Page 65 of A Royal Deception

Luckily, Isha was more helpful than her useless husband and helped me arrange a magical second wedding for Shivina. We arranged for the registrar to visit us at home, and I married Shivina for the second time under the stars on the roof of my palace, with only my mother, Zarna, Sannata Mausi and my best friends in attendance.

CHAPTER 24

SHIVINA

Ismiled as I pored over the wedding album. The one from our real wedding. Not the one where I had tricked Ranvijay into marrying me, but the one he arranged for me a month later.

I was supposed to meet Ranvijay at the court for our marriage registration after I had my first photoshoot at Diya’s studio. I wore a gorgeous blood-red and gold Benarasi sari for the shoot, and I was in full bridal makeup, including a full bridal mehendi.

“I still don’t see why I couldn’t use mehendi tattoos,” I grumbled as the makeup artist dabbed on some shimmer across my eyelids.

“Because they don’t look real,” snapped Diya from her chair.

I knew why I had an aversion to wearing bridal mehendi. It was because I hadn’t worn any for my own wedding, which reinforced the feeling that I wasn’t really Ranvijay’s wife. I was just a replacement. I had jumped from single to married withouthaving the time to adjust to the change. And now I had to play bride for Diya’s fashion house. It was enough to make a girl cry.

The shoot took hours, and I was worried we’d miss the appointment at the registrar’s.

“Chill, babe. RV just messaged me to say that the appointment has been pushed to late evening because he and Veer are stuck at work,” said Isha.

“That’s odd. Why didn’t he message me?” I asked in surprise.

“Because this tyrant has turned your phone off,” she said, rolling her eyes at Diya, who looked more like a beached whale than a tyrant currently.

“Well, I need her full attention right now. I can’t have her skipping off in the middle of the shoot just because she suddenly remembers she has to pick Zarna up from school,” said Diya sternly.

“Hey, I did that one time! And only because Zarna was sick,” I argued.

“Stop talking,” ordered the MUA.

But after the shoot, they didn’t even give me the time to wash my face before the girls urged me to get into the car.

“I can’t go to the registrar’s office like this,” I cried in horror.

“Why not? People get married there in full wedding finery,” said Isha.

“But I’m not going there to get married. We’re already married. We just have to sign a document proving that. And I don’t want Ranvijay thinking I’m making a big deal out of it.”

At every step, I had to keep reminding myself that ours was just a marriage of convenience, which wasn’t easy because what I was coming to feel for my husband felt far too real. And extremely inconvenient.

“You’re overthinking this, Shivina. Let’s get going,” said Diya, rubbing the small of her back.

But instead of the family court, they drove me back to the palace.

“We’re going the wrong way,” I cried.

“No, RV just texted to say the registrar is coming to the palace because the court is closed.”

“This feels weird, guys,” I said worriedly.

But it wasn’t. It was beautiful.

Isha and Diya ignored all my questions and led me up to the roof, and I was surprised to see Ranvijay waiting for me in front of a wedding mandap, dressed like a bridegroom. Rani Ma and Zarna were there as well.

My sister stepped forward to take my hand.

“Surprise!I’m going to do your kanyadaan, Di!” she said excitedly.

“What?Guys, what’s going on?”

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