The soft, repetitive tapping on the heavy double doors drifted Rajveer right back from his corporate world of ledgers and transit blockades. He looked up, his fingers lifting from the keyboard.
"Rajkumari Devika aapko bahar bula rahi hai, Hukum sa!" the young maidservant spoke up, bowing her head deeply as she stood at the threshold.
"Okay. Unse kahiye hum aate hain," Rajveer replied smoothly, already lowering his gaze back to focus on his computer screen.
He expected the servant to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her lingering by the door. She was shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking incredibly hesitant.
"Aur kuch?" he asked, his deep voice carrying the calm, absolute authority.
"Jii... vo... Unhone kaha tha..." The girl swallowed hard, trying to find her courage under his piercing gaze.
"Kya kaha tha?" he asked, knitting his dark eyebrows together in curiosity.
"Unhone kaha tha, 'Jao keh do us boring aadmi se, agar do minute mein neeche nahi aaya to hum belan leke upar aayenge,' " the maidservant rattled out in one breath, bowing even lower to the floor as if expecting an explosion.
Rajveer bit the inside of his cheeks hard, fighting a losing battle to hold back a massive smile.
"Aur kuch?" he asked again, thoroughly amused by his wife's escalating tactics.
"Ji," the servant replied, her voice trembling slightly. "Unhone aur kaha tha, 'Kab se raah dekh rahe hai hum. Kal bataya bhi tha ki jagah decide karni hai. Unke bina nahi hogi. Had bhulakkad aadmi hai. Nahi aayega to lassi se kheech ke laana, Daya!!' "
Rajveer leaned back in his leather chair, a genuine, brilliant grin breaking across his face. "To aap yahan hume kheechne aayi hain, Daya ji?!" he asked, his eyes dancing with silent laughter.
"Nahi, nahi! Main to bas batane aayi thi!" the maidservant hurriedly blurted out, her eyes widening in panic. She bowed frantically one last time, turned on her heel, and scurried away down the corridor before the prince could question her further.
Rajveer let out a long, helpless sigh that ended in a chuckle. He leaned forward and closed his computer screen. The corporate blockade could wait; his fierce, rolling-pin-wielding wife was waiting, and he knew better than to keep an angry wife waiting.
He walked out into the lush palace garden, where the afternoon sun filtered through the sprawling gulmohar trees. All the siblings were seated around a large marble table, and Devika's voice was practically ringing across the lawn.
"Teen ghante se wait kar rahe hai hum! Had hoti hai yaar! Aane do tumhare bhaiya ko!!" she paced around the grass, her chiffon saree flaring around her ankles.
The siblings were thoroughly enjoying the free entertainment, leaning back in their garden chairs with broad grins.
"To kya kijiyega?" Rajveer's deep, raspy voice cuts through her rant as he smoothly stepped up from behind her.
Devika spun around to face him in a flash. She slapped her hands onto her hips, her eyes flashing with mock fury as she blurted out, "Chappal se maarenge!!"
"Are, abhi belan tha, abhi chappal ho gaya?!" Rajveer teased lightly, a rare, relaxed smirk playing on his lips as he walked past her and took a seat right beside Sugandha.
Jai and Harsh instantly seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. "Bhabhi! Bhabhi! Teen ghanta late!" they chanted in unison, stoking the drama.
"Haan!" Devika suddenly remembered, pointing a finger sharply at her husband. "Teen ghanta late! Sharam nahi aati aapko? Maharaj banne waale hain, thodi to izzat kijiye time ki!!"
Faced with the full wrath of his angry wife, Rajveer wisely accepted his defeat. He raised his hands slightly and gave her a quiet, apologetic nod. The sight of him instantly surrendering only made Devika spin her head away from him with a sharp huff, crossing her arms over her chest like a stubborn child.
It had been a full week since his arrival from Europe, and this was the very first time he was seeing her get so genuinely angry, shouting and irritated. A small prick of guilt hit his chest; he truly felt a bit bad for keeping her waiting so long.
"Accha! Accha! Bas!" Nandini tried to pacify them, stepping in to smooth things over while the youngsters were busy grinning shamelessly at Rajveer. He tried throwing a strict, icy glare across the table, but it was completely useless—his authority had zero power in the garden today.
"Chaliye, Bhaisa. Sirf aapka vote baaki hai," Nandini said, turning a travel magazine toward him. "Greece ya Switzerland?"
"Isme se jyada vote kispar hai?" Rajveer asked, leaning forward to look at the glossy photographs of the sunny Mediterranean beaches of Greece versus the snow-capped Alps of Switzerland.
"Kisi par bhi ho! Aap bas apni pasand bataiye!" Devika snapped, her tone finally calming down a fraction, though she continued to pace restlessly around the table. This woman's feet simply didn't know how to rest. "Hum pehle bata de rahe hai, thand hume bilkul bardaasht nahi hai!!"
"Ji, bilkul," Vikram agreed smoothly, a slow, wicked smirk breaking across his face as he spotted a passing servant. He raised his voice, "Daya! Bhabhi ke liye ice-cream lao to. Unka dimag thoda thanda hoga."
"Good idea, good idea!" the siblings exclaimed, clapping in approval.
"Ghanta good idea!!" Devika snapped back, turning on them like a cyclone. "Din kaun sa hai aaj?" she asked, her voice dropping into a dangerous, authoritative register.
"March hai!" Jai replied instantly with supreme, unearned confidence.
WHACK.
Tara, his girlfriend, immediately slammed a rolled-up magazine right onto the top of his head. "Din, ghanchakkar!" Tara scolded, rubbing her own temples before answering Devika. "Monday. Kyun—"
Suddenly, a heavy silence fell over the table as realization hit every single one of them. Monday. It was the strict day of fasting that Devika kept every week.
"Ooooo! To ye hai vajah!!" everyone, including Rajveer, exclaimed in perfect, thoughtful realization.
Devika just stood there, staring at them with literal ice in her eyes, completely unamused by their collective epiphany.
"Tab to Daya, hum sab ke liye ice-cream lao!!" Jai cheered, completely missing the danger zone he was stepping into.
Devika didn't hesitate. She snatched the magazine right out of Tara's hand and delivered a glorious, resounding slap straight onto Jai's head for the second time, sending the entire garden into a roar of helpless laughter.
"Umm..." Rajveer began, dragging his fingers over his jaw as he looked down at the magazine. He had just received the only hint he actually needed: Devika absolutely despised the cold. That piece of information alone was more than enough to tip the scales. "Greece," he announced decisively.
Devika practically launched herself into the air with happiness. The stormy cloud over her face vanished in a split second, replaced by a triumphant, glowing beam.
"Dekha! Humne bola na Greece zyada accha hai!! Hum Greece jayenge!!" she exclaimed, twirling around on the grass and dancing happily.
The siblings all raised their eyebrows in absolute disbelief at how terrifyingly fast her mood could pivot.
"Hum log tie par the. Lagta hai ab Greece hi jaana padega," Vikram muttered, sounding thoroughly unamused. He had been heavily rooting for the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, but the Rajveer's single vote had just crushed his dreams.
This entire vacation was supposed to be Harsh and Nandini's honeymoon. However, because the younger siblings had spent the last week anxiously assuming that Rajveer and Devika were in some sort of cold, silent marital war after his seven-year absence, the newlyweds had hatched a secret plan.
They had insisted on turning their honeymoon into a massive family trip, dragging all the youngsters along just to force Rajveer and Devika to spend time together. Devika had aggressively disagreed at first, but it had taken a heavy, exhausting marathon of pleading from Harsh and Vikram to finally make her cave in.
A palace servant stepped onto the garden lawn, cutting through her celebratory victory dance. "Rajkumari! Maharaj aapse milna chahte hain. Apne kamre mein bulaya hai," she informed, bowing low.
Devika froze mid-step. Her animated smile dropped, her sharp eyes blinking as she instantly went into deep calculation mode.
"Dada sa ne bulaya hai! Apne kamre mein! Matlab daat padegi!!" Harsh sang out in a delightful, musical tone, thrilled to see the tables turn on his bhabhi.
"Kyun? Ab kya kiya aapne, Bhabhi?" Avani asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Pata nahi yaar. Aaj to humne kuch bhi nahi kiya!" Devika replied, her brow furrowing with genuine, thoughtful confusion.
"Koi pehle ka kaand hoga!" Vikram countered wisely.
Devika nodded in absolute, comical agreement, her shoulders dropping in defeat. She was so lost in trying to mentally review her long list of recent reckless experiments that she didn't realize the maidservant was still standing right beside her, watching her with deeply concerned, waiting eyes. Turning around abruptly, Devika almost flinched in surprise at the woman's proximity.
"Are, chaliye na aap! God mein leke jaiyega?!" she snapped playfully, waving her hands. The poor servant's eyes widened, and she hurriedly turned on her heel, fleeing back toward the palace corridors.
The entire garden table burst into another loud round of giggles, watching Devika adjust her chiffon saree pallu, roll her eyes, and reluctantly march toward the palace to face the music.
As her anklets faded into the distance, the siblings immediately huddled around Rajveer's chair. They excitedly began turning the magazine pages, pointing out various stunning tourist spots, historical ruins, and hidden beaches in Greece.
Rajveer just sat back in his chair, a small, incredibly fond smile gracing his face as he nodded along to their chatter, his eyes still quietly tracing the empty garden path where his extraordinary wife had just vanished.
---
Just as they were busy chatting and mapping out scenic routes, the heavy double doors leading to the courtyard creaked open. An elderly lady entered the garden lawn, flanked by their Maa Sa. The old woman wore a smile that was sharp, rigid, and not warm enough to melt a single snowflake.
It was their Bua Sa—not an immediate relative, but a formidable extension of the family tree who visited just often enough to cause a collective migraine.
The siblings instinctively slumped in their chairs, a heavy, silent groan passing through the ranks. Maa Sa immediately shot them a warning glare, her eyes silently screaming 'behave, forcing everyone' to straighten up instantly.
Rajveer was the first to stand, falling back on his rigorous royal training. "Khamma ghanni, Bua Sa. Kaisi hain aap?" he greeted, his face a perfectly practiced mask of polite princely charm.
"Are, Yuvraaj! Kitne bade ho gaye aap! Bade dino baad dekha!" Bua Sa exclaimed, her eyes tracking up and down his frame, examining him from head to toe like a piece of real estate.
Following Rajveer's lead, the rest of the siblings reluctantly stood up one by one, echoing the formal greetings before pulling out a nearby chair to make her sit.
The moment her bindi-adorned forehead settled, her eyes swept the table like a hawk. "Aur sunaiye aap log? Kya kar rahe the! Kuch kaam-waam bhi kiya kijiye. Din bhar aap logon ki khi-khi-kha-kha chalti rehti hai," she started scolding immediately, her voice dripping with condescension.
She turned a sharp look toward Maa Sa, using the completely wrong name for the millionth time. "Tum inhe kuch sikhati nahi, Sugandha!"
"Humara naam Sukanya hai," Maa Sa interjected, her jaw tightening with an irritation she had carried for decades. "Ye Sugandha hai, humari beti!" she added, pointing directly at her daughter.
"Accha, accha!" Bua Sa brushed it off with a careless wave of her hand, completely unbothered by the correction. "Aur tum log kar kya rahe ho?"
"Harsh bhai aur Nandini bhabhi ke honeymoon ki planning kar rahe hain, Bua Sa!" Avani finally spoke up after rolling her eyes behind the old lady's back. The siblings carefully avoided mentioning that the entire younger brigade was crashing the trip; knowing Bua Sa, she would immediately launch a lecture on how the modern generation was bleeding the royal treasury dry.
Predictably, Bua Sa's face contorted into a sour mask of pure disapproval. "Chi! Aaj kal ke bacche bade besharam ho gaye hain. Pehle to love marriage, upar se honeymoon!"
The table went entirely dead. The youngsters shot desperate looks at Maa Sa, who was frantically making subtle hand gestures under the table telling them to control their tempers. Rajveer reached up, slowly scratching the back of his neck, his jaw ticking with quiet irritation that he was forcing himself to suppress.
They all had just one thought running through their minds: Where is our savior? Devika was the only one in the entire Rathore clan with the absolute guts to dismantle a relative, as Jai always proudly claimed.
She could say anything to anyone with a smile so bright they wouldn't realize they were being roasted until it was too late. Even Maa Sa secretly enjoyed the bloodshed, often letting Devika run wild just to watch the toxic extended family get served.
Bua Sa, entirely blind to the atmospheric shift, turned her piercing gaze directly onto Nandini. She examined the new bride from her head to her toe before dropping a highly inappropriate question. "Vaise, Nandini beti... honeymoon mein pehnogi kya?"
Everyone's eyebrows shot straight up into their hairlines. A wave of profound shock and disgust swept the table. Wasn't this the exact same woman who had branded them 'besharam' literally two seconds ago?
Right on cue, their savior emerged from the grand palace archway. Devika was walking back from the King's room, completely lost in her own world, when she caught sight of the tense circle. The moment she spotted the intruders, she gave a highly visible, dramatic roll of her eyes and adjusted her chiffon saree pallu as she marched over.
The siblings practically jumped in their seats, their faces lighting up like children seeing a superhero arrive.
"Khamma ghanni, Bua Sa! Zinda hain aap abhi tak!" Devika remarked instantly. She brought her hands together in a perfectly polite greeting, bowing with an expression of pure, bubbly innocence.
A collective smirk broke out across the table. Rajveer leaned back in his chair, his broad shoulders relaxing as a quiet, amused smile touched his lips. Maa Sa subtly let out a sigh of relief. The game was finally on.
Bua Sa's smile turned incredibly rigid and fake, her eyes narrowing at the lethal greeting. "Haan, beti. Tumhari duaon ka hi asar hai!"
"Bilkul! Humare alawa aur dua karega bhi kaun? Aapne chhora hai kisi ko!" Devika fired back with a dazzling, dimpled grin. Without an ounce of hesitation, she casually walked over to Rajveer's chair and perched herself right on his heavy wooden armrest.
Rajveer didn't flinch. Instead, his hand automatically moved up, his fingers resting protectively near her waist as she claimed her spot right beside him.
"Vaise, koi sawal-jawab ho raha tha, humne suna?" Devika asked, tilting her head with a look of mock curiosity.
"Haan, beti. Bas apne baccho se baat kar rahe the," Bua Sa sniffed, trying to reclaim her high ground. "Tumse to puch nahi paaye... tumhare pati to shaadi ke dusre din hi bhaag gaye the!"
It was a low blow meant to sting, but Devika completely ignored the remark, tossing her half-open hair over her shoulder as if a stray mosquito had buzzed. She raised a sharp, questioning eyebrow at Jai, silently demanding the details.
Jai grinned shamelessly, practically vibrating with excitement to deliver the ammunition. "Are, Bhabhi! Bua Sa Nandini bhabhi se puch rahi thi ki vo honeymoon pe kya pehnegi?!"
Devika closed her eyes for a brief, dramatic second, her face registering pure, unadulterated disgust. When she opened them, she looked back at Bua Sa with a devastatingly sweet, sugary smile. "Umm..."
Seeing her brief hesitation, Bua Sa mistook it for a victory. She turned to Maa Sa triumphantly, clapping her hands. "Dekha, Sugandha! Ye vaali bhi sharmaati hai, thoda-thoda!!"
"Nahi, nahi, Bua Sa. Humme aur sharm mein door-door tak koi naata nahi hai," Devika corrected instantly.
She leaned her upper body forward, sliding closer to Bua Sa across the marble table, her voice dropping into a confidential, highly helpful whisper. "Hum to soch rahe the... honeymoon pe kapde bhi pehente hai kya?
Aapne kaun se pehne the? Hume to bhai pata nahi, humara to hua nahi, honeymoon!"
A suffocating, dead silence fell over the garden. Rajveer bit the inside of his cheek so violently he nearly drew blood. The siblings desperately bit their lips, their faces turning purple as they tried to choke back their hysterics.
Bua Sa sat entirely speechless, her face turning a spectacular shade of mottled purple. "Ahh... Hum... Hume kaise pata hoga..." she barked out, her voice cracking as she fumbled for an escape route. "Humare time mein nahi hota tha ye honeymoon-voneymoon!"
"Are? To itne bacche hue kaise?!" Devika gasped softly, her eyes wide with comically exaggerated shock. She tapped her mehendi-stained fingers together playfully.
"Kuch to kiya hoga aapne! Are, thodi tips de dijiye hum naadano ko!!"
That was the absolute breaking point.
"Are, Sukanya! Chaliye na, Maharaj raah dekh rahe honge!" Bua Sa bolted out of her chair like it had caught fire. She aggressively grabbed a smirking Maa Sa by the arm, dragging her toward the palace gates at a frantic pace.
Maa Sa didn't resist. As she was being pulled away, she raised her hand and gave Devika a giant, victorious thumbs-up behind Bua Sa's back. Devika blew her a dramatic, sweeping flying kiss in return, grinning.
The very millisecond the heavy palace doors banged shut behind Bua Sa, a deafening explosion of laughter erupted across the garden. Jai literally fell off his chair onto the grass, clutching his stomach, while Harsh and Vikram thamped the table in pure admiration.
"Bhabhi, aap legend ho! Sachmuch legend!" Vikram roared, wiping a tear from his eye.
Rajveer sat looking up at his incredible wife while giggling, who was still casually resting on his armrest, looking thoroughly pleased with her performance.
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