In the hazy darkness of pre-dawn, Prabhasha hurried toward the prison, wrapped tightly in a shawl. Though the guards recognized her as the Princess, they were surprised to see her at such an odd hour. However, seeing the fierce, fiery glint in Prabhasha's eyes, no one dared to block her path. As she entered the dark, damp, and foul-smelling interior of the dungeon, a harsh, grating laugh floated from behind the iron bars.
Sushila was sitting on the floor in tattered clothes. Seeing her daughter so early in the morning startled her, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she spoke with a sneer, "Oh my! Whose face did I wake up to today? Has the sun risen in the west? The girl who doesn't rub the sleep from her eyes before ten in the morning has come to grind the prison mill before sunrise? And for what reason? Has a sudden surge of affection for your mother bubbled up?"
Prabhasha wrinkled her nose in disgust and said, "Ma, will you please just shut up? My head is already splitting, and I find this constant bickering of yours unbearable. You've been talking far too much lately. Just sit there quietly and let me do my work."
Sushila sprang to her feet and came to the bars. Her eyes were burning with rage. She shouted, "Work? What work do you have here, I ask? Did that devil Arohi and your sister Snigdha send you here to insult me? Or did that nuisance Prafulla send you?"
Prabhasha fumed with anger and said, "Are you bringing up those names again? I'm here on business, and you don't need to know what it is. Let me talk to the friends."
Sushila now lost all sense of restraint and began spewing foul insults. Gnashing her teeth, she continued, "Why shouldn't I say it? That witch Arohi has completely brainwashed you. That black cobra stole my husband's affection, and today she's turning the daughter of my own womb against me. You've become a mere servant in their house! And Snigdha? She sits there playing the great Princess while you follow her around like a shadow. Have you no shame? Those devils have enchanted you. I wish I could grab Arohi by the hair, slap her hard, and tear her tongue out! She's a cobra, a home-wrecker!"
Prabhasha couldn't take it anymore. She kicked the iron bars hard and screamed, "Shut up, Ma! Just shut up! If you say one more nasty thing about Mother Arohi or Didi, I will forget that you gave birth to me. The love they have given me is something you could never give in a lifetime. You only know how to pour poison. You are an evil woman, and that's why you're rotting in this hell!"
Sushila became even more aggressive. She let out a manic laugh and said, "Love? Go wash your hands with that hollow love! They use you like a maid. You are living on their charity. Has Aditya ever given you the status of his own daughter? No! That witch Arohi will make a beggar out of you just to put her own children on the royal throne. Do you still not understand?"
Prabhasha said through gritted teeth, "Watch it! Don't say another word against my parents. I should grab you by the hair and give you a few good blows; only then will that toxic mouth of yours stay shut. I came here to find out a truth, not to hear your filthy brawling. Mind your own business, or I'll teach you such a lesson that your very bones will ache."
The silence of the prison was shattered by this horrific quarrel between mother and daughter. Sushila realized that Prabhasha was intensely agitated. A great storm was brewing in the girl's mind. She thought to herself, "Fine, let me settle down for now. To get this girl under my thumb, I must first learn her weakness. The bond she has with Arohi—I am the one who has to break it. Let's see what business has brought the Princess rushing to this stinking hell today!"
After grumbling for a while, Sushila spat in a corner of the wall and sat down. Prabhasha's heart was thumping wildly. Her body trembled with hatred and hurt. She took a long breath and tried to calm herself, for she now had to find Snigdha's friends. She had to know the truth, no matter how slippery the path ahead.