After hearing Jodha's agony, 'Jalal felt sudden heartache; instead of feeling cheerful, he felt restless. He always thought that she could not forgive him for his past deed, but her problem is worse than he ever imagined. Jodha is running away from her own feelings. She wants to possess my love for herself only, and she knows that I will never be able to give her that, so she decided never to accept me. As he recalled her wording, he rolled his hand through his hair frustratingly. She loves me, but she hates being my queen. Does she really feel like she is trapped in a confined? Does she feel suffocated with me? I guess she would rather be happy being a Rajvanshi, probably with Surya. She thinks her friend Leela is more fortunate than her; she envies her. What the hell; she is a queen of Hindustan, and that's not enough for her. I can't believe that she desires to have her life, and she still curses her destiny.' Jalal bitterly muttered silently.

A chain of mixed thoughts was running through his mind.

He deeply sighed. 'I was waiting to confess her love for me for so long, but now after hearing it, why it feels so shallow? I don't know much about love, but one thing for sure, she doesn't love me. Why don't I feel as happy as I should?? Does she really love me? Or it's just she thinks that she loves me? Why she put herself into conditions? If she loves me, then why she can't accept me with who am I? Every second we spend together is precious for me, but apparently not for her.'

He smirked bitterly at his confusion. 'He had never visualized even in his dream that she loves him so much and to this extent of possessiveness, and it bothers her that he has so many women in his life. Isn't it just an excuse to avoid me?'

He tried to give reasons to her thinking, 'Probably she feels this way because we are from different cultures, which is why I never thought from her point of view. I never realized that she dreamed of having a husband who has only one queen. What she wishes and demands are more than I can give. I have to fulfill my responsibilities towards other queens. Somewhat I feel her love for me is calculative and conditional.

I hope one day, she could read my underlying emotions for her. I will never admit that she is significantly more important in my life, perhaps more than queen Rukaiya. Certain feelings do not require words to express them; you have to feel them. The day you understand my unspoken words, your fears will disappear. Jodha, your love for me has probably not grown deep enough to understand me. How could you possibly think that I wanted you only for one night? Why are you so unsecured? Can't you see in my eyes? Can't you read my unspoken words? Can't you feel your tears shatter me?

I guess I am elated because at least you think that you love me, but at the same time, I am hurt to hear this bitterness.

Jalal was confused and was having mixed thoughts. On one side, he did understand her pain and was happy to know that she loves him so much, but on the other side, he was upset that she doesn't trust him and she doesn't like being his wife.

Abdul's arrival sidetracked Jalal when he was deeply lost in his chain of thoughts when he was standing by the window.

Seeing Jalal's lost and puzzled face, Abdul worriedly asked, "Shahenshah, Is everything good?"

Jalal masked his inner turmoil and took Abdul to the other corner of the chamber so Abdul cannot hear Jodha and Lila's continued conversation. Jalal inquired further about the security and other arrangements for their journey towards Agra. He was concerned since Jodha was going to travel with him back to Agra, and they had only twenty Soldiers with them.

"Yes, Shahenshah, everything is secured, and I have arranged for the entire journey." Abdul skimmed at Jalal again; he immediately understood something was bothering Jalal. They were childhood friends, and Jalal always shared his personal feelings with him.

Abdul asked in an anxious tone once again, "Shahenshah, is everything alright? You are looking a little lost. "

"You are right, Abdul, today I am lost, and for the first time in my life, I can't find a way out... I am unable to understand my own feelings, " Jalal responded in a dim, sad tone.

"Shahenshah... Can I ask you something?" Abdul asked cautiously

Slowly Jalal lifted his eyes to read; he noticed his left foot was flexing out of nervous reaction, then dryly reacted, "Hmmm."

"Are you in love?" Abdul warily asked in a low tone.

Jalal, with shaken expression, replied too quickly, "NO! NO Way! Abdul... I am the Shahenshah E Hindustan, and I do not own a heart. How can I possibly love someone when I don't have a heart?" then, with resentment, Jalal asked bitterly, "Why are you asking me this question?"

Abdul smirked sarcastically at Jalal, "Do you know Jalal, when you came to know that queen Jodha was innocent, your immediate reaction was dreadful. I have never seen you in this much pain in your life. I never imagined that you could cry for your mistake. When you were screaming out loud in agony, you confess your feeling unknowingly, "Yaa Allah... Why I have tarnished my LOVE?"

Jalal's disappointed eyes quaked; in a peevish tone, he retorted while gripping the side of the couch firmly, "Abdul, don't cross your confines. I do not recall saying Anything like that. I do not love Jodha; No way... It was my grave mistake to misunderstand her, so when I realized the truth, I was in dreadful condition because I had punished her cruelly, but that does not mean that I love her. I felt guilty at that time, and in extreme guilt, my tears came out; it was just that moment's weakness. I don't love anyone... Never forget Jalal does not have a heart to love."

Abdul sardonically replied, "Shahenshah, I have known you for many years... I can tell you one thing for sure that you are in denial of the process of falling in love. First, you hated her to your extreme, and then you're hate turned into companionship, closeness, building trust, and followed by denial mode and possessiveness. I can see it in your eyes; when you see queen Jodha, your face glows, and your eyes sparkle with a hidden smile. You have never cared about any woman like this in the past, not even queen Rukaiya. Even in your hatred, you cared about queen Jodha. Jalal, you can hide your feelings from everyone, even yourself, but not from me. I know you too well; she means the world to you."

Jalal got up from the couch; he gazed at Abdul with a depressing gaze, then turned his face toward the window then he directed in a stern tone, "Abdul, you may go now, and I don't want to discuss this any further. I don't want to waste my time in useless talks."

Abdul grinned scornfully at him and walked out of the hall.

Jalal released a deep, relieved breath while looking at Jodha, but along with a dreadful thought, his mind dwelled once again; Am I in love with Jodha? Why am I thinking so much about her? Why her forgiveness is so important to me? Why her pain gives me heartache? Why every statement made by her impact me so deeply? He was emotionally charged up but was not ready to admit his own inner feelings for Jodha. He knew that he was yearning for her to love him unconditionally; he knew that she became his obsession, and he can't live without her, but he couldn't accept that he was in love with her. It really bothered his manly ego that she hated being his wife... She envies her friend and wishes to have her friend's life. Jodha had unknowingly crushed his self-esteem again.

As Jalal reached the window, he heard Lila talking to Jodha.

"Jodha, you need to accept him the way he is; you can not hold down to the past and hide behind your possessive fears. If you love him, trust him, then don't put your confines; set him free if he truly yours, then he will come back to you." Lila advised.

"Lila, trust me, I have tried, but he has failed every time. He takes one step towards me and takes ten steps backward. I wish I could tell you what happened with every detail; I am just keeping to myself; if you come to know why I am in Amer; what your dearest friend has suffered, you would advise never to put my feet in Agra. No honorable women would forgive. I wish I could tell everything, but now I am bound to a marriage relation; so, his honor is mine, I can't share the details. He is here to reconcile with me, and I forgive him, but I will never accept him. Maybe one day, I will allow him to fulfill his marital rights, but I will not let my heart tangle again. I will protect my soul. Lila, I have too much bitterness inside me; but I am feeling relieved talking to you, feeling as if with my tears washing my bitterness." Jodha closed her eyes to gulp the pain.

Lila hugged to comfort her. She silently prayed to god to show a path to Jodha.

To divert Jodha's mind, Lila said in a concerned tone, "Jodha, something has happened to Surya; in the last few months, he has changed so much. He hardly talks to anyone; Bapusa (Dad) and Surya had a big fight. Surya was so upset that bapusa did not allow him to support Amer against the Mughals. Since then, I have not seen one smile on his face. He became so short-tempered and grouchy. I don't know what has happened to him suddenly. I am so thankful to Sukanya; she stands by him in this difficult time. She even came to my wedding and stayed with me for four weeks."

Jodha, with puzzled gape, replied, "Oh... but what has happened to him suddenly? He looked fine today; he was normal and excited to see me. I will talk to him; you don't worry, and I know my little sister is grownup now."

As Jodha and Lila were busy talking, Surya walked up to them with a smile on his face and sat next to Jodha.

Seeing Surya there, Lila thought she should leave them alone, so Jodha can determine what is bothering him. Lila said, "Let me go and check on him (her hubby) and left from there, leaving Jodha and Surya alone.

"So Jodha... ready for Holi??" Surya began a casual conversation.

"Yes, of course... Are you ready to color your face like a monkey-like every year?? "Jodha jested.

"Hmmm... Let's see who looks like a monkey this year..." He answered while looking at her intently.

"So, tell me, Surya, what's going on. Last time when you came to the palace, I was not in a state to even talk to anyone, but you don't seem happy." Jodha asked him concernedly.

He heavily exhaled out and sadly continued while looking deeply into her eyes, with love, "Jodha, I have really missed you. You have no idea how desperately I have missed you. Why has everything changed??"

Jodha felt uncomfortable with his sudden approach and replied in a casual tone to hide her awkwardness, "Surya, nothing has changed. I am still that same Jodha, but why are you looking at me like this, as if you have never seen me before." She really felt awkward with his constant stare; he never acted like this before.

Surya, without breaking gaze at her, gloomily replied, "Jodha, after your marriage, I have seen you all dressed up as married women, and you look so beautiful in sindoor and flower jewelry. I have never seen you this beautiful. You really are glowing." Surya was again lost and started gazing at her passionately.

Jodha felt very uncomfortable talking to him alone for the first time in her life. She instantly got up from there with an excuse, "Let me see if Jalal and everyone else is ready to play Holi." but before she could leave, Surya captured her wrist and said in an insisting tone, "I need to talk to you." Jodha could not deny his request, so unwillingly, she sat again on the bench next to him.

On the other side, Jalal was boiling in anger seeing Surya holding Jodha's hand. His intense sound created a fire inside him. How dare he said Jodha looks beautiful, and Jalal got more upset at Jodha seeing her sitting next to him after his obvious flirting. He knuckled his wrist to control his anger.

After a pause of silence, Surya continued with a deep sorrowful tone, "Jodha, after your marriage, I have realized that I am madly in love with you. I am incomplete without you."

With an extreme shock, Jodha got up from the bench angrily, but before she could say Anything, Surya demandingly requested, "Jodha, please let me finish. I understand it's too late; you are married now, but it was killing me inside. Since your marriage, I haven't slept peacefully, even for one night. I was concerned and scared for you, whatever I have heard about Jalal, it scared me and made me more worried about you. Everyone knows that he is a womanizer and has hundreds of women in his harem; he doesn't respect Hindu people. I was terrified for you, Jodha; I deeply feel guilty for not supporting Raja Bharmal in the war. It was not in my hand, but at least I could have supported your father in the war to save your dignity. Jodha, I always knew you were more than a friend for me, but I never realized how I felt about you until I had completely lost you. I LOVE U Jodha... I love you so much; I can never love anyone else." Surya and Jodha both had tears in their eyes.

Jodha was hurt seeing Surya in so much pain with lots of concern; she said, "Surya... you are my best friend; perhaps more than a friend. I still remember those days when we were small kids and spent hours playing together, but my destiny is Jalal, and it's all written beforehand. At the beginning of my marriage, I cursed Kanah(God) and myself for my fate, but what we heard about Jalal is not true. We both hated each other to the extreme initially, but even in his hate, he always took care of me. Now we both respect each other; Surya cares about me a lot. He has a very good heart, but it is lost somewhere in his past. He has gone through a terrible time; with all the betrayals he has gone through in his life, he cannot trust anyone. His betrayal made him ruthless and heartless, but Surya, you need to understand very clearly that everyone's destiny is written beforehand, and you have to accept the truth that I can never be yours. Surya, I am madly in love with Jalal, and I have given him my heart for the next seven lives."

With little anger, Surya pulled Jodha towards him and said, "Jodha, I don't think you love him. I can see in your eyes there is love for me; don't lie to me that you love Jalal."

Jodha, with anger, got up from the bench and pushed him away. "Surya, No, I don't love you, and I have never loved you."

Surya realized he went too far in his emotions. He instantly controlled his emotions and said in a regretting tone, "Jodha, I am sorry for everything that just happened; I just want your happiness and our innocent friendship. Please forgive me; this will never happen again."

With a cold smile, Jodha responded, "Surya, you are my best friend and will remain that forever" with awkward feelings, she got up and started walking towards the hall.

Surya casually yelled, "Jodha, wait, I am going for sword practice, do you want to join me?"

Jodha looked back and said, "I would love to, but I have to do lots of preparations for the Holi function; some other time, maybe."

Jalal saw and heard their conversation's every word; he was burning with fire inside.

How could Surya love Jodha? How dare he touched her? She belongs to me only. He was flaming in Jealousy. He smacked his hands hard on the wall to control his rage.

Jalal quickly came out of the hall and said, "Jodha, I am going for sword practice. Do you want to join?"

Surya replied instead of her, "Jodha is busy with Holi preparations, but I am going for sword practice. Let's go practice together; I would really like to see If you can stand against Jodha or not!" His sound was filled with challenging sarcasm.

Jalal snapped back, "It's been too long my shamshir (sword) hasn't gotten a chance to taste Rajvanshi blood."

Jodha heard Jalal's sarcasm and realized what Jalal was doing? But before she could say Anything... Surya instantly countered with a challenging tone, "See you at the practice ground," then he left.

Jalal wickedly smirked at Surya, but his frustration was clearly visible on his face. Both of their tones showed an extreme need to defeat each other... intense Jealousy and anger were boiling inside them. It was a perfect opportunity for Jalal to take his fire out at him and crush his (Surya's) pride with his sword.

Jodha asked exasperatingly, "Shahenshah, what is in your mind? Make sure it's just a practice fight. Don't hurt Surya."

With fury, Jalal raised his eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes and countered in a deceptively calm tone, "OH so my dear queen is worried more for her friend than she so called husband. It seems like you care about him more than you do about me."

Jodha sensed his pulping Jealousy towards Surya, "Shahenshah, you misunderstand me. I care about you more than anyone, but I also know you very well; when you are angry, you can't control yourself, and you make unforgivable mistakes. I just want to remind you once again; this is just a practice fight, and if you lose your temper and hurt Surya, I will never forgive you. "She warned him in a stern tone.

Seeing Jodha defending Surya, Jalal lost all of his endurance. He bitterly gazed at her and austerely said in a thick tone, "Pray to your Kanah(God) for your Surya, to save him from my wrath."

Jalal could not accept the fact that someone else can love Jodha. His Jealousy was at the peak, and Jodha added fumes to it. Seeing his intention, Jodha decided to join to see the fight; practically, she shivered, seeing extreme anger and the monster in his eyes.

Surya and Jalal both entered the practice area. Jalal looked at him and said, "Surya, there is no fun in the contest unless there is a challenge."

"What is your challenge?" Surya answered arrogantly.

Jalal countered deviously with an impassive face, "Surya, if I win, then you will have to give me what I ask for, and if you win, you can ask for anything."

Surya sarcastically, "Anything? Are you sure?" His question was more in terms of the statement.

Jalal could read in his eyes a deep desire for Jodha.

Jalal's eyes turned dark, his jaw scrunched, but his expression remained unreadable, and then he replied acidly, "Yes!!!Anything!!!" while scanning around, Jalal thought; Surya, I can't wait to show you the real sword fight; it seems like you have not seen a real warrior yet.

Surya impatiently replied, underestimating Jalal's skill, "Looks like it's the biggest challenge of your life Shahenshah."

Jalal snapped back at him. "You are right about that, Surya; I indeed have many precious things to lose. It must be so easy for you, but it's not that easy for me." Jalal paused and grinned at him wickedly and continued, "So do you accept it." Once again, he made sure Surya accepts the challenge...

"I accept your challenge Shahenshah." Surya arrogantly replied.

Jalal purposely looked at Jodha darkly and smiled at her ruefully when he accepted the challenge himself.

Seeing Jalal's intentions, Jodha forgot to breathe for a few seconds out of extreme fear.

Jalal moved his sword in small circles to warm up, and then they started their fight. Jalal waited for his first attack to see his strength. Surya attacked Jalal's chest first. Jalal blocked it with a strong attack back on him, then with a sudden and very fast, aggressive fling, he attacked Surya with his arms and ran towards him to make it harder for him to hit.