The person who heard the confession went away from there, not wanting to hear more of their personal conversation than they already heard.

Ranisa was looking at Yuvraj with thudded heart awaiting a reaction, any reaction from him. When he didn't say anything, she called him again, "Pratap?" and touched his shoulder to shake him. Yuvraj stood up in an instant and shouted at her, "Don't! Don't touch me Ranisa. You don't deserve to be a mother. You have lost the right to call me by name long time ago. I thought it was just fate which played with me and my mind. But in reality, it was you, my own mother who made me a fool. In fact, I can't blame you mother. Whatever the situation may be, I shouldn't have looked at another girl apart from my wife. But just a few words about having a heir, made me break my resolve easily. Coming to think of that, I can't even imagine what anamika had to go through at that time. She might have felt that she lacked something because of which I chose another girl over her and that too without asking her permission. I must say you played well mother. You played really well. "

Ranisa was not even able to look at him and cried all the time looking down. Yuvraj continued, " I never knew you had this much hatred for Anamika that you gave her regular dose of herbs to avoid her pregnancy? You have planned it all, haven't you? Avoiding Anamika's pregnancy, My second marriage and distance between me and Anamika and not to forget, my second marriage with the girl you have chosen for me previously. Such a master mind you are. Wow Ranisa. You surely surpassed all the diplomatic skills of me and Ranasa. Congratulations."

Ranisa was shocked with the accusation of avoiding Anamika's pregnancy. She had always wanted a grandchild, be it from Anamika or any other girl yuvraj had married. She surely wanted Saudamini as her son's second wife but by any other way of pointing out Anamika's incompetency or by showing her as unfit for being a submissive wife or daughter-in-law. So she immediately denied him, "No Pratap! I never did a heinous crime of stopping Anamika's pregnancy. That's the lowest a woman could do for another woman. I would never do that. In fact I'm shocked that somebody has done this within the palace without being noticed. Please trust me Pratap, I didn't do any such thing. "

Yuvraj stopped her by showing his hand and told her, "First of all, stop calling my name. It's only yuvraj for you. And second, I trusted you Ranisa. I trusted you even after all the evidences were pointing towards you. But after whatever you said now, I can never believe you. Never. Now, please get out of my room."

Ranisa left his chamber wiping her tears. Though she knew that her relationship with yuvraj has been tarnished forever, atleast now the burden she had carried for sometime is lifted off her shoulders.

On the other side, Yuvraj was fuming in anger, not with anybody else but himself. He definitely cannot blame his mother or Saudamini for that matter. How could he think of another girl except Anamika as his wife, whatever may the reason? If he truly loved Anamika, he couldn't have looked at another woman even with lust, could he? All these thoughts were making him more and more guilty. The guilt is weighing heavy because the guilt is for the past decade entirely.

He thought about the morning incident when the soldier came and asked him to come to the medical ward where the injured people from the fire accident were kept under careful watch.

When yuvraj reached there, the head Dasi who helps the chief cook greeted him while lying in the bed itself and yuvraj nodded at her. She couldn't look at him, not just because he is yuvraj who is of higher rank but because of her betrayal. She knows that once she confessed her traitorous acts, she will be deemed for execution as the ultimate punishment, as the betrayal is not just for the royal family but the kingdom itself.

Leaving her thoughts before she back off, she told yuvraj, "Yuvraj, I have committed a sin in the greed of money and luxury. Now I feel I'm getting back rewards for my deeds. I'm sorry yuvraj, for my betrayal."

Yuvraj couldn't understand anything but before he could ask anything, she continued, "I have mixed some herbs given by a person in the food delivered to badi bahuranisa which will stop her from getting pregnant. I have continued this for six years till they said. I know it's punishable by death as it makes me a traitor for the entire kingdom because I stopped them from getting a heir. I accept my punishment yuvraj."

"Who was the one that gave the herbs to you? ", that was the only question he could ask. Yuvraj was still shocked that Anamika not getting pregnant is not just fate but a planned one. She said, "The head maid of Ranisa"

Though yuvraj was shocked at first and couldn't believe that his mother could do something like this, then he remembered that fifteen years ago, it was Saudamini's present head maid who served his mother. So he connected the dots and got to know that it was either Saudamini or her mother. May be both together.

How wrong he was to think that his mother is just a strict woman and not the one who plots against her own family. Her own son.

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Thanks,

SM.