For the past few months, the corpse of that unidentified young woman had been carefully kept under piles of ice in the cold room of the Kanchangarh palace. Arohi wanted the naming ceremony of Sushila's daughter in Junagarh to be over before she made her ultimate move. Today was that day. Arohi discarded her royal attire and assumed the guise of an ordinary maid. Smearing light soot on her face and tying her hair in a simple bun, she concealed her familiar appearance.
Before leaving, she held the hand of her mother, the Queen Mother of Kanchangarh, and said, "Mother, I am leaving for Junagarh today. I will go ahead and enter the palace as a servant. You shall reach the border of Junagarh with this corpse tomorrow or the day after. If a new maid enters and Princess Arohi's corpse is found on the same day, Sushila might become suspicious. Therefore, let me go first and prepare the ground."
Her mother bid her a tearful farewell. By the time Arohi crossed the long path and reached the main gate of the Junagarh palace, evening was fading into dusk. She saw that the old grandeur of the palace was gone. The surroundings felt lifeless and silent. Where butterflies once fluttered and birds sang, today there was only a stifling darkness. It seemed as if the shadow of some evil force reigned over the palace walls.
Upon reaching the main gate, the guards blocked her path with raised spears. "Who are you? Why have you come to the palace at this odd hour?"
Arohi lowered her head and said in a humble voice, "I am an unfortunate woman from a distant land. I have no place to stay and no food to eat. I have heard that the Junagarh lineage never turns anyone away empty-handed. Please take me to the royal court; I only seek some work."
The guards were reluctant at first, but seeing Arohi's desperate pleading, their hearts melted. She was taken to the royal court. There, the Maharaja sat on the throne, with Aditya and the Queen Mother by his side. Arohi's heart trembled upon seeing the Maharaja. The man had withered away to half his size, his eyes sunken. The Queen Mother seemed bent with age. Tears welled up in Arohi's eyes as she looked at Aditya, but she steeled her heart. She thought—"Aditya, I have returned, but today I am not your Queen; I am a maid seeking a place at your feet."
Arohi bowed humbly and said, "Maharaja, I come from very far away. I found no work anywhere. If you give me a small place in the palace, I will be eternally grateful."
The Maharaja said in a raspy voice, "The doors of Junagarh are never closed to anyone, child. What is your name?"
Arohi hesitated for a moment, then remembering her daughter's name, she said, "My name is Snigdha."
Aditya had been silent until then; he glanced once at Snigdha (Arohi). He felt as if the voice was familiar, but since he was certain of Arohi's death, he did not think deeply. The Queen Mother stepped forward and said, "Snigdha, your appearance is very calm and beautiful. We have a little princess, named Prabhasha. Can you look after her? She cries a lot, and no one can manage her."
The proposal to look after the child of her husband's other wife crushed Arohi from within. But to suppress the enemy, she needed to be close. She lowered her head and said, "I will try my best, Mother."
The Maharaja said, "Alright, from today you shall stay here. Your wages will be higher than others because you will be looking after our heir."
Arohi was taken to the Princess's chamber. There, Sushila, alias Subarnalata, was sitting comfortably on a couch eating grapes. Beside her, little Prabhasha was screaming and crying in the cradle; her face looked strangely dark and hideous. Sushila lost her temper and snapped, "Shut up, you witch! You only know how to wail!"
As soon as Arohi entered the room, Sushila roared, "Who are you? By whose permission have you entered my room?"
Arohi said sheepishly, "The Queen Mother has sent me to look after the little princess."
Sushila calmed down slightly and said, "Oh! Good. Take this nuisance to the garden. I shall rest now. She screams all day; I feel like throwing her down and finishing her off!"
Arohi picked up Prabhasha with great tenderness. Although she was Sushila's child, the helpless infant miraculously became calm as soon as she came into Arohi's arms. Arohi took her to the garden and thought to herself—"Aditya, your child is sleeping peacefully in the arms of this nanny today."
Meanwhile, Sushila watched from the balcony that the baby had indeed quieted down. She smirked internally, "Finally, this burden is on the maid's shoulders. Now I can dance freely!" As Aditya entered the room, Sushila said with a smile, "Look, beloved, how calm Prabhasha has become since the new maid arrived!" Aditya said happily, "Yes, the girl has found a playmate."
Night deepened. A small room in a corner of the palace was allocated to Arohi. But there was no sleep in her eyes. Exactly as it struck twelve at night, she crept to the window of Aditya's bedroom. She knew this was the time for Sushila's true form to be revealed.
What she saw through the gap in the window made Arohi's hair stand on end. She saw the beautiful Subarnalata instantly transform into a hideous witch. Her hair writhed like snakes, and her skin sagged. Sushila stood before the mirror, laughing a diabolical laugh and saying, "Ha ha ha! Aditya is sleeping like a dead man! No one found out how I've been fooling everyone for these past years! And that new servant girl... she thinks she's managing a princess! She doesn't know that Prabhasha has my poison within her too!"
An hour later, Sushila became beautiful again and lay on the bed. Arohi rushed back to her room. Her whole body was trembling. The magic mirror was right! This serpent had poisoned the entire palace.
She looked out the window. Clouds had gathered in the dark sky today. She said to herself, "Sushila, your days are numbered. Tomorrow, when my 'corpse' arrives before this palace, your fake victory will be complete. And from that day, the countdown to your downfall will begin."
Arohi blew out the lamp. She knew that a terrifying drama was to be staged at the Junagarh palace tomorrow. She steeled herself like a stone to witness the scene of her own funeral.