"Rajneeti Ke Saazis"

Scene: Rajmata’s Private Chamber – Midnight

Aarohi, still visibly shaken from what she had read in the diary, entered the chamber as summoned. Her steps were hesitant, her gaze restless. The weight of ancestral betrayal and personal guilt hung heavily on her shoulders.

Rajmata sat regally on her carved sandalwood chair, the firelight casting shadows that danced along the high palace walls. Her crown shimmered even without occasion — a symbol of power, always in place.

Rajmata (sternly): "Aayi ho samay par, yah toh aachha kiya tumne. Kya samjha tha tumne, ki tumhare paas kuch purani kitaabein, kuch likhi baatein aa jaayein toh tum Raj ke sach samajh jaogi?"

Aarohi looked up, confusion and pain in her eyes.

Aarohi: "Maine kuch nahi samjha Rajmata... main bas sach dhoondhne ki koshish kar rahi thi. Shayad galti thi..."

Rajmata (rising, voice sharper): "Galti nahi, mahamurkhta thi! Tum ek mamuli ladki ho, Aarohi. Tum kya jaano rajpath kya hota hai, uski gehraiyan kya hoti hain? Rajneeti ke saaz kaisi hoti hain? Tumhe jo saboot mile, jo dikhaye gaye, tumne aankhen band karke vishwas kar liya! Yeh rani banne ki pehli chook hai."

Aarohi (softly, defensively): "Par maine kuch bhi jaanbujhkar nahi kiya... mujhe laga main sirf..."

Rajmata (cutting her): "Tumhe laga tum sach dhoondh rahi ho? Sach? Tum apni maa Anaya ka sach toh accept nahi kar payi, uske naam ko toh tumne khud dafna diya tha itihas ke panne mein. Jab media ne tumhare non-royal hone ki baat uthayi thi, tum chup rahi thi, Aviraj se bhi sach chhupaya tha! Kya yeh sach nahi tha?"

Aarohi’s face turned pale. Her heart throbbed with the echo of memories she had tried to bury — her orphaned past, the day she ran away, her helpless silence before truth.

Aarohi (whispering): "Mujhe dar tha... woh sach... meri duniya chheen leta."

Rajmata (smirking): "Aur ab, tum riyasat ki rajrani banne chali ho? Jab tum itihas ka samna nahi kar sakti, apne ghoontele hue kal ko nahi samhal sakti, toh kal ka raaj kaise sambhalogi?"

Rajmata walked slowly towards her, her eyes sharp with political venom.

Rajmata: "Yeh rajya sirf sundar poshak pehn kar photo kichwane se nahi chalta. Rajya chalta hai rajniti se, samriddhi se, chaturta se. Aur tum... tum ab tak us kabil sabit nahi ho paayi ho."

Aarohi: "Main poori koshish karti hoon, Rajmata... main seekh rahi hoon..."

Rajmata: "Seekhne ke liye samay chahiye, aur Rajya chhodkar woh samay nahi deta. Kal ek mahila sabha baithi ja rahi hai. Tumhare liye. Wahan tumhe sabke sawalon ka samna karna hoga."

Aarohi stepped back, shocked.

Aarohi: "Sabha? Mujhe kyun? Kis liye?"

Rajmata: "Taaki yeh spasht ho jaaye ki tum iss pad ke yogya ho bhi ya nahi."

Aarohi: "Lekin... kya Aviraj ko..."

Rajmata raised a commanding palm.

Rajmata (with finality): "Tumhe baar-baar yeh kehne ki zarurat kyun padti hai, Aarohi? Har baat mein Aviraj ko kyon kheench laati ho? Yeh tumhara sankat hai. Tumhara kaam hai ise hal karna. Chhoti baatein rajaon ke kaan tak le jaane wali raniyan kabhi sthayi nahi hoti."

Aarohi remained frozen. Her lips trembled. She wanted to speak, to explain herself, to scream, but no sound came out. Rajmata had planted seeds of doubt with such precision that Aarohi herself began to feel like she didn’t belong.

---

Scene: Aarohi’s Chamber – Post Meeting

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her once-bright eyes now looked confused, burdened.

Aarohi (to herself): "Kya main sach mein itni kamzor hoon? Kya main ek achhi rani nahi ban sakti? Mujhe toh yeh bhi nahi pata ki main kaun hoon... Maa kaun thi... Sach kya tha..."

She sat on the bed, head in hands.

Aarohi (softly): "Bas... kal ke liye taiyaar hona hoga. Shayad mujhe sab kuch bhoolkar naye sir se shuru karna hoga. Shayad... wahi sahi hoga."

The candle flickered in the breeze, its light just as unsteady as Aarohi’s confidence. And somewhere beyond the chamber walls, the game of power continued to twist her fate.

---------

Shadows Behind the Crown

Aarohi stood silently in the corridor of the Rajgarh Palace, her delicate fingers brushing the intricate designs of the pillar near her. She had just returned from the Sabha of Shakti—mentally drained, emotionally pulled, and spiritually confused. The echoes of the old queens, the rajguru’s riddles, and the weight of expectations still lingered in her mind.

Just then, the ever-commanding voice of Rajmata snapped her out of her trance.

"Akele mein raani hone ka swaad kuch aur hota hai, Aarohi." Rajmata said with an eerie calm, stepping closer with her signature grace that always hid a dangerous storm beneath.

Aarohi turned, straightening herself. "Rajmata, aap yahan...?"

Rajmata smiled, but her eyes were calculating. "Tumhari sabha achhi rahi... Lekin raani banna sirf kuch prashnon ke uttar dene se nahi hota. Rajpath samajhne ke liye, rajneeti ke gehre saaz samajhne padte hain. Tum... bas farz nibha rahi ho ya rajya chalane ka junoon bhi hai?"

Aarohi gave a soft smile. "Main apna har farz nibhane ki koshish kar rahi hoon."

Rajmata’s next words were dipped in subtle venom. "Tumhari maa Anaya bhi isi koshish mein thi... aur dekha uska anjaam? Usne bhi sach chhupaya tha, jaise tumne kiya tha us media scandal ke waqt. Par tumhare chehre pe ab bhi utni hi masoomiyat hai jitni us din thi jab tum rajmahal ke bahar Durga Mandap ke paas akeli ro rahi thi..."

Aarohi’s smile faded.

Her breath caught. That moment—her moment of utter vulnerability—was never spoken of, never seen. She had never told anyone. How did Rajmata know?

She stared blankly at Rajmata, whose eyes twinkled with power. "Kabhi kabhi, bholapan bhi ek chhal hota hai. Tumhe samajhne mein waqt lag raha hai, lekin rajmahal mein waqt nahi rukta. Har cheez ka hisaab rakha jata hai, raani sa." She walked away with the grace of a queen and the threat of a serpent.

---

That night, Aarohi tossed and turned on her velvet sheets. Rajmata's words swirled in her mind.

"Durga Mandap ke paas ro rahi thi..."

How?

She sat up. "Mainne toh kabhi kisi se... nahi kaha tha..."

It hit her like a thunderclap—Rajmata was watching. Not just metaphorically, but literally. Spies, secrets, eyes in the shadows.

She stood and paced, anger mixing with fear.

"Kya Rajmata ne hamesha mujhe ek chal ka hissa mana? Kya main sirf ek mohra hoon iss rajneeti mein?"

---

Meanwhile in Jaipur...

Aviraj, draped in a navy-blue bandh-gala, sat in the royal chamber of the Samrat Parishad, where kings from various regions had gathered to discuss diplomatic affairs and business expansion across Rajasthan. Next to him was Princess Sophie, poised as ever, taking detailed notes.

Aviraj was mentally present, but his heart drifted back to Aarohi. Her absence gnawed at him.

During a short recess, he stepped into the courtyard and dialed Aarohi.

"The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off..."

He sighed. “Tum phone kyun nahi utha rahi ho Aarohi?”

Sophie joined him. “You seem distracted, Aviraj.”

He forced a smile. “Royal duties, Sophie. They never end.”

Sophie smirked. "Or maybe... the queen back home is the distraction?”

Aviraj didn’t answer. But in his heart, the storm of miscommunication and secrets was already brewing.

---

Back in Rajgarh...

Aarohi paced the royal library. Her steps stopped in front of an old scroll titled “Saazishein aur Siyasat: Rajmataon ka Kaal”.

She picked it up, and whispered to herself: “Mujhe pata karna hoga... kaise woh meri maa ke baare mein sab jaanti hain... kya sach mein maa ne kuch kiya tha... ya ye sab koi saazish thi?”

She began flipping through the pages. Hidden letters. Unsigned correspondences. Historical accusations.

Just then, Virat, dressed casually, appeared behind a curtain. "Bahut der se tumhe dekh raha hoon. Itni chinta?"

Aarohi shut the scroll. "Main thoda padhna chahti thi."

Virat stepped closer. “Kya tum sach mein samajh paogi? Rajneeti ke iss jungle mein tumhari jagah nahi hai, Aarohi.”

She glared. “Yeh faisla main karungi, koi aur nahi.”

He smirked and left.

As she stared at his retreating figure, the feeling of being watched, of being trapped, only grew.

And in another corner of the palace, Rajmata on phone call with Sophia shared a private moment.

Rajmata: "Tumhara kaam badhiya ja raha hai, Sophia. Aviraj jaise raja ko apne samay mein wapas lana hoga... aur tum uska vishwas ban jaogi."

Sophia smiled: “Aur Aarohi?”

Rajmata’s eyes narrowed. “Ek din usse samajh mein aa jayega... ki woh is rajmahal mein sirf ek upvaas hai... bhojan nahi.”

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