She showed her tiny teeth in a giggle, and I laughed softly, watching her.
“And now, get ready,” Rudra Bhai-sa said to me.
Even though I had already bathed twice, I went for another quick bath. I didn’t want even a trace of odour on me.
After bathing, I walked out to see Ranvijay Bhai-sa handing me a crisp white outfit, with an embroidered overcoat embellished with pearls.
Once I changed, I stepped out again to find my Bhabhi-sas waiting.
“Aww, you’re looking really good,” Nandani Bhabhi-sa teased.
I rolled my eyes.
“Come on, Bhabhi-sa. I always look good.”
They laughed at my remark.
As I sat on the couch, Rudra Bhai-sa began drying my hair with a cotton cloth. My heart grew heavy with our childhood memories. He had always done this when we were younger until he left for work and education.
Meanwhile, Ranvijay Bhai-sa gathered the jewellery and carefully wrapped the red-and-white wedding turban around my head. Rudra Bhai-sa helped fix the stones onto it, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Let’s make you wear thekanttha58now,” Aishwarya Bhabhi-sa suggested in a very low tone, minding Rudra Bhai-sa’s presence.
I nodded.
She tied the long necklace around my neck and fastened it behind. Rudra Bhai-sa stepped aside respectfully. Then Nandani Bhabhi-sa added another necklace, securing it neatly.
“Neg59?” Nandani Bhabhi-sa asked once she was done.
I frowned in confusion.“Neg?”
“You’re supposed to give us something for doing all this,” Aishwarya Bhabhi-sa said.
I looked at my brothers, bewildered.
“Isn’t this supposed to be a free service?”
Nandani Bhabhi-sa shook her head.
I sighed.
“So… what do you want?”
Aishwarya Bhabhi-sa smiled gently.“We want a promise.”
Nandani Bhabhi-sa placed her hand on my shoulder.
“This marriage won’t be easy for either of you, or for Suryagarh. Neighbouring kingdoms and enemies will see this as a weakness. They’ll question why you didn’t marry a princess or someone richer. Very few understand love. Outside these chambers, power and strength are all that matter. And the three of you, together, are that strength.”
She paused.
“We are one family, Agastya. The kingdom exists because of us; we do not exist because of the kingdom. Never let anyone’s opinion dishearten you. No one knows what you’ve endured, or why only Suman can give you the life you deserve. Promise us you’ll never regret marrying a woman from a different caste or status. Promise you’ll never make her feel lesser, because she’s not.”
I swallowed hard.
“Never, Bhabhi-sa. Never,” I said firmly.“If I’m marrying her, I could burn kingdoms for her.”
She smiled and kissed my forehead. I felt a surge of emotion tighten in my chest.
