It was late into the night when Shaurya finally dropped Atharva at the palace.He was drunk unsteady on his feet,heavy with words he hadn’t spoken and pain he hadn’t released.

Instead of heading to the room he had been using for a month,Atharva walked straight toward his room where Sanskriti is now living.

Inside,Sanskriti was still awake.

The moment the door opened,she froze.For a second,she couldn’t understand what was happening.

After months of distance,this was the first time he had come to their room.

Her heart skipped in confusion and caution as she rose from the bed and looked at him.

Atharva’s vision was blurred.In his intoxicated mind,he thought he was imagining her standing there like a memory,not a reality.

He kicked off his shoes carelessly.They slid across the floor.Then,without looking at her,he loosened his collar,unbuttoned his shirt,and flung it into a corner.

Sanskriti stood there,stunned,her breath caught in her throat.

Before she could say a single word,he muttered bitterly,

"You arrogant lady…I don’t like you either.”

And with that,he collapsed onto the bed.

Sanskriti didn’t move.

She just stood there,shaken by his sudden presence,by his careless honesty,and by the storm he had brought into her quiet,guarded world.

For a long moment,Sanskriti didn’t move.

Atharva lay sprawled across the bed,one arm thrown over his eyes,breathing unevenly.The prince who carried himself with control and pride now looked broken, careless, human.

She stood there,torn between anger and something she didn’t want to name.

Slowly,she walked closer.

The smell of alcohol was sharp,unfamiliar,and it unsettled her.She turned her face away,then looked back at him again.His brows were furrowed even in sleep, as if his mind refused to rest.

“You don’t like me…”she whispered to herself, the words he had said echoing inside her chest.

She reached out before she could stop herself and pulled the blanket over him.The gesture surprised even her.

Then she stepped back.

This was still not her place.

Not yet.

Not ever…she reminded herself.

But as she turned off the lamp and sat back on the edge of her bed,her heart refused to stay calm.

Because for the first time in months.

Atharva was in their room.

And nothing felt simple anymore.

                                     ********

Morning light filtered through the curtains, sharp and unforgiving.Atharva opened his eyes and froze the moment he realized where he was.

His old bed,his room which has become her room.

The memories of the night before crashed into him all at once.Alcohol and the anger.The words he had thrown at her.

A wave of irritation ran through him not at her, but at himself.

Why did I even come here?

He sat up abruptly and scanned the room.It was empty.Her side of the bed untouched.

She had left.

That realization stung more than he expected.

He got up and walked straight into the bathroom,turning the shower on harder than necessary,trying to wash off both the hangover and the mess he had created.

By noon,Sanskriti was already dressed and composed,her grief hidden behind silk and posture.She returned to her room to check

and stopped when she saw the bed empty.

The bathroom door was closed.The sound of running water told her everything.Her heart sank.

Just then,the telephone rang.She picked it up absent-mindedly.

A sweet, cheerful voice came through the line.

“Hello, my dear Prince… still in a hangover?"

Sanskriti’s breath hitched.

A woman.

Calling him dear.

Knowing he had been drunk.

Her fingers tightened around the receiver.

“Hello,” she said,her voice suddenly cold and serious.

There was a pause.Then the girl cleared her throat.

“Oh!!!! you must be Sanskriti.Hi.I’m Devika Kapoor… Atharva’s friend.”

“Hi, Devika,”Sanskriti replied politely, though

something inside her had already started burning she already heard the rumours about her husband n Devika.

Before she could say another word,the bathroom door opened.

Atharva walked out hair wet,shirt half-buttoned and without even looking at her,he took the receiver from her hand.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said casually.

Sanskriti stiffened behind him.

Her eyebrows rose the moment she heard that word.

'Beautiful.'She stood there,listening,trying to catch Devika’s voice through the line,but all she

heard was Atharva’s side of the conversation.

“No… she can’t come to the dinner party. I’ll join alone.”

Dinner party.

She can’t come.

Her chest tightened.

She didn’t wait for the call to end.Without a word,she turned and walked out of the room.

Atharva watched her go and misunderstood her silence completely.

She doesn’t care,he thought bitterly.

Not about me.Not about who I talk to.Not about where I go.

And just like that, two people in the same palace walked in opposite emotional directions each convinced the other felt nothing at all.

Sanskriti had just stepped out of her room when a maid approached her.

“Rani-sa, Badi Maa is calling you.”

She went to her grandmother-in-law’s chamber. As she entered, she greeted her respectfully.

“Badi Maa.”

Rageshwari Devi was seated near the window, a velvet box and several wrapped bundles laid out before her.

“Sanskriti,” she said warmly, “these poshaks and the jewelry came from my mayka.They’re all for you.”

Sanskriti’s eyes widened.The fabrics were

rich, heavy with embroidery.

“Thank you, Badi Maa… but I already have so many poshaks I haven’t even worn yet.”

Rageshwari Devi smiled with quiet pride.

“You’re my Atharva’s bride.For you, even this is not enough.”

Sanskriti smiled back,touched by her affection but somewhere in her heart,a small,bitter thought stirred.

If only she knew her grandson as well as she thinks she does.

She asked the maid to collect the gifts and send them to her chamber. As she stood to leave, Rageshwari Devi asked casually,

“Atharva is home?”

“Yes, Badi Maa.”

“Then why didn’t he join us for lunch?”

Sanskriti hesitated for a second and then lied gently,

“He was very tired last night,so he slept till late. He just woke up.”

Rageshwari Devi raised her brows teasingly.

“And what both of you did that he got so tired?”

Sanskriti’s cheeks flushed instantly.She understood the meaning all too well and suddenly didn’t know where to look.

Seeing her embarrassment,Rageshwari Devi laughed softly.

"Atharva’s favorite lunch is being made today. Tell him to eat at home.”

“Ji, Badi Maa,”Sanskriti replied quickly and almost ran out of the room.

When she returned to her chamber,Atharva was still on the phone.The call finally ended just as she entered.

She glanced at the clock.Nearly half an hour.

She didn’t want to ask him anything.She was already upset.But because of Badi Maa,she forced herself to speak.

“It’s your favorite dishes for lunch,” she said

quietly. “Will you eat now… or after some time?”

Atharva turned.

And for the first time in a long while,she really looked at him.

His hair was still wet,falling loosely over his forehead.His shirt was only half-buttoned,his collar open,his skin still warm from the shower. The faint outline of his chest showed through the fabric.

He was… undeniably charming.

Her breath slowed without her permission.

She noticed the curve of his lips the smile

she had never really seen before.And she knew, instinctively,that it had been meant for Devika.

Strangely,in that moment… she didn’t hate him.

She didn’t even judge him.

She just stood there,caught in a confusing mix of emotions.

Then he saw her.

And the smile disappeared from his face.

“I’ll come in five minutes,” he said, his voice suddenly distant again.

And just like that,the space between them returned.

By evening, the palace had begun to change its mood.The soft glow of lamps replaced the fading sunlight,and shadows stretched quietly along the corridors.

Atharva returned to his chamber to change for the dinner party.

At the same time,Sanskriti was in the dressing room,carefully arranging the poshaks and jewelry Rageshwari Devi had given her earlier.The fabrics were rich,the ornaments heavy with tradition and expectation.

As darkness settled outside and the last hint of the sun disappeared,she dismissed the maids.

“Go,” she said gently.“I’ll manage the wardrobe myself.”

One of them hesitated. “Rani-sa, it’s our duty....”

“I said I’ll do it,”Sanskriti repeated,firmer this time.

They bowed and left.The room fell into silence.

Sanskriti sat down near the dressing table,a small jewelry box resting in her hands.She didn’t open it right away.She just held it there, her fingers tracing its carved edges, her thoughts drifting back to the day.To Atharva’s smile.

To Devika’s voice on the phone.To the way his expression had changed the moment he saw her.

Her chest felt tight again.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror calm on the outside,storm inside.

And in the quiet of her room,with the evening settling around her,she tried to make sense of a marriage that looked royal to the world… but felt unbearably lonely to her heart.

The door to the dressing room opened quietly.

Sanskriti looked up.

Atharva walked in,already loosening the collar of his day coat.He slipped out of his formal palace wear and hung it aside,then reached into the wardrobe and took out a freshly pressed white shirt and a tailored coat.He moved with practiced ease,changing into them simple, sharp,and effortlessly royal without needing any ceremony.

He paused when he saw her sitting there alone.

The maids were gone.So was the noise.

For a few seconds,neither of them spoke.

Then he said, “You sent everyone away?”

“I needed silence,” she replied.

He nodded once and moved toward the wardrobe.

“I’ll change here.”

His gaze flicked to the jewelry box in her hands.

“Badi Maa’s gifts?”

“ohh.”

“okay and ask the maids they will arrange them,” he said quietly.

"No,I want to do this."She said soflty.

The room filled with soft sounds fabric moving, a hanger sliding,a drawer opening.

Then Atharva said,almost casually, “You don’t have to do this.”

She looked at him in the mirror.

"Ap kahi ja rahe hai." she immediately lowered her gaze and started arranging as if she asked something she shouldn't have.

“Thetes a dinner party.Devika’s mother is hosting it.”he said casually while looking at her.

Sanskriti straightened.

He met her eyes in the mirror.

“Now i want to change and you can go out if you want.”

He turned back to the wardrobe.

And she felt embarassed for a sec and quickly came in to the room.

Atharva finished changing and stepped back into the room.

Sanskriti was sitting on the edge of the bed.

She looked up and for a moment,she forgot how to breathe.

The white shirt fit him perfectly,the coat sitting sharp on his shoulders.He looked… too good. Effortlessly so.

And that only made her angrier.

Angry that he hadn’t even asked her to come with him.

Angry that he had taken so much time getting ready for another woman.

Her face betrayed everything.

“You can arrange your things,” he said calmly. “I’m done.”

Her eyes flared.Without another word,she stood up and walked straight into the dressing room.

Atharva watched her go, confused.

She was fine a minute ago…what happened now?

Then it struck him.

He hadn’t put on any perfume.

He followed her into the dressing room,opened the closet, picked up a bottle,and sprayed himself once… twice… more than necessary.

Sanskriti turned slowly.Her eyes were burning.

He’s really doing everything to impress her,she thought bitterly.

What a jerk!!!

She couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Don’t you think this is a little too much?”

Atharva raised his brows.

He stepped closer.

Then closer.

Too close.

The fragrance hit her instantly warm,sharp, intoxicating.Her breath caught as he leaned in, his presence suddenly overwhelming.

For a few seconds…she forgot how to inhale.And he said quietly,“Too much… for what?”

Their eyes locked.

And the space between them felt far more dangerous than any argument.

                            *********

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