He wouldn’t jeopardize our lives knowingly. He is a good father and husband, not the most sensitive, but a decent man all the same.
‘Has Vedveer hurt you? Harmed you in any way?’ he asks, leaning forward in his seat.
I shake my head. ‘He’s not that important,’ I say, settling myself on a stool.
‘Then why?’
‘Look at Akka’s marriage; you found that boy,’ I say. I hate doing this to Appa, but I need to make my point. ‘Why are we going down this road again?’
‘How do you plan to get married then?’ Amma asks, before Appa shushes her with a look.
‘I didn’t pick the right boy for Alia. I am to blame, but your sister was of marriageable age and wasn’t dating anyone. I did the best I could; I did all the background checks,’ he says, holding my gaze. ‘The same with you. If you were dating someone, I wouldn’t have interfered. But you are of marriageable age, you have a great career, you are ready to move out of our home.’
‘Ready to move out of home doesn’t mean I’m ready to get married. Come on!’
‘We are never ready to be married off, but when you reach a certain age, and if you are still single and a good proposal comes our way, I would be failing in my duty as a parent if I turned it away.’
I run my fingers through my hair and shake my head.
‘This is a good proposal,’ he says, adding that he wouldn’t have considered any royalty for his daughter, let alone a north Indian one, people who are so different from us culturally, had he not been convinced of the kind of people the Rathores are.
‘Look at the way they treat their staff; it is one of the first things I noticed when I visited the maharaj in Delhi. Most of them have been with him since he was a young boy. He knows them all by name, each and every one of them.’
‘That’s his father,’ I say. My shoulders go up in a shrug.
‘See how careful Vedveer is about you, especially where the tabloids are concerned,’ he says, his eyes lighting up. ‘He planned a small engagement and got the interview done even before I raised the safety issue. It was a security breach at that club, and he saw it and took action.’
‘Anybody would do that,’ I say. I’m flying a kite, and Appa’s face colours.
‘Don’t tell me you don’t love him, Chinna,’ he says, pushing himself to his feet now. ‘I have seen the way he looks at you and you at him. At Ranibagh, during Holi… you both are not just any two people. You’re a couple.’
I exhale, relieved that Appa stops where he does in his description of Vedveer and me as a couple.
TittleTattle
Gupshup Column
The Aaditha–Vedveer engagement: Problems in Paradise?
Curious so-and-so,
We simply must ask: When was the last time you actually spotted Prince Vedveer and Aaditha Prathap together?
Hold your horses – our heads are swirling through the fog, too. It’s been a solid six weeks since the Coffee Queen graced Jaipur for her grand store opening, masterminded entirely by the ever-obliging Ranibagh Palace.
Since then? Radio silence on the couple front. Makes you wonder, are they still ‘a thing’ or just a memory?
Meanwhile, Prince Vedveer has been spotted in Delhi, living it up with his crew. Among them, the dazzling Kairi Gaur, who apparently couldn’t peel herself away from his side all evening at the Four Hundred Club. Cute, right? Especially since Kairi is engaged to Kolkata industrialist Vishal Basu. But hey, who counts hours when you’re busy splitting time between Jaipur and New Delhi?
We’ve even got a photo – posted on our Instagram for your viewing pleasure – where Kairi is seated next to Prince Vedveer, rocking a sleeveless shirt dress and strappy Ralph Lauren heels. And the eyes locked on each other? Adorable. Or… telling.
So, what’s the tea with Aaditha and Vedveer? One suspects South Indian thriftiness might’ve forced the Rathores to stop footing the bill. Aaditha wanted a new store in Jaipur,and surprise, surprise, she picked a spot just outside their gate. Naturally, the Rathores had to step in and save the day because watching her crash and burn? Not on their watch.
It’s early days for Aaditha’s COFFEE Before Books & Bras boutique in Jaipur, but whispers say business is brewing nicely. Hopefully, she’s ready to stop mooching off family generosity and actually run the show herself.
But keep those fingers ready to click, darlings… a break-up announcement from the Palace might be next on the menu.
Meanwhile, busy yourselves with our poll. Have Vedveer and Aaditha broken up?
