Sunday, 21 June 2020

The Betrayal Story - Part 15

Roopali left . She thought constantly about the king but did her duty perfectly. She didn’t let her thoughts affect her work. The king wasn’t happy. He didn’t understand what made Roopali to take this step. He remembered how she had begged him to let her go. He did miss her and immersed himself into work to avoid thinking about her.

Gayatri was happy initially. But the king seemed lost and hardly came to spend time with her. Her happiness turned into despair and hate. She lamented the day Roopali arrived. She hardly came out of her room and stopped eating or sleeping. Satyavati recognised that something was wrong and stepped up to correct it.

She visited the king one day. The king was listening to the strategies of  his commander in chief . As soon as the king noticed her arrival, he dismissed his commander and told him that he would meet him after discussions with his queen. “You seem anxious, my queen . What happened ?”, he asked. “Your highness, lot has changed in this palace over past few days. You have immersed into your duty towards your duty towards welfare of our people which is commendable but you look restless. You have stopped spending time with your queens. Have we faltered in our duties to serve you ?”, she replied.

The king felt guilty. He stayed quiet and reflected his actions over few days. He realised he hadn’t been able to spend time with his queen due to his preoccupation with thoughts about Roopali. “I am sorry . I haven’t been able to give you or Gayatri time. You haven’t faltered in your service towards me. It’s me who hasn’t been fulfilling my duty towards my wives.”, he accepted his mistake.

“I have been occupied with feeling of restlessness and unable to understand why Roopali had left the palace immediately. She wasn’t completely healed and her house was still under construction. I still can’t come up with any reason for her quick departure.”, he continued. “Is it because of our failure to protect her on that fateful night or is it because Gayatri’s resentment towards her?”, he asked.

“I don’t know what made Roopali leave . You can check on her by visiting her. But Gayatri isn’t keeping well. She hasn’t eaten or slept for days . I hear she pines for your glimpse whole day. Please visit her soon. I worry she shouldn’t give up her life. I am able to manage with your absence but she can’t  .”, she said. He held her shoulders and looked at her with pride. “What did I do to get a wise wife like you who understands immediately my pain and mistake. Thank you , my queen for always supporting me like a rock.”, he said.

The king left her with promise of spending time with his queens. He headed towards Gayatri’s room with plate filled with her favourite delicacies. The guards notified her of his arrival. She stood up with great difficulty to greet him. Her tired eyes sparkled with life and happiness to meet her king. Her wait was over at last.

(To be continued)

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