A Sneak Peak into the Life of a Queen: Raga FF, Ch 19: Pg 49, 19/01/16 - Page 14

Originally posted by: Geetdrashti

Amazing update

Originally posted by: Krishna_Sourav

Superb part

Loved the conversation between RaGa

Rana ji has some soft corner for Gayatri n don't like to hurt her feeling but doesn't realize it..

Aditya planned well n trapped Lakshraj...

Continue soon

Originally posted by: smileee

Hi Shailaja,

How are you, I really missed your stories much, I just started visiting this forum few days back, luckily saw your post, i was so happy to ready a story from you again..Thanks a lot for writing such awesome story..

I thorougly enjoying this story , read all parts in one go.. Happy to see some positive characters around Ranaji & Gayathri, Gayathri selfless love will bring Ranaji out of all his insecurities..

Wish both face all the hardships together & their togetherness will get them success in their life.

Looking forward to read next part..

Chapter Nine

At twelve thirty in the afternoon in Sulakshana's room,

Gayatri gave a loud shriek when she saw what Indravadan was about to do with himself. She scolded him telling, "Ranaji get a hold over yourself. When are you going to stop wallowing in self pity and hurting yourself and those around you? I too lost my love and my dreams. There are other relationships and duties is life apart from love also. Why do you forget your mother, your people, your relatives, your friends, well-wishers... and ME in your self-destructive mode. Sulakshana is dead but we all are still alive... and we need YOU. Are you going to leave us to die or suffer on our own?"

What had lead to this outburst from the Rani of Amerkot was Ranaji's attempt to carve an 'S' on his chest. Gayatri had just finished cooking her first rasoi and came to call him for lunch. He would never know how much pain it caused her to see him in pain like this. She left the room in a huff. Ranaji wasn't exactly expecting her to barge into his room and witness all this. Nobody in this palace ever did that. Not even the Rajmata. Now she was going to be angry again and throw a tantrum. Oh God! Why did he ever marry? His life was not his own!

Earlier that morning,

Gayatri was getting ready to complete the ritual of her first rasoi along with Swarnaleka and Yashoda. Yashoda gave a glance at the cook who brought the cooking vessels and a spatula used for cooking and touched it to Gayatri's hands. Everyone started clapping after this saying, "Wah! Wah! Our Rani's first rasoi is over." Gayatri was astounded and asked, "When did I cook? I just touched these vessls with my hands." Everyone started laughing at their new Rani's innocence and naivety.

Swarnaleka took Gayatri and explained to her,"Firstly, the ladies of the royal family never cook with their own hands. Since it is a ritual that has to be done, they touch the cooking vessels, ingredients and spatula. The rest of the cooking is done by the cooks. Secondly, Rajmata told me that you are pure vegetarian and all the members of the royal family including Ranaji eat only non-vegetarian food for lunch. So our cooks will do all the cooking. Just tell the cooks whatever vegetarian dishes you would like to eat for your lunch. Our cooks will make that also along with the non-vegetarian dishes."

Gayatri sounded greatly disappointed. She remembered how her mother and bhabis used to discuss that the best way to win a man's heart was through his stomach. She had really looked forward to cooking with her own hands for the entire family. But now there was nothing she could cook. She did not know even the ABCs of non-vegetarian cooking. Even if she knew, there was no way she could cook a non-vegetarian meal. Just then she was stuck by an idea. She said, "I will make the dessert for this meal. A dessert is usually vegetarian. And a good meal is generally regarded to be incomplete without a good dessert. I will make shira with lot of dry fruits and kesar."

Swarnaleka and Yashoda watched with great amusement as she continued making the dessert. Finally in her enthusiasm, she ended up making not one but three kinds of desserts ...shira, kheer, and gajar ka halwa. She was so happy with the results of her cooking that she went to call Ranaji for lunch personally. That's when she witnessed him self-mutilating himself with an 'S'. She had been toiling away the entire morning cooking in order to stuff him with food and nourishment while here he was charmingly cutting parts out of his body. She however shrugged her head and got ready to serve her family whatever she had cooked this morning.

At the dinner table,

Rajmata beamed with pleasure, "Yashoda told me how you personally cooked all these yummy and mouthwatering desserts."

Badi Rani ma corrected, "Veg food, Priyamvada! Not a complete meal either, just a few desserts."

Rajmata said, "If I remember right your Bahu, my Choti Kunwarani never made anything with her own hands except kalakaris. My Bahu made that which completes and sweetens a meal. I'm proud of her."

Ranaji who came to dinner table a bit late missed this conversation entirely. He excused himself for coming late for lunch as he was occupied in other works. He began the lunch without much ado and tasted all the items served and interjected a small word of praise here and there about how the fish was nice, moist and spicy or how the chicken gravy was perfect and so on.

When it was the turn for the desserts to be served, Ranaji demurred that he had stopped eating sweets after Sulakshana's death. This was the last straw for Gayatri. The very person for whom she had done all this was not even interested in even tasting whatever she had cooked. She composed herself and told the Rajmata to excuse her from the meal as she was not feeling well. She locked herself in her room where she broke out crying.

Badi Rani ma, Ko-kila Chachi and Kunwarji chuckled away to themselves for the turn of events. They did not have to do anything. They could remain in the sidelines and watch all this tamasha. Serves her right! Their own son Lakshyaraj was outcaste from the kingdom because of this girl. Here she thought she would sweeten their bitterness with sweets!

Ranaji was clueless about why Gayatri was behaving like this. After all he had eaten the food she had cooked, hadn't he? So what if he ommited eating the dessert? Rajmata hissed, "How could you be so thoughtless, Ranaji? Didn't you know that Gayatri was pure vegetarian? You kept praising the dishes made by our cooks to the skies while you entirely refused to eat the desserts made by Gayatri with her own hands." Now only Indravadan realized that it was some real trouble brewing between him and Gayatri. This was his second big mistake in her eyes since morning.

Precap: "My wishes, my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations mean nothing to you. It's just you...your pain...your loss...your Sulakshana. What does it matter to you whether I'm happy or sad, Ranaji? It's my fate to be alone both before and after marriage. I'll battle it out alone. I don't need you or your sympathy."