|CHAPTER - 27|
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Warm winds of the afternoon sun tingled her sensitive skin as Riya stepped down from the bullock cart. She slowly squinted her eyes to get a glimpse of her surroundings, and the house was not normal. It was as huge as Raghuveer's house with a large backyard towards the right end. The tall coconut and mango trees which occasionally danced to the tunes of the dry afternoon wind and the cattle taking rest underneath them made Riya already yearn for the cool atmosphere of the prince's house.
"Oh my, my! Look who is here!" A sharp feminine voice made Riya glance towards the entrance.
"Aunt Savitri! Come on now, I visited a few months ago, hadn't I?" Jaidev chided her playfully, making Riya gage at the sweetness in his tone.
Oh my, my, how fake can you be, Jaidev?
After last night's incident, Riya disliked Jaidev in such a short period. She was already upset from the way he conversed with Dhruvan, however, when she observed his constant bickering with the bullock cart driver about how slow his bull was, made the dislike for him deepen. It was dark and night, what can that poor animal do when it can't see anything? What can the cart driver do? Yet, by the early hours when they entered the bustling capital village of the kingdom and happened to pass by a few royals his voice turned sweeter than jaggery, while a bright smile made his face.
That is when she understood what kind of a person Jaidev was. He is a hypocrite, he pretends to respect every villager irrespective of their status however his true face can be something else.
"-this is Maithili, whom I have mentioned in the letter. She requires shelter for a few weeks till her parents return from the voyage." Jaidev informed his aunt and Riya finally snapped out of her thoughts at the introduction he gave.
Maithili? How dare he even introduce her with another name without even consulting with her once? Riya glared at Jaidev and he immediately gave her an expression of apology.
"A voyage? How irresponsible of them to leave such a young maiden behind?" Savitri exclaims, opening her mouth wide in surprise.
Savitri was a petite and round woman with a light complexion and she looked more than beautiful for her age.
Riya fisted her palms to her sides, as her cheeks flushed warm in anger. Alright, this was her fake parents that Savitri was ratting about, nonetheless, she felt a strong urge to punch her for assuming others' situations. Her imaginary parents could have been sick and the voyage could have been their last wish! But no, people are so quick at judging others decisions.
"It is because they believe their daughter can handle herself better." Riya scoffed before speaking, her eyes striking glares at the women.
However, Savitri was not what she seemed to look: soft and clam, but she is rather strong and vindictive.
"Really? If a young and unmarried woman like you can do better alone then how did you end up here?"
The emphasis on the unmarried status caught Riya off-guard and she felt the fury deepen in her heart, yet this time she had no comeback. Her brain went blank for a moment unable to form any sentences and taking this as her defeat Savitri turned around asking Riya to follow her inside.
Crossing the threshold of the house Riya was no longer surprised, the house looked lavish. The house smelled of incense sticks and flowers allowing her to conjecture that Savitri is a god-fearing person and the paintings and sculptures at every corner of the house didn't prove otherwise. The house kept reminding Riya of Raghuveer's house however this one was a little peculiar, crossing the threshold of the house a hollow opening of the roof could be seen, probably to let the rainwater inside the house.
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A Pull Of Destiny
Historical Fiction"Two souls don't find each other by accident. They are meant to be." * * Riya is a famous Indian soap opera actress but her life is always monotonous as acting was never her dream, but her fathers. However, life takes a crazy turn after an unfortun...
