Chapter 4|Revelation

'His hypnotic gaze contained a divine and magnetic pull,

shackling me to the hellish abyss, 

tempting, irresistible, frozen and dark, 

A sin he appeared yet I craved the passion

to burn my very insides with the sweet poison,

forbidden, incomsumable and deadly,

yet the predator too desirous for the sinless in his captivity'

9 days later..

'How co..uld y..you hide the news o..of my fa..fathers death?!!',snivelled Saanvi miserably,crestfallen and betrayed, gnawing grief manacled her heart. She choked with tears unable to say anything further. She looked at sorrowful face of her mother with detest. 'He was not o..only you husband b..but my father too!!!', she screamed kicking the table in fury, her mother stayed silent, squatted across the dusty floor that she cares less of, her shoulders hunched in dolour and her face looked cold like marble.

'Bh..bhaiya(brother), why didn't yo..you tell me?',abound tears fell and dissapeared in the shirt of his brother who hugged her sister tightly to his chest, sharing her grief and agony. 'Shh..you'll fall ill if you cry too much',he cooed to lull her wrecked nerves. He concealed his face and secretly barged into the territory of prince Daksh advait Singh, three days back only to discover the series of tragic incidents.

His mother refused to see his omnious face, a face that was the responsible for causing havoc in her peaceful life, a face that took away her spouse...How can a son whom she'd cradled on her lap gifted her some of the biggest afflictions? But a mother's heart cannot stay frozen for long and she finally thawed seeing him, yet she cannot forgive him! She chose to break all ties with her son after ensuring that he safely escapes this haunting and dangerous place, she doesn't has the valour to see his head getting beheaded by prince's sword...

He somehow managed to convince his mother to shift from a small rental house in svamgarh to live in the outskirts of the precarious territory. He doubted if the prince is informed about the news because he easily penetrated inside the boundary of svamgarh quite close to the palace. But soon he has to flee back before he get's caught by the royal guards.

The grey haired widow sat with sorrowness clouding her face yet tears could flow no more, her tears glands dried up after gushing an ocean. She was muzzled after series of lamenting over her beloved's demise. 'Saavi, wouldn't you stop sobbing?', his brother fake glared her caressing her silky locks. 'How b..brother?',she looked broken, a daddy's princess is no more a daddy's princess! The bestiality of her shattered fate landed her on the rock hard concrete of pricking emotions from vibrant sea of glee where she used to swim like a mermaid.

'Why did th..they expelled y..you from the palace ma?', she tore herself from her brother and marched towards the crouching form of her mother, sniffling as tears didn't stop dribbling down her oval chin. After her exams, she was too happy to finally return to her family only if this tragedy hasn't happened!

When she reached the railway station, she as usual took the cab to the palace. She couldn't remember when she last stepped on these sandy roads since she was living in hostel for thirteen years. Her parents occasionally used to visit her in delhi but they didn't let their daughter witness the crumbling economic situation they were suffering with so they never allowed her to visit rajasthan. But on reaching the palace, the guards shooed her away saying they don't work there anymore. And that's when the series of unveiling of some of the most painful veracities of destiny started..

One tragedy and the string that binded the three pearls broke...the suitcase fell with a thud as she lost her consciousness seeing her mother without vermilion and mangalsutra(sacret thread) in a one apartment house with her father's vivid memories caged in form of picture in a monotonous frame.

'Ma, cat g..got you t..tongue?!!!', she yelled in frustration, perplexed by her utter calm face and mute tongue. 'Let's get inside, night is growing cold',his brother wrapped his arms around her petite form and hauled her frozen form inside the warm dimly lit room.

Singh Palace

A man sitting on a regal porche swing is aimlessly dragging puffs from a lit fantasia cigarette, his eyes fixed on the horror struck soul tied to the pole in the garden under the milky radiance of the full moon night. He's eyes flickering in sheer terror as he looked at the prince in consternation whose face held not even the slightest fragment of human emotions, he looked like a calm savage beast scanning it's prey before feasting on it.

'Mridul, twenty leashes, sharp enough to quiver my eardrums..got it?', the prince ordered his men leisurely dragging another puff. 'Yuvraj, st..stop this crap!!', Rani sa yelled glaring at Mridul who had a leather leash clasped in multiple rounds around his giant palm.

'Ma sa, you lost your authority to meddle in my decisions..you better retire to your chamber!!', he spoke sternly, an iciness lingered in his voice as he spoke without turning his face towards the queen.

'He hid the truth because I ordered him so!!!', she glowered at his bandaged forehead shaking in fury. 'So? He'll lie to his elder brother? Or better the future king of svamgarh?!!', he gritted clenching his jaw as he felt his head hurt with the hour long altercation with his mother where she used every armour to protect Adrit from his warth. How dare he cocoon this mammoth news?!! His sister eloped with a dirtball and they didn't care to inform??! They would never let him discover this piece of news if he hadn't ran an investigation out of sensing excuses being webbed whenever he asked about Nandini..

'Oh, so you're prestige is loftier than a queen?',she scoffed. His inhuman eyes promptly darted on the enraged face of his mother, shocked and a flick of hurt swirled in his hazel orbs. 'N..never!! My head is bowed always at your service. You're also my queen ma sa!!', his reply didn't satisty the prick she felt at his earlier stance. 'Yuvraj, greed of power and ego has got into your head making you an arrogant prince, unworthy of being titled as a king!!', she bellowed marching downstairs and towards the garden. Mridul tried to intervene but her furious stare shackled his feet from moving an inch.

He looked at the prince defeated who still had no expressions etched on his stone face.

She ordered him to untie cowered Adrit who almost fainted seeing the bulky man walking towards him with a leash in his hand. Mridul again turned his gaze towards the balcony but could only capture the swinging motion of the empty porch swing.

After rani sa strode back inside her chamber with Adrit, Mridul saw the prince strolling in the garden walking his way. He was in his casual navy blue sweatshirt and grey pants with his slippers on. 'I'm sorry Yuvraj!', Mridul ate humble pie, bowing his head in a gesture of respect.

'Thirty leashes without stopping', his crisp command made him frown. 'B..but yuvr..'

'On me', came his raspy voice as he turned his body towards the pole, discarding the sweatshirt on the evenly edged dewy grass of his lawn. Mridul's mind blew off hearing his insane command. 'Never yuvraj!!', he dropped the leash stepping a few feet away. 'Will you also defy my words?', his croaked voice resonated with the shrill sound of crickets.

'But yuvraj...how c!!'', his hesitancy only served to fuel his anger as the cold mask slipped away and his defiance evoked his savagery.

'Do it dammit!!! Else prepare yourself for fifty strokes in the scorching sun..!!'

Mridul with heavy heart clutched the end of the leash as he tightened his hold around the handle before stricking it fiercely on the naked flesh of his back. As the leather caressed the very ripped muscles of the prince, spearing pain paralyzed his whole body rendering it into a state of utter discomfort.

His jaw muscles tensed, sweat beads trickling down his forehead but he silently took every thrash. Only physical pain could ease the pain gnawing his heart from inside..making it hollow with null human emotions except for raging fury. The thick scarlet warm liquid, not warmer than his own skin was dripping as honey from the lacerated flesh.

After the tormenting session of minutes that felt like hours to the prince, Mridul exhaled a sorrow laden sigh, kneeling on his feet as tears gushed out of his eyes.

'I..I'm really s..sorry!!', he mumbled scurrying away not being able to witness the horrifying scars on his back gifted by his woeful hands. Yuvraj's breathing turned shallow, his ribecage hurting whenever he inhaled or exhaled, his chest tightening as he felt sheer discomfort in breathing due to the impact it had on his bones apart from ripping apart his flesh.

He stared at the etheral glow of the moon in the dark sky mumbling,' Wherever you piece of filth is hiding, I'll find you and hunt you down'. A menacing aura surrounded the wounded beast...