The rituals ended as, one by one, the relatives began leaving the cremation ground. The murmurs of prayers slowly faded into the evening air, leaving behind only the faint smell of smoke.
Arnav gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Aru... we should go back."
I nodded silently.
The drive back to the palace felt even longer than before. As the afternoon heat began to rise, exhaustion settled into my bones, but my mind refused to rest.
When we finally arrived, the palace looked different under the pale sky.
Quiet.
Heavy.
As if the walls themselves were mourning.
Servants moved silently through the corridors while distant voices echoed somewhere deep inside the palace.
Grandmother stopped beside me before heading inside.
"You must be tired, Aaradhya," she said softly. "Your room has been prepared. Go freshen up, and then come for lunch."
Room.
The word felt strange.
Nothing about this place felt like mine.
Still, I followed the servant through the long corridors until we reached a large wooden door. When it opened, I stepped inside slowly.
The room was beautiful—far larger than any room I had ever lived in.
It feels like a warm, golden embrace. It is a place of quiet sighs and soft light, where the towering gold ceilings make you feel small but safe. Every sun-drenched corner smells of fresh blossoms, offering a sense of peace so deep it feels like the walls are keeping the rest of the world's worries away.
But none of it felt comforting.
Because the one person who made every place feel like home... was gone.
I slowly walked toward the bathroom to wash away the exhaustion clinging to me.
Just as I began removing my clothes, something brushed against my fingers inside my pocket.
I froze.
The cold silver pendant.
I pulled it out and stared at it carefully.
The pendant showed a delicate carving....a buck resting its head gently on a girl's lap, while the girl's hand rested softly on the buck's head as if comforting it.
I had never noticed this intricate detail before while packing.
Yet now, as I looked at it, I felt strangely mesmerized.
Even though the pendant looked simple, it felt... unnaturally familiar.
After showering, I sat slowly on the edge of the bed.
For a long moment, I simply stared at the pendant.
The metal felt warm against my skin.
For a brief moment, the silver glowed faintly under the dim lamp.
My breath caught.
"Why do I feel like..." I whispered softly, "you're hiding something?"
A knock sounded outside the door.
I quickly stood up and opened it.
A maid stood there respectfully.
"The elders are waiting for you for lunch, miss."
"Give me a minute," I said.
I grabbed my phone and my handkerchief.
I had a habit of always keeping a handkerchief with me, even inside the house.
As we walked toward the dining hall, the palace looked even larger in daylight.
The walls were covered with old paintings and intricate carvings. Long velvet curtains framed tall windows, and antique furniture filled the halls like pieces from another era.
This place didn't feel like a house.
It felt like a museum.
Or a kingdom.
And somewhere deep within the palace walls...
it almost felt as if something had just awakened.
The maid led me to the dining room.
The massive doors opened slowly as guards stepped aside.
Inside, everyone was already seated.
Grandpa sat at the head of the table.
Grandma sat to his left. Beside her sat my uncle, and next to him my aunt.
Arnav bhai sat beside Grandmother, and I sat beside him.
The twins sat beside me.
Everyone was present.
Except my father.
Two seat remained empty.
When my gaze lingered on it, Grandmother spoke softly.
"That's Ish's seat, and beside is Ishita's".
I looked at her quietly.
Lunch began.
No one spoke.
Only the soft clinking of cutlery filled the room.
After lunch, Grandfather finally spoke.
"I want to discuss something important. Let's move to the living room."
Everyone stood and followed him.
Once we were seated, Grandfather ordered all the servants to leave.
"This is a family matter."
Then he looked at Arnav and me.
"Aaradhya... Arnav... the recent events have been shocking for us."
"We didn't even know about your existence."
Before I could interrupt, he raised his hand.
"Let me finish first. Then you may ask anything."
I nodded.
"As I said... we truly didn't know about you or your brothers."
He sighed heavily.
"I know it sounds unbelievable. But it is the truth."
"Twenty-six years ago, your father and I had a terrible disagreement about his marriage. Your parents were deeply in love, but we refused to accept their relationship... because your mother was a commoner."
Grandmother wiped her tears silently.
"Your father loved Ishita more than anything. When we tried to separate them, he even went on a hunger strike."
"But when that failed... he secretly married her."
Grandfather looked down.
"When he brought her to the palace, I was furious. My health was already weak, and I fainted from anger."
"When I woke up, I gave him an ultimatum."
"Either divorce Ishita... or leave this palace forever."
Grandfather closed his eyes briefly.
"Without hesitation... he chose her."
"He left the palace that very night."
"In my anger, I disowned him.In my anger, I disowned him. I removed him from the succession, as he was the next king of the Rawat Empire."
The news spread across the country.
And that was when misfortune truly began.
Our business rivals began watching us closely, waiting for a chance to strike the Rawat empire.
A year later, your parents had twins.
Both boys.
Arnav and I gasped.
Even the twins looked shocked.
Grandfather smiled faintly.
"When we heard the news... we were overjoyed."
"We decided to mend our broken relationship."
"When we visited the hospital... everything felt normal again."
He chuckled weakly.
"Your brothers looked exactly like your father as a child."
"Golden eyes like their mother... and jet-black hair like their father."
"Their names were Ishant and Ishvansh."
Then his expression darkened.
"You must be wondering where they are."
My heart pounded.
"That is where the tragedy began."
"We were celebrating their second birthday. The palace was full of guests, business partners, shareholders, even rivals."
"Security was tight."
"Everything seemed perfect."
"But later that evening, the twins began crying. The maids assumed they were tired and took them to their room."
"An hour later... a maid came running."
"The twins were gone."
My heart clenched.
"When we reached the room... the cribs were empty."
"Ishita collapsed on the floor."
"Beside one crib... there was a note."
Grandfather's voice turned cold.
"You will pay tenfold for what you did to my son."
A chill ran through the room.
"Vikram Shekhawat."
"They are our oldest enemies," Grandfather said quietly. "The feud between the Rawat's and the Shekhawats began in my grandparents' time. Over the years, it only grew worse."
His hands clenched slowly on the armrest.
"It became even more bitter during my time... when Vikram Shekhawat's son became involved in illegal businesses."
Grandfather's voice suddenly cracked with anger and pain.
"And then... the worst thing happened."
He paused, as if forcing the words out.
"My eldest daughter... was raped by that monster."
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
My heart felt like it stopped beating. Then he continued,
I knew that Shekhawat's son had a reputation for being a reckless playboy... but I had never imagined he was capable of something so monstrous.
Grandfather's eyes filled with tears.
"I searched everywhere for Monica... my only daughter."
Grandmother broke down beside him.
Without thinking, I moved closer and hugged them both. For a moment they froze, surprised by the gesture, but then slowly they returned the embrace.
After a long silence, Grandfather continued.
"When we finally found her... she was lying in a deserted suburban area."
His voice trembled.
"She was barely breathing."
"Every organ in her body was damaged beyond repair. The doctors told us she only had a few hours left to live."
My chest tightened painfully.
Grandfather swallowed hard before continuing.
"When she was brought to the hospital, the police arrived to take her statement. At first, she resisted."
His voice softened.
"She kept saying, 'I never wanted this... I don't even know why this happened to me.'"
Grandmother covered her face, crying silently.
Grandfather's voice became heavier.
"She was crying while speaking... even forming a sentence caused her unbearable pain."
"She said they raped her... she didn't even know how many of them there were."
My stomach twisted.
"Even when she lost consciousness... they didn't stop."
Grandfather's hands trembled.
"They used heated metal rods and cigarettes to burn her... just to force a reaction... to wake her up so they could continue their cruelty and enjoy her misery."
I felt sick hearing it.
One of the officers at the hospital was too shocked to even speak. But as part of his duty, he forced himself to ask:
"Do you know who did this? Did you see his face?"
Grandfather closed his eyes briefly.
"When Monica heard that... she laughed weakly."
A hollow, broken laugh.
"How could I forget the face of the man who destroyed my life?"
Even speaking those words caused her terrible pain... but she continued.
Because she wanted justice.
Not only for herself.
But for every girl who might become his next victim.
Grandfather's voice lowered.
"She said... that monster had done this before."
"If someone like him walks freely in society... no woman is ever safe."
Then she finally spoke the name.
"It was Kunal Shekhawat... the son of Vikram Shekhawat."
The police officers were stunned.
But rage had already consumed Vilas Rawat.
Vilas eyes burned with fury.
"In that moment... I wanted to kill him with my own hands."
Soon after, Kunal Shekhawat was arrested and accused of the crime. The authorities conducted DNA profiling to confirm the evidence.
But before Monica could see justice with her own eyes...
She passed away.
That moment broke the Rawat family forever.
After losing Monica, Vilas Rawat vowed to fight for her justice.
The Shekhawat family tried to suppress the evidence with their influence... but this time, they failed.
Within forty-eight hours, the DNA report confirmed the truth.
It wasn't just Kunal Shekhawat.
He and several of his friends had gang-raped her.
But even in her final moments... Monica's pride remained unbroken.
She refused to even acknowledge those men as human beings.
When all the evidence was presented in court: rape, multiple assaults, murder, and destruction of evidence...
The judge delivered the final verdict.
Kunal Shekhawat and his friends were sentenced to death.
That verdict shook the Shekhawat family.
And from that day forward...
They swore revenge against us.
After hearing all of this, I sat frozen.
Too shocked to even speak.
The room remained silent for several minutes as everyone tried to process what Grandfather had just revealed.
Finally, I found my voice.
"So... that's why he kidnapped my brothers?"
Grandfather nodded slowly.
"Yes."
My breath caught in my throat.
Even though I already knew the answer... hearing it out loud felt like a knife stabbing my chest.
How could someone be so cruel...?
They were only two years old.
But then I remembered something.
If his own son was capable of committing such a monstrous crime... then revenge against innocent children would mean nothing to a man like Vikram Shekhawat.
Grandfather continued speaking.
"That day we searched the entire city for the twins."
"They were gone... as if they had vanished from the face of the earth."
His voice trembled.
"When we finally received a clue about where they might be... it was already too late."
Grandma began crying again.
Grandpa's eyes filled with unshed tears.
"In front of us... they threw them into the ocean."
My entire body froze.
"The ocean was filled with sharks."
"I can still hear their cries..."
His voice cracked.
"We were only five minutes late."
He lowered his head.
"That was the day I learned how important five minutes can be."
When they returned home empty-handed, Ishita demanded to know where her children were.
But no one had the courage to tell her the truth.
When she finally heard what had happened... she collapsed instantly.
She fell into shock and had to be admitted to the hospital.
For three days, she remained in a coma.
And when she finally woke up...
The first thing she asked was,
"Where are my babies?"
Grandfather closed his eyes painfully.
"When her memories returned... she cried so violently that even the doctors couldn't calm her."
The room fell into silence again.
"That was the moment your parents decided to cut all ties with the family."
"Not because they hated us."
"But because they wanted to protect their future"
"So they left the country."
"And from that day on..."
Grandfather's voice faded.
"We never heard from them again."
As if they had vanished from the world.
To Be Continued....