Atharva sat alone in his chamber,Shaurya’s words echoing in his mind again and again.For the first time since all this began,Anamika’s face appeared before his eyes not as a princess from another kingdom,but as a girl bound by duties just like him.Somewhere deep inside,a quiet guilt stirred.She hadn’t chosen this either.

But what else could he do?

He clenched his fists.He couldn’t marry her just because his parents had decided so.A marriage without love felt like a slow suffocation.

He didn’t want a throne bought at the cost of someone’s heart.He wanted a woman he loved and who loved him back.

For him,love had only one name now,Sanskriti.

That realization hardened his resolve.

If he wanted to change his fate,he had to face the one man who held it in his hands.

With steady steps and a storm in his chest, Atharva walked toward the royal court.

Atharva stood before his father with his spine straight and his heart pounding.

“I don’t want to marry Princess Anamika,”he said firmly.“I want to marry Sanskriti.”

The words fell like thunder in the court.

The King’s face darkened at once. “Have you lost your senses, Atharva? Your marriage was fixed since childhood.An engagement is not a thing to walk away from!”

But before the storm could fully break,his step-mother spoke calm, composed,almost pleased.

“Your Majesty,” she said softly,“for once,the boy is speaking from his heart.A girl from outside the palaces won’t drag him into power games. Maybe this is what will keep him human.”

Atharva turned,stunned.In all his life,she had never stood beside him like this.

The King glared at her, then back at Atharva. “You dare defy your blood,your kingdom,your duty?”

Atharva’s voice trembled,but he didn’t step back.

“I don’t want the crown.I don’t want power.I only want Sanskriti.”

That was the blow.

Not to the throne but to the father.

For a moment,the King said nothing.In that silence,years of regret surfaced in his eyes.He thought of his second wife,mother of Atharva,of the distance it had created between him and his son.He had hoped the crown would mend what love hadn’t.

Now even that hope was slipping away.

He looked at Atharva,truly looked at himand knew the truth.

Once Atharva made up his mind,no force in this world could bend him.

“Enough,” the King said at last,weary. “All of you… leave.”

The court was dismissed.

That evening,alone in his chamber,the King lifted the palace telephone and dialed Devgarh.

“I wish to meet you,”he said to the other King. “It is… about our children.”

By dawn the next morning,the King of Rajgarh was on the road to Devgarh his cars carried heavy precious gifts,his heart heavier still.

He was going not as a ruler.

But as a father…to apologize and to break an old promise.

The King returned to Rajgarh after days of strain and bruised pride.Convincing the King of Devgarh had not been easy there were arguments sharp as blades,silences heavier than insults but in the end,the engagement was broken.

A childhood promise was undone by the will of two wounded crowns.When the news reached the palace corridors,it spread like wildfire,and at last,it reached Atharva.

For the first time in days,his chest felt light. Relief, triumph, and a dangerous kind of hope filled him he had won the right to choose his own future.

The very next day,Rageshwari Devi,his grandmother,gathered chests of jewels,silks, and ancestral gifts.With royal cars gliding through the city, she arrived at Rana’s mansion,carrying not just presents,but destiny.

Sanskriti’s parents were overwhelmed by the honor,by the wealth,by the presence of a woman whose blessing could change their lives.

Inside the drawing room,Rageshwari Devi sat with calm authority.

When Sanskriti was called,she entered with measured grace.One look at her,and the old queen’s eyes softened.She cupped Sanskriti’s face gently and said, “You are truly beautiful, my child.You are worthy of my Atharva.May God bless you.”

Sanskriti smiled,played the role she had been taught,folded her hands,and touched her feet before leaving obedient,composed,and quietly breaking inside.

After Rageshwari Devi’s visit,everything moved too fast.Within a week,the wedding date was fixed and it was not far at all.

Atharva made sure of that.A month.No more. He could not wait to claim the woman he believed was the love of his life.

While preparations began in both houses,

joy filled the palace halls… but in Sanskriti’s heart,the drums of celebration sounded like a countdown she was not ready to hear.

After Rageshwari Devi’s visit,Sanskriti’s world shrank overnight.College was the first thing taken from her.Her mother told her firmly that there was no need for “books and classrooms” anymore now she had to learn how to be a queen.

Days were filled with lessons in etiquette, posture,speech,and silence.The mansion became her cage,and every corridor reminded her that her life was no longer her own.

One afternoon,unable to hold it in anymore, she picked up the telephone and dialed the only number that still felt like freedom Mona.

They hadn’t spoken in days.

Within an hour,Mona was at the mansion.

Sanskriti ran to her and hugged her tightly the moment she saw her.Mona pulled back, studying her face.

“You look… different,”she said softly. “What happened?”

Sanskriti swallowed and forced a small smile.

“I’m getting married.”

Mona froze.

“…What?”

“To Prince Atharva,”Sanskriti added quietly.

For a second Mona just stared at her.Then her eyes widened,and anger replaced the shock.

“Are you serious? And you didn’t tell me before? I had to hear this now?”

Sanskriti looked down.“Everything happened so fast.I didn’t even get time to breathe.”

Mona paced the room.“You know what people say about him, right?Atharva is no saint, Sanskriti.He already has a girl,Devika.They’re really close.Everyone talks about them.”

Sanskriti’s heart skipped. “Devika?”

“Yes,”Mona said sharply.“She’s always with him. You really think a man like that suddenly became loyal?”

Sanskriti didn’t answer.After a pause,she whispered,

“And… Ved?”

Mona stopped walking and turned to her, irritated.

“Why are you still stuck on him?He left you, Sanskriti.He didn’t even explain.A good man doesn’t disappear like that.Just forget him.”

Sanskriti’s voice trembled. “But......”

“No ‘but’,” Mona cut in.“And by the way… he’s engaged too.”

Those words hit harder than she expected. Sanskriti felt her chest tighten,but she didn’t let the tears fall.

Seeing her face,Mona’s tone softened.She came closer and held her shoulders.

“Listen… you’re marrying a prince now.A handsome prince.People will look at you with envy.You’ll walk into rooms and everyone will know your name.You can finally show the world what you deserve.”

Sanskriti gave a weak smile.

But inside,her heart whispered something else entirely.

Sanskriti’s brows knitted in confusion.Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“If he really likes Devika… then why did he propose to me?”

Mona looked at her sharply,anger flashing in her eyes. Then she gave a bitter,crooked grin.

“Wait.......what?He proposed to you?”

Sanskriti nodded slowly and showed her beautiful Ruby ring.

Mona let out a short,frustrated laugh.

“And you didn’t even tell me that part before?”

Sanskriti immediately felt guilty.She reached for Mona’s hand and said softly,

“I’m sorry… everything’s been so overwhelming.I didn’t even know how to start telling you.”

Then she tried to lighten the mood, forcing a small, warm smile.

They moved to the small sitting area near the window, where a tray of snacks and tea was already waiting.The evening light slipped through the curtains,soft and golden,just like old times.Mona picked up a samosa and took a bite,then sighed in relief.

“Okay,”she said,half-smiling.“I missed this.”

Sanskriti smiled back,more genuinely this time. They talked about everything college memories,silly fights,old crushes,and the days when their biggest worry used to be exams and attendance.

Mona teased her,Sanskriti rolled her eyes,and for a little while the weight on Sanskriti’s heart felt lighter.

They laughed.They complained.They sat close, sharing food and secrets like they always had.

For those few hours, Sanskriti wasn’t a future queen or a trapped bride.She was just a girl with her best friend again.

Just one week remained before Atharva’s wedding,and his friends decided it was time for a small celebration nothing royal,nothing formal just them,together at Paradise.

By evening, the place was alive with laughter, music,and the familiar chaos only their group could create.

Atharva sat in the center,unusually relaxed, while Shaurya leaned back in his chair,quiet as always.

Yuvansh,of course,was already in his element arms spread wide,teasing everyone within reach.

“Gentlemen,”Yuvansh announced dramatically, “one week left before our dear prince becomes a husband.Say goodbye to his freedom.”

Atharva shot him a warning look.“You talk too much.”

“And you’re too serious for a man in love,” Yuvansh replied with a grin.

Just then,Devika walked in,a little late,still glowing from the lights of the film set.Her hair was loosely tied,eyes tired but bright.The moment Yuvansh saw her,his grin widened.

“Well, well… the star has arrived,”he said loudly.

“What happened,Devika?Did the director finally realize no one can look away from you?”

She rolled her eyes and dropped into the chair opposite him.

“Relax,Yuvansh.If confidence were currency, you’d already own the world.”

The table burst into laughter.

Yuvansh leaned forward.“Careful,Devika. Flirting with me in public?Atharva might get jealous.”

Devika smirked.“Please.The only person Atharva is in love with right now is his wedding countdown.”

Atharva ignored them both and took a sip of his drink.

Yuvansh’s eyes then shifted to Shaurya,who had been unusually quiet all evening.

“Oh ho,” Yuvansh said slowly,with wicked interest.“Why is our philosopher prince so silent today?”

Shaurya looked up.“I’m not silent.”

"Oh yeah right my bad I forgot you're mute man,”Yuvansh replied.

“But today you’re romantically silent.That only happens when a man is thinking about a woman.”

Devika raised an eyebrow.“A woman?”

Yuvansh snapped his fingers. “Princess Anamika.”

Shaurya stiffened.“That’s nonsense.”

“Oh really?” Yuvansh grinned.“Then why did your face change when her name came up? Even Atharva noticed.”

Atharva glanced at him. Shaurya looked away.

Devika leaned closer,amused.“So the quiet one fell for a princess.That’s new and intresting.”

Shaurya muttered,“You all imagine too much.”

Yuvansh laughed.“No,my friend.We observe too well.”

And just like that,Paradise filled with teasing, laughter,and unspoken feelings

a celebration on the surface…

and storms quietly forming underneath.

_______________________

Meanwhile In Pratapgarh,

Ved’s life had taken a turn he never wanted.

He didn’t abandon love for comfort.He sacrificed it for a cause.

For the freedom of his comrades,for the dream they all bled for,Ved accepted his father’s order for the engagement with a girl he had never chosen.It wasn’t obedience.It was a bargain.His silence bought safety for the men who trusted him with their lives.

Months had passed since he last spoke to Sanskriti.

Not because his love had faded…

but because he didn’t know how to tell her the truth.

She still believed he was only a poor scholar with empty pockets and tired eyes.She never knew he was the son of a wealthy merchant, trained in strategy,money,and power since childhood.Ved had hidden that world from her not out of deceit,but out of fear.Fear that the truth would change the way she looked at him.

There were nights when he picked up his pen.

There were mornings when he tore the letters apart.

Every word he might have written to her felt like betrayal,and every silence he chose instead felt like cruelty.Caught between truth and duty,Ved searched for an escape that wouldn’t destroy either side of him.

The only refuge he knew was discipline.He buried himself in the missions given by the group leader,letting danger become his daily rhythm and orders his only prayers.

Slowly,he stopped feeling,stopped hoping, stopped dreaming until pain itself became the only honest thing left inside him.

This was how Ved lived now not free,not happy, but bound to a cause he had chosen over his own heart,and quietly haunted by a love he had left behind.

Hey beautiful Ladies ❤️

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Love _Qiana❤️