignity because you did nothing wrong, understand, little wife?"

I asked and she stared blankly into my eyes. 

I slowly caressed her cheek and asked in a slow voice.

"Got it? Never ever think that again, my little Queen,"

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