The palace was in complete chaos — and for a very good reason.
After all, their Bade Kunwar Sa was getting married the day after tomorrow.
Servants hurried through the long corridors, decorations were being arranged everywhere, and instructions echoed across the palace halls.
Inside the QK Chamber — short for Queen and King Chamber, a woman stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the pallu of her simple yet elegant cotton saree.
Despite the simplicity, she looked every bit the Queen she was.
After finishing getting ready, she applied sindoor(vermilion), adjusted her mangalsutra, wore a delicate necklace, royal brooch pinned to her saree and tied her hair into a slightly messy bun.
She was Maharani Khushi Abhimanyu Randhawa.
The Queen of Hind.
The eldest daughter-in-law of Randhawa Family.
Khushi stepped out of her chamber. Her walk was calm yet authoritative. Everyone respected her.
"Moni Kaki, Shital, ise Bade Kunwar Sa ke kamre mein rakhwa dijiye," Khushi said, handing over two plates covered with red cloth to the elderly woman.
("Moni Kaki, Shital, please keep these plates in Bade Kunwar Sa rooms.")
"Ji Maharani," Moni replied with a slight bow as she took the plate. Shital quickly took the other one. Both bowed respectfully before leaving.
Khushi continued giving instructions to the helpers around her — where to place the decorations, what needed to be prepared, and which work had to be finished first.
One of the helpers approached her and bowed.
"Rani Sa."
Khushi turned toward her and nodded, signaling her to speak.
"Breakfast is ready," the helper informed.
"Okey" Khushi replied with a small nod.
"Inform Rana Sa and the others to come downstairs."
"As you say," the helper said before leaving quickly.
After giving her final instructions, Khushi glanced at the wall clock and then started walking toward the stairs.
As she descended, her eyes scanned the palace decorations.
The flowers were perfectly arranged.
Good, they followed my instructions properly, she thought with satisfaction.
In the hall, an elderly woman sitting on sofa and looking at the decorations. Her face still carried tension as few things were still unfinished.
Hearing footsteps, the elderly woman turned.
The moment she saw Khushi, she made an annoyed face.
"Aakhir kar aa gayi Maharani," she said sarcastically.
(Finally, the Maharani has arrived.)
"Itni der se kaun utarta hai? Sabko breakfast karna hai, aur decoration ka kaam bhi baaki hai." she added, though concern was evident in her tone.
("Who comes downstairs this late? Everyone still has to eat breakfast, and the decoration work is not finished yet.")
Khushi smiled softly and shook her head.
Inka kuch nahi ho sakta.
("Some things about her will never change.")
And the woman was none other than her mother-in-law —Rajmata Rajeshwari Abhijit Singh Randhawa, the former Queen of Hind.
Khushi walked up to her, gently held her hand, and made her sit comfortably.
"Relax, Mummy ji. Sab ho jayega. Aap tension mat lijiye," she reassured her.
("Relax, Mummy ji. Everything will be done. Please don't worry.")
"Relax?" Rajeshwari repeated, glaring at her slightly.
"How? Kaam baaki hai, dulhe ka koi pata nahi hai, uske chhote bhai ka bhi nahi... aur meri bahuon ka bhi koi pata nahi hai."
("How? There's still work left, the groom is nowhere to be seen, his younger brother is missing too... and I have no idea where my daughters-in-law are either.")
She shook her head, her lips forming a small pout.
Khushi bit her lip, trying hard not to chuckle. Wrapping an arm around Rajeshwari's shoulder, she said,
"Maa Sa, aapka ek beta hospital gaya hai, ek aaj jayega... aur aapki bahu apne studio mein hai."
("Maa Sa, one of your sons has gone to the hospital, the other will go later today... and your daughter-in-law is in her studio.")
She paused before adding softly,
"Don't worry. Everything will be done." She hummed softly.
Rajeshwari looked at her daughter-in-law and gently placed a hand on Khushi's cheek.
"Beta..."
Khushi hummed softly. "Hmm?"
Rajeshwari sighed.
"Aaj tumhari sass ki sass aa rahi hai."
("Today, your mother-in-law's mother-in-law is coming.")
Khushi's eyes widened.
"Kyaa?!"
("What?!")
She immediately shook her head.
"Kyuu?"
("Why?")
Rajeshwari nodded dramatically.
"Welcome to the tension team."
Khushi looked even more worried now.
"Par wo to aane wali nahi thi na... phir kyun?"
("But she wasn't supposed to come... so why now?")
Rajeshwari rubbed her forehead.
"Mujhe nahi pata. Bas itna pata hai ki wo aa rahi hai. Aur tumhare Baba Sa unhe lene gaye hain."
("don't know. All I know is that she is coming. And your Baba Sa has gone to receive her.")
She then held Khushi's arm, and both started walking toward the dining hall.
"Dekho, tum aur main dono jaante hain wo kaisi hain. Varu lucky thi — wo bas ek din ruki aur chali gayi. Lekin iss baar wo poora mahina rukne wali hain."
("Look, you and I both know how she is. Varu was lucky — she stayed only for one day and left. But this time, she plans to stay for an entire month.")
She gave Khushi a meaningful look.
"Isliye decoration ka kaam jaldi khatam karo... aur ho sake toh... please unse kam behas karna."
("So finish the decoration work quickly... and if possible... please try not to argue with her.")
Khushi nodded slowly.
"Hmmm."
"Apne pati aur deveron ko bhi bol dena — ghar mein hi rahein," Rajeshwari added, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Thik hai... keh toh dungi," Khushi replied with a thin smile.
("Alright... I'll tell them.")
Accha khaasa din ja raha tha... aur yeh news mil gayi.
("The day had been going perfectly well... and then this news arrived.")
Just then, a helper came running toward them.
"Maharani! Rajmata!"
He was breathing heavily.
"Paani lao," Khushi said calmly to a helper.
("Bring some water.")
A helper passed
She walked closer to him and handed him a glass of water.
"Yeh lo, pehle paani piyo."
("Here, drink some water first.")
"What happened?" Rajeshwari asked immediately.
"Chote Kuwar Sa..." the servant said while pointing toward the entrance.
Khushi and Rajeshwari frowned and looked at each other.
"Came?" Khushi completed.
The servant nodded nervously.
Rajeshwari smiled in relief and started walking toward the door.
"Ha toh issme bhaag ke aane ki kya zarurat thi?" Khushi asked, folding her arms.
("Then why did you have to run here like that?")
The servant looked down, unsure how to explain what he had seen.
"Bolo," Khushi said, tilting her head slightly.
("Go on")
She closed her eyes for a moment — a clear sign that she was losing patience.
The servant stayed silent for few movements, trying to decide how to speak about what he witnessed.
Suddenly—
"WHAT THE HELLLLL IS THIS!"
Rajeshwari's furious voice roared through the palace.
Khushi slowly opened her eyes and looked at the servant.
"Isliye nahi bol paaye."
("That's why you couldn't say it.")
The servant nodded immediately.
"Leave," Khushi ordered.
The servant ran away from there instantly.
Khushi then walked toward the entrance as well.
The moment she saw what was happening outside, her eyes widened. And her jaw tightened
Hey Maa... aaj hi saare jhatke doge kya?
("Oh God... are you planning to give all the shocks today itself?")
Then Khushi looked at Rajeshwari, whose eyes were blazing with such fury it seemed as if they could burn the person standing before her.
"Everyone, Privacy" Khushi ordered the helpers in an authoritative tone., all the Helpers bow and giving them privacy. And Khushi told a helper near her to ready the Outhouse, the helper looked at her for a second and bow and went to do what their queen asked.
"Vardhan Singh Randhawa."
Rajeshwari spoke her youngest son's full name — something she had never done before.
Her voice was load due to which the toddler's crying sound came, Vardhan patted the child's back with shh sound and baby slowly went sleep again.
"Maa Sa" Vardhan spook in little protectively "Talk Slowly"
Rajeshwari looked down while rubbing her forehead with her thumb trying to calm herself. As her mother-in-law coming was not enough that her fourth son had to pull this move.
She again looked up.
"What is this?" she demanded, pointing toward the people behind him.
"And who are they?" Her finger shifted sharply toward the veiled woman and the child.
The woman stood silently with her head lowered. She wore a red saree, her forehead filled with sindoor and a mangalsutra resting against her neck. Her face remained hidden beneath the veil.
The child, who looked no more than two years old, who now fast sleep again headphone on his head Vardhan's shoulder.
Vardhan's eyes shifted toward Khushi.
Khushi met his gaze instantly. She was giving him death glare.
Her expression clearly said:
If you were planning to create this disaster, the least you could have done was warn me, you stupid Bluebell.
Vardhan immediately broke eye contact with her and looked back at his mother.
His face remained completely neutral.
There was not even a hint of guilt.
"She is my wife."
Then he glanced at the child sleeping in his arms.
"And he is my son."
There was a silence for a moment.
Khushi quickly moved closer to Rajeshwari, who looked ready to strangle her son right there.
She gently rubbed Rajeshwari's arm, silently trying to calm her down.
"What... do you mean by that?" Rajeshwari asked slowly, closing her eyes as she tried to control her rising anger.
"Did you forget that you are engaged?"
"Were." Vardhan corrected coldly.
"Now." He took a pause and looked at his left to his wife and the looked at his mother and his Bhabhi Sa "I am married now."
There was silence for a moment but that silence was heavy and Rajeshwari's anger reach to her point.
"You—!"
Rajeshwari raised her hand to slap him.
But before her hand could land, Khushi grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
She shook her head slightly.
Rajeshwari clenched her jaw and looked away, her anger still burning.
Khushi then walked toward the woman.
She has a gut feeling like she knows her.
Could it be her??But how??
She knew Vardhan. He could never do something like this. In fact, he never wanted to marry anyone who wasn't her. Even the engagement was forced.
But...
Her eyes briefly moved to the child sleeping peacefully in Vardhan's arms. As if asking him, Vardhan understanding her tilted his head and told her to look herself.
Then she reached forward and gently lifted the veil from the woman's face.
The moment Khushi saw her, her eyes widened in shock.
"Tara...??"
Khushi turned toward Vardhan in shock, her eyebrows knitting together before her gaze shifted back to the woman — her eyes now filled with a strange mix of anger and relief or happiness.
Now she understood why he married like this.
Hearing the name Rajeshwari who was looking at some other direction looked towards them in shock and she whispers "Tara..."
And the lady in question had curled her hands into fists and tightly her closed eyes ready for whatever was coming next.
"What's going on here" A commanding yet sharp voice cut through the air it was the kind that could send shivers down anyone's spine.
Khushi and Rajeshwari turn towards the voice
The lady opened her eyes and with narrowed eyes she looked Vardhan straightened himself and adjust the little in his arms who was really a deep sleeper it seems like the headphones are sound proof.
Khushi's deep brown eyes meet a pair of deep black eyes which also has little flex of yellow.
The voice and those piercing eyes belonged to none other than the eldest son of the Randhawa lineage —the Maharaja of Hind, Maharana Abhimanyu Rajeshwari Abhijit Randhawa.
As Abhimanyu descended the stairs, his gaze never leaving hers, a couple came into view.
They were none other than the second eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Randhawa’s—the Rao Sa of Hind, Hukum Abhimaan Rajeshwari Abhijit Randhawa, and Rani Sa Vrushali Abhimaan Randhawa.
As three of them came Abhimanyu and Abhimaan had their jaw tightened, where else Vrushali had mix expression of shocked and disbelief.
Abhimanyu came and stand next to his wife, only then he breaks the eye contact smoothly.
He clasped his hands behind his back.
He was dressed in his office attire — a classic black three-piece suit without a tie. His royal brooch was perfectly pinned to his suit. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his hair was tied into a man bun.
His spectacles rested lightly on his nose, giving him a composed yet intimidating presence.
Behind him, Abhimaan and Vrushali stood side by side.
Abhimaan folded his arms across his chest, his white shirt sleeves rolled slightly upward. His sharp gaze moved between his younger brother, the woman, and the sleeping child.
Silence stretched across the hall.
Vrushali tugged Abhimaan's shirt then whispers "Is she really her but how is it possible and the child is it really Vardhan's"
Abhimaan looked at his wife and whispered back in his low manly voice "May be" then look at forward and released a breath "May be Not"
Abhimanyu give a brief look to his brother and the child and the lady who was looking at anything but at them.
Then Abhimanyu spoke.
His voice was low, calm.
But cold.
"Interesting... We heard you were dead Ms. Trivedi-" he paused "Na, Not Ms. Trivedi" he looked at his brother and then again looked at her
"Mrs. Tara Vardhan Randhawa"
"Care to explain"
Tara jaws tightened.
The hall fell into complete silence.
👑♥️👑
That's it for Chapter 1✨
Thank you so much for reading!💖
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Next update: next week.
See you in the next chapter! 🌹
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