Vasundhara fiddled with the end of her sari nervously, straining her ears to listen to what was occurring beyond closed doors. She wasn't alone, Ambika and other maids tried to do the same. Their wicked minds accumulate a negative image- one where the new bride faces the punishment of her life.

The king seemed quite mad and had openly shown his wrath. There were zero chances of Gauri escaping his den unscathed. And why not? She should be punished for indulging a lowly man and understand her responsibilities as the bride of a King. Where most village girls could only dream of living a life full of luxury, Gauri came in like a burning comet. God knows for what reason the queen mother chose this girl, who became a sensation in a single night while showing destiny a middle finger.

The maids knew how the lowly are treated because they were the sheep of the same hoard. And when one of them was lifted to be stroked with gold and platinum, they couldn't help but feel envious. Gauri was no match for a King. It was simply her good Karma and their fate mocking them.

Enslaved by anxiety and unable to bear the suspense, Vasundhara started knocking at the door, fearing her son might harm her daughter-in-law in a fit of rage.

"Yagya... Gauri... open the door." She commanded as she beats her knuckles against the strong wood. The wild chime of silver anklets was heard from the other side before the door was opened with a thud.

"Mother!" Gauri exclaimed with pink cheeks and pretended to right her hair and clothes. Everybody gawked at the calm and cool King tugging at his shirt and correcting his rolled-up sleeves. His eyes landed on them as he reached for the blazer. Instantly, all the women ducked away, pretending to be interested in the patterns weaved on a lush carpet.

"I'll be on my way to the office." He whispered in Gauri's ear as he passed by her side and pecked her forehead, earning a relieved sigh from his mother. "Mom, don't wait up for me, I'll be late."

She nodded as he bowed to touch her feet and speedily walked towards the exit.

Vasundhara watched him disappear in a daze and turned to face the poor girl who was manhandled not a few minutes ago.

"Please tell me he didn't hurt you." The mother almost begged while doubting her foster.

"No, mother." Gauri sang in embarrassment, keeping her eyes elsewhere.

"Oh. Good. What happened?" Vasundhara asked while guiding her towards a couch in the main hall, away from the room.

"Nothing. He was angry that I didn't ask him to teach me but your chauffeur. The whispers of maids only drove him to thunderous rage. He disliked the way they addressed me and has delivered firm instructions to discipline them accordingly." Gauri boasted loudly, causing the maid servants to freeze in their stance. A cruel look masked Vasundhara's once-worried persona and she turned to glare at them.

"How dare they?" The Queen mother demanded with venom, ready to strike and demolish the outsiders pointing fingers at their household. Gauri smiled sorrowfully before holding Vasundhara's hand.

"Mother, let me handle them. They must learn that they are not paid to gossip but stay loyal to their employees. No inside air must cross the gates of the fort."

Vasundhara's nostrils flared and she shuts her eyes, trying to control her temper. She didn't want Gauri to see the true extent of her rage.

"Alright. Handle them. But I must not see any of these despicable faces the next time hounding my corridors." Gauri nodded meekly and made a space for the Queen mother to pass. Once the Royal lioness marched away, still seething over the roguish attitude displayed by house help, Ambika faced the dreading audience with an emotionless façade.

"It is all on you. You dig your grave." She mumbled as she folded her arms on her chest and awaits Gauri to decide their fates.

"Princess, we are sorry. You can't punish all of us for the mistakes of these two gossipmongers. They were the ones who truly spilled those words. We were standing at the sidelines."

Gauri raised her hand, silencing the blabbering lamb. Taking a seat on a plush couch, she crossed her legs and eyed all of them woefully.

"Your words disturbed the King, the owner of these lands and you still beg for mercy. From where I see it you should be already kicked out and never get any work."

"No... No... we are innocent. Please don't do that." They cried as they fell to their knees with tears in their eyes. Gauri pursed her lips. Her heart already melting but she has to take a strict step to keep Yagya's interest.

"I wish I could spare you all, but the deed is done. The two who spoke ill are fired and the rest will never step a foot in any of the palaces. You are to work outside." They nodded eagerly, fearing to lose employment that pays well and puts bread on their table. "And bear one thing in your minds for the future. NEVER, never spread baseless rumors about the superiors for those little things turn into big fires. All of you were hired with some expectations, failing to abide by them will result in immediate termination.

I am aware that you are not fond of me. I say don't bow your heads or throw greetings when it doesn't come from your hearts. Do your job, and go home. That's it."

Refusing to spend another moment in the presence of such bitter creatures, Gauri decided to retire to her bedroom with a sulky face. This morning she woke with so much enthusiasm to learn and apply but now all those plans are lost. Moreover, she became an indirect means of her husband's temper. But one thing that calmed her was him taking her side and trying to understand her point of view rather than thrashing for the words released in vain.

Only if they knew what kind of breed he was. They would have fled to the mountains and never return.

Gauri chuckled and shook her head. For now, his secret was only hers and it brought a great sense of power and affinity.

An offended Vasundhara prowls towards the infirmary section with only one thought on her mind.

HOW DARE THEY?

The more she thinks about it, the more her anger flares. The maids around the fort have opened their mouths too much. They need to be taught a lesson on etiquette.

The nurse who saw her striding toward her husband's ward, scurried off. Danger wafted off her figure. The moment she burst into Raghuveer's room, she started complaining.

"Those retarded maggots! What do they think of themselves? Do they think they are above us? I am going to have their hides and wipe my boots on them. I swear to God!" Vasundhara promised as she reached for a bowl filled with warm water and a sponge. She wanted to clean her husband fearing he might develop rashes on being in this comatose state. Still swearing, she wipes his arms and face. Slowly removing the hospital gown, she wipes his chest clean, careful to not disturb the wires coming off monitors and attached to his body.

Something flashed in front of her eyes and her breath hitched. Silence engulfs the room and the beeps of machines rang like a hammer against her eardrums. Her heartbeat sounded louder as if she was drowning underwater.

There were welts in the color of red over his sides, as if he was attacked and pulled closer through sharp nails. Vasundhara's lips parted in shock and her eyes started to water. She removed the covers entirely and stumbled when the heavy weight of the sky fell on her head. Handprints, bigger than hers, and any of the nurses working in the facility were curled around his ankles like cuffs. God knows what guided her instincts because she next tried to lift his frail body as gently as possible and checked the back of his neck.

The same handprint was plastered on his nape as if trying to keep his head down until his chin touches his chest. She recalled they weren't there yesterday but somehow developed in the dark of night.

"Raghu..." Vasundhara shook his shoulder. His breathing was shallow and a weird noise escaped his mouth with every inhale. Oh, why didn't she notice it before?

"Raghu... are you here with me? I'm scared, please open your eyes, darling." She whimpered with fat salty drops rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh God!" she bellowed when the images of the past started crawling into her vision from the depths of hell she lived in years ago because of HER.

Suddenly, the lights of the room started flickering and the sobs of a woman reached her ears. Her own rang in her chest as goose bumps rose on her flesh and fear gripped her bones in a vice grip. The window shutters started moving even when the room was fully packed. Bile rose in her throat and she started to shake, her teeth chattered.

Amid the igniting horror, she spotted the figure of a hunched female on the rocking chair she often uses. The female sobbed in her palms, her long hair covering her frame from the chill falling in the atmosphere.

Vasundhara lowers herself to the floor feeling weak in her knees.

Then the woman started laughing. It was the kind of laugh that sounded unholy. As if all the light has left the last haven when the demons started knocking on the doors. As dark as the deepest corner of the sea, undiscovered and unheard. The horrible laugh, ringing in three different pitches earned gut-wrenching screams from the loyal wife, as she brought her palms on her ears, covering them. Still, the sound persists, as if it was happening in her head.

Vasundhara quaked with years-old fear and soon dark spots started dancing in her vision.

"Please don't take him from me." She pleaded in a whisper before her head collided with the floor.

"Mandakini, stop it!" The translucent spirit of the old King Raghuveer, standing at the threshold of the room, invisible to all mortal eyes ordered. His voice was heavy with untold truths and laced with iron he once carried in his royal blood. The Ruthless King of Rajwada Household.

The ghost silenced and glared at him with blood-red eyes.

"She isn't the one who wronged you. She is innocent." He cleared as he left the premises with a hateful glance, showing his back to the spirit who haunted him all his life.

"What happened to her?"

Yagya asked as he entered the grand chambers of the former King and Queen in the evening. His steps were quick, and his eyes searched for his mother. Gauri who was tending to the Queen mother by changing the wet strips on her forehead to bring down the fever immediately stands to make way for him. He took her previous position and held his mother's hand which was burning with a high fever. She looked pale and frail, sunken beneath quilts and over pillows. Ambika was massaging her feet with ginger and mustard oil to aid the ache in her limbs.

"Doctor said that she might have caught the flu and fainted due to low glucose levels. Other than that, her blood reports came normal." Gauri informed cautiously, sensing the dangerous silence emitting from his still frame. He looked calm, too calm as opposed to the storm brewing in his eyes. She was aware that the full moon was close and in a matter of five days the beast will completely take over.

"I must go and bring the herbal beverage for her grace." Ambika pipes in, discerning the tension building in the room. The moment she leaves, Gauri kneels in front of Yagya and squeezes his free hand.

"She'll be fine. I promise. A rest for a day or two will make her good as new. The stress of your father's condition might have taken a toll on her." She tried to assure him, and he slowly pulls his hand away from her grasp. Gulping the pain due to his withdrawal Gauri stands and tugs the coat from his shoulders. He quietly obliges, letting her pull at the suffocating garment and hanging it on a nearby chair.

"Should I get you coffee?"

He bit his tongue, refraining from saying something stupid. Today, a labour lost his life on one of his construction sites. This resulted in him leaving an important meeting in the middle and rushing to measure the damage. Due to the incident, the work would be stopped for the next 10 days, making him late in fulfilling the demands set in the contract. Also, the worker had four children and no wife which means, now Yagya has to look out for four orphans as well.

"How was your day?" Gauri asked next, trying to get him to talk.

"Just leave me alone." He gritted, making her freeze. She nodded and quickly marched towards the door, but at the threshold, she turns to look at him and smiled with tears in her eyes.

"Sometimes you make me think that we have a chance, but at moments like this, I realize there was never really did. Whenever I wish to be a part of your life, you push me away. Despite knowing everything- your secrets, the darkness of this Fort, being your second wife, and facing rejection one after the other, I am still here, trying to build our relationship, trying to give you a chance, knowing well that I might never succeed and live like a ghost in this big house forever, where no one wants to talk to me. It hurts. If you never wanted to have me, why did you say yes to this marriage? One day, I will die, and you wouldn't even know for you'd be too busy pitying yourself and estimating your territory."

Gauri had no idea why she wasn't already bawling as she retreated toward her room. She was tired of this, getting walked over and pushed away, again and again.