Thinking about the way he had treated Jodha engulfed him with guilt and an unexplained feeling of anger. Jalal himself was puzzled with his own emotions. Why is he feeling her grief? He should be feeling content with his conquest, but instead, why is my heart feeling stung? Why does her defenseless condition make me vulnerable? I don't have a heart, then why am I feeling the unbearable suffocating pain? Every time I have hurt her, I have felt miserable. She is fetching out the emotion which I have never sensed. No matter what, she is pulling, even though she hates me, I desire her. Her truth, her innocence, and purity always upset me. Her bitter words ignite a bright light inside my dark heart.

Even though she defied me at every step, she pulled me even further closer to her instead of hatred. I admire her purity; she is the only person who is not frightened of me. Today, she didn't even argue or said a single word, but her silence was so powerful and threatening. Instead of her, I kneeled at her divine purity today.

She gave her dignity to save her parent's respect. Her faith in God is so divine. She is so untainted and celestially pure, and I am so contrary to her. I am so devious, and she is so divine. Why do I hate her, and for what? Just because she told me that she has killed Mughal soldiers and wanted to kill me, I punished her so brutally that I ruined her entire life. Poor her, when she told me all this, she didn't even know that she was talking to me, Jalaluddin, The Mughal King himself, what is so wrong about loving your own land? Even today, I hate Rajvanshi. I captured her and gave immense pain; she has no one in this palace.

When I met her for the first time, she was fierce, happy, proud, full of life, and blameless. What have I done to her? I have taken away her smile; I have not seen even a small smile on her face since our marriage, her beautiful, innocent smile has vanished, she looks so pale, today she followed everything like a puppet, without a single fight, little by little I am killing her from inside.

Oh god, why am I thinking about her so much? Why is she so important to me? Why did her rejection hurt me so much? I feel like she has captured me in her divine spell. When she is near me, I sense my heart exists, I feel peace, but at the same time, her disregard blisters me inside out.

His thinking was now slowly slaughtering him. He had never experienced these emotions before, unknowingly; his dead heart was melting for Jodha.

Finally, he concluded and decided that he will not hurt her anymore and give her the respect she deserves. He will accept her as a Special Queen, and if she wants to go back to Amer, he will release her from his capture.

In Maham Anga's Chamber

Adham screamed at Maham loudly, "You do not love your own son. How could you support Jalal instead of me all the time?"

Maham retorted back exasperatedly, "When you will learn politics? Stop behaving like a brainless child? Conquering a sultanate is not a child's game; when will you understand me and my intentions? I hate Queen Jodha to the extreme; she doesn't deserve to be a Mughal Queen; she should be less than a concubine. I will teach her a big lesson and soon send her back to Amer forever. But till then, you need to have patience."

Adham nodded at her annoyingly and walked out of her chamber briskly.

In Jodha's Chamber

Early in the morning, Hamida banoo, Mariam Makhani, decided to visit Queen Jodha since she was out of the palace for about three weeks on some political work. After coming back, she heard how poorly Jalal treated Jodha. She knew Jalal and Jodha had not consumed their relationship yet, they didn't accept each other as a husband, wife, but deep down, she had hopes that one day Queen Jodha will change his cruel son and will teach him humanity.

Jodha was preparing for Pooja (prayer) when she saw Hamida Banu walking into her chamber. She gave her a pleasant smile and softly greeted, "Pranam Ammi Jaan. How are you feeling?"

Hamida noticed her pale face, slightly pink eyes; she didn't need any more confirmation. In a gentle voice, she responded, "I am doing well, my dear. How about you? Are you adjusting well in Agra? It seems like you are not happy in Agra. Are you missing your family and Amer?"

Jodha could read her pain and feel sadness in her tone; she controlled her emotions and replied impassively, "No, Ammi Jaan, it's nothing like that; I am adjusting here, I have no complaints."

Hamida caressed her cheeks. "If you have any problem, come to me anytime; I am like your mother," then she kissed Jodha on her forehead and walked out elegantly with a heavy heart.

While arranging for Aarti, Jodha narrated to Moti about the whole thing that happened in Shahenshah's chamber. "Moti, I don't know why, but at the last second, Shahenshah held my hand and stopped me from eating and ordered me to go do prayer first. I am surprised; he still remembers that I don't eat without prayer. You know Moti, if I had eaten that bite, I would have died in guilt. He is very complicated. Sometimes I felt his own actions hurting him. Something was bothering him today; his words were not reaching his eyes. His words were filled with pride and cruelty, but his eyes had intense sadness in them. Maybe I am wrong in judging; I don't want to think about him anymore. "

"I think Shahenshah is good-hearted; he is very nice to people whom he loves." Replied Moti

Cutting Moti in between, Jodha quickly snapped, "And he is very hurtful to those he hates, and don't miss any opportunity to take his revenge, the one who he hates."

Moti argued, "But Jodha, Shahenshah has kept all of his promises. He has not touched you after that night; also, he allowed you to continue your religion, that too against many people's wish; even in the court, he took a stand for you against Adham. Jodha, how he took care of you that night, I can't forget, he indeed looked in pain and worried for you. In harem hall, when he realized there was no chair for you, immediately he arranged it and made you sit on Rukaiya begum's chair, and it is possible that the maid made a mistake and invited you. You have also insulted him many times; you walked out of harem hall and called him a liar in front of Rukaiya begum and Salima begum."

Jodha snapped, "Moti, why are you talking so much in support of Shahenshah? Are you on my side or his?? Let me finish my prayer; otherwise, that devil will punish me for taking a long time for prayer."

Jodha felt better after talking to Moti and Hamida. Her emotions were on a roller coaster ride, one day, she thought high about him, but the next day he would do something which brought him down again. Her days in Agra passed full of surprises, trauma, and shocks.

Jodha sat in front of Krishna and apologized for not keeping her promise and thanked him for saving her from committing sin.

She began praying with a devotional song in her melodious voice. Jalal came inside her chamber quietly and stood behind her while she performed the prayer. He engrossed in every word of her divine prayer and adored her singing.

After the prayer, she turned with the Aarti plate in her hand and saw Jalal standing behind her.

Jalal waited for Jodha to offer him Aarti, but Jodha decided not to offer him.

Jalal broke the silence and asked, "Jodha, won't you give me aarti today?"

Jodha got stunned and stared at him with mystified expressions. She couldn't believe what she heard, 'He wants Aarti?' she thought.

Seeing her standing like a statue, Jalal asked her again with a louder tone, "Won't you give me Aarti Queen Jodha?"

Jodha glanced down at his shoes with a dark expression and replied in a firm tone, "Shahenshah, first of all, go out of the chamber and take off your shoes and remember, not to enter into my chamber with your shoes. Walking in the temple with shoes means disrespecting God."

Her firm and impolite tone annoyed Jalal, but he gulped his fury and looked at her pointedly and walk out of her chamber to take off his shoes then he came inside with bare feet.

Jodha, with a confused look, forwarded the Aarti plate towards him. Jalal hovered his hands over the flame and touched his hand to his eyes three times. It shocked her when Jalal took Aarti correctly, then he took a pinch of Sindoor from the plate and swiftly filled her parting.

She closed her eyes sadly.

Jalal knew very well that she wouldn't like this, but he wanted to remind her once more that she is not only married to him but belongs to him as well.

Jalal sat on the couch, then politely requested her, "Queen Jodha, can you please come and sit next to me? I would like to converse something significant to you."

Jodha got shocked, seeing him so calm even after her disrespectful attitude. She finally broke her silence and said softly, "Shahenshah, I am fine here. Tell me what you would like to converse with your poor queen."

Jalal ignored her bitterness and continued thoughtfully, "Queen Jodha, you don't have to continue with me for the whole day; you are free from my condition. I will behave the way you want me to with your parents. I want to..." He hesitated and fumbled for a second, but then he began again. "Forgive me for my behavior earlier today. I should not have taken advantage of the situation."

Jodha looked at him stunned, but then she thought, 'He probably felt pity for her,' She arrogantly responded, "Shahenshah, I don't want your mercy; I will fulfill your condition and stay with you all day and follow your orders like a lower-class maid. I did expect this type of behavior when I accepted your condition, but for me, my parents and my family's respect are more important than my own self-respect."

Jalal responded in a directive tone, "As you wish, Queen Jodha, get ready to spend a day with me then. I am going for horse riding in ten minutes; get ready for the ride." He looked straight into her eyes and stated clearly in a commanding tone, "I want an acquaintance, not a maid or a puppet. If you want to join, then come with your dignity and grace, for god sake. You are a Special Queen of the Mughal Empire; never forget that, and if you are still going to act like a puppet, then please do not show up." Jalal turned and walked out without looking back at her.

Jodha felt slightly relieved with his changed behavior, but at the same time, she had doubted him; why was he showing these changes suddenly? Maybe he has another game planned in his mind? But he sounded very genuine. Why do I always feel he likes me? I see a deep longing in his eyes for me. Every time I look into his eyes, I feel utterly captivated by him and forget everything else. Why do I always feel like he pretends to hate me, and I know he does not hate me? She suddenly came out of her thoughts. Her thinking gave her a shiver. Oh, Kanah, Why am I so attracted to him?? Why am I so stupid? She scolded herself.

She reached by the horse stables, where Jalal was waiting for her.

Jalal asked her tenderly, "Queen Jodha, would you like to ride with me, or you know horse riding?"

Jodha smirked and walked through the entire stable and picked the finest white horse for herself.

Jalal walked near her, mocked chirpily, "Jodha Begum; this horse is hard to handle; he is speedy, stubborn and moody" he paused with a grin, while rubbing his chin thoughtfully he taunted her, "I think this horse will match to your taste, you both have similar personalities."

Her sensual rosy pink lips curved with a grin, she sarcastically snapped while looking straight in his sharp eyes, "Shenshah, I am very well experienced in controlling difficult, wild, crazy horses and people. I will be able to manage him proficiently. I do not require any advice." Then within a flick, she jumped and sat on the horse and was ready for the ride.

Jalal humbly spoke, "Impressive Queen Jodha; looks like you are skilled in horse riding."

Jodha proudly replied, "Shahenshah, Never forget that I am a Rajput Rajvanshi Princess; if needed, I can save your life too."

He was happy to see her back to her fiercely attitude. Jalal sternly replied, "Queen Jodha, you are overly arrogant sometimes, and you are underestimating your husband's capability. Why don't you demonstrate to me that you are advance in horse riding than me?"

Jodha's Rajvanshi blood began to simmer, "Oh, so you are challenging your queen, Shahenshah!"

Jalal gazed at her, a hint of smirk kissed on his lips. "Yes! My Rajvanshi stubborn princess, It is a challenge."

"I gladly accept it; be prepared to your first defeat Shehenshah E Hindustan." She snorted confidently in an ironic tone.

Jalal pointed his finger and said. "Look at the end of this open land, far away, there is a big tree near the lake, and on that tree, there is a red cloth hanging; whoever gets it wins the race."

Both looked at each other and stole a glance with a smirk on their face, then the race began. Obliviously, Jalal was better at horse riding than Jodha, so he was a little ahead of her initially. But when he looked back to see Jodha, he got unfocused by her celestial beauty. Her shiny wavy long hair was kissing the air, her green chunni was flying with the wind, and her face was sparkling with bright glow once again, and her doe-like innocent eyes got filled with a passion, passion for winning, passion for proving to him that she is equivalent to him. Like Arjun, her eyes were glued to the target. Jalal was awestruck by her horse riding proficiency. While riding, he got lost in her captivating beauty; the slight grin on her face gave him an indescribable soothing feeling. A proficient warrior first time got diverted from his aim.

This distraction made him slower, and Jodha passed him easily, was now ahead of him. She twisted back and smirked at him proudly and again focused back.

Her winning prideful smirk wakes him up. He grinned at himself when he recognized that he was left behind. He put all his effort into winning the race. Soon he caught up to her; at one point, they were riding next to each other.

Jodha noticed while riding effortlessly; his eyes were constantly gazing at her than the target; she blushed a little, but then focused and put all her strength since the target too close. They were almost reaching the destination.

Finally, Jalal began to focus on the race to win and got ahead; Jodha also perceived his powerful attempt, so she put equal force to win. In the end, both jumped from a horse at the same time to catch the red cloth which was hanging on the tree; both of them grabbed the cloth together, but Jodha lost her balance while jumping from a horse and was about to fall, and Jalal realized that she was falling, Just to save her, he gave up the grip of the cloth, but successfully protected her from falling on the ground.

She fell on Jalal's arm with the cloth; her eyes were closed in fear of the fall. Both of them were intensely breathing, which was audible. While panting acutely, he saw her innocent fearful face with closed eyes. She gripped his top possessively and hid in his chest like he is the last source of her life. It was like an unexpected dream comes true. Her possessive grip sends a million sparks in his body; he never thought she will ever be close to him like this. He didn't want to let her go from his arms ever. Her sweet smell of sandalwood was divine; her soft, cozy cuddle created waves of desire. Her petite body perfectly fit in his arms. He felt like crushing her inside him and kiss the life out of her trembling soft rosy pink lips.

After a few seconds, Jodha slowly opened her eyes and saw passionate, obsessive, sensual gawk in Jalal's eyes. His possessive and secured grip with an intense stare gave her a quiver.

Suddenly it occurred to her that she was cuddling him; she failed to hide her embarrassed blush from his vigilant, sharp eyes; she felt shy the way he was sensually gazing at her. She was also mesmerized by his captivating stare; even after feeling so mortified she couldn't take her eyes off him, his bright, sharp features with a sensual appearance on his face were making her nervous, her heartbeats were so loud, it was distinct, he slightly smirked seeing her mortified expression.

Afterward, she snapped out a few seconds and realized he held her for so long, making her more uncomfortable.

In a low tone, she nervously requested, "Shahenshah, please put me down."

He came out of her magic charm; he grinned mischievously with a deep moan then put her down.

With a bashful expression, she said, "Thank you for saving me from falling Shahenshah, but you have lost the game." She sounded more excited and playful than she showed him the cloth with winning pride on her face.

Without a word, he silently watched at her innocent excitement on her victory; he smiled with a mystifying expression and said, "Queen Jodha, you know who won and who lost. and the winner already got the reward."

Jodha knew what he was trying to say; without thinking much, she replied hurriedly, "Everything is fair in love and w...." before finishing the sentence, she realized what she just said in excitement. She paused again with blush and bit her lips.

Both of them, again, got lost in each other's gaze. Her innocent biting on her lips impacted cruelly on him. His suppressed desire to kiss her evoked with simmering fire.

While gazing at him, she silently murmured to herself, 'Oh god, he is so eye-catching and charming. He can lure any woman with his one gaze.' Suddenly it occurred to her that she was staring at him, so to hide her emotions towards him, she quickly asked him, "Why are you so nice suddenly?" Her voice came out sounding a little grouchier than she'd intended.

Jalal replied in a relaxed tone while walking towards the tree, "Queen Jodha, can't you forget the past and start fresh? Instead of fighting, why don't we get to know each other?"

"So you are saying that it's me who always like to fight?" she asked while pouting tetchily.

Jalal looked back at her and began to chuckle at her innocence.

It was a bright sunny, beautiful, and breezy morning! Thither was a little lake near this tree. The entire area was so peaceful and calm; birds were chirping around, the cool draft was blowing, colorful roses and jasmine plants surrounded the lake. It was a very peaceful, quiet, and calming place.

Jalal went under the big tree and sat on the grass to relax. He called up loudly, "Queen Jodha, come sit here; it's very relaxing."

At first, Jodha felt a little hesitant, but then she went and sat next to him.

She was blindly attracted to Jalal; that's why she was a bit hesitant and afraid of sitting so close to him.

His eyes were closed, but he could feel her presence next to him. Jodha was ogling at his gorgeous personality with the athlete's broad shoulder.

"Queen Jodha, stop staring at me," Jalal said without opening his eyes.

"Why would I look at you?" Jodha replied with irritation

"Don't lie, Jodha, I have noticed many times that you like to look at me."

"So what if I looked at you. I have also seen you gazing at me; in fact, you just lost today because you were too busy gazing at me."

Jalal mysteriously smirked and asked, "Do you know why I love gazing at you?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know Shahenshah." Jodha nervously replied