It was past evening but still yuvraj couldn't feel how much time has passed. After coming out of his grief that his mother had betrayed him for years, he was immersed in his thoughts about how to get the culprit with proof though he doesn't need to prove to anybody else but atleast he should prove all this to his father, who is the king.

Then he clapped for a soldier to come and ordered him to call the head maid of choti bahuranisa. The soldier went away and came back with Mala in a few minutes. The soldier went away immediately and Mala greeted yuvraj.

Yuvraj looked at her sternly and said, "Do you know what is the punishment for treachery in the kingdom?". Mala stuttered and said, "y.. yes yuvraj. Beheading in front of the people". "Then tell me why did you do that even after knowing the punishment?", yuvraj asked calmly.

Mala gulped at his calmness as she felt it was calm before the storm. "What are you talking about yuvraj?", Mala asked in a small scared voice which confirmed that she definitely knows the truth and there is some truth in whatever the injured Dasi said. "I am talking about the herbs you have given to the head Dasi of the kitchen, to mix in Anamika's food so that she doesn't get pregnant", yuvraj finished.

Mala was shocked as she didn't want him to find out first as she knows that not only she is in danger but also her choti bahuranisa will also be accused. She herself was thinking about confessing her crimes as it will lessen her punishment to lifetime imprisonment and also she can save her masters as well and that too in front of Anamika as she is the one who was affected by her deeds and her forgiveness will also lessen her guilty conscience. Now everything is out in the open.

"Yu.. yuvraj! I..I didn't do anything", She was very much scared. "So you still want to pretend then fine. I have enough proof that the herbs came from your kingdom which is not available in any other kingdoms. So I will arrest all the people who came from your kingdom including Saudamini", he finished and got up to execute whatever he said but she stopped him immediately and said, "Yuvraj! No choti bahuranisa doesn't know anything about this. It was only her mother who ordered me to do that and with that intention only she sent me here in the pretense of working for Ranisa. Please don't accuse choti bahuranisa in this yuvraj". She ended up crying while kneeling in front of him.

"So Ranisa helped you in all this? ",yuvraj asked without any emotions. "No yuvraj. I just used her name to take the herbs inside the palace and blackmailed the head Dasi of the kitchen to put that in badi bahuranisa's food. I was told to stop this, after your visits to badi bahuranisa's chamber decreased. When it was said that you were going to Badi bahuranisa's chamber again, we tried to do that again. But after the fire accident it was not possible to bring anything inside the palace and also all the food given to badi bahuranisa was tested by a Dasi. So I was not able to continue that. Please forgive me yuvraj. It was very late when I realised how big of a sin I had committed. I'm sorry", she cried in front of him.

Yuvraj called for the guards to take her to the cells and then went out of his chamber. He directly went to Anamika's chamber with extreme guilt of spoiling her life. If he had not married her in the first place, she wouldn't have to face all these struggles everyday and above all she would have been cherishing her motherhood by now. When he reached her chamber, all his worries vanished with the sight in front of him. Unknowingly he started smiling.

Anamika was talking to the baby in her womb very animatedly. Yuvraj saw her smiling face for the first time in years. He stood at the entrance and listened to their talk, "Baby! Are you bored of listening my Ramayana that you started kicking me to stop it? I just wanted you to listen about the good characteristics of my favorite god, Ram and learn to be like him. A good son, a brave warrior and a one woman man. I know you would be a great warrior as both your mother and father are good in their warrior skills. But I think you will be a naughty baby who will make me run around you", Anamika talked with the baby while caressing her slight bump.

Yuvraj didn't want to interrupt her but he had to talk to her, so he cleared his throat and entered the room. Anamika looked at him again with a blank face and greeted him. He nodded at her and said, "Anamika, today I came to know about a truth which involves you. I don't want to delay anything regarding that. For the first five years of our marriage, you were not able to get pregnant. It was not because of you, rather it was pre-planned to avoid your pregnancy. I got to know the culprit. It was none other than Saudamini's mother. She did it so that I would marry Saudamini again. I am going to take this issue to Ranasa as Ranisa also indirectly involved in this. As you are the one who is affected by all this, I wanted to inform you before everything."

Though Anamika was shocked and disgusted by this act, she didn't feel any anger towards them. May be now she got her baby, which reduced her pain to some extent and how can she blame someone else when her loved one had broken her trust. Looking at him, she said, "Yuvraj! Please don't take this to Ranasa right now. He has not recovered from his injuries yet. So it would be better if we keep these things away from him".

Yuvraj nodded at her and said, "OK. I will take care of that." Saying this, he was about to go but stopped in his track and turned again towards her. "Shall I touch the baby now? ", yuvraj asked Anamika. Though he would stay in her chamber some nights and talk to the baby after Anamika slept, the sudden urge to caress the bump and feel the kick of the baby was strong. Anamika nodded after sometime and yuvraj knelt down in front of her on one leg and caressed her bump. He couldn't express what he felt at that moment. He himself couldn't understand his feelings that too after six children. Slowly he kissed her bump and a lone tear escaped his eyes. Suddenly he felt the baby kick his hand and laughed silently and thought, "Truly a Momma's boy". He stood up wiping his tears and looked at Anamika who looked slightly shocked. He asked asked her "what" through his eyes raising his eyebrows, to which she said, "This is the first time that the kick is so strong." He told with a sense of pride, "Of course, The Rajput blood will always be strong." Anamika rolled her eyes at him and he caressed her bump for one last time and took his leave from her chamber.

He felt a sense of satisfaction that he never felt before for any of his child. It's not because it's the heir. It's because the baby is the dream they both saw together, the boon which they begged from god for a long time. A person can have many children and love all of them but a child from the one close to your heart will automatically put the child closest to your heart.

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Precap : The person who listened to yuvraj's conversation with Ranisa talks to Anamika.

Sorry for the late update and do vote and comment.

Thanks,

SM.