The door creaked open...
And there they stood — the entire Rathore family — cloaked in royal grace, holding the shagun ki thaal, their presence glowing with nobility.
Kamini froze.
Her eyes widened, mouth agape. The color drained from her face.
It was as if time had stopped — her breath hitched, her knees trembled, and for the first time in years, her vocal cords failed her. All she could do was silently chant prayers, guilt surfacing like ghosts she thought she’d buried.
And rightly so.
The Rathore's were no ordinary family.
Known for their generosity, honor, and fearless justice, they were revered across Rajasthan. But those who knew them also feared one truth — when wronged, the very warmth they were known for… turned to ice.
A cold voice jolted her back to the present.
“Do you intend to keep us standing at the door?”
Shivank's voice was low, dominant, and sent a shiver down her spine.
“J...ji... ji bilkul... aa...aaiye na... andar, hukum...”
Kamini stammered, stepping aside, her spine stiff with fear.
One by one, the Rathore's entered — Sumitra, Abhimanyu, Avantika Dadi Sa, Mahendra Dada Sa, Ruhi, and finally Shivank, the silent storm — each settling into their seats with unshakable grace.
“Kamini, kaun aaya hai jo tum—”
Rakesh (Tauji) appeared from the hallway, mid-sentence, and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes fell on the Rathore's, and he paled. The question in his eyes met Kamini’s helpless glance. She shook her head quickly.
“Namaste bhaisaab,” Sumitra ji said warmly.
“J...ji... namaste... Hukum Rani sa... yahaan kaise aana hua... koi galti ho gayi kya?” Rakesh asked, unsure and uneasy.
“Arey nahi bhaisaab,” Avantika Dadi sa reassured. “Koi galti nahi. Hum yahan ek zaroori kaam se aaye hain. Pehle baithiye, fir baat karte hain.”
The couple exchanged a sigh of relief and nervously sat down.
But Shivank, never one to let things slide, smirked and said with a raised brow,
“Itne dare hue kyu lag rahe ho aap, hum itne bhi darwane nahi jitni ye duniya janti hai hume.”
Both Rakesh and Kamini shifted uncomfortably, stammering, “Na...nahi to... ae... aesi koi baat nahi hai...”
Sumitra ji shot a sharp glare.
“Shivank.”
He instantly went silent and looked away like a scolded schoolboy.
“Maaf kijiye bhabhiji,” she added apologetically. “Kabhi kabhi zyada bol jaata hai.”
Kamini forced a smile. “Are nahi nahi, hukum Rani sa… ho jata hai kabhi kabhi.”
Then came the storm wrapped in sweetness.
Abhimanyu Singh Rathore smiled gently, "Hum yaha aapke saath ek naye rishte ki shuruat karne ke liye aaye hai"
"Shuru..at. Matlb H-Hum kuch samjhe nahi Rani sa" Rakesh asked confusedly
Sumitra and dadi exchanged glances and chuckled.
"Humara matlab ye hai ki hum yaha apne pote Ekaksh ke liye aapke rishta le kar aaye hai" Dadi spoke.
The silence was deafening.
Kamini and Rakesh stared as if struck by lightning. Too much happiness.
“Ji...? M...maaf kijiye... humne sahi suna?” Kamini asked, unsure if her ears were betraying her.
This time, Avantika Dadi sa chuckled.
“Bilkul sahi suna. Hum yaha apne pote Ekaksh ka rishta le kar aaye aapki bhatiji misthi ke liye."
Mishti.
The moment her name dropped, the fake smiles on Kamini and Rakesh’s faces cracked. All color drained, leaving only pale discomfort behind. Yet, they masked it quickly — not realizing they were under surveillance. Because Shivank Singh Rathore was watching. And he missed nothing.
“J...ji... Mishti kyu? Me..ra Matlb hai aap log misthi ko kaise jaante kaise hai?” Rakesh asked, voice dry, eyes curious.
Sumitra ji smiled, remembering.
“Ek baar usne meri jaan bachayi thi. Aur mujhe daanta bhi tha... bade haq se. Ekdum pyari bachi hai.”
“Achha... hmm,” Kamini chuckled nervously. Inside, she burned.
That wr*tched girl…
But then an idea sparked — a disgusting plan cloaked in sympathy.
“Par hukum Rani sa, Mishti to—”
“Dekhiye,” Sumitra interrupted, voice firm but calm. “Hume Mishti ke baare mein sab pata hai. Aur hume koi aapati nahi hai. In fact, mujhe lagta hai wo Ekaksh ke liye ek uttam jeevan saathi banegi. Hai na, papa?”
Mahendra ji nodded with a smile.
“Bilkul. Agar Mishti humare ghar Laxmi ban ke aaye, to humare liye isse zyada khushi ki bat kya hogi?”
Kamini’s heart sank. But she wasn’t done yet.
"Jii ranisa , hume to bas... Khushi ho rahi hai. Par...miathi jaise ladki” she sighed, voice full of fake emotion.
“Par kya?Aur misthi jaise se aapka kya matlb hai?” Abhimanyu ji’s voice cut through the air, stern and unblinking.
Kamini gulped.
Still, she pressed on with her act.
" Huk..um Rani sa aap to janti hai es samaj ko, kaise kaise baatein hoti rehti hai. Ek to itna bada hadsa ho gaya bechari ke saath aur to aur bechari se bhagwan ne uske maa-baap bhi chin liye.Mujhe to badi fikr lagi rehti thi eski. Par dekhiye bhagwan ne aap log ko bhej diya humari misthi ke liye. Lekin hukum Rani sa....
The air thickened with rage, but the Rathore's stayed silent — for now.
" Aese ladki ko rajmahal ki bahu Bane ye sobha thori na deta hai. Rajmahal ki bahu to koi izzatdar ko hi banana chahiye na. Ek to ye misthi hai bhi waise hi, na sharam hai na lihaz. Areh itna sab kuch hone ke bad ladki ko ghar par baithna chahiye par ye to hadse ke kuch mahine bad hi kaam karne chali gayi. Subh ka gayab siddha saam ko dikhti hai madam. Aur to bado ka lihaz bhi nahi karti. Eske chalte Roz hume bahar walo se char baatein sunane ko milti hai. Pta nahi kaam karne jati hai ya kuch....”
“Taiji!”
The shout cracked the silence.
Everyone turned.
It was Akshat — his fists clenched, face red with fury, eyes burning into Kamini.
Kamini flinched. Eyes widen.
Ye yaha es waqt. ye didu ka chamcha kahi mera sara plan na khrab kar de. She thought.
“Be...beta, main to bas—”
“Bas. Bohot bol liya aapne meri didu ke baare mein. Aapko koi haq nahi ki aap unke character pe ungli uthayein. Jo hua, ek haadsa tha. Unki koi galti nahi thi. Wo jaise chahe waise apni zindagi ji sakti hai. Kharabi un mai nahi aap jaise soch walo mai hai. Aapki bhi to ek beti hai, unhe to Puri chhut hai tab to koi takleef nahi hoti aapko. Areh Marna to unhe chahiye jinki soch aapki jaise ...
The room stood stunned.
"Akshat” Rakesh roared. "Ye koi tarika hua apne taiji se baat karne ka. Maafi mango abhi esi waqt."
Akshat stared straight ahead.
“Maine kaha Maafi maang!” Rakesh shouted again.
Akshat took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
Kamini, trying to flip the scene, began sobbing fake tears.
“Dekha hukum Rani sa... dono bhai behen aise hi hain... hum kuch ache ke liye kehte hain, to badtameezi karte hain... par kya karein, hum to maa baap hain...”
Shivank rolled his eyes. Theatrics. Please.
And just when she tried to milk the sympathy—
“What did my brother-in-law say wrong?”
A chilling, dangerous calm sliced through her voice.
Everyone turned.
There he was.
Ekaksh Singh Rathore.
Black tux. Rolex watch. Hair sharp. Hands in pockets. Aura — lethal.
“Mrs. Kamini, I asked you something.”
She trembled. “Huk...um... m... main to bas samjha—”
He chuckled coldly. “That was your idea of explaining? That filth?”
Sumitra moved to speak, but Ekaksh raised his hand.
“Mrs. Kamini... I want to know one thing from you. Are you the Prime Minister of India? Or the President, maybe?”
Kamini blinked in panic. Rakesh’s jaw dropped.
“Then who gave you the right to decide who deserves love and who doesn’t?”
The room was silent.
Hearing this question, Rakesh and Kamini got shocked whereas Rathore's and Akshat were tried to control their laugh
"Shakal dekhi hai apni" Akshat said in low voice still got heard by everyone but Ruhi could not help and started laughing but as soon as she realized the situation, she composed herself.
"Hu...ku..m aa..p k..ya.." Kamini managed to say somehow.
"No right!! Then who are you tell Misthi or any girl what she has a right to and what she doesn't?
woman is meant to be worshiped.
They are goddess which meant to be devoted. We worship Lord Lakshmi, but on this earth there are actually Lakshmi, not just one but countless. But some sensible people keep that Lakshmi on the throne while some foolish people like you insult her.
His voice turned icy.
“And never — never — disrespect any woman, especially my Mishti.”
Everyone stared.
“My Mishti,” Shivank whispered, grinning.
“And one last thing,” Ekaksh’s voice dropped dangerously low.
""And one more thing, keep this in your third-class mind. I can't tolerate mistake not even small ones. One mistake, game over!! Got it? "
Kamini nodded furiously, trembling.
He exhaled and walked to sit beside Shivank.
“My Mishti. Wah bhai,” Shivank teased.
Ekaksh just glared.
“Bhaisaab,” Sumitra said with firmness, breaking the tension. " Aap misthi ko bula dijiye. Hume rasam karni hai, aaj ke din hum or koi tamasha nahi chahte."
Rakesh nodded and started toward the stairs.
“Stop.”
Ekaksh’s voice froze him.
Everyone turned to him, confused.
“My brother-in-law will go call my future wife,” he said, eyes on Akshat.
“Saale saheb, will you do the honor?”
Akshat blinked. But one word stuck in his mind.
Future wife.
Matlab Ye yaha humare didu se shaddi karne aaye hai. Thinking this, he started grining.
Then nodded proudly and walked up the stairs.
Everyone stared at Ekaksh.
He groaned. “What? Don’t look at me like that. Compose yourselves. My Mishti must be coming.”
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