In the darkness of the blackest night, Sushila hissed like a hungry tigress. The security of the Junagarh palace was somewhat lax today because Aditya and Arohi were not present. With the help of that sinful guard, Sushila emerged from the prison in the hazy light of dawn. Her first target—to snatch Prabhasha away. Gnashing her teeth, she began to mutter, "I will push Prafulla into the darkness of that well and flee with Prabhasha. She is my own flesh and blood; through her, I will empty Arohi's lap."
Treading softly, Sushila entered the inner sanctum of the royal palace. Everyone was in a deep sleep. She saw Snigdha sleeping peacefully, embracing her little sister Prabhasha. At that moment, the fire of envy burned in Sushila's eyes. She delivered two hard slaps—'THWACK! THWACK!'—to Snigdha's cheeks. In her sleep, Snigdha thought she was having a horrific nightmare. Taking advantage of the moment, Sushila tied a cloth over the sleeping Prabhasha's mouth, lifted her in her arms, and vanished into the dark paths.
A while later, Snigdha woke up. She saw the bed was empty; Prabhasha was gone! She thought perhaps her sister had gone down to the garden for a bit. But as morning turned to afternoon, there was no sign of Prabhasha. Snigdha's heart began to race. She called out to Prafulla, screaming. Prafulla rushed in and, hearing everything, roared, "You are such a grown girl and you couldn't protect your sister? Danger after danger is arriving and you were sleeping?" Snigdha cried and said, "Believe me, Brother, someone slapped me twice in my sleep, I thought it was a dream! The door was open, please forgive me!"
Without wasting another moment, Prafulla sent guards to the prison. The news came back—Sushila had vanished! Prafulla realized this was the work of that witch, Sushila. But Sushila had forgotten that Arohi's children possessed a magic mirror. Prafulla and Snigdha stood before the mirror, remembered God, and said, "O Magic Mirror, tell us where our sister is?" As the blurry glass of the mirror cleared, it was revealed that Prabhasha was being held captive in a hut deep within a forest, far from the royal palace.
Sushila had gone out of the hut to fetch water at that time. Prafulla and Snigdha galloped there at the speed of a storm and rescued Prabhasha before Sushila could return. When Sushila returned with the water and found the room empty, she began to scream like a madwoman. Losing her senses, she ran through the forest path and collided with a massive rock. Her forehead split open, bleeding profusely, and she lay there unconscious.
When Sushila regained consciousness at night, she saw pitch-black darkness all around. As she struggled to stand, the royal palace guards surrounded her. Prafulla himself, raising his sword, dragged her back and threw her into the same prison cell. The traitorous guard was also bound and kept there. Prafulla said with utter disgust, "See how it feels! Now your end will come in this poisonous darkness."
Snigdha was crying while hugging Prabhasha. In her half-broken speech, Prabhasha asked, "Brother, why did she take me away? Is she someone to me?" Sushila roared from inside the cell, "I am your mother, you unfortunate girl! If I don't take you, will that Arohi take you?" Prabhasha said with hatred, "No! You are not my mother! My mother is only Mother Arohi! You are a devilish witch!"
Hearing Arohi's name, Sushila began to shake the prison bars like a maniac. She shrieked in a harsh voice, "Do not take that devil Arohi's name in front of me! I wish to deliver hard slaps to that devilish face of hers! I wish to grab her by her luxurious hair and bang her head against these prison bars until it splits! Why does she have so much happiness? I will kill her by rubbing her head against the floor!"
Prafulla could take no more. He struck the bars with his sword, creating a sharp clang, and said, "Silence, demoness! I once respected you like a mother; it makes me feel disgusted to even think of it now. Come, Prabhasha, we shouldn't stay in this poisonous atmosphere for another second. Let's go eat and sleep." Prafulla left with his sisters. After much turmoil, they ate a royal meal and fell into a deep sleep. On the other hand, inside the prison, Sushila began to let out a horrific scream, banging her forehead against the wall in the agony of her defeat and her envy toward Arohi.