Radhe Radhe readers💙🦚✨,
Author
As the puja proceeded, Akshara felt more and more comfortable with her family. She sat beside her brothers while the pandit continued chanting mantras while performing sacrifices at the same time.
The latter half of the sacrifices were supposed to be performed by the newly made King and Queen, while their family sat watching them performing them. Adhiraj and Shivani, continued with their duties while the siblings sat in front of them. They weren't allowed to get up until the puja was fulfilled.
Akshara yawned subtly, looking around at the monotonous atmosphere of the hall. She roamed her eyes around the room to find some people working on their phones while others were involved in their own world of conversations.
Akshara sneaked some glances beside her, to find her brothers sitting with different expressions on their faces. Atharav sat with a stoic look, his eyes not even wavering away from the rituals. Akshara unknowingly gulped at the amount of sternness his aura was radiating.
She swiftly averted her gaze to find her Bhaiya laying his head on Akarsh's shoulder, looking as bored as her. She smiled at the scowl he was giving to the Pandit. Akshara too felt tired and laid her head on Akarsh's other shoulder, who immediately draped his arms around her.
Both Reyansh and Akarsh passed each other an amused look, before turning towards their little sister. "Kab khatam hoga ye?" Akshara whined lowly to no one in particular. Both Reyansh and Akarsh stifled a chuckle upon hearing her.
"Kya hua? Bore ho rhi ho Shona?" Reyansh asked as Akshara sulked nodding her head in affirmation. Indeed she hated sitting like this for hours. "Koi nhi bas thodi der aur Akshu, phir we'll have lunch"
Akarsh said blinking his eyes at her for reassurance. Akshara's eyes sparkled hearing him, she was actually too hungry to be sitting there. Akshara leaned more into her brother's embrace with a smile adorning her face as her eyes shined in excitement.
Akarsh looked down at her, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He wiggled his brows at his bhaiya in teasing, earning a snort from him, "Uska favourite mai hi rhunga do whatever you want". Reyansh whispered with much annoyance, laying back his head on his younger brother's shoulder.
"Vo toh tab tha na Bhaiya, when she remembered us. Ab toh usse humme se koi bhi yaad nhi h. So I have a chance to become her favourite you see" Akarsh grinned ear to ear, as Reyansh's face morphed into irritation.
But soon changed into a saddened one, "Kaash hum usse Aaj bhi yaad hote". Akarsh who had caught the hint of sadness, immediately gave him a sympathetic expression. He too wished the same.
He kept on his head Bhaiya's head as he spoke, "Koi baat nhi bhaiya, hum usse yaad nhi toh kya hua? Woh toh Hume yaad h. Even if she doesn't remember us at all". Akarsh could feel his elder brother nod his head at his explanation.
Not sure but sometimes he felt like the elder one with his Bhaiya. He giggled when Reyansh commented," Kaafi bada ho gya h tu chote". Akarsh swiftly scooted Akshara closer to himself, comfortably holding her in his hold.
-×-
Akshara sighed in relief as the puja came to an end. "Finally" She muttered, rolling her eyes. As she got out of Akarsh's hold, he immediately missed her presence. Akarsh too got up with her, not wanting to leave her alone after all the chaos that had happened earlier.
He slid his hand into his sister's, as his eyes scanned through the room for anyone who could be any harm to his sister. His eyes fell on Ishita, who was glaring at his little sister, standing in the corner of the room. She was holding her daughter close to herself.
As Ishita's eyes met Akarsh, she averted it, when Akarsh glared fiercely at her before pulling his sister closer to himself. "Hum isss aurat ko marr nhi skte kya Bhaiya?" Akarsh lowly whispered to his elder brother, gaining his attention.
"Abhi nhi Akarsh, she doesn't deserve an easy death," Reyansh said as his eyes shined darkly with revenge. "Par mummy toh Hume kuch krne hi nhi degi. Aur papa bhi unke saamne kuch nhi bol payenge."
Akarsh muttered, knowing well of the consequences of defying his mother's words. "I don't guess so chote. Didn't you look at the look in his eyes when she hurt his princess? He looked ready to murder. Wo isss baar nhi chhodenge isss aurat ko" Reyansh said in an obvious tonality.
Akarsh's eyes fell on his little sister's bruised arm bloodshot his eyes red before concern took over his features. "Kitni dard ho rha hoga Akshu ko" He mumbled under his breath but Reyansh heard him and his eyes followed his look to the bruise.
Reyansh exhaled an exasperated breath, controlling the anger bubbling in himself. He kept a hand on Akarsh's shoulder speaking through his gritted teeth as his voice laced with malice, "Don't worry chote, iska badla zarur liya jyega. No one can hurt our sister and get away with it"
Their conversation was interrupted when the Pandit said," Ab vidhi ke anusar, Rani sa sabse pehle apne parivaar ko Prasad batengi aur phir ye Prasad baaki sab ko bata jyega."
Shivani gave a curt nod, taking the plate of Prasad from the maid standing beside her. She first gave the offerings to her husband and then was moved to her children. Aishwarya came and stood behind near Akshara with a smirk lingering on her face.
"Ab aayega Mazza, jab ye Rani sa mujhe ye Prasad dengi rather than her beloved daughter. Aakhir inki itni madad jo ki h maine subah se. Bechari Akshara kitni dukhi hogi? Ki uski maaa usse zyada kisi or ko pyaar krti h. Uski jagah kisi or ko priority de rhi."
Aishwarya thought to herself, as she smirked evilly remembering how she had helped Shivani in the arrangement of the puja since the morning. From setting the veneration plate to the sacrifices in the havan, she has set everything with Shivani though Shivani tries to avoid her help as much as she can.
Shivani noticed the shift in Aishwarya's place as she glanced towards her daughter, who standing holding the hand of her youngest son. She rolled her eyes as her gaze fell on the annoying girl standing beside her princess.
The girl has been trying to impress her since the morning no matter how much rude Shivani tried to be. Aishwarya's presence was as irritating as her mother's. Both the females never failed to get on Shivani's nerves.
Shivani moved towards Aishwarya while Aishwarya's eyes shined evilly as she subtly smirked towards Akshara who was standing beside her. Her face held the satisfaction of revenge for stealing her mother from her. She mentally patted her back when Shivani neared her with the plate of offerings in her hold.
"Arrey Rani sa, iski kya zarurat thi..." Her smirk dropped turning her face pale when Shivani crossed her and went towards her daughter. Aishwarya's jaw dropped when she saw Shivani smiling brightly towards Akshara. She could feel her efforts going into futility.
Akshara's smile beamed when she saw her mother in front of standing in front of her, mirroring her smile. Shivani patted Akshara's head while stuffing her mouth with Ladoo.
"Mera baccha" Shivani ruffled her hair while Akshara smiled at her, with her stuffed mouth. Aishwarya burned in jealousy and anger seeing the mother-daughter duo enjoying together. For her, it was like a major defeat, that she had faced against her greatest enemy.
Aishwarya huffed, as Shivani placed a quick peck on Akshara's cheek, moving towards her other elder sons to distribute the offerings.
-×-
All the Rajvanshis assembled in the dining hall for lunch. All the guests were bidden their respective farewells.
Akshara took her seat between her two eldest brothers while having conversations with her bhaiya.
When Reyansh saw Ishita trying to take a seat beside his sister, he immediately hopped onto that place before her while giving her a dark glare. After the incident, his overprotectiveness will never allow that woman anywhere to lurk around his precious little sister.
As the servants served the food, Gehana made a face seeing her plate saying, "Hume ye khana pasand nhi h.
Humare liye kuch or laya jaaye. Hum ye nhi khayenge". She declared while pushing the plate away, disrespecting the food.
The servant bowed and took the plate of food away. "Saari nautanki inhi ko aati h" Akshara muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at the sight of the irritating oldie sitting in front of her. Her presence was too bothering to even handle.
Gehana saw Akshara's disrespectful way and sneered at the young girl, "Ayyy ladki, aankhein kya nacha rhi h tu? Zyada par nhi aa rhe tere, mujhe aankhein dikhane lagi h". Akshara again rolled her eyes, unaware of the place from which this confidence was coming. Maybe the presence of her real family made her feel too protected to let her take liberties with the others as well.
"What else can we expect from a fucking bitch like you?" Akshara said not glancing at the lady, as she tore a morsel from her chapattis. She scoffed grudgingly not realising what she spoke yet she flinched froze in her seat when a voice boomed, "Akshara!"
Akshara gulped realising her words like a scaredy cat she turned around to find Adhiraj fuming in fury, glaring at her fiercely. His eyes blazed with the amount of anger they contained while Akshara cursed her tongue for being so careless about the words that rolled down it.
The morsel dropped from Akshara's hand as her gaze met her father's glare. Adhiraj's jaw was clenched with his fists curled into a ball under the table sides, restraining himself from teaching the young girl some petty manners. No teenager should curse like this, at least not his daughter. He won't allow it.
A pang of heart made itself known to Akshara's heart as she realised with whom her father had sided, The witch Gehana. She wanted to repent and shout at him for yelling at her when she said right yet she couldn't gather herself to do it anyhow.
Akshara sneakily looked around to find all the attention of the room fixed on her, waiting for her reaction but what damaged her self-respect most was the smirk playing upon Gehana's lips, resting evilly on her face with a hint of rascality in her eyes.
Adhiraj started darkly,"Aapko kitni baar smjhaya h humne ki apni zubaan sambhal ke baat kriye? Aapko itni tameez nhi h ki kab kya bolna h aur agar aap itni si baat yaad nhi rkh paati toh hum yaad dila skte h." Akshara shrunk in her seat more as she endured the words her father said to her.
Yet the hurt her heart felt on the broken expectation of the promised protection, made itself more evident in the form of bubbling anger. Akshara's teenage impulsiveness took over her thoughts, not regarding what she did was a mistake. She considered her father as a bigger sinner for not taking her side in her fight.
"Ainda hume ye sab aapke Muhh se sunne na mile." The command boomed in the quietness of the room.
On not getting a response Adhiraj looked at his daughter sharply but immediately frowned when she snapped her head towards him, he couldn't see even a speck of guilt or even a subtle hint of apologization visible in those identical orbs.
"Aap koi nhi hote mujhe batane Wale ki kya sahi h aur kya galat h" Akshara yelled getting up from her chair, ends of the chair screeching as they dragged the floor. Akshara's eyes were filled with unshed tears, as she clenched her fists the same way her father did a few minutes ago. The corners of her eyes turned red controlling the weight of her tears.
Adhiraj looked at her startled, not intending to witness the outburst of his little princess. Shivani wanted to scold Akshara for defying her father's orders yet she stopped seeing the hurt lacing itself in her eyes. She was as baffled as her husband when Akshara's controlling sob left her lips.
"Akshara!" Adhiraj yelled getting up from her chair, the ends of his voice now lacing with a hidden amount of concern as he witnessed his daughter flinch and run away from him, dashing out of the dining hall. His eyes widened as he heard her sob.
"Baccha!" Atharav got up from his seat, calling for his sister, running the same way out of the dining hall as his princess. He knew she made a mistake yet she was more important to him than that petty of a mistake. More was that the bitch Gehana deserved it.
Adhiraj breathed harshly, registering the events that had just taken place. He made his princess cry, the worst that could've ever happened to him. He closed his eyes only to open them and see Gehana smirking while looking at the way his princess and his eldest left.
His eyes darkened as his jaw again clenched, yes as a father he corrected his daughter's mistake even by being the sinner of her sadness yet it was also time to knock some sense into someone. Gehana on the other hand shivered as coldness rushed down her spine when Adhiraj spoke,
"Apni muskan hata de Mrs.Rajvanshi varna hume isse mita ne mai jada vakta nahi lage ga aur ainda hamari beti ke liye apne iss ghatiya muh se kuch bhi nikala" He pointed towards her mouth with his index finger, with his eyes holding a serious look, saying," toh Hume apne haathon se Aapki ye zubaan kaat denge"
Gehana bowed her head, glancing down at her plate. Seeing Adhiraj's outraged face, she wanted nothing but the Earth to burst and swallow her in. The daggers Adhiraj was bestowing her soul with, were frightening her inside out. She wanted nothing but to disappear from the tense environment.
Adhiraj, on the other hand, after being satisfied by threatening the old lady, turned straight towards the exit of the dining hall. As the scene of his daughter's tear surfaced in his memory, he closed his eyes, while rubbing his forehead. He let out a deep sigh of defeat.
Reyansh and Akarsh, passed each other a tense look, wanting to leave the dining table as well. Shivani finally interjected, seeing her husband stressed, "Aap baithiye mai usse khana khila ke aati hoon". Saying this she moves towards the kitchen, not hearing Adhiraj's reply.
Though he was confused as to why his wife got to the kitchen, he did not say anything. He plopped down his chair, wondering about the ways to pacify his angered princess. He wanted to run after her but still, being the king, he wasn't allowed to leave the dining table until the food was done.
Akarsh glared fiercely at Ishita and her minions who were whispering something to each other while looking at their father. All of them stopped, not wanting to face the wrath of another Rajvanshi.
-×-
After a lot of sweet saying and pacifying, Akshara finally opened the door for her Dada to come in. She wasn't willing to but deep down she did not want to upset her eldest brother. Atharva did not waste a minute and sat down on the bed beside her scooping her in his protective arms.
He knew that his sister was at fault yet his heart wanted nothing but to shout at his father for making her cry. "Don't cry, baccha" Atharav said as he wiped her tears with the back of his hand, hugging her closer.
When her sobs refused to die, he gently caressed her hair, patting them lightly. "Bas krrr mera baccha", Atharav spoke in a soft tone, as Akshara snuggled closer to him, hiding her face in his chest.
The door opened and Atharav looked back while Akshara peeked a little, not wanting to come face-to-face with her father. She internally breathed in relief seeing her mother instead of her father. Atharva tried pulling back but Akshara only tightened her hold on him, fisting his shirt.
"Laado" Shivani called her in her motherly voice, as Akshara's tears increased their flow at the adorable address. Shivani moved forward towards the bed and took a seat beside the siblings, with Akshara still clinging onto Atharav. Akshara didn't budge from her position even when Shivani caressed her hair providing her with needed care.
Atharav sighed remembering how clingy his little monkey can be whenever she cried her heart out since their childhood. Atharav draped his other arm around her and rested his cheek on the crown of her head when Akshara refused to leave his warmth.
"Khana kha le laado, kitna royegi?" Shivani said in a concerned tone, while her hand ran through Akshara's hair. "Nhi khana mujhe" Akshara mumbled, not sparing a glance at her mother. By the end of the end, a sob left her mouth as Atharav and Shivani passed each other a worried look.
"Papa ne daat Diya toh kya ho gya Laado? Papa toh apni laado se bahot pyaar krte h na?" Shivani removed some hairs from her face, getting a clear view of it. Akshara didn't respond cause in reality she wasn't herself sure if Adhiraj really loved her or not. If yes then why did he sided with the manipulative bitch.
"Kuch kha Lena Baccha" This time Atharav tried," khane se kaise gussa, hmm?". Akshara just shook her head at him. "Dekh sab Tera favourite bana h" He continued trying to pacify the stubborn princess yet Akshara didn't respond to his sentence. Shivani had specially made everything that was Akshara's favourite.
Atharav sighed and shrugged his mother, indicating he wasn't sure of what was to be done with the stubborn girl. Shivani shook her head at the eldest-youngest duo.
Shivani was about to try again when the door again opened, revealing her two sons entering with a concerned look on their faces. Reyansh gave a questioning look to his mother, who just shrugged the way Atharav did a while ago. Reyansh then looked at Akarsh, who in return nodded at him.
"Yrrr ye Papa bahut bure h Akarsh" Reyansh commented as Akshara's ears perked up hearing her Bhaiya's words about their father. "Haan na bhaiya, Jab dekho tab sabko daante hi rehte h" Akarsh said with an eye roll, stating the truth.
Akshara pulled herself a little away from her Dada, still not leaving him fully. Reyansh and Atharav sat kneeling in front of their little sister while continuing their ranting session about their father. "Tujhe daante h, toh smjh aata h. Mujhe daante h toh smjh aata h. But apni Princess ko? How can he do this?"
Shivani suppressed a smile by biting the inner of her cheek. No matter how offensive still her sons were doing a great job in pacifying their sister. She could reminisce about their childhood seeing them together again after years. Atharav gestures to his mother to make his sister eat until she's busy talking, jerking her away from her thoughts. Shivani nodded.
She gently forwarded a morsel towards Akshara, who unknowingly ate it while talking to her brothers. Atharav and Shivani passed each other a wide smile. Reyansh and Akarsh continued their work as Akshara unknowingly kept eating the food. Atharav too sighed in relief when his sister finally stopped crying.
As Akshara finished her food, the lock in the door clicked, snapping everyone's head towards it. Adhiraj entered the room with a hint of a subtle smile on his face. He closed the door behind him, calling out, "Princess"
Akshara grumbled and hid her face in her eldest brother's embrace, hiding herself from Adhiraj's view. Adhiraj saw this and passes a look of help to Shivani, who in return passes him a look a pity refusing to help. Reyansh and Akarsh got up from their place as Adhiraj kneels in front of his daughter.
"Princess" Adhiraj again calls out yet Akshara refuses to even spare him a glance at him. Adhiraj sighs knowing he messed up in real-time and his little devil here will surely make him grovel, just like her childhood. Akshara huffs, when Adhiraj gestures to Atharva to pull himself back, yet only to make her hold tighten.
Not liking her ignorance, Adhiraj pulls out two chocolates from his coat pocket, finding it the last stance to pacify his princess. "Princess I know, aapko bura laga ki papa ne aap pe chilaya but aapko bhi toh gaali nhi deni chahiye thi na? Aap toh ek acchi ladki h still aapne aise shbd use kiye which is wrong, hmm?"
Adhiraj tries to explain Akshara but she refuses to even listen to him. Though the chocolate tempted her to give in yet she reminded herself of how angry she was at her father for taking the witches' side. She out of all the others at least expected him to take her side.
"Accha aap idhar aaiye papa ke paas" He tries to coax his daughter by taking her away from Atharav but Akshara sensing his attempt quickly tightens her hold on her eldest brother. Clutching into his kurta as if her life depended on it.
"Chle jaiye yahan se" Akshara says vulnerably with her voice breaking by the end of the sentence as she finally breaks down again in her brother's arms. Everyone startles upon hearing her. They too thought that Akshara would give in soon, but here the condition looked different.
"Nhi mera baccha, rote nhi" Atharav again coos at his sister. Adhiraj passes Shivani a helpless look, asking her for some help. She blinks her eyes at him, assuring him that she'll talk to Akshara. "Give her some time" she mouthed looking at her husband with concern.
Adhiraj sighs, getting up from his position and moves out of the room, not before glancing at his princess once again who was shedding her tears in her eldest brother's arms.
-×-
Okay guys, I have an announcement here💀.
The story will be temporarily put on hold by me because of my lack of concentration towards my studies (Can't help though). I'll keep on updating 'The Sister~They Missed' yet this story will not be updated atleast for two months.
Maybe an update in a month if possible otherwise, the story is on hold for now. I have my 12ths up and I legit have to study hard.
Unedited🤌🏻.
Hehe💀