Chapter 20 – Rajshree , The Pride Of Ajabgarh !
Fatimah immediately tore her gaze away from Adiraj , focusing her gaze to her father , she tried to excuse herself from the awkward situation . “It’s upto Rajshree what she chooses , she shall decide.” Rana Bhanu stated clearly , he couldn’t put his only daughter’s life and future at stake. Fatimah took a deep breath before speaking up “I am sorry , but I am afraid I need some time to think. It is a crucial decision for me.” she said , being purely honest “Of course , you have all the rights Rajshree Bai , do not think that I don’t know anything . Let me be honest , we all know that you are not the biological daughter of Rana Bhanu and Ranisa and you are a Muslim , your original name , well perhaps no one remembers . I do not get bothered by these facts , we do not , I am still willing to accept you as my legal first wife and the Yuvrani (future queen) of Umarkot , yet , we all seek your consent , I do.” Prince Adiraj stated his views and the facts clearly , liked her from the first time he saw her , he was just hesitant to take any further step. “I…. I need some time to think.” she replied nervously “Of course ,it is a major decision of one’s life after all , take as much time you want.” Jaswant agreed. “But for now , I am sorry I guess we cannot stay back for any longer , I give you my words , I shall come myself to give you my daughter’s answer.” Bhanu assured.
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It was afternoon and the sun blazed in the sky , tugging the curtains of her palanquin aside , Fatimah greeted everyone a goodbye , but before she could pull back the curtains , her eyes again met with a pair of light brown ones , she could see longing in Adiraj’s eyes , but all she could do was to give him a smile and pull back the curtains.
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Royal Palace , Dilli-
Razia sighed as she pulled out the pipe of her hookah out of her mouth , white smoke from her mouth erupted from her mouth as she did so “Am I bad ? Am I cruel ? Am I shrewd ? Yakut , Am I power hungry?” Razia asked Yakut in a low voice who had seated himself on the nearby couch , he could only sigh sadly , he knew she was feeling guilty , guilty for snatching from two young kids , their fathers , one was Ameenuddin and the other was Shareef , since she had seated herself on the throne , there were a number of conspiracies , most of them would get solved or suppressed easily by her mind games , but few included brutal assassinations too. “To do a great right , a little wrong might be forgivable Razia , those whom you got assassinated , were they innocents , were they good in anyway , weren’t they a threat to the Sultanate , the people and the throne ?” Yakut tried to console his restless friend “The throne , Yakut , the throne I never wanted to sit on , power politics , the filthy game I never wanted to dip my fingers into and see what am I now , almost completely immersed into this filthy waters of politics and blood.” she said while giving a humorless laugh , lone tear slipped from one of her eyes while doing so , Yakut could not take it anymore , seeing her in tears was the last thing he wanted , he wrapped hes arms around her , giving her a warm friendly hug “It’s alright , it’s alright , it shall go away , time is the best healer.” he said while caressing her hair as a true friend he that he was.
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Royal Palace , Ajabgarh-
Fatimah sat in the balcony of her chamber watching the reddish orange sky as the sun made it’s way down the horizon , the night fall was soon to come , they had returned to Ajabgarh the same afternoon and watching the sunset was what she liked to do the most while all alone in her chamber , relaxed , but this time , she was surely not feeling ‘relaxed’ after what had happened back in Umarkot , was she a selfish lady who had put her emotions first rather than her family’s honor and her people’s protection ? Those people who had loved her unconditionally , who had accepted her as the royal princess without even raising a single question against her and that family who gave her everything as if she was their own blood , love ,care , respect , protection and what not . “No , I would not be a selfish daughter and a selfish princess , I am a Rajput and Rajputs live and die of honor and glory , to protect their motherland and I will do the same..” she whispered to herself and made her way out of the chamber.
Reaching Rana Bhanu’s chamber , she found him leaning on the bed , half seated , half laying . “Pitaji !’ she called , him , Bhanu’s eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly “Rajshree , come in dear.” he said getting off the bed “What brings you here at this hour , I mean you were supposed to offer your prayers no ?” he asked , a bit confused Fatimah sighed before replying “I am here to tell you my decision , pitaji , I have finally decided to ….t-to m-move on an-and marry Adhiraj!” she said while shuttering a bit , Bhanu’s eyes widened , he knew why she was doing so , he opened his mouth to say something but stopped abruptly due to the interference of a quick sound , both turned towards the sound only to find Nasir standing at the doors of the chamber , he looked mad , but soon his expression changed into a cold one , Fatimah gulped at the sight of his , no doubt he had overheard their conversation.
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