I looked down, trying to hide the heat on my cheeks.
I went with Daadi-sa, where she had allotted me a huge guest chamber. Rani-maa had assigned a group of attendants to help me with everything. And Queen Trisha was the most supportive of all. I didn’t know why, but I felt there was something very special about her.
She was very kind to me. Perhaps because she was aware of all the struggles I’d been through.
Almost two and a half years ago, a year before King Rajvardhan’s demise, she married King Abhinandan. No one knew why they got married in such a hurry and in such privacy. Nandani didn’t tell me much about it, and she never even talked much about it with anyone.
Since her wedding, King Abhinandan and Nandani had become somewhat detached. They would speak, but it would only be about ordinary things or necessary matters. There wasn’t anything similar between them like before.
But Nandani and Queen Trisha shared a good bond; well, in all honesty, they hadn’t interacted much. Initially, Nandani even opposed their wedding when she found out that Queen Trisha was four years older than King Abhinandan. There were even talks around that King Rajvardhan had asked Queen Trisha to groom King Abhinandan before their wedding when he left Mahableshgarh for Pratapgarh because of Nandani’s wedding.
“Suman,” Queen Trisha’s voice brought me back, and I noticed her standing with a plate in her hand. Even Rani-maa was there, holding both babies in her arms.
“Chaliye, beth jaaiye; snaan se pehle hum ye tel aapko laga dete hain. Aapki twacha bhi nikhar jaayegi aur deh ke baal bhi nikal jaayenge,”“Come on, sit down; let me apply this oil on you. Your skin will glow, and it’ll even remove your body hair.”
In a corner of the chamber, I sat down on a small stool and saw her kneeling before me.
“Rani-sa,” I quickly stopped her and shook my head.“Please don’t touch my legs. You are a queen, and I’m nothing in front of you. Your love and kindness are more than enough for me. You’re already making me feel at home,” I requested.
Suddenly, Ranima rose from the bed and walked towards us.
“Aisa na socho, Suman. Humaari Trisha to heera hai; aap ho ya hum, unke liye hum sab samaan hain. Bhale hi aap kitni bhi vinati karlein, wo nahi rukengi, kyun Trisha?”“Don’t think like that, Suman. Our Trisha is like a diamond; in her eyes, we’re all equals. No matter how much you stop her, she won’t, right, Trisha?” she said, gently caressing our queen’s head.
Queen Trisha smiled, laughing softly.“Ji, Maa-sa, Suman is our responsibility until she gets married.” Looking back at me, she added,“So, yes, Suman, let me fulfil my responsibility.” And as soon as she touched my foot, I flinched slightly, but let her apply oil, giving her a hand to apply to my feet and ankles.
After applying oil to every part of my body, she told me to let it sit for a while.
In the afternoon, I was asked to take another bath, which had taken longer than usual. The attendants assisted me with everything. After removing body hair and applying various bathing oils and sandalwood paste, it felt as if a ton of dirt had washed off my body. I felt immensely relaxed. When Queen Trisha, Daadi-sa, and Rani-maa helped the attendants get me ready for the ceremony, I felt sleepy.
They had chosen a simple but elegant cream-and-red-coloured outfit for me and tied my hair neatly in a braid.
“Suman, you’ve eaten nothing. Should I bring you something?” Rani-maa asked.
I shook my head timidly.“No, thank you, Rani-maa,”
“Hmm… you are fasting for him, right?” Daadi-sa interrupted teasingly.“You’ll eat only when he arrives, right?”
I gave a small nod.“Ji, Daadi-sa, I feel ticklish in my stomach,”
Rani-maa chuckled at my response.“God bless you, Suman; I really wish that all your dreams come true,” she said lovingly.
I sat in silence until the day had almost ended; the sun had set, and I began to feel restless.
“They’re coming today, right?” I asked Reva.
She nodded.“Yes, they are.”
I tried to focus on calming my racing heart. Without realising it, I found myself scratching the back of my hand.
Suddenly, an attendant rushed over to me and announced,“They’re here.”
A wide ear-to-ear smile spread across my face, and I shot to my feet.
“Really?” I asked, unable to contain my excitement. She nodded in confirmation.
“They’re just stepping in. Once done with the refreshments, the ceremony will begin,” she informed me, and I just smiled, sitting back in the chair.
A lot of time passed in the chamber alone with Reva while everyone was busy treating guests.
