A strange wind is blowing inside the Junagarh royal palace today. Ever since Aditya returned from Kanchangarh, he has been gloomy and silent, but Subarnalata couldn't care less. She now considers herself the ultimate arbiter of this kingdom's fate. As the morning sun climbed higher, some devilish idea seemed to possess Subarnalata's mind. Descending from her royal couch, she suddenly began to move across the floor in a zigzag motion, like a snake.
Tucking her long gown into her waist, she moved toward the drawing room, making hissing sounds. Just then, Arohi (disguised as Snigdha) was passing by with little Prabhasha in her arms. Seeing Subarnalata slithering on the floor on her belly, Arohi froze. She thought to herself, "O mother! What kind of drama is this? Is she a human or a live cobra?"
Subarnalata hissed and came near Arohi's feet, raising her head in a hood-like posture. She flicked her tongue out and said in a rasping voice, "Snigdha! Did you see? I am a venomous Nagin! Should I bite you?"
Suppressing a smile, Arohi replied, "Oh no, Queen Mother! Seeing a beautiful Nagin like you, people would queue up just to get bitten. You should calm down, though, or else you'll scrape your belly rubbing against the floor!"
Subarnalata jerked upright and stood. "You're right! Being a gorilla is better than being a Nagin." Immediately, she began thumping her chest with both hands and started leaping around, making primate-like noises. Leaping about, she went straight and sat atop Aditya's desk.
Just at that moment, Aditya entered the room. Seeing his wife sitting on the desk disguised as a gorilla, Aditya sat down, holding his forehead. "Subarnalata! What is going on? Do you want to break this expensive wooden desk today as well?"
Subarnalata bared her teeth in a hideous grin. "Beloved! You don't understand; this is modern exercise. I am maintaining my figure." Saying this, she leaped from the desk right onto Aditya's back. Caught off guard, Aditya struggled to balance his weight. Subarnalata hoisted both legs over Aditya's shoulders like a horse rider and, pulling his hair, she shouted, "Go, horse! Take me to the garden! Gallop, gallop, gallop!"
Groaning in pain, Aditya cried out, "Ah! Let go of my hair! Have you gone mad? Get off my shoulders!"
Standing in a corner, Arohi could hardly contain her laughter at this sight. She felt that the same Aditya who had distrusted her for a trivial reason was now being made to dance by a madwoman on his back. What could be a bigger punishment than this! Arohi whispered to herself, "Well done, Subarnalata! You've truly turned Aditya into a donkey!"
Subarnalata showed no intention of getting off Aditya's shoulders. She brought her face close to Aditya's ear and began to sing in a strange tone— "O my merciless husband, I shall sit upon your head! I'll pull your hair and pinch your ears, yet I'll remain the Queen instead!" While singing, she pinched Aditya's cheek so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.
Finally, the Maharaja and the Queen Mother arrived there. The Queen Mother screamed, "What is this indecency, Subarnalata! Get off the Prince's shoulders this instant!"
Subarnalata leaped down from Aditya's shoulders and stood before the Queen Mother. Wiggling her fingers like a spider in front of the Queen Mother's eyes, she said, "Old mother! Do you know? I'll turn into a spider at night and lay eggs in your ear! Then spider babies will hatch inside your head, hee-hee-hee!"
The Queen Mother took a step back in fear. "Aditya! Do you see this? This girl is definitely insane! We need to bring a sorcerer to perform an exorcism!"
Subarnalata put her hands on her hips in a quarrelsome mood and snapped, "Why? Why an exorcism? I am practicing to become a dinosaur now! Wait, I'm going to swallow you all raw!" Saying this, she opened her mouth wide and began chasing everyone. The ministers of the royal court who had come there fled for their lives, clutching their dhotis.
Arohi (Snigdha), after laying Prabhasha in the cradle, clapped her hands and said, "Excellent, Queen Mother! Your acting would even beat the palace theatre group. You should rest now, otherwise, you might get asthma trying to be a dinosaur!"
Panting, Subarnalata sat on the floor. "Yes, Snigdha, you're right. It was a lot of hard work today." She looked at the Queen Mother and made a face, "Old woman! I'll release frogs in your bed tomorrow night, remember that!"
Aditya left the scene in rage and humiliation. Arohi leaned against the wall, laughing at Subarnalata's diabolical yet hilarious antics from behind the scenes. She said in her mind—
"Sushila, this madness of yours is paving the way for your destruction. You think you're scaring everyone, but in reality, you've become a laughingstock. And Aditya... you threw away a gem for a piece of glass; now endure the bite of that glass!"
There is a frantic cry of distress in the Junagarh palace now. No one knows when Queen Subarnalata will climb onto someone's shoulders again or threaten them with spider eggs. But Arohi knows that behind this ridiculous situation, Sushila can no longer suppress her true form for long. The serpent has begun to turn blue from its own venom.