Settling the toxic quarrel with Sushila, Prabhasha marched further into the darkness of the prison. Sushila was still burning with jealousy, facing the wall and muttering to herself. Ignoring her, Prabhasha followed the damp corridor, searching for the cell where Snigdha's treacherous friends were held. Finally, behind the iron bars, she spotted several haggard faces.
Prabhasha asked in a grave voice, "Are you Snigdha's so-called friends? The ones who betrayed her?"
A girl from behind the bars spoke up mockingly, "Yes, we are those unfortunate ones. We were friends once, but in trying to compete with the Princess, we are now rotting in this hell. Don't bring up her name before us anymore; that chapter of friendship is closed. We are realizing in our very bones just how dangerous royal friendships can be."
Prabhasha spoke in a calm yet firm tone, "Listen, I haven't come here to settle the accounts of your past sins. I'm here for some information. If you answer correctly, it might be to your benefit."
Another girl screamed, "Benefit? What benefit? You've surely come with some new plot to double our punishment. Or are you looking for a new excuse to torture us further? Will you people never let us live in peace?" Her voice was so loud that it shattered the silence of the entire prison.
At that very moment, the sound of heavy boots echoed at the prison entrance. Several guards appeared with torches, and in their midst rushed Prafulla himself. Prafulla's face was flushed with anger. He saw his sister Prabhasha, wrapped in a black shawl, standing before the captive girls.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Prabhasha cursed those girls inwardly. Gritting her teeth, she whispered, "Was it really necessary to shout like that, you thick-headed fools? Would your food not have digested if you spoke softly? Are you even human, or is your head always filled with cow dung? Do you have no brains at all?"
The girls shrank back in fear. One of them stammered, "If you had truly helped us, why would we scream?"
Prabhasha hissed in fury, "Yes, you bunch of idiots! If you had answered my questions properly, I would have asked Brother Prafulla to reduce your sentences. But you are all utter fools! Your intelligence is lower than that of cattle. Now that you've gathered all these people, how am I supposed to handle this? You handle it now, you pack of devils! And listen, mark my words—if a word of this conversation gets out, I'll arrange for you to be impaled with double the punishment. Then you'll know what it feels like to be on the stakes!"
Just then, Prafulla reached them. He asked in surprise, "Prabha? What are you doing here at this late hour? And why were these girls screaming like that in front of you? What's going on?"
Prabhasha composed herself in an instant, masking her face with a look of feigned annoyance. She said, "Oh, don't even ask, Brother! These girls were begging and pleading with me to be released from prison. I was passing this way early in the morning and thought I'd see how they were doing. But they are relentless. When I told them they must suffer the punishment for the injustice they did to Didi, that girl screamed out of fear."
Prafulla's eyes were burning like balls of fire. He struck the floor sharply with his whip and said, "They have this much audacity? To raise their voices before the Princess? Wait, I won't stop until I've stripped the skin off their backs today. They must be whipped half to death right now."
Prabhasha quickly stopped her brother. She knew that if the beating started, she would never get the real news. She said, "No, no, Brother, let it go for now. I have made them understand well that if they show such insolence again, they will be sent straight to the impaling stakes. I think they are scared. You shouldn't say anything more to them; if they follow my words, they will stay quiet anyway."
Prafulla stood silently for a moment, then looked at his sister and said, "Fine, since you're saying so, I'll let it go for today. But mark my words! If I hear another sound, no one's stable will remain intact."
Prabhasha breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. She walked out of the prison with her brother, but her mind remained in that captive cell. She had to wring the answers out of those foolish girls. The key to the mystery of her Rupanjan and Didi was hidden with them.