Page 20 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

He furrowed his eyebrows.“What safe side are you talking about?” I blinked and looked at my mother for an instant.“King Surgami Dev Singh… He is the safe side for me, for my future, and for us,” I muttered back.

“How?” He questioned.

I gathered all my thoughts and reasoned,“If I marry him, I'll be a queen and able to help many people. You know I love spending time with people and doing something for them. Therefore, this title will enable me to continue serving the people. And he is an old man who wouldn't survive for long. I will be the queen; I will rule. And it will prevent Suryagarh from turning against us. This alliance will establish a correlation between the two states. Rudra will not be able to take the throne, which would prevent a war between Suryagarh and us, a war between him and Abhinandan—” he cut me off, amid,

“If war happens, I will kill him. What can a single man do to us?” I sighed exhaustively.

I desperately continued,“He is not alone, Baapusa. He is the head commander of Suryagarh’s army, and the soldiers follow him blindly. Because they believe he is the right successor for the throne.”

“Suryagarh has an invincible army. Rudra is a great soldier, and our Abhinandan does not deserve it. If one sacrifice will save thousands of lives, let's opt for it. And this is not the first time in history. Political marriages have happened before. Not every queen gets to walk on a bed of roses. Let's accept it. I created this mess, so please let me clear it.”

“The only way to clear this mess is to kill that man. Rudra,” He sharply exclaimed, and I facepalmed myself.

“No, it's not. Rudra is the deserving candidate until the King has his heir. If not for the king, who is still hopeful, the rest have already accepted Rudra as the king. The soldiers listen to everything he says. If we kill him, it'll be a disaster. The royal armyof Suryagarh will attack us, and possibly Surgami Dev Singh will also lead the war, as Rudra is the logical heir to their empire. Killing him is not the solution.” I explained the depth of the situation, and he looked toward my mother.

“What has this girl eaten? Why is she talking like Gulaab? She is stubborn like you and acting like a fool.” His frustration was obvious in his tone, and my mother agreed with me.

“She is right, Raj. We need to consider the broader perspective. We know there will be a war if Rudra becomes the King. The only way to stop him from becoming the King is to get a new heir for Suryagarh. A marriage alliance shall definitely do it. And, even if the King does not have an heir, Nandani will always have power and influence in making decisions as the queen,” she calmly made him understand.

“As her mother, I know I must not have such thoughts, but I'm a mother to thousands of people, too, Raj. I can't let so many people die because of my selfishness. Your sister, too, married the Sultan for the sake of a promise, and I hope you remember the circumstances in which our marriage took place. My daughter is not weak; she is the strongest among us. A true queen,” she said. Taking my side, she looked at me with faith.

My father sighed tiredly, letting his head fall in dismay.“You both have just shown how incapable I am.” I shook my head and held his hand.

“You are not incapable. We are helpless, and I want to take the responsibility, please.” He looked at me disappointedly.

“Do whatever you want. But this marriage will never have my approval. Now, you're a grown-up and have made your own decisions. Clearly, I am unworthy of making decisions. Only you and your mother are intelligent ones here,” He said, patting my head, and I broke into sobs.

“But, Nandani, tell me one thing,” He requested, and I looked at him.

“Yes,” He held his breath and asked,“What happened between you two? I want to hear the truth from you.”

My voice trembled as I whispered,“Nothing happened between us, Baapusa.” Coming forward, he kissed my forehead.

“You can decide for yourself. I always allowed you to. But deep down, I hope you'll change your decision.” I shook my head, symbolising that I wouldn't.

My mother reminded me,“We should go back. The guests are waiting.”

“One more question, Nandani. Has Rudra ever tried to hurt you?” I turned my gaze to look at him and denied it.“No, he could do anything but hurt me.”

He nodded and looked at my mother.“What's left to see the guests for? Everything is done, can't you see?”

?? ? ? ?

My mother and I returned to my chamber.

Closing the door on her way inside, she asked me,“Nandani, are you sure my child?” She joined me as I sat on the edge of the bed.“I’m afraid he has nothing for you. What if he'll never love you?” She expressed her concern.

“I don't know, Maasa. But my heart believes he will love me. It's just a matter of time,” I replied, unsure.

Her moist eyes and the way her palms gripped the bed sheet visibly revealed her sense of helplessness.

“If it weren’t for the safety of Abhinandan and thousands of people, I would've never let you do this.” I softly held her hands in mine and made her look at me.

“Everything will be fine. Trust me. I know my choice can be worse sometimes, but not every time,” I chuckled to lighten the mood. She looked at me seriously,“But, what if it doesn't? What if what you are predicting might not happen?”

“It will, maasa. It has to. For me, for all of us... It will be difficult, but this is the only way,” I gently washed off her tears, and she gave a tired smile.

“Your father must be waiting for me. I should go and talk to him. If we want things to be in our favour, we need him on our side. And, I believe he understands our point of view somewhere,” she said.

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