It was nine in the morning. I had just returned from my yoga classes. The moment I arrived, I picked up my phone and called a boy. I told him something briefly, then hung up after a while and walked into the washroom to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out of the washroom, dressed, and headed downstairs. The moment I reached, I froze in shock. And then, a little distance away, I saw my brother-Viraj Joshi, the Prince of Rajasthan-standing there.

Devansh - He was not just ruthless-he knew exactly how to remove anyone who stood in his way. People believed watever he chose to show them, but in truth, he was nothing like the image he presented to the world. Though he was young, his mind worked with a sharpness far beyond his years.

I walked up to my brother, Devansh, and leaned in close to his ear, whispering softly, "veer yeh log kon hai aur humare ghar kyu aaye hain?" (Who are these people, and why have they come to our house?).

Just as I had spoken softly, he lowered his voice and said, "yeh log Udaipur k maharaj hai aur humare ghar rishta leke aaye hain.woh log Rajasthan ki princess - yani aapko dekhne aaye hain" (They are the Maharaj of Udaipur, and they have come to our house with a marriage proposal. They are from Rajasthan's royal family... they've come to see you-the princess).

For a moment, I went completely still, stunned. How could my own family do this to me?

Gathering myself, I walked forward to where my parents and the guests were seated. As soon as I reached them, my mother-Padmavati, the Maharani of Rajasthan-looked at me and gestured for me to come sit beside her.

Quietly, without a word, I walked over and took my seat next to her. From the expression on my face, no one could possibly tell what storm was raging inside me.

There were neither expressions of happiness nor of sadness on my face. I just sat there silently, like a lifeless statue, watching how my own life was being decided in front of me.

It wasn't entirely my parents' fault-somewhere, I had given them the right to make choices for my life. But the way everyone was reading my silence as weakness... that was something I couldn't bear anymore.

I set the coffee cup down, the soft clink echoing louder than it should have. All eyes turned to me-but it didn't matter. Not anymore. This was my life, and I would live it on my own terms.

That familiar fire returned to my eyes-the one my entire family feared, though even I didn't know how long it would last. Every gaze was fixed on me as I tilted my head slightly, scanning the room. It felt as if time itself had come to a standstill, everyone frozen in their place.

Slowly, I stepped forward. My voice, though calm, carried a firm edge as I spoke,

"mujhe yeh shadi nhi karni hai" (I don't want this marriage).

My mother looked at me with pleading eyes, but I ignored her as much as I could and continued,

"ik aap log idhar rishta ki baat karne aaye ho lekin mujhe abhi shadi karne main koyi bhi interest nhi hai. Maaf karna rani sa aur rana sa lekin mujhe aapke bete Yuvraj se shadi nhi karna hai" (I know you all have come here with a marriage proposal, but I have no interest in getting married right now. I'm sorry, Rani Sahiba and Rana Sahab... but I do not wish to marry your son, Yuvraj).

Yuvraj-the sole heir of Udaipur. Once anger took hold of him, no one dared to go near him. Whatever he desired, he simply had to say it aloud, and it would become his. Anything he set his eyes on... eventually belonged to him.

His features were striking-sharp yet perfectly balanced, as if every detail had been carved with intention. One glance at him, and anyone would say he was crafted by the hands of God himself. His entire presence carried an effortless perfection, like a masterpiece shaped with the finest artistry.

I lowered my gaze for a moment, then slowly lifted it again. Everything I had heard about Yuvraj echoed in my mind. Before saying all this, I had thought a thousand times-but now the words were already spoken.

A part of me wished I could take them all back. I kept thinking to myself... either the sky should swallow me whole, or the ground beneath should pull me in. Anything to escape the weight of what I had just done.

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Even after hearing all that, Yuvraj remained seated-still, unreadable. But now, every gaze in the room had shifted to him.

Suddenly, he stood up, as if struck by an electric shock. The air froze. Conversations died. Even breaths felt suspended in time.

What would Yuvraj do next?

Would this mark the beginning of something new in Rajasthan... or the end of everything?

Would the Rana's Yuvraj destroy Princess Isha for daring to refuse him?

Questions echoed in every mind, heavy and unspoken-while the silence grew louder than ever.

As Yuvraj stepped closer to Isha, the tension in the room only grew heavier. With every step he took, the fear in everyone's hearts deepened. Not a single person had the courage to stop the Rana's Yuvraj.

Now, only a small distance remained between them.

Yuvraj reached out, gently taking Isha's hands into his own, and in a voice firm enough for everyone to hear, he announced,

"aap jab kahengi hum tab shadi karenge rajkumari. Aapko koyi bhi force nhi karega humse shadi karne k liye aur aap sorry mat boliye iss main aapki koyi bhi galati nhi hai agar aap yahi chahti hai toh yahi hoga" (Whenever you wish, that is when we will marry, Rajkumari. No one will force you into this).

Then, softer, almost reassuringly, he added,

"This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. If this is what you want... then so it shall be."

After Yuvraj said all that, a faint sense of relief spread across the room, soft smiles appearing on a few faces.

But Isha... she should have been upset. Instead, deep inside, she felt a strange sense of victory-as if she had just won something. No one there understood it, not even Yuvraj.

Because when a girl's marriage proposal falls apart, somewhere deep down, it usually breaks her too. But Isha didn't look broken at all.

If anything, the expression on her face made it seem like... this had all been part of her plan.

On the other side, Yuvraj-who had just said all that while hardening his heart like stone-no one could truly understand what he was going through at that moment.

A man who had loved the same girl since childhood... and when the time finally came to marry her, she refused him in front of everyone.

Yet, somewhere within, he felt a quiet sense of relief. At least Isha hadn't hidden her feelings. She had the courage to say no to something she didn't want-even if it meant rejecting him in front of everyone.

But what would happen when the truth behind that innocent face came to light? When everyone discovered the secret she was hiding... what kind of storm would it bring? Which relationships would shatter, and whose trust would be lost-no one could say.

At that moment, everything seemed perfectly fine, as if life held no problems at all. But was this happiness only a temporary guest?

Or was it the kind that arrives quietly... only to leave after destroying everything in its path?

No one knew what was coming next.

Yuvraj and his family stayed for a while, exchanging formal conversations before finally leaving for Udaipur. The smile on his face had faded long ago, yet he kept it in place-hiding his pain so no one would notice what lay beneath.

The man everyone believed to be cold and heartless... even he felt pain. The one feared by all had been hurt-hurt by rejection. But he concealed it all, burying his emotions behind a practiced smile.

After everything, life returned to normal for everyone else. But for Yuvraj, nothing was the same. He had never faced rejection in his life-and even if he had, never like this... never in front of so many people, never in such a public, unforgiving way.

What will Yuvraj do after this? Will he simply move on with his life, carrying the weight of this pain and rejection... or will he do something unexpected-something neither he nor anyone.

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Happy reading lillies 🪷

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