Rise of the Devil - Part 12

 

PREVIOUS PART 

Chapter 12



Khushi’s POV


I can’t believe we played Holi with Coffee-Tea and ruined each other’s clothes. But he is the one who started it. The coffee he threw on me was fortunately not very hot but it still ruined my whole purpose of walking around in this western outfit before the Devil, my father and his men. But my mission didn’t fail completely. They were pissed, weren’t they? I have showered again and I am still in the long satin robe, pacing in the bedroom.


“Mala, please tell whoever it is to get lost. I am not interested to talk to anyone” I shout at Mala who is ironing a salwar for me.

“Wont talk to your father either?”


Dad’s voice pricks my heart. I thought it was Devil who had come to apologize or at least check on me. Never thought it would be Dad. Mala rushes out at the gestures of my father and I am left alone with him in the room.

 
“What is going on Khushi?” Dad gets inside. “You cannot dress up like that, you never did before”

“I wasn’t married before either without my will” I snap.

He gets blank for a few seconds.

“You didn’t want to marry that Samrat either” He argues.

“I didn’t want to MARRY AT ALL DAD” I shout. “That’s my point. I wanted to be single for some more time and find a life partner myself. But just like every other time you wrote my fate again and here I am.”


Dad looks horrified at my accusation.


“That’s a huge allegation Khushi. You know I was equally shocked when Devil applied the Sindoor to you”

“You didn’t do anything to stop him either or take my side Dad. You just bowed your head down and obeyed to whatever he said and did after. You just…”


Tears spill out from my eyes which I contain any longer. I am so messed up. I sit on the bed, looking away from Dad.

“Don’t cry” Dad urges sitting next to me.

“Now I cannot even shed tears? Whose orders are these? Yours or the Devil whom I married?”

“Khushi don’t think we like to see you like this” Now his tone raised. “I am equally hurt that you had to face so much in the past few hours but believe me everything happens for a reason. You are now the Devil Queen and even if you are not going to accept that title anytime soon, Devil and I will ensure you are safe and away from all harm”

“Staying here hurts me. Staying married to Devil hurts me Dad. Seeing you and him snatching my freedom hurts me. What other harm are you trying to protect me from?”


Dad goes quiet again, pain surfaces on his face which I have never seen before.


“You never took me and my wishes seriously Dad. I so wish Maa was alive.”


My words pierce his heart like a dagger and though I never wanted to hurt him so much, I just couldn’t stop myself this time. I pick the clothes Mala had ironed for me and rush inside the bathroom to change.


*****************

Arnav’s POV


I get down from the Jeep, assessing the place. It took us three hours to reach this Drug factory which belongs to the Sehgals My men have secured the area and ensured there are no people in there as we are going to explode this factory and turn into ashes today. I cannot wait to witness this from my own eyes. This is going to mark the first step towards my mission. And though I know it’s going to turn the enemy’s eyes on me and the Guptas, I am ready to deal with them my way.


“Boss” One of my guards reaches me and Shashi Gupta who has been quiet ever since we started from Chandra Mahal. “We have wired the whole factory. Just need your approval before triggering the detonator”


I had ordered high tech explosives from Aman which got delivered today morning and my men wired them around this factory which is closed from past a week. This is our best chance to destroy it. I turn to Shashi Gupta.

“The time’s up” I tell him. He gives me a curt nod. “You don’t look very happy right now”

“Nothing” He pats my back. “I am just thinking about Khushi”


Now its my turn to be worried.

“What about her?”

“I spoke to her this morning and she looks quite devastated by this marriage”

“This is far better than she tied up to Samrat Sehgal” I mention.

“I know but that’s not how I expected my daughter to be. I want her happy Arnav. And seeing her so distressed and tearful depresses the father in me”


I understand his state. But I get my focus back on the mission and we blow the factory and get off that place. We are still driving back to Chandra Mahal again when Shashi Gupta comes up with a thought.

“She needs some relaxing place to calm her mind and change her mood for some time” Shashi Gupta adds.

“I can’t take the risk of letting her step out of the Palace” I argue.

“What if you take her out?” He queries, his eyes sparkling with hope. “She will always be safe with you”


I don’t understand.


“You and Khushi can go to Shimla at one of our Safe houses. She loves snow and it will be a good change for you both”


Shimla? Just me and Khushi? However pleasing it sounds, I am still not convinced that’s a good idea.


“That way, Khushi and you will get to spend some time with each other and we need to stay low after this Blast at the Drug Factory. We don’t want the Sehgals to know it was we who did it. If you are not in Chandra Mahal for some days, no one will be suspicious on us and we can plan our next moves accordingly” He adds.


I don’t say anything. It’s too soon to take Khushi alone with me especially when I know she has all the energy in the world to put up a fight with me and probably even win!! Damn!! Have I really started trusting her powers more than mine?


*****************

Khushi’s POV


After my confrontation with Dad, I didn’t step out of my room. All my meals were delivered in the room and I am so glad that neither Dad nor Devil showed up again. I was told they had been out for work which meant they were killing more people or at least destroying other’s assets. The mere thought of living with them, knowing what business they do, makes me want to throw up. I am missing Buaji. She isn’t home ever since I took the Pheras with Devil. When asked, Mala told me she had been to some temple to offer prayers for me.


The next morning, I am asked to dress up in a traditional outfit again but I deny wearing the Lehenga picked for me until Buaji steps in the room asking Mala to walk out. I quickly rush to her and give Buaji a tight hug.


“Buaji, where had you been? I missed you so much”

“I know Khushi. I was worried for you too. That’s why I had been to the temple to offer my prayers”

I knew she was worried seeing me sick.

“I hope they didn’t trouble you again” she asks.

“I troubled them enough instead” I exclaim proudly and tell her how I wore the shortest outfit I had to get the Devil enraged. She doesn’t sound happy though.

“You should stop playing with his head like that. And all this will give you nothing”

“It gives me peace of mind” I say dragging her to the couch where we sit together. “You should have seen his face.”

“No Khushi” Buaji warns. “I know you don’t accept this but he is still your husband and some day or the other you will have to treat him as one”

My jaw drops and I am disappointed by her words.

“I can’t believe you are telling me this” I snap. “You always denied me getting close to him and now…?”

“He had no relation with you earlier except your protector. But now he is your husband. I so wish you had listened to my advice then, at least this marriage would have averted”

“You think I am the one who coaxed him to marry me?”

“Your actions did” Buaji argues. “You agreed to marry Samrat Sehgal to infuriate Devil otherwise you could have been married to anyone else whose profiles your father showed you. All those men were better than Samrat Sehgal and maybe the Devil wouldn’t have bothered”


I exhale. Maybe she is right. But maybe she is wrong. I can sense Devil’s insecurity. He wasn’t ready to see me with anyone else.

“You should get ready. There is a small Offering to be made by you two at the temple”


Temple? Is that why I am asked to dress up traditionally?

“And where is your Sindoor and Mangalsutra?”

Again, Buaji doesn’t seem happy to notice them missing on me.

“They are safe. Just not on my body, that’s all”

“Khushi…” I can feel her anger. “You should respect these marital signs”

“With all due respect, I do. But I don’t think I can keep wearing them all the time to remind me I am married to the King of Devil”


She glares at me. Mala knocks the door again and gets inside.

“Khushi Madam is called down. The Car is ready to take her to the temple” Mala informs.

“I am not going anywhere” I scowl.

“You cannot miss this ritual Khushi. It’s important that you fulfil it without much ifs and buts. I know you are not happy with how the things have progressed in your life but if you keep rebelling for every little ritual like this, you will make your life hard here”


I am not bothered of how Devil and my dad makes me suffer in this house but Buaji is right. I have to give Devil a hard time but in my own way. So I agree. Buaji helps me dress up. There is something which is off about Buaji ever since I have married the Devil and I think she wants to tell me something but hesitates. I ask her but she brushes off that topic and keeps assisting me with the jewels. Soon me and Buaji are taken in the car to the Temple where Dad and Devil are already present.


“Glad we don’t have many spectators here” I say getting down the car, adjusting my Lehenga.

“We have been told to keep you away from the Devil’s dark world which involves the people related to him and his business” Buaji mentions as we climb the stairs. Devil’s eyes bore into mine. I am still not wearing the Mangalsutra nor the Sindoor and even though Buaji pleaded me not to infuriate him or give him a chance to pounce on me, I haven’t taken it seriously.


I sit next to Devil before the Priest who is performing some ritual. Even he is confused seeing no marital signs on my body but when he glances at Devil, he continues to chant the mantras as if ignoring those at the moment. The ritual continues and when it’s over, I am been told to touch the huge plates covered with money and jewels to complete the offering. I deny!! Dad and Buaji instantly gets alert at my denial but the Priest quickly explains its significance.

“This is going to be distributed to the poor people of your town and the nearby ones. It’s for a good cause Beti”


I laugh.

“Good cause? For the first time I am seeing the blood money used for a good cause. How ironic!!”

“Khushi” Dad shouts and I hadn’t expected him to do anything in my support. I don’t care whom I am pissing off by my denial but I am not going to complete this ritual which seems so baseless to me right now. At one hand these people are killing people, hurting them and other end they are providing aid fooling those innocent souls and raise themselves in their eyes.

“Sorry Dad, I am not going to be a part of this”


I am about to turn and leave when Devil grabs my elbow and drags me to the table where the money and jewels are placed. I struggle to push him off but fail and finally he forces me to touch those offerings and only when its done, Devil leaves my hand.


“Take her back home” He growls turning to Mala and others. What the hell am I? Some kind of animal whom he can instruct to be brought and dropped off at his request? I am about to debate when the Priest interrupts us.

“To complete the offering, the couple also needs to take blessings from the heads of both the families” Now I laugh.. I literally laugh on his face!!

“You hear that Devil?” I ask. “Whatever you do, this offering is never going to be completed ritually because YOU… don’t have a family..”


He is as cold as ice.. I thought my words would aggravate him but it didn’t. He takes a step towards me, almost intimidating me by that dominant stride, our eyes never breaking the contact.


“I know you are the Devil Queen now and such attitude suits you but, you are also my wife… Khushi Singh Raizada and no matter how much you try to dismiss that fact, it will still be the same.”


I roll my eyes at the pride he takes in his words but the next instant, he holds my hand and leads me to my dad and Buaji. I think he is going to take my dad’s blessings but he surprises me again by bending down before Buaji instead. I take her blessings without any hesitation and so does he. It is only when we raise again, his next revelation takes away my breath.


“Meet my Step mother, Madhumati Singh Raizada”


I choke staring between Buaji and Devil who haven’t stopped looking at each other. There is so much unsaid between them that’s it’s hard to predict what they feel for each other. The distance between them is evident but .. what the hell!! Buaji is Devil’s Step mother? She is a Raizada?


To be Continued.

NEXT PART

__________________________________________________________________________________