A month had passed since the engagement. The palace was now alive with wedding excitement, and the festivities were about to begin. But amidst all the joy, there was a growing silence — a silence that was eating away at Mishti.
In all this time, Ekaksh hadn’t spoken to her even once.
She tried to reason with herself. Maybe he's busy... maybe he's caught up in work... maybe... he regrets this?
Her confidence began to crack. In the quiet corners of her mind, Sneha’s words echoed again:
“Why would anyone love a girl like me? A girl who carries nothing but scars...?”
Tears welled up in Mishti’s eyes. It’s true — when someone has once lost everything, even happiness can feel suspicious. Trust becomes fragile, and love starts to seem like a dream that will vanish any second.
But don’t worry — our Ekaksh isn't far behind.
Whereas it’s not that he had forgotten her. In fact, not a single day had passed without him thinking about his sunshine.
But the truth was — his workload had nearly doubled. He was rushing to finish everything before the wedding, so he could dedicate all his time to her and their upcoming life together.
He wanted to talk to her.
He missed her.
He had her number, not a big deal for him.
But He was literally juggling between work.
____________________________________
The entire palace was transformed — flowers, lights, and laughter filled the air. Everything was being done with royal precision. Special care was taken for Mishti’s comfort.
No media. No photos. No phones.
Ekaksh had strictly instructed all guests to surrender their phones — he didn’t want even a shred of discomfort to touch his bride. When the world saw her, it would be on her terms.
The mehendi function was set in the lawn, themed in green and white. Sumitra ji was personally managing everything — and God help anyone who made a mistake.
“Listen, is all the food ready? Make sure it’s served hot. No complaints, okay?”
— Sumitra instructed the head servant.
“Yes, Hukum Rani sa, everything’s done. Please don’t worry,” he assured her.
Before she could say more, Abhimanyu’s voice interrupted:
“Sumitra ji, please sit and relax. Everything will go fine. You’re stressing too much!”
Sumitra turned to him with her classic sarcastic look — the kind that said: “You? Giving advice?”
“Hah! The man who yells every morning ‘Sumitra, where’s my tie? Sumitra, where’s my watch?’ now thinks he can handle a whole event?”
Abhimanyu gulped, realizing he was dangerously close to triggering her full wrath.
“I–I just meant... y’know... we’re all here... you don’t need to worry alone... darling...”
“Yes, I know exactly how helpful you are. You’ll mess up one thing and break ten more. Why don’t you do one useful thing — go check if your nawabzada is ready before I turn into Kali Mata!”
Abhimanyu didn’t wait another second — he vanished.
Sumitra smirked triumphantly, patted herself on the back, and marched on to inspect the decorations.
Meanwhile...
Ekaksh sat in his room, still glued to his laptop.
Yes. On his mehndi day.
Somebody please tells this man he’s getting married today, not signing a merger contract!
Just then —
“Beta, are you aware it’s your mehndi today? Or have you lost all hope of seeing your father alive?”
— Abhimanyu’s voice echoed through the room.
Ekaksh looked up, puzzled to see his dad standing dramatically by the door.
“What happened, Dad? Why are you looking like a rejected Bollywood villain?”
Abhimanyu gave him a blank stare. This boy... absolutely his blood.
He walked over, sat down beside him, and asked:
“Beta ji, you do know it’s your mehendi today, right?”
Ekaksh just nodded.
“And why, may I ask, are you still in pajamas? Should I issue you a formal invitation, Mr. Ekaksh Singh Rathore?”
Ekaksh shrugged, shut the laptop, and went to his wardrobe to get ready.
Abhimanyu stared after him, muttering:
“Wow. My wife scolds me; my son ignores me. What even is my value in this house?”
Ekaksh chuckled to himself.
Who’d believe this sulking man is Abhimanyu Singh Rathore — the king whose stare once made ministers tremble?
After some time, Ekaksh came out of his room, dressed in a deep green kurta, looking dangerously handsome. He put on his watch, glanced at himself in the mirror — and smiled.
"You all know the reason behind that smile, don’t you cutiessss"
He made his way downstairs.
✦⋆｡˚﹕﹕˚｡⋆✦
Everyone had gathered on the lawn. Only one person was missing.
And it was obvious who our dulhe raja was waiting for.
He stood with his business partners, pretending to talk, but his eyes kept darting to the entrance every few seconds.
And then... she came.
His Jaan.
With Akshat beside her, she walked in wearing a gorgeous green lehenga with light jewelry and her usual minimal makeup. Her braid swayed as she walked, a delicate waist chain glinting at her waist.
Ekaksh went completely still.
Green lehenga. Matching bangles. Pink nails. Waist chain. Noted.
Dadi and Sumitra rushed to welcome Mishti. She bent and touched their feet.
“Saubhagyavati bhava,” they blessed her, placing a black dot behind her ear.
“You look absolutely beautiful, beta. May no evil eye touch you.”
That one smile from Mishti was enough to calm Ekaksh’s restless heart.
Shivank, of course, couldn’t miss the chance to tease:
“Looking stunning, huh?”
“Very.”
“So stunning you can’t take your eyes off her?”
“Not even for a second.”
“Feel like holding her in your arms?”
“Yes.”
“And kissing her too?”
“Y—” Ekaksh froze, realizing what he almost admitted.
He turned to glare at Shivank, who was already laughing, and quickly tried to escape. But Ekaksh being Ekaksh. How can easily he let it go? He gave him sweet sarcastic smile seeing this, Shivank understood what was going to happen to him. He quickly said while making crying face
“No, no Bhai! Don’t think-k about th-that. You’re my loving brother, remember?”
Ekaksh gave him a sinister smile.
“Oh I do love you, my dear brother. So much that you’ll be banned from using your Black Card for two weeks.”
“Wha— NO! That’s worse than death!”
Ekaksh walked away smugly while Shivank cursed his fate.
The Mehendi Begins
Mishti and Ekaksh were seated together.
Sumitra ji sat beside Mishti and gently picked up a henna cone.
As she started applying Shagun ki mehndi to Mishti’s hand, she softly said:
“I know you must be missing your parents right now. And why wouldn’t you? Every parent dreams of witnessing their child’s wedding...
But sometimes, those dreams remain incomplete.
Don’t worry, beta. From today, I am your mother. You can come to me anytime, for anything. We are always with you.”
Mishti’s eyes brimmed with tears.
After years, she felt the warmth of a mother’s love.
She simply smiled and nodded, unable to speak.
Ekaksh watched the exchange from beside her, his heart full.
He couldn’t take his eyes off either of them.
But far away, someone watched them with burning jealousy.
Sneha.
She just couldn't shake off that feeling that Misthi getting all that happiness and she is just standing here and couldn't do anything as Shivank words were still lingering in her head. She wanted to be in the place of Misthi that's why she also tries to seduce Ekaksh, but it failed. Suddenly, an idea came in her mind, an evil smirk appeared in her face.
“She’s getting everything I wanted. The attention. The love. Even Ekaksh.
Let’s see how long this fairy tale lasts.”
A wicked smile crept onto her face.
While the mehndi artist began applying designs on Mishti’s feet, Ekaksh kept teasing her:
“So, how do you want the wedding to be?”
“As you wish...”
“Why? Your taste is that bad?”
Hearing him, first she got confused but then she understood that he was teasing her with his voice. She pouted in mock anger and turned her in other direction.
“Okay okay, I’m sorry. On a serious note — tell me, what kind of wedding do you want?”
Mishti smiled softly:
“I love flowers... I want fresh flowers everywhere. Lights... fireworks... and most importantly, faeries—AAAH!”
Suddenly, she screamed in pain, immediately gaining attention of him and others.
Ekaksh panicked. He cupped her face and asked
“Mishti? What happened?”
“My... feet...started... burning...”
She sobbed, unable to speak clearly.
Everyone rushed over.
Ekaksh immediately dropped to his knees and checked her feet — they had red burn-like spots.
Others froze.
The Ekaksh Singh Rathore — kneeling before a girl — most feared person who never bowed down in front of anyone, now on his knee in front of a girl.
He looked up to the mehndi artist, furious, anger rushed to his vein.
“WHAT did you mix in this!?” he roared at the artist.
“Sir... I swear, the cones were already here when I arrived... I didn’t...”
“Yes Bhai,” Ruhi stepped forward. “She is right. Infact I was the one who took them here. These cones were kept in the kitchen before she came.”
Ekaksh clenched his jaw. Rage burned in his veins.
“Bhai, take Bhabhi to her room. I’ll send the doctor. You stay with her — I’ll handle the rest,”
Shivank said firmly.
Ekaksh gently picked Mishti up in his arms.
“Nothing will happen to you while I’m here, bacha. I promise — I’ll always be with you.”
Mishti clutched his shirt, still in pain — but in his arms, she felt safe.
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