"Your Royal Highness, may I present you with something?" A maid asked Hamida Banu.

"Leave me alone."

Hamida had not slept peacefully since her outburst on Jalal. She wanted to ask for his forgiveness. She, of all people, knew very well how hard it had been for him. Most of his begums suffered from early miscarriages and now that he had one final hope, Sabrina betrayed him. She thought of talking to Jalal but she didn't have the courage.

"Your Majesty..."

"Leave me alone for God's sake."

"Ammijaan!" Hamida woke with a start as she saw Jalal standing beside the maid.

"Jalal!"

"Do you have some time?"

"Yes. Come and have a seat."

"Ammijaan, I.... I am sorry for shouting at you."

"No, no Jalal. It was my mistake. I shouldn't have said all that. Forgive me."

"Ammijaan, I know that I have no one to call me Abba but every time one of my wives or concubine conceived, I shared it with Badi Ammi, and I am sorry for that."

"It is okay Jalal. Maham Anga has done a lot for you."

"But you are my mother." Hamida couldn't believe what she heard. Tears filled her eyes.

"May Allah bless you, Jalal. I cannot believe that you are saying all this."

"Ammijaan, what I am about to tell you should not get out of this room. Okay?"

"What is it, Jalal?"

"Just promise me first, please."

"Okay, I promise. But, is all okay?"

"Jodha Begum is expecting."

"Wh..wha..what?"

"I couldn't believe it at first either."

" Are you sure? Is she really expecting?"

"Yes, Ammijaan!"

Maham Anga clutched onto her robe for support as she overheard their conversation. She had been keeping tabs on Jalal for a long time now. She couldn't believe it. How could Jalal not inform her first? How could he do this? Hamida was now his mother? This was all happening because of Jodha Begum. She had influenced Jalal in a way, Maham didn't even think. She had surpassed all her tricks.

"You will suffer, Begum Jodha." Maham Anga cursed inwardly as she watched Jalal and Hamida.

Jodha was walking across the garden, taking a stroll as usual when Ruqqayah spotted her. Behind Jodha, Neela was standing, plucking flowers for the puja.

"Neela, don't pick too many."

"Jodha, aren't you excited?"

"What for?"

"You seriously don't know or are you pretending?" Neela asked cheerfully. After all, this was the reason why she had been forgiven.

Did she hit her head somewhere too? Jodha thought for a moment.

"Kunwarisaa...?" Jodha turned around to reply but didn't notice her lehenga that had been stuck behind the plant. She was about to fall but Jalal saved her just in time. Ruqqayah stopped midway as she was approaching Jodha.

"Are you okay?" He asked Jodha in a sweet voice and she nodded. "Can you not see? Is this the way to treat your queen when I especially asked you to look after her?!" He shouted at Neela. Neela shivered and looked down. Why was he getting so worked up, Jodha thought to herself.

"I am alright Shehenshah! Besides, it wasn't her mistake."

Ruqqayah didn't appreciate this behaviour of Jalal. Jodha was not a kid, so why was he losing his temper. She decided to intervene but Jodha spoke before her.

"Why are you losing your temper on such a little thing?"

"Because he has a reason to," Hamida spoke as she walked towards them. Ruqqayah rolled her eyes seeing her and turned around to leave.

"Ammijaan!" Jodha touched her feet out of respect but Hamida prevented her from doing it.

"You need to rest properly now and listen to Jalal for the next nine months. We are not constraining you, but there are certain things you need to follow."

"What? I don't get it."

"You are pregnant, bahu!" Hamida spoke gleefully and Jodha stilled for a moment. The brightness in Jalal's eyes was evident. They were so consumed in each other that they did not notice that even someone else's world had turned upside down in just a fraction of seconds.