Then he began to speak in a heavy, strained voice, "Trust... Your Majesty, this is the one thing I bestow upon everyone far too easily. But sadly, taking advantage of my blind faith, everyone keeps betraying me time and again. Even someone very, very close to me shattered my trust and deceived me completely. Even then... even then, I trusted her once again because I truly loved her from the depths of my heart. It was only out of love that I forgave her and placed my faith in her again. But I do not know if she will honor this trust at all. So now, I no longer expect much from anyone. However, if you ask me, the biggest mistake of my life was trusting that single person so blindly. I am usually very cautious with ordinary people; even when there is room to interact with everyone, trust doesn't come easily. In today's world, no one values trust anymore, Your Majesty. Yet, I placed my blind faith in that very person. And still, she betrayed me so gravely and walked away after deceiving me like this..."
As he spoke these words, Rupanjan's voice choked up. Placing his hand on his forehead, he paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I don't feel like saying anything more. My heart feels deeply heavy, and my chest hurts..."
Seeing Rupanjan in such a pitiable state, the Emperor rose from his throne. Placing a hand on his shoulder with immense sympathy and tenderness, he said, "Calm down, Rupanjan, calm down. First, sit here for a moment. Tell me everything that happened. I can clearly understand the state of your mind—you must be in tremendous pain, right? Someone has dealt you a severe blow and cheated you deeply. Tell me everything openly; otherwise, this heavy stone on your chest won't be lifted, and your mind won't find peace. And listen, your answers were truly extraordinary. I am immensely praised and fascinated. You have passed all three difficult tests with flying colors—at least for the sake of that joy, share your pain with me today. Who played with your trust like this? Who betrayed you so deeply? You can speak to me without any fear."
Hearing the Emperor mention the exam results, Rupanjan looked up in mild surprise. He asked with a glimmer of hope, "Is it true, Your Majesty? I passed all three tests? Then... then what job will you assign me? Which position in the royal palace will I be appointed to, if you could tell me? Hearing that would at least bring some peace to my heart, and I could feel a bit happy."
The Emperor offered a gentle smile of reassurance and replied, "Look, Rupanjan, I haven't thought out the exact responsibility to give you yet. But I promise you this much: I will seat you in a prominent and high position within the royal palace. And I will formally announce it in the royal court before the end of today. But for now, ease your mind, my child! Tell me, what exactly happened to you that made you say such things and break down in grief right before my eyes?"
Rupanjan let out a deep, heavy sigh and began to speak in a deeply tragic and pained tone, "You know, Your Majesty, I loved a girl dearly. To be honest, whether I loved her then... I still do. I don't wish to utter her name, but I will say this much—she is a princess from the neighboring kingdom. Perhaps because she belongs to a grand palace, she carries so much pride and arrogance! Yet, I didn't view her like the rest of those arrogant people. I thought she was different from everyone else, pure above all. In the beginning, her behavior and manners were exceptionally sweet and kind. But then, I don't know why, she suddenly changed completely! Perhaps because I am merely a farmer's son with no noble lineage, she changed so quickly. Thinking of me as unworthy of her, she committed such an abhorrent act..."
Looking at Rupanjan's gloomy face, the Emperor asked in astonishment, "What did she do? Tell me clearly what the girl did."
Closing his eyes in intense agony and pain, Rupanjan said, "Your Majesty, with what face can I speak of this humiliation! The girl I trusted blindly, whom I loved with all the devotion of my life—that very girl betrayed me! She went and spent the night with another man, a stranger! Fortunately, her twin brother arrived at the right time and caught them red-handed. They are twins—a brother and a sister. Her brother somehow rescued her from there. Otherwise, she was lying there completely drowned in alcohol and intoxication! Consumed by her addiction, she was engaging in despicable acts with that dissolute man. She got involved with a wretched guy I don't even know! Imagine, Your Majesty, on one hand she was in a relationship with me, and on the other, with that man...!"
As he uttered these words, Rupanjan's voice trembled. Lowering his head, he said, "When this news first reached my ears, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck my head, Your Majesty! The ground beneath my feet slipped away in an instant! I lost consciousness the moment I heard it! The one I considered so pure and loved so deeply—did she scatter my love and my trust like dust? I left no stone unturned in loving her! I loved her with everything I had. Yet why did she do this to me? What flaw did she see in me? I still cannot comprehend it... This severe blow has completely shattered me from within."
Pausing briefly, Rupanjan continued, "Even then... even then, I somehow convinced my heart. Suppressing all my pain, I composed myself and returned to a proper relationship with her. She is still my lover. She wept and swore on my life that she would never commit such a disgusting act again in her life. Even so... even so, Your Majesty, no matter how much she cries, I cannot bring back that same trust in her. I simply cannot trust her anymore..."
Upon hearing this appalling and sensational story from Rupanjan's mouth, the Emperor's eyes widened in sheer astonishment! He stood completely stunned, staring at Rupanjan for a while. Then, as if speaking to himself, he blurted out, "Wait... wait, Rupanjan! This entire incident sounds eerily familiar! Just a few days ago, an identical scandal broke out in the neighboring kingdom of Junagarh! The beautiful princess of Junagarh's King Arushi and Queen Aditya—the one named Snigdha—the exact same thing had happened to her! She too is a princess! Does that mean... does that mean you are talking about that very Snigdha, Rupanjan?"
Seeing that the Emperor had grasped the absolute truth, Rupanjan let out a dry smile and lowered his head. In a soft voice, he said, "You caught on in an instant, Your Majesty! What else can I possibly hide from you? Yes, Your Majesty... I am indeed talking about Princess Snigdha."
The moment Snigdha's name was confirmed by Rupanjan, the Emperor placed his hand on his head and sat there, completely stunned! Overwhelmed by extreme sorrow and utter disbelief, he held his forehead and said, "Oh, what a twist of fate! Even though King Aditya and the Queen are such grand, righteous, and immaculate individuals... how could such a disgrace of a daughter be born to them? Shame!"