Chapter 163

Chapter 242: Advent from Cottage to Castle

Lady Anjali, leaning back on the armchair in the living room, looked at her grandmother who was feeding her little white parrot from her hand that was not wrapped in cloth.

Sensing her granddaughter's eyes on her, Lady Deviyani looked up, "What is it, bitiya? Something seems to press upon your mind."

Lady Anjali glanced across the sunlit window, "Nothing is upon my mind, Nani."

"Now, now," Lady Deviyani frowned, "You know well I can read into your unsaid words."

Lady Anjali looked uneasily at her grandmother, "I had this..."

She paused as the memory of the previous night crossed her mind and she bit her lower lip before uttering, "I saw a dream that fared not well for my..." She slid a protective hand over her inflated middle, "For my child."

Lady Deviyani was all ears and she leaned forward in concern and placed a hand on Lady Anjali's that rested upon her womb, "What did you see?"

Lady Anjali's words came in a fearful whisper, "I was holding my child, I could see her face... and then I couldn't."

"Then you couldn't?" Her Nani leaned closer, "Was there a fog? Did you faint? Did you wake up?"

"None," Lady Anjali confessed, "The bundle was empty."

"There was no child?" Nani paled.

Lady Anjali shook her head as tears rushed in her sad eyes, "There was no child. Only... blood."

"My child!" Nani was on her feet, one aged hand on her granddaughter's head and the other on her hand that was on the womb, "It must have been your worry that dreamed it up! Certainly, it holds no meaning!"

"I fear you are wrong, Nani," wept Lady Anjali, "It is twice I have seen this dream."

"The first time you had it, you panicked and forced it into your memory again, that is all."

"There is no certainty," Lady Anjali shook her head.

"Come, come, my child!" Nani caressed her head, "The Great Powers see the good in you. They will let no evil befall you. Why! Even the villagers are steadfast in prayer and plead for your sake and of the child in you."

"I fear, Nani, that I have been too blind," Lady Anjali spoke in tears, not thinking of what she was letting utter, "I should have listened to him. What if the child is cursed?"

"The child cursed?" Nani was astonished, "Nonsense! Whatever put that thought in you!"

"Why can't she be?" Lady Anjali blindly reasoned, "She is to be begotten from a cursed family."

"Anjalibitiya!" Nani was furious, "Just because Chotey is cursed does not mean that the child in your womb must be. He was cursed for his folly. It has NOTHING to do with you or your child."

"It is not Chotey's curse I speak of," Words spilled from Lady Anjali's mouth before she could stop herself, "It's-" She froze, realizing what she had done.

Nani gaped at her suspiciously, "It is not Chotey's curse? Then whose is it?"

Lady Anjali swallowed and then mumbled to the floor, "Amma and Papa's... the curse of their fatal deaths."

On hearing this, Nani was relieved but the frown remained on her face, "Of all the ridiculousness I would have expected you to think up, this was the least."

Nani smiled warmly at her granddaughter, "What has passed this world will never touch you. What you have accepted as lost to you will remain lost to you forever. So fear not, nothing of your past will harm you..." Nani caressed her grandchild's womb, "...or your child."

Lady Anjali smiled painfully at her grandmother and sufficed in silent acceptance of the wise words.

"Now, cheer up, my child," Nani said, "Today our Chotey and his wife return home!"

That thought brightened Lady Anjali's visage and Nani was pleased she brought it up, though secretly her elderly mind worried about what her grandchild's repeated dream intended. And what was it about another's curse? Lady Deviyani was certain it was not the tragedy of the past that Lady Anjali feared. There was something else but what it was, she could not be certain.

When the sun was at its noon peak and the land of Arhasia was warmed bright, the sturdy wheels of the expected carriage rolled up the hill upon which loomed the huge Raizada Castle.

The Elder Lord Manohar Raizada had been inspecting the garden in the accompaniment of the butler and both men stopped when the guards at the gate let the carriage in.

"Ah! They've arrived!" Lord Manohar remarked as he retraced his steps back to the huge doors of the Castle while issuing orders to the butler, "Announce to the women within of their arrival and get the Prakash brothers to unload the baggage."

"Instantly, sire," bowed the butler who rushed forward to comply with the Elder Lord's demand.

As the footmen opened the carriage door to help the First Lord and First Lady out, Lord Manohar beamed at them, "Arnavbitwa, Kushibitiya! Welcome home!"

"Mamaji," Lord Arnav smiled, removing his hat respectfully, "It's good to be back home."

Just then, with lots of noise and cheer, the womenfolk of the Castle streamed out towards them.

Lady Manorama ignored Kushi but embraced her nephew, "My poor bitwa! How famished he must be after his week's respite in that deprived Village!"

"He doesn't look famished to me, Manu," opined Lord Manohar, studying his nephew's face, "In truth, he looks quite hale and hearty."

"Why, yes, he does!" Payal whispered to Kushi, "I am curious, what did the Village do to him, Kushi?"

A slight blush crossed Kushi's cheeks but no one saw it for she was hugged by Nani just then.

"Green honeybee!" shrieked an excited Fortune, flying about in circles over the sunny Raizada gathering.

"Thank you, bitiya," whispered the grandmother into the young girl's ear, "For marrying my son and teaching him to find his heart again."

In Nani's embrace, Kushi closed her eyes, "Thank you, Nani, for letting me be part of your life and your dear family."

Lord Arnav's gaze fell on his sister, standing a few steps away with tears in her eyes as she gazed proudly at her brother's face.

He felt his knees weaken as he stepped forward and pulled his sister to a warm embrace, his protective arms clutching her close to his heart.

"Di..." he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

"Chotey," Lady Anjali breathed against her brother's shoulder, as happy tears rushed down her cheeks, "My Little One is home."

While the family remained in their fervent and cheerful welcoming of the couple, OmPrakash, JayPrakash and HariPrakash and two other servants (whose names are not important for our tale) were crossing hither and thither, unloading the contents in the carriage and carrying the boxes and baskets into the Castle.

At the open doorway, Rahim Chacha stepped forward to address the family warmly after a bow, "Lady Mother, Sires and Ladies, my humble suggestion is that you step into our warm home and resume your merry moments and not let the First Lord and the First Lady tire their journeyed state with prolonged standing outdoors."

"Wisely said, Rahim Chacha!" said a voice from behind the butler and all eyes looked to see Lord Akash step forward, "Let Brother and Kushiji ease into the living room lounger before we tax them with queries about their stay at the Village."

Laughing in agreement, the Raizada family streamed up the few steps and into the Castle as the butler happily shut the huge doors of a home that, at last, felt complete again.

The family was gathered in the living room, opening gifts and sharing in the delicious delicacies made by the Gupta family.

Before Kushi could narrate the week's adventures for her Jiji, Nani and Lady Anjali's sakes, Lord Arnav excused himself, insisting that he wanted to go to his bed chamber to change into his day clothes.

As he turned to leave, his eyes glanced at his wife quickly and Kushi knew he wanted her to follow him. He had quickly stridden across the living room, up the stairs and into his room.

Kushi excused herself from the assembly and stepped across the room.

She was about to proceed up the stairs after her husband, when a voice addressed her from behind, "Miss Kushi, you're back!"

Kushi stilled.

She frowned at the stair before her.

Then setting her features firm, she turned about and looked at the man who had spoken, "Yes, we're back."

The General clearly flinched on her stressed utterance of the "we" but he hastily composed his expression when Lady Anjali stepped towards the dialoguers.

"Isn't it wonderful, my love, to have Chotey and Kushiji back at the Castle?" Lady Anjali beamed.

"Very," said the General with a stiff smile, his eyes on Kushi.

Kushi, instead, was looking only at the cheerful Lady Anjali, "Di, your Chotey and I missed you a lot."

Lady Anjali smiled, "As I missed you two."

"And I," added the General, earning Lady Anjali's pleased smile and Kushi's displeased scowl.

The General continued matter-of-factly, "How did Master Menace take to the stay in the Village? He had not been particularly keen on going but he seems to not have disliked his stay."

"Surprisingly, he liked the Village and found himself enjoying his stay thoroughly," said Kushi, her eyes still on the eager Lady Anjali, "He has changed a lot, Di. If only you had seen him-"

"Changed?!" Lady Anjali was enthused.

Kushi nodded with an affirming smile. But before she could add to the observation made, the General asked, "For good or for bad?"

Kushi looked at him and noticed the disturbed look on his face.

"For good," Kushi stated proudly, "It would be hard to believe but it is the truth: he even sacrificed his own demands for the sake of my family and did things that were so unlike his usual self."

Lady Anjali's eyes moistened with emotion, "Are you really talking of my Chotey, Kushiji?"

"Indeed I am, Di," Kushi smiled warmly at the young mother.

"Oh, did you hear that, my love?!" Lady Anjali turned to her husband, "My Chotey has-"

"I am not surprised, I must say," the General interrupted, his serious gaze fastened on Kushi's face though he was addressing his wife, "Lady Queen, I presume his removal from the duties of the Castle and the Industry rendered him handful of time, the resultant of which made him experiment with the softer side of his personality."

"What a charming judgment, my love!" Lady Anjali smiled at him, "To ascertain that he was empty of time to explore himself: You certainly know your Master Menace really well."

The General smiled with his teeth gritted, "A little too well..."

Just then a loud voice bellowed over them, "KUSHI!"

Three pairs of eyes looked up and Kushi's heart leapt in worry, for Lord Arnav stood on the landing on the top of the stairs, fuming down at the three.

His eyes were on the General as he commanded his wife, "I can't find my spare shirt. Haste yourself and find it for me."

His eyes skipped over her face and then, with a swift turn, he had returned back to his room.

Kushi turned to Lady Anjali, "If you'll excuse me, Di, I must attend to my husband who appears to be very impatient about his missing shirt."

Before Lady Anjali could reply, the General spoke on their behalf, "It's good to have you back, Miss Kushi. I...we look forward to hearing more about these changes you encountered in the Village."

When Kushi entered the bed chamber, she found her husband undoing his shirt before the wide window, his back to her.

She turned her steps to the wardrobe and, on opening it, began unpacking the clothes in their suitcases and arranging them into the wardrobe.

Just then, Lord Arnav turned on his heels, a scowl on his face, "What do you think you are doing?"

Kushi paused, a folded shirt in her hand, "Unpacking your clothes..." She was confused by the expression on his face.

"That's not what I am talking about," he stated, dropping the shirt in his hand to the floor, "What were you conversing with him for?"

"With whom?" Kushi blinked.

Lord Arnav gritted his teeth, "You know who I'm talking about."

Kushi rolled her eyes, finding his anger ill-placed, "He was asking me about the visit and I was merely answering him."

"Couldn't you have just walked away?" Lord Arnav stepped towards her.

Kushi continued arranging the clothes in the wardrobe, "Di was there. She would have felt hurt by my refusal to answer her husband's questions."

"I don't want you talking to him!" asserted Lord Arnav, standing beside her with a demanding frown.

Kushi shot him a look, "If you expect me to ignore him every time he approaches, Di might get suspicious about my avoiding him. And who is to know that, next time, it might not be Nani or Mamiji who chances upon-"

"Stay away from him," Lord Arnav growled, "Just don't let him find an opportunity to raise a question in the first place!"

"I don't need to be told that!" Kushi stood in defence, "Besides, he's only asking questions. What harm is there in that! All I have to do is answer him indifferently!"

"Indifference doesn't ward him off, Kushi! He's not an idiot!"

"Neither am I! I can take care of myself and I'll know how best to disinterest him when the time comes-"

"You don't know him!"

"And I suppose you do!" Kushi crossed her arms, "Do you think I blindly forgot the night he came visiting at the Village? You were chatting with him on the rooftop instead of throwing him off or telling him to go!"

"There are things that should be avoided from occurring," reasoned Lord Arnav, "I can't just bark him off!"

"Precisely!" Kushi snapped her fingers, "I can't just bark him off either which is why I had to endure that conversation! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've better things to do than meddle empty words with you-"

She paused.

Lord Arnav, too, halted and stared.

"What are we-" Kushi mumbled anxiously, "What are we doing...?"

Lord Arnav's expression turned soft as he stepped towards her, his hands taking hers, "You see what he's doing. He's being cause for our bouts."

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an embrace and she inclined her head against his shoulder, "I'll...I'll stay away from him. But you must promise me to not get angry every time he comes my way."

"Kushi, I..." Lord Arnav closed his eyes, his cheeks caressing the side of her head, "I only want you to be safe."

Kushi nodded, "Then trust my defences against danger." She looked up at him, her arms still around his midriff, "I will keep away from him, from every kind of harm."

Lord Arnav smirked down at her face, "You? Keep away from harm? I don't think that's possible for the royal Mistress of Mischief!"

Kushi gaped in shock, "How dare you-!" And then she narrowed her eyes, "You are not mighty immune to danger yourself, Master Menace!"

"I am danger incarnate!" remarked Lord Arnav, "And don't refer to me by that name for it's a title I despise greatly, made and used on me by my enemy alone." He withdrew from the embrace, bent down and picked up a fresh shirt.

"Well then, you don't call me by the name Buaji refers me by, either." Kushi moved to the wardrobe to resume her wardrobe assembling, "Besides, you have callously demoted me."

"What do you mean?" asked Lord Arnav, his attention on the buttons of his shirt.

"I'm not the Mistress of Mischief but the great Goddess of Mischief!" stated Kushi proudly.

Lord Arnav looked up and chuckled, "That you most certainly are."

Grinning importantly, Kushi returned to her work in the wardrobe while Lord Arnav turned to the window and continued to button his shirt.

He caught his reflection on the sun's rays that glistened upon the window pane.

Anger still swirled in his deep brown eyes and he knew that no matter how confident Kushi was that she could handle the General, he would never be comforted as long as they lived under the same roof.

Lord Arnav closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun's light upon his face. I have to do something about this.