He smiled, a soft, slow smile.“Your kingdom?” he asked, arching a brow.
I nodded.“Yes. My kingdom and my family.”
His smile widened.“By the way,” he said,“I have two things for you.”
My brows furrowed in curiosity as he moved away and pulled two scrolls from behind him. The first seemed official, sealed in red.
I opened it with hesitation, and the first thing that caught my eye was the royal stamp:Rana Rudra Dev Singh, Suryagarh. My stomach tightened as I read the formal words:
“This is to bring into power the amendments of the rituals regarding the widowed wife of any deceased husband. Under no circumstances shall a widow be forced to end her life against her will. Anyone found practising such a ritual will be punished by the officials of the kingdom, with punishment no less than death by fire. The kingdoms listed below agree to this treaty for the betterment of society.”
A list of kingdoms and small royal states followed.
Tears welled in my eyes as memories I thought were buried rose to the surface. He wrapped his arms around me, and I clung to him tightly.
“Thank you… so much,” I whispered shakily.“Thank you for coming into my life, Kunwar-sa.”
He held me close, calming me with gentle breaths.“Don’t you want to see the other one?” he asked.
I pulled back slightly and nodded.“I do,”
He ran his fingers through his hair, and a faint smile played on his lips.
“Well… this wasn’t exactly what I had planned to give you first, but it was your original gift instead of anklets,” he said, handing me a letter.
I recognised his handwriting the moment I unfolded it. My fingers trembled slightly as I read:
Suman,
Pata nahi kyun, jab pratham baar tumhe dekha tha to kuch kshanoan ke liye dekhte hi reh gaye. Sabki drushti se door, tum ek kone mein khadi, chupchaap apni oadhni ke pallu se khel rahi thi. Tab humein koi aabhas nahi hua. Uske pashchaat kadachit humne tumhaari oar dhyaan se, nayan bharke dekha hi nahi. Mann mein kabhi koi tumhein lekar aisa vichaar bhi nahi aaya.
Parantu jab tum kisi kaarya se kaksh mein aa jaaya karti, ya humaare bhojan ityadi ke vishay mein paraamarsh lene aati to kuch to lagta tha, kintu uska bhi humne kabhi avlokan nahi kiya.
Lekin, sab parivartit ho gaya jab humne tumhaare sasural se aaya wo patra padha.
Use padhkar jab humein gyaat hua ki tumhaare samudaay mein vidhwa streeyoan ko sati pratha nibhaani padti hai to hruday mein ek vichtra si vyatha utpanna hui. Aisa laga maano tum humse punah kabhi kuch kehne nahi aaogi, bhojan ke vishay mein humse kuch poochne nahi aaogi. Bheetar hi bheetar ek vyakulta ne humein gher sa liya tha…
Yun to koi anya stree hoti to hum uski bhi raksha karne awashya jaate, kintu raksha tak to seemit tha. Parantu jab tumse vivaah ka prashn utha tab bhi humein kuch anuchit nahi laga. Ye jaante hue ki humaara Rashmika ke saath sambandh nishchit tha, uske uparaant bhi humne tumhaari maang bharne se tanik bhi sankoch nahi kiya. Kyunki us samay humaara wo nirnay humein uchit laga.
Uske paschaat bhi humne anekoan prayaas kiye tumhein apne vichaaroan se nikaalne ke, kintu jab bhi hum tumhein dekhte, to bas dekhte hi reh jaate. Humaare netra maano keval tumhe hi nihaarne ko tatpar rehte.
Tumhaari upasthiti mein, humaare aas-paas sab shaant bhi tha aur aandhi bhi utni hi teevrata se beh rahi thi.
Dheere-dheere jab aabhaas hua ki tum bhi humaare vishay mein kuch aisa hi sochti ho to hum swayam par sayyam hi nahi dhar paa rahe the. Jitni baar tum sameep aa rahi thi, hum behak rahe the, phisal rahe the, aur tum to humein rok bhi nahi rahi thi.
Pata hi nahi chala ki kab Suryagarh ke mahal ki ek daasi, humaare mann mahal ki rani ban gayi. Jis hruday par se humaara vishwaas uth gaya tha, socha tha ki ab ye kisi kaarya ka nahi, us hruday ko humse anumati liye bina tumne apne paas le liya.
Aur tabse humne swayam ko kisi aur ke samaksh hone ki kalpana tak nahi kar paaye.
Humne kabhi nahi socha tha ki humaara ek nirnay humein jeevan mein yahaan laakar khada kar dega. Ki jo vyakti sadeiv kisi rajkumaari ke premi hone ka swapn dekhta tha, wo antataha ek saral, saadhaaran si kanya par mohit ho jaayega.
Hum tumse atyant prem karte hain, Suman.
Tum jab dukhi hoti ho to humein bilkul accha nahi lagta. Mann karta hai ki kuch bhi aisa boldein ki tum bas muskura do. Aur tum jab khush hoti ho to humaara mann phool sa jaata hai, prasann ho jata hai.
Tum saath hoti ho to samay maano ret ke bhaanti haath se phisal jaata hai, aur jab nahi hoti ho to yahi ret kaantoan ki tarah chubhti hai.
Hum thode dusht aur sharaarati hain, maante hain ki tumhe bahut tang bhi karte hain, kintu tumhaare saath ye sab karna humein anuchit nahi lagta. Tumhaare saath to jaise hum apna youvan aur baalpan, dono hi jee rahe hain. Vishwaas hai ki tum rusht bhi ho jaaogi tab bhi prem karna nahi chodogi. Chintit rahogi humaare liye.
