Chapter 9

Sicily, Italy

"What have you decided, Myra?" Lily asked in a soft voice in order to keep her friend's blood boiling in a cool state. 

"Nothing as much, Lily. I can't believe this man. Being my biological father, he had never thought to take any responsibility for us. Now he is asking a 22 year grown up girl to go back to India with him? Am I kidding him?"

"Maybe he wants to fix everything. Maybe he is asking for your forgiveness and trying to ease the pain of you."

"By what? Taking me back to India, to join the circus there?" Myra didn't notice that Arjun had arrived behind her. When she found her friend suddenly silent, she barked in her face.

"Cosa ti è successo? Perché sei silenzioso?" (What had happened? Why are you silent?)

"Umm. Myra...Arjun è in piedi dietro di te."(Arjun is standing behind you.)

"Fanculo" (Fuck). Myra didn't expect Arjun to show up in the middle of the conversation. She should have talked in Italian only to avoid such situations. Lily is not an Italian. She is Spanish so mostly they don't use Italian while talking. She never felt that much embarrassment in her life. She slowly turned her head and put a small smile on her lips just to lighten the situation.

Arjun understood the situation and grabbed a seat near her and gave a big smile.

"I didn't know that you found us a part of the circus." The chuckle in his voice and pinching tone was enough to tell Myra the depth of the situation.

"Arjun I didn't mean that day. Look, I grew up here. I am completely from a different background with a different culture. I inculcate something really different from what you all inculcate in yourselves." Myra tried her level best to make him understand the situation.

"My dear sister, is that the only reason? Or you still hold the grudge on my father. I know deep down in your heart you won't be able to forgive him. But I hope your mom didn't teach you to let anyone die with guilt. I know my father made a mistake. Now he came here to correct it. Won't you give him a chance?"

Arjun knew that it is hard to accept such a person. He might not be able to forgive his father for his wrong doing. But he couldn't see his mother and father in pain anymore. Apart from that he didn't want her sister to also live alone without her family. 

"Who am I to forgive him? Tell me? Who I am to go back with you to be a part of your family. I have my family here. And I have everything here. It's a far better place than yours." Myra emphasized on her last phrase. 

"Until you are seeing the other part, how could you say that you have seen better here. And why are you asking this question of who you are? You are of course a part of the Solanki family. You have all the rights there." Arjun pressed Myra's palm while saying so.

"What about my rights that I had earlier? Didn't I have the same right 19 years back when I visited your place? Didn't my mom have the same right to be given the exact respect that you are ready to give me now? What made you change your mind set now?"

"Myra. My mom holds the same grudge as you on my father. My father tried to trace you both down after you left. When he realised his mistakes, it was too late. Since then you and your mother have been untracked."

With pleading in his eyes, Arjun poured his heart out.

"Sometimes a fraction of a second is enough to make a decision, Arjun. After leaving India, my mom decided to cut down every communication channel. She didn't want to be traced. Anyway, leave it. Have you ever thought what people would say there once I reach?"

"Since when you start bothering people. I thought you were brought up here and you don't have such thoughts." Arjun was surprised to hear the last sentence of Myra.

"Since then I have come to know that I have a genetic connection with India. Where people are more concerned about such things. Like whose daughter, when and where she is living or staying or from where it's coming."

"Oh, Myra. Did you do research on our dynasty?"

"Not exactly. But I was curious to know. Found out a few things about your Royal bloodline. But believe me, I am not at all interested in calling myself the princess of the Royal Solanki family." Myra was almost barking on Arjun. 

Lily was silent. She felt like a third person or the judge of a judicial panel. Whose work is to listen and then give some statement? But she was sure that when Myra is in charge, then she is the one to judge the conversation and she would only give a statement. She always has this intimidating nature. 

Lily cleared her throat to speak something when Myra gave a death glare to her and asked her, "What?"

Lily being startled with the voice took some time to compose herself. After that she spoke in her timid voice. 

"Aren't we getting late for the trip to Positano? We are supposed to leave. It would take around 9 hours or more to reach." 

In such a heated conversation she forgot that she asked Arjun to visit Positano before leaving for India. After packing some necessary stuff they moved out of the house. It was an 8 hours’ drive but Myra chose to take a rental car by reaching there. Especially to roam around the Amalfi coast area. Seeing Myra's driving, Arjun was quite impressed. He couldn't help but admire her. 

"Your driving is really nice, Myra."

"Thank you Mr. would be King."

Myra was more comfortable with Arjun than his father Rana Pratap. Arjun, Lily and Myra decided to spend a day on the beach and took a small boat ride over the sea to enjoy a bit. Rana Pratap decided to stay back in his room. He was having his own thoughts. He knew the fight won't be easy back in India. People would ask when they would see an Italian girl as an elder heiress of Solanki bloodline. But for the sake of Legacy he has to do that. There was a time when because of this Legacy he was afraid to accept Minerva and Myra. But with the current turmoil he couldn't take any more risk. Sekhawat got their grip on Takht.  In case they refuse to protect Legacy he needs someone to take over the power. In case Agnihotri takes charge things won't be easy. He has lost his faith in his own pure blood Ragini. The entire mess is actually risking many things. He is no longer interested in keeping Myra alone. No one should get her. Rana Pratap was planning his entire moves while looking through the window. The ambience was really nice. 

Reaching the beach, Lily and Myra got busy taking a sun bath. They have visited Positano earlier also. For Arjun it was new. He was startled a bit seeing so few clothes around. He belongs to a very conservative family. He has visited different foreign countries and he knows about their cultures too. But still deep in his heart he is not very comfortable in seeing so many girls almost half naked. 

He sat beside Myra and moved his face away as she was wearing a bikini too. When she left for swimming Arjun got some courage to initiate a conversation with Lily. 

"Is she always like this? Carefree and straightforward? And obviously a living volcano."

Lily laughed at his question and replied. 

"She might be a volcano, but she is the best girl I have ever seen. She grew up alone without a family, only with her mother. She studied hard to get her scholarship. She worked hard and for the past four years she managed everything alone. That's why she doesn't like the new concerns. She became hard due to the situation that she had faced for a long time. Maybe she thinks all of them are fake."

Arjun understood everything. Obviously a girl at her age has seen more than anything. When people were dating she might have been busy taking care of everything. Seeing someone close dying is really painful. Especially when he or she is the only person one has in his or her life. He was looking at the sea and said, "Does she always wear such clothes?"

Lily got confused with Arjun's question. Then she realised that being a brother Arjun was being protective.

"It's a beach. What do you expect her to wear? Traditional Indian clothes? Don't even dare to say. Remember, I knew Aunt Minerva. She always taught her that Men and Women are equal. So don't try to be alpha male. She might end up becoming a super alpha female." Completing her sentence they both burst out in a big laughter.

"What's going on here? Did I miss something?" Myra came back while making a question mark expression on her face.

"Yes. You just missed your friend's suggestions." Arjun said while laughing.

"Oh. Lily. Not again. Stop your psychological treatment." 

"Ah. Miss. Moretti I didn't." Completing her sentences three of them burst out in laughter again.

After a long time she laughed. She couldn't deny the fact that her life got slightly better after meeting her family. She always has this dream of having a family. But now she doesn't know whether she should accept this happiness or not. Sometimes some happiness comes with a big price. Whether she is ready to pay the price or not she doesn't know. The day went well. The trip went well. It's time for them to come back to Sicily. She knew that, reaching Sicily, she had to make a big decision. A decision to go back to India. Even if it is about a few days or weeks, she has to step out of her territory to step into a different territory. Jaipur, India. Rajputana. History of different empires. She couldn't take it any longer. She shut her eyes in order to keep away those complicated thoughts. Her life is simple and better here. She always told herself. But this time she wanted to take a step to explore something new.

Meanwhile In India. 

Jaipur, India

Sekhawat Mansion

"Ranvijay beta, can you give me the blue file that I had given you. It has information about the upcoming shipment." Rajendra asked his son.

Ranvijay went to his room and started searching for the file in his wardrobe. He used to keep such files in his wardrobe that had information about underworld dealings. He couldn't remember exactly as things were piled up and he was working his ass off. Cherry on the cake is his marriage also. Lots of rituals and works were pending too. While going through different files an old small paper fell on the ground. He didn't notice that. Once he got his file and turned to leave Randhir entered his room. 

"Bhai, I need to talk about Banshali's matter." Randhir spoke.

"Randhir, after sometime. Let me give this file to baba, we would talk about that afterwards." While Ranvijay started moving Randhir spoke, coming towards him.

"Did you drop something bhai? There is something on the floor."

Hearing Randhir's words Ranvijay looked downwards and found a small piece of paper almost the size of a photo there on the floor. Randhir bent down and picked it up and when he gave it to his brother, Ranvijay flipped it. 

Ranvijay's eyes got stuck on the photo. It was not a paper, it was a photo that might fall from the wardrobe drawer while he was searching for that file. Randhir came hurriedly and he also froze on his position.

"Isn't it her picture? Do you still have it bhai?" 

Ranvijay couldn't utter a single word. How could he forget that day, when this picture was taken? Arjun, Randhir and he himself were there in the photo. And one more special person. The owner of those two ocean blue eyes. Randhir couldn't believe that his brother still has this photo on his personal closet. 

"Seems like someone might come back. Do you remember her?" Randhir broke his trance and spoke the words. 

"How can I forget her? Especially those orbs. Myra Moretti." Ranvijay said and a smile curled up on his lips.