103
AS soon as the guard opened the door, Raghav alighted immediately and the Shimla breeze caressed his skin, he took a deep breath of it as he looked around, it was really good to be home.
He glanced at the sit-out and saw someone seated there, one of the maids maybe. He looked away and focused at the entrance of the palace, determined to go in and face his mother at once.
Seriously that woman was indeed testing his patience, she was really testing him. He had already submitted his wish to leave the business training and return at the due time, it was granted.
Only for him to be on the plane and receive some sort of videos and photos from Zaina, and a sort of bad news, that Rina and her mother was nowhere to be found. What nonsense!
He just needed to get to that woman called his mother, although he wasn’t convinced yet if she had a hand in her disappearance.
He was still heading for the entrance in a haste when a voice behind him made him lower his pace, he did and turned back. Jeez! He froze, it was Vidya!
She was smiling and grinning from ear to ear, like she had won a lottery.
“Oh! Maharana, you are back, finally. Oh my! Welcome”, she said and genuflected.
He kept her mute, and watched her close the distance between them. Like what in God’s name was she doing here?
“My Prince, I’m so happy you are back home, so happy to see you as well. Welcome back”, she said, still opening her thirty two, obviously gawking. Holy crap! Why couldn’t she just have him in her arms?
“You?” The word finally left his mouth. Vidya was taken aback, what does he mean by ‘you’?
“What are you doing here you gold digger?” He questioned.
Vidya was stunned by the Prince’s outburst. Why this barrage of questions huh? Wasn’t he happy to see her, his betrothed?
“The hell my foot!” He shouted and she cringed, like she had already forgotten he reads minds.
They were already creating a small scene as the guards and maids around looked on.
“You know what?” Raghav continued, “I don’t have the time for you yet. I just wanna get in there, see my mom, and then I will be back for you”, he blurted and walked away, leaving her gobsmacked.
He had already walked a few steps away from her before she realized herself and then began looking around, thinking of what to do. The Prince was back, now her work starts.
Instantly, she followed him, tip-toeing as she went.
Raghav angrily walked into the palace heading for the Queen’s chamber, he knew exactly where she must be at that particular time of the day.
He got to her chamber and the two maids who were always standing by the door, genuflected.
“Welcome Your Grace”, they greeted in unison, and one immediately opened the door.
Without responding to their greetings or even glancing at them, he barged into the room.
“Mom!” He called as soon as he entered, looking around for her.
Queen Arya was lying on the bed trying very hard to have a siesta. She instantly heard her son’s angry voice and the siesta eluded her. She sat up.
“Mom?” He called again and walked up to her.
“My gee! Raghav, you are back, unexpectedly”, she stated, sounding like it was more of a question than just a statement.
He ignored her.
“Mom we have to talk, we literally have to talk”, he said, pacing about the room.
Her face instantly turned curious. Talk what? What exactly were they going to talk about?
“What about?” She asked, and continued, “but wait, is this the reason you retuned earlier than usual? I mean, this thing you want to talk about?” She asked demonstrating with her hands.
He fumed and tried his possible best to calm his nerves down, holy shit! He was so gonna loose it soon.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“I am here for something serious”, he stated.
“Okay. That you had to leave the training even before it ended? That you had to come back without a prior notice?” She stretched out her legs and brought them down the bed, “alright, go on. Tell me, what is it you want to talk about?” She asked, trying her possible best to control her thoughts.
He kept mute, deliberately delaying, but thinking very hard on how best to bring this up.
“Mother I got a report”, he finally said, “a very disheartening one at that”, he said.
She nodded.
“Okay, what is it all about?” She asked.
“Mother it is about you and your betrothed”, he blurted and she reacted.
“Yes, that gold digger of yours, that rude spoilt brat you brought me to marry…”.
“Oh you don’t talk about my daughter in-law that way”, she interrupted.
“Daughter what? What daughter in-law?” He was taken aback, “mother I don’t even know where to start from, or how to put this”, he said and kept shut, looking at her.
Arya made a face and looked away.
“Where is Rina?” He finally let out the bombshell.
Arya was instantly shocked at the question, so shocked, but tried her possible best to look calm and ignorant.
“Rina? Who is that?” She asked.
He sighed.
“Mother don’t pretend now to me, do not pretend, you know who the hell I am talking about. My woman, my life”, he said, his right hand on his chest as he spoke.
Arya was stunned, her eyes twitched. Well, she expected him to know, he has ears and eyes everywhere.
“Well, I do not know where she is. Come on, you know where she lives, why not go check up on her or something?” She said and waved her right hand, avoiding his eyes.
He fumed all the more.
“I know where she lives right?” He asked sarcastically.
“Mother if you don’t know anything about her, then why the hell is her car in your custody? The car I got my woman confiscated by you. Why?” He shouted, raging in anger.
Arya couldn’t take this anymore, she tried to salvage the situation.
“Alright, alright. I didn’t confiscate it, I do not know where you must have been getting your info from, but I didn’t, okay?”
He kept her mute, and let her finish up lying. His guards had already told him the car was confiscated by her. So let her lie, and let him listen to the lies.
“Some concerned people of the kingdom came up to the palace few weeks back, to tell me the house had been abandoned, and a letter was found at the doorstep. I mean the house you got her.
“So as a concerned mother and Queen of the kingdom, I took my guards and off we went, to the house. I got there only to meet this letter, saying she had left the kingdom for good, that she wasn’t happy with the situation surrounding you guys, and that she just wanted to leave Shimla with her mother”.
Raghav was keenly listening to her talk and demonstrate.
“So all I did was just to bring back the car to the palace and wait for your return, then locked up the house. That was all I did, I have no hand in her disappearance”, she said and spread out her hands.
His fury increased. What kind of a barrage of lies was this?
“Okay, good. So where is the letter? I need to see it”, he asked.
Arya was taken aback. She never thought of that.
“Oh, the letter… the letter. Um, I think I, yes I instructed the guards to discard it immediately, I did”, she said, avoiding his eyes.
“You had the letter discarded? The only evidence to prove that what you’re saying now is true, you had it discarded. Then tell me, how am I going to believe you? How?” He asked, advancing towards her.
“Son, don’t tell me you won’t believe your mother because of a mere pauper…”.
What happened next was better seen than imagined. Out of anger, Raghav raised his right hand to land a slap on his mother’s cheek, but he didn’t bring it down, it was hung up in the air.
Arya was stunned. She got up.
“What! What are you trying to do son? Slap me? The Queen? Your mother? Jeez! Raghav”, she called, totally astonished and shocked.
Raghav was weakened immediately, he regretted attempting to slap his mother, although he was still fuming and panting. His hanging hand slowly came down and he began looking at her rant.
“I can’t believe you tried to slap me Raghav”, she said.
“Mother with due respect, you better watch your speech and know how you call my woman names. I wouldn’t let you do that, forget you are my mother, or the Queen I just wouldn’t let you do that”, he said.
Arya couldn’t say a thing, she just stared at him with her mouth ajar, in shock.
“Hmm, I wonder what that girl must have given to you, that you are going nuts because of her, damn it! You are even warning me, your mother”, she said.
He scoffed.
“Mother I am damn serious, where is the letter? I need to be sure about this”, he said.
“Gosh! I can’t lie to you son, you can ask my guards if you think I am”, she sat down back on the bed, she knew too well he wouldn’t do that anyway, she just said to butress her point.
“Besides, this isn’t what we are supposed to be talking about right now, or any other time. Don’t get worked up over this, what you are supposed to be getting worried about is your betrothed, she is right back in the palace, aren’t you happy about that?” She asked
Good Lord! Raghav was stunned. Like seriously, wasn’t his mother getting anything at all from all he has been saying? Besides…
“I think you must indeed have been deaf to all I have been saying. Talking of Vidya, what the hell was all that?” He asked, suddenly digressing.
“What was what?” She asked.
“The partying last night. Why was that? Why would you allow that?” He asked.
“What is wrong? It’s just partying, come on son”.
He sighed and splayed his hand on his forehead.
“You call that just partying? Mother she spent more than half a million, in just one night. Is that whom you want to be the future Queen of this kingdom? Your kingdom? Huh?” He asked.
Arya made a face.
“It’s just partying, after all, you go for parties too right”.
“And get drunk? And spend money anyhow like there is no tomorrow? You see, this is the more reason I would never let that girl be my bride, she isn’t responsible”, he said.
“Is that really necessary in choosing a wife?” She asked and the question stunned him like hell.
“What! Are you the one saying this mom? Mother you disappoint me these days, your way of thinking, your way of reasoning, I just can’t fathom it”, he lamented, looking at her disgustingly.
“Well, leave that to me. I will talk to her. But just so you know, she is the fitted bride for you”, she said, smiling.
He ignored that.
“I am going to ask you this for the last time mother, and I won’t go back. So it’s better you tell me willingly, than let me find out myself, because it would be more disastrous”.
She sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Where the hell is Rina, and her mother? Where did you keep them?” He raged, fuming.
She was surprised, was he not getting it at all? She sighed deeply.
“I just told you all I know about them, I have nothing to do with their disappearance, I have no hand in it”, she said, looking as calm as ever.
“So you mean she just decided to leave? Like, what was contained in the letter was true?” He was forced to ask.
“Yeah, what else?” She nodded.
She was so calm answering him, that he was forced to think it was true. That Rina must have left him, left Shimla. But why? Why would she? They were so good together.
“I think all you need to do now son, is just to forget about her, and move on”, she cut into his thoughts, “move on because your life doesn’t revolve around her”.
“Oh yes it does mother”, he shouted, almost interrupting her, “my life do revolves around her. What am I gonna do now that she has left me? What?” He rhetorically asked running his right hand through his hair.
“Oh no! You have your family son, you do”.
Raghav ignored her, pacing to and fro the room, looking so derilious, stressed and frustrated. Suddenly, he blurted out.
“I am going to find her”, he said.
“What!” Vidya who was by the door eavesdropping exclaimed.