Page 133 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I greeted her in a serious tone.

“Kshma kijiyega, humein pata nahi tha ki aap aaye hain, anayatha hum Nandani ke kaksh mein nahi aate... kal iski aswastha kuch theek nahi lag rahi thi to bas dekhne chale aaye,”(Pardon us, We didn't know that you were here otherwise we wouldn’t have come to Nandani's chamber... She seemed unwell yesterday, so we came to ask her about her health.) she explained.

I felt highly embarrassed and instantly said,“Please, I am just leaving.”

And before I could move, her grandmother chimed in with a cheerful voice, completely ignoring the awkward tension lingering in the air.

“No, no! Why should you leave? It’s Holi today—we won’t letyou go without celebrating the festival!”

I gave a weak smile, still trying to gather myself, and glanced at Nandani. She had quickly stood up from the bed and grabbed her dupatta, draping it over her head with fumbling hands.

“Daadisa, ye vyast hain. Yahaan to ye keval humaara swasthya poochne aaye the,”(Daadisa, he is busy with work back in our empire. He came here to ask about my health,) she reasoned with shaky hands and an embarrassed voice.

Her grandmother immediately scolded her.“Tum to chup hi raho, Nandani. Jawai sa aaye aur tumne to bataya bhi nahi,”(Hush you, Nandani. You didn’t even tell us that he is here,)

Her mother intervened,“Maasa, chaliye yahaan se,” (Maasa, let’s go from here), and she immediately turned to look at her.

“Tum Maa-beti ek jesi hi ho. Humein to koi kuch batata hi nahi, hum apne jawai sa se baat nahi kar sakte kya?”(You both are alike. You don't tell me anything. Can I not talk to my son-in-law?) She exclaimed, and I smiled.

Alright.

“Aaiye, Daadisa hum baith kar baat karte hai,”(Come, Daadisa, let's sit and talk,) I said, and her face instantly lit up.

We both sat on the couch. Although I was embarrassed to be caught like that, I had to behave well, and I looked at Nandani standing there.

“Tum bhi betho Nandani, aao”(Come, Nandani, you sit as well), Daadisa said.

Timidly, she took steps toward us and quietly sat beside her grandmother, who now sat right between us.

Then, out of nowhere, her mother spoke up.

“Aap bethkar baatein kijiye, hum bhojan ka prabandh karte hai,”(You all sit and talk, I’ll go see arrangements for breakfast,)

Her grandmother nodded and said,“Jao Jao, Abhi, aur Raj ko bhi kehna ki Rudra aaye hain,”(Yes. And, Abhi, let Raj know that Rudra has come.) She nodded and walked out of the chamber.

She looked at me and asked,“To kaisa hai sab Suryagarh mein?”(How is everything in Suryagarh?) I smiled at her and nodded.

“Everything is good and slowly settling,” I tried to speak calmly.

“Chalo accha hai. Kal Nandani ka swasthya theek nahi tha to humein laga ki kahin koi shubh sanket to nahi…”(Very well. Yesterday, Nandani seemed sick, so I thought there might be somenews…) She said with a soft smile, and my eyes widened with shock and nervousness.

I looked at Nandani's face, which got me so nervous. I gulped and chuckled deeply, shaking my head.“Abhi to Nandani bahut nasamajh or choti hain,”(Nandani is too young and silly,) she laughed.

“Vo to hai lekin humaari Nandani bahut samajhdar bhi hai... sabka bahut dhyan rakhti hai, sabse bahut prem karti hai,”(That is true but our Nandani is very intelligent and thoughtful... she takes care of everyone and loves everyone,) She spoke, and I smiled.

“Ji, that I know very well,”

Suddenly, she furrowed her brows, put her hand behind her back, and took something from under her.“Ye kya chubb raha hai?”(What is this poking me?)

She held the gold ornament in her hand, inspecting it with a sharp, unreadable gaze.

A wave of panic hit me. I became incredibly timid and nervous. My eyes practically popped out of their sockets as I stared at her, holding it.

Nandani looked just as terrified—her cheeks flushed a deep, furious red as she glanced anxiously at her.

“Aree Nandani, ye kya hai. Ye kis prakaar ka Aabhooshan hai, bada sundar hai,?”(What is this, Nandani? It is very beautiful. What kind of ornament is this?)

This was it.

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