.

---

Rajgarh Palace – Inner Courtyard – Late Night

The palace was asleep.

But Aarohi sat alone on the marble bench, her back to the moon, fingers clutching her mother’s diary.

Her eyes were dry now—anger had dried her tears. But inside her chest, it still hurt. Not the truth. The betrayal.

“Agar sirf sach hota… main sambhal leti. Par jhooth? Woh bhi uske muh se… jispar sabse zyada bharosa tha?”

Her voice cracked in the dark, though no one heard it.

She had trusted Aviraj. Apni har kamzori uske hawale kar di thi. But now… now every memory felt like a lie.

---

Flashback – Just Weeks Ago

“Aarohi,” he had whispered once, kissing her forehead, “tum sirf meri rani nahi ho. Tum meri saans ho.”

She had laughed, heart fluttering. “Zyada dialogue mat maaro. Main already pighal rahi hoon.”

“Pighal jaane do,” he’d said, holding her tighter. “Iss dil mein sirf tum ho.”

---

Back to Present

She laughed bitterly now.

“Dil mein main thi ya raaz?”

The words stabbed her throat on their way out.

The files she found were burned into her memory:

> "Subject R must remain unaware of her lineage..."

"Do not disclose until confirmation from higher authority..."

Subject R.

That’s what he had called her.

Not Aarohi.

Not his wife.

Not his queen.

Just… a project.

---

Palace Corridor – The Next Morning

She walked with purpose, dressed in Rajgarh blue, her crown perfectly placed. But her eyes… colder.

Every servant lowered their gaze.

She met Aviraj at the breakfast table. He stood up instinctively.

“Aarohi,” he began, “kal jo tumne kaha—”

“Woh sach tha,” she cut in, calmly buttering her toast. “Aur ab aur kuch kehne ki zarurat nahi.”

He sat slowly. “Kya tum mujhe mauka bhi nahi dogi?”

“Tumhare paas har mauka tha, Aviraj. Maine toh andhe vishwas tak kar liya tha.”

She looked up sharply.

“Par tumne mujhe ‘Subject R’ samjha.”

Aviraj’s face paled.

“Tumne woh file dekhi?”

“Dekhi, padhi, samjhi. Aur tab se raaton ki neend chali gayi.”

He reached for her hand.

“Main sab kuch samjha sakta hoon—”

She pulled away.

“Ab samajhne ki himmat bhi khatam ho gayi hai.”

---

Inner Monologue – Aarohi (Alone in Her Chamber)

“Mujhe ab bhi yakeen nahi hota ki woh sab drama tha… Woh har muskurahat, woh raat ki baatein, woh haath pakadna jab dar lagta tha... kya sab jhooth tha?”

She touched her mangalsutra, fingers trembling.

“Ya main hi bas ek aur chess piece thi?”

She took it off.

Slowly.

Silently.

And kept it inside her drawer.

---

Later – Rajmata’s Chambers

Rajmata saw her enter and immediately knew something had snapped.

“Tumhare chehre pe woh roshni nahi hai, Aarohi.”

Aarohi didn’t reply. She only said one thing:

“Main un logo mein se nahi hoon jo crown ke liye jhooth chhupayein.”

Rajmata sighed. “Crown kabhi kabhi sacchai chhupata nahi, bachata hai.”

“Fir woh crown mujhe nahi chahiye,” Aarohi whispered. “Agar usme mera apna wajood hi doob jaye.”

Rajmata’s eyes softened. For the first time, she saw not a queen—but a broken daughter.

“Tumhe kisne itna toda, Aarohi?”

Aarohi turned her back.

“Jisne mujhe sabse zyada chaha tha.”

---

Final Scene – Rooftop of the Palace

Aarohi stood in the wind, looking at the lights of Rajgarh.

“Main toot rahi hoon,” she whispered to herself, “Par is baar… main khud ko chune wali hoon.”

Below, Aviraj watched her from the garden, pain etching his face.

But this time, he didn’t go to her.

Because she no longer looked like the woman who needed rescuing.

She looked like a woman who had already set fire to the lies.

And from the ashes, a new queen was rising.

________

Rajgarh Palace – Royal Council Chamber

The long table was lined with officials and advisors, the morning sun streaming through the latticed windows. Scrolls, digital reports, and murmurs filled the air.

But Aviraj Rajvardhan Singh heard none of it.

He sat at the head of the table, robed in royal black, face like a carved sculpture—still, unreadable, yet screaming inside.

“Yuvraj-sa?” Advisor Devashish leaned forward. “The Zurich delegates—shall we proceed?”

Aviraj stood slowly, voice low but firm.

“Adalat mein faisle tab liye jaate hain jab saboot poore ho. Jab gaddari mahal ke andar se ho, toh pehle andar ka sach samjha jata hai.”

The hall fell silent.

He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“Sab nikal jaaiye. Aaj ka darbaar yahan khatam hota hai.”

---

Corridor Outside the Council Chamber

Aviraj tore off his velvet shawl, walking fast, breath heavy.

His thoughts raced.

“Subject R”... Woh file… Woh line jisne uske aur Aarohi ke beech mein ek deewar khadi kar di.

But he never meant for her to see that. Not like this.

He whispered to himself, “Aarohi, tumne jo dekha… woh aadha sach tha. Aur aadha jhooth kisi aur ka tha.”

---

Rajgarh Archives – Restricted Section

He stormed in.

“Junaid!” he barked at the record keeper. “Woh confidential file—Subject R—kaun approve kiya tha final draft?”

Junaid fumbled, sweating. “M-maharaj-sa… woh toh Veer Sahni ne diya tha… aapke naam se.”

Aviraj’s hands clenched.

“Usne file likhi, par hastakshar mere the?” he growled.

Junaid nodded weakly.

“Aap Raj Sabha ke dauraan South Block mein the… Veer ne kaha aapne remote signature bheja tha…”

“Main ne nahi bheja tha!” Aviraj roared.

His voice echoed off stone.

“Toh yahaan jhooth mere naam se chala diya gaya?”

He backed away, realization dawning.

“Aarohi ko galat sach diya gaya… sochi samjhi saazish thi yeh.”

---

Aviraj’s Chambers – Later That Day

He sat alone, unarmed and unguarded. His crown lay on the table, untouched.

In front of him: the mangalsutra Aarohi had returned. Wrapped in a white silk cloth.

He opened it slowly, fingers trembling.

“Yeh rishta maine todha nahi, par sambhaal bhi nahi paya.”

He poured himself a drink but didn’t sip. His reflection stared back at him from the royal mirror.

“Raj gharane ki parampara thi… ki maharaj roye nahi karte. Par shayad unhone kabhi kisi ko itna chaha nahi tha.”

---

Flashback – Young Aviraj, Speaking to His Father

“Maharaj-pita, agar kabhi kisi se sacche dil se prem ho jaaye… aur woh rajneeti mein musibat ban jaaye toh?”

His father, the late Maharaj Veersen, had said:

> “Rajyabhishek mein sirf crown nahi milta, beta. Tyaag bhi milta hai. Prem karo, par yaad raho—Raj ne kabhi kisi ko poora prem nahi diya. Na le paaya, na de paaya.”

Aviraj had laughed back then.

Today, the words gutted him.

---

Evening – Rajmata’s Private Chambers

Aviraj entered without ceremony.

Rajmata was reading, but looked up.

“Tumhare chehre pe mohabbat se zyada pachtava dikhta hai, beta.”

“Main bewakoof tha, maa-sa.”

He dropped the mangalsutra in front of her.

“Main use bacha nahi paya.”

She nodded slowly. “Toh ab kya karoge? Rajkumar banoge ya pati?”

He looked up, voice deep.

“Main sach ka pati banunga. Usse sach dunga. Aur jhoot se ladunga.”

She gave a small smile.

“Toh shuru karo. Veer Sahni tumhare darbaar ka kala saaya hai. Uska chehra sabse pehle utarna hoga.”

---

Secret Wing – Surveillance Room

Aviraj entered quietly, bypassing the guards. Veer Sahni had set this system years ago—ironically, it would now be his undoing.

Aviraj played footage from two weeks ago.

Aarohi, alone, entering the archives.

Veer following.

Then… switching the folder she had requested.

And leaving.

The date matched the night she accused him.

“Gaddar kahin ka.”

Aviraj clenched his fists.

“Usne tumse mera naam chura liya, Aarohi. Ab main tumse tumhara bharosa wapas launga.”

---

Final Scene – Aarohi’s Chambers

A soft knock.

She opened the door and froze.

Aviraj stood there, not in royal robes—but in a simple white kurta. Vulnerable. Bare.

“Aaj maharaj nahi… sirf Aviraj aaya hai.”

She didn’t speak.

He stepped forward, held out a scroll.

“Yeh woh asli file hai. Tumhare saath jo hua… usme meri galti thi. Bewakoofi thi. Lekin sa

azish kisi aur ki thi.”

Aarohi’s hand shook as she took it.

He looked into her eyes.

“Tum mujhse door chali jao, lekin jhooth ke saath nahi. Tumhe sach ka haq hai.”

She stared at him, unsure, unreadable.

And for the first time in weeks…

Her eyes blinked with something other than rage.

Tears.

End of chapter