Chapter 4

Jaipur, India

“Papa, I would never marry that piece of shit,” Ragini yelled at the top of her voice.

“Yes, you would and with your willingness.” Rana Pratap spoke in a deep and hoarse voice.

“You can’t do this papa, I love Shaurya.”

“That’s not love, and who told you that you have permission to love somebody else without my consent.’

“I am an adult and I have every right to choose my partner. So please papa.”

“Yes, you are an adult, but you are not mature enough to understand what love is and what infatuation is. Stop creating a scene here, Rini. Go to your room now. End of the discussion.” Completing his sentence Rana Pratap raised his hand to gesture to his daughter to move inside the room.

“I will not marry Ranvijay. Not even in my dreams.”

Spatting her words Ragini moved inside her room when Mayabati her mother came closer to her husband Rana Pratap.

“I know what you would say right now. Don’t try to interfere in this matter.”

“I have never interfered in any of your matters. But this time I might say you are taking the wrong step. If she is not even interested in marrying Ranvijay then why we are forcing her?”

“Keep your mouth shut. In our family, none of the women has the right to speak to their husbands or against their husbands. Did you forget everything?” Rana Pratap finished his words while giving a harsh look at his wife’s face.

“No, I didn’t forget anything. I did not even interfere in your matter 19 years ago also. Do you remember Ranaji?”

Rana Partap could see the rage in his wife’s eyes. This is the first time he saw something different in her eyes. Disobedience, hatred, and a clear threat. Karma is a real bitch. He thought inside his mind.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ranaji, I know that the little girl was your daughter. That Italian woman Minerva, who introduced herself as your guest, I know you had something with her. Her daughter looks quite familiar to you. I know she hid it perfectly and left our house but in these 19 years not a single I have passed without thinking about them.”

“Don’t dare to say something which you don’t know. I never had anything with that Italian woman. I just met her during my journey in Italy.”

“Really? Then why did you never hold her daughter at least for once? Why does she resemble you?”

“How dare you to question your husband’s action? How dare you think such things about me? I have never heard about her since she left.”

“Did she leave? Or you just eliminated her like your other enemies.”

“How dare you, Maya…” Immediately he raised his hand to slap her when Arjun suddenly barged in the room for some work. Seeing his son Rana lowered his hand and looked with red eyes towards her wife. In an anticipation of getting slapped Mayabati already flinched back.

“Papa, what are you doing?” Arjun spoke in shock.

“Nothing. What do you need right now? Tell me.” Rana asked his son.

“That’s a different matter papa, but why are you trying to hurt maa? Tell me.”

“Stay out of this matter Arjun.”

“No Papa. You have to tell me. Maa, come here. Tell me what has happened.”

Rana looked with a fearful expression at his wife who was trembling in fear but gained her stance back when her son arrived.

“Maa, tell me. What had happened?”

“Beta, do you remember the little girl Myra who visited our house 19 years ago? You were 7 years old at that time.”

“Maya, you don't dare to say some fake story. I warn you.” Rana shouted at his top pitch.

“Papa stop it. Let Maa speak.”

“Don’t dare to speak when I am speaking Arjun. Don’t forget I am still the crownless king of this dynasty.”

“Oh, really papa? King? Who does not know how to respect his wife? Do not forget the legacy would pass on me in no time.”

“Arjun beta, listen to me.” Arjun’s mother pleaded.

“Tell me Maa.”

Flashback……

19 years ago.

Minerva entered the big mansion after coming back to India with the address, it was not hard for her to find out this Royal palace. The guards let her enter once they understood she is a foreigner and came to meet Rana Pratap Singh Solanki. They thought she might have arrived to make some documentary on this Royal Family. Once she sat in the outer hall of the big palace a boy of 7 years old entered there and looked at her and her daughter in a big shock. He came towards her quickly and bowed down a bit.

“Khamma Ghani”. Means hello in Jaipur.

Not knowing what to say in return Minerva replied with a hello. The boy looked at her daughter in a glittering eye. She is Myra, my daughter. Minerva introduced her daughter to that boy who was none but Arjun today. When she was waiting for Rana to show up in the meantime Arjun took Myra’s hand and lead her to the garden to play. He was quite fond of her. Seems like he found her lovely sister. Before Rana came out from AndarMahal, a woman with her six months pregnant belly arrived before Minerva. She looked quite chubby and was draped in traditional Indian wear. Minerva looked carefully and extended her hands to greet.

The woman spoke the same word as the boy and Minerva replied with the word Namaste. When she was about to ask about Rana she heard that little boy shouting with joy while coming towards her mother.

“Maa, I want a sister like her. She looks like a doll. I want one like her.”

“Arjun beta, go inside and tell your papa to come out. This lady is waiting for a long time for him.”

This sentence was enough to pull the surface away from Minerva’s feet. What she did just say. His father, who is the father of this kid. She came to meet Rana and if Rana is having a kid then what about Myra? And who is this lady too? Minerva had a lot of questions but there was nobody to answer them. “Your name?”

Minerva’s chain of thoughts got broken when she heard from that lady.

“I am Minerva. Minerva Moretti.” Minerva gulped down her saliva before speaking any more words. She remained silent when Rana entered the room and looked horrified seeing Minerva in front of him.

“Arjun ke Papa(Father of Arjun), listen here. We have a guest here. She is…” Before she could finish her sentence, Rana spoke the rest.

“Minerva Moretti.”

“You know her? You have never said anything about her. No issues. Hello Minerva. I am Mayabati Rana Partap Singh Solanki.”

Minerva understood the entire story and her face turned pale. She looked dumbfounded at Rana once and within a second, she gained her stance back.

“Hi, Mayabati, Nice to meet you.”

“Ranaji, you didn’t say that your guest is arriving.”

“No Mayabati, actually I came to India for some documentary on a different culture, and I thought to just meet Rana on the way. That’s it. I would like to take the leave now.”

“No, no. You can’t. In our festive season, we don’t send our guests like this. Please bear with us till the festival and you can also get a different aspect of our culture too.”

Minerva was not interested to spend a single second there when she got to know the truth of Rana. But with the pleading of Mayabati she half noded.

“Yuppie. Maa, I would get more time to play with this little doll. I want a sister like her Maa. She looks like a doll. Look at her hair and eyes. So different.”

Myra was looking at Arjun as she did not understand a lot of it.

Minerva bent down to Arjun’s level and patted her head by saying,” I pray to god that you get a beautiful sister soon more beautiful than her.”

Flashback Ends………..

Arjun recalled the memories along with his mother. Her mother gave a stern look at his husband who was standing without a single word in front of them.

“Does that mean that an Italian woman is a wife? Or her daughter is my daughter?” Rana was furious this time.

“No that won’t Ranaji. But your confession did that part on that night.” Mayabati spoke without fear this time.

Arjun looked with a pale face towards his parents.

Flashback starts….

After spending almost a month Minerva finally got ready to leave the palace. She felt claustrophobic inside the palace. Staying under the same roof with Rana was horrible. He did not come near Myra. Maybe he was afraid to hold her. If he would do that, he might end up showing some emotions which would cause doubt in the family. Minerva tried her level best to get away from India as soon as possible.

That was a windy day, it was raining. Minerva’s flight was scheduled tomorrow for in Italy. She was packing her things when little Myra came near her and spoke in Italian.

“Dov’e mio padre? Hai detto,lo avrei incontrato. (Where is dad? You said I would meet him.)

“Not oggi cara.” (Not today dear). Minerva replied.

In the meantime, she heard a knock at her door. She came outside to see and found Rana standing outside. Telling her daughter to move inside she stepped out.

“Are you leaving tomorrow? Look, Minerva, I am…. Before he could finish his words, Minerva raised her hand to stop him.

“Rana. Did I ask you for an explanation? No. Right? Then why are you giving? Myra is surely your daughter.”

“Mina. I mean to say… I know Myra is my daughter. But…”

“It was a mistake, right? You are already married, and you have a beautiful wife and a son. A perfect family. You could have said it on the first day when you proposed to me and asked for marriage. Look Rana I do not have any harsh feelings for you. I did not why do you flee from Sicily suddenly. But if I ever got to know the reason is this, I may not have traveled back here to find you. Myra saw you that’s it. She won’t leave in regret of not seeing her father. I would tell her later about you when she would be mature enough. I am enough capable of raising my daughter alone. And I would never ask you to accept me or my daughter. If my daughter ever thinks of contacting you, she can. I won’t stop her.”

“Minerva, forgive me. I need some time to accept you.”

“I have forgiven you. If I wanted you to accept me, I might have disclosed my relationship with you in front of your wife. Don’t even think of leaving her. She is far more deserving than me and she is carrying a new life. Love and her and live with her. Don’t dare to betray her.”

“Minerva.”

“No more words Rana. I don’t know you. Good night.”

Rana and Minerva both thought that they were the only person having the conversation. But little did they know that a third person was also present there. Mayabati. She came to meet Minerva at night to give her some souvenirs of Rajasthan but when she saw Rana there she hid in the dark. She did not expect her husband at that time of night with Minerva. What she heard took her breath away. She was about to fall but somehow caught the wall in front to balance herself. She heard it right. Minerva is his husband’s second wife and Myra is his daughter too. That is why from the very first day Myra looked a bit familiar. Now she understood the whole story but didn’t utter a single word and wait. When Rana left she entered Minerva’s room and hugged her and gave her those gifts. Minerva smiled at her. Mayabati saw a clear pain. A lone tear escaped from her eyes also. Mayabati bent down and patted Myra’s head by saying,” I know you would become a strong woman one day who would never need any man to represent your position or give you an identity.”

Minerva looked shocked and hugged Mayabati also. The next day they left but Mayabati never heard from them anymore.

Flashback ends….

Mayabati still thinks that Rana himself might eliminate them. Today she spoke the entire truth that she knew for 19 years and kept as a secret.

“Papa, you did leave your daughter. Did you cheat my Maa? You eliminated my half-sister. How low you could be?”

Rana Pratap could not believe his ears. All these 19 years his wife played the role so well. She knew about Myra and Minerva but never uttered a single word but why? Was she also expecting a day like this? When she would be able to pull the mask of him in front of his son?

Rana could see pure rage and hatred in Arjun’s eyes.

“I did not eliminate them,” Rana spoke firmly.

“I don’t believe that papa.” Arjun behaved like a stubborn kid. Suddenly his cell phone started ringing. Though he was not in the mood to pick up the call, he did. The no seemed an international no. Thinking about his old connections he took the call and asked who this is.

Arjun was still looking angrily at his father who just received the phone. Suddenly Arjun and his mother saw the cell phone dropped from his father’s hand.

Did he hear it right? Myra Moretti? Daughter of Minerva Moretti? Is someone doing a joke? Rana Pratap looked blankly at his son and his wife.