Jaipur, Rathod Palace.

Author's POV

Ambika just stared at Rudra with horror-filled eyes, Her body trembled with extreme terror, and her hands started to shake violently, She silently started to take her step back but the ring box she was holding in her hand fell and Rudra turned his attention towards her.

He normally smiled seeing her there but didn't stop his hands which were moving so smoothly, and asked genuinely, "Did you bring the Ring Ambika?"

Ambika felt her voice getting stuck in her throat seeing the dripping blood from the painting, which Rudra was painting with so much concentration.

The whole painting was covered with blood except the girl's naked body which had some colors, After seeing that horrible scene She felt like vomiting all the things out of her system, Her heart came into her mouth seeing the blood drops dripping down from that painting,

Rudra waited for her answer but when it didn't come he turned towards her and saw her staring at the painting with terror-filled eyes, he chuckled and asked with amusement, "Did you like it?"

Ambika quickly composed herself gaining her self-regulating Posture and answered, "It's....It's...good.....Hukum." but failed miserably to act like she wasn't terrorized after seeing it.

Rudra chuckled hearing her stuttering voice and reacted calmly, "Don't be scared, Ambika.......you know your Hukum..... don't you?"

Ambika just nodded her head in response, she just wanted to get out of that room as soon as possible.

Rudra settled down on the couch and commanded her, "Switch on the lights.

Ambika didn't waste her time and moved towards the switchboard, It wasn't the first time she entered that room, but whenever she did, always witnessed a new horrifying thing, but today it was too much for any sane person to take,

She switched on the lights, making the whole room brighten with shine.

The room was giant and luxurious maybe bigger than Rudra's Master bedroom, but that room didn't contain any luxurious thing, it was filled with paintings showing the hard and praiseworthy work of the artist,

But that sight wasn't beautiful to behold but a sight that would give nightmares to any ordinary person, Of course, the person who carved them wasn't an ordinary person, he was the king of darkness and satan himself.

Ambika quickly lifted the box that fell from her hands and kept it in front of Rudra before bowing her head and saying in a timid voice, "Any command my majesty."

Rudra lifted that box in his bloodied hands which were bleeding so badly and opened it with a wide smile spread across his lips, he glanced at the ring in that box and said with satisfaction, "Aap Ja sakti hai Ambika."

(You can go, Ambika)

Ambika didn't wait and started to walk with her shaky legs, noting in her mind to tell all this scenario to her Badi Maharani.

Rudra stared at that Ring with his dark eyes shining in admiration, It would surely look beautiful around his queen's ring finger he kissed that Ring lingering his lips there and muttered under his breath, "Get Ready to be mine, my Queen."

*********

Jaipur, Maheshwari Villa.

Tara glanced at her father and asked in a worried voice, "Did you ask someone about his health Baba Sa?"

Harinath glanced at his daughter's tears-stained cheeks and wiped them away, he hated seeing tears in her eyes, he took her in his embrace and answered in a consoling voice, "He is fine Tara."

Tara felt relieved inside her heart, which was drumming so wildly with bad thoughts, Her mind was occupied with so many thoughts making her go wild with possibilities, she couldn't even think of seeing him in bad condition, but it always happened and she never became able to save him, but today the reason of her concern wasn't only him but someone else too, and it was that stranger girl.

Rudra wasn't the person who ever glanced at women, he was always ten feet away from them, Then how he willingly walked toward that certain girl, her heart was burning so badly thinking about all the things, what if he had any interest in that girl, No he couldn't do this with her, she slowly lifted her eyes to look at her father and asked calmly, "Did you find any information about that girl Baba Sa?"

Harinath smiled at her words knowing her concern very well and replied in a calm voice, "She is a servant's daughter Tara and is already engaged with Kuwar Sa's slave, She is no threat to you and if she became also, I am always here."

Tara snuggled near her father's chest and closed her eyes, She wanted to believe his words, but her heart was denying it again and again, She had known him from her childhood, he was always a puzzle for the people around him, but she was sure about one thing that he was never fond of women, then how come he had shown this sudden interest in going near girl, she noticed the way he was looking at her, and she was sure there is much more she didn't know yet but she will find out it soon.

***********

Jaipur, Rathod Palace.

Ratnamala Devi wiped his hands with fresh cotton balls, dressed them with clean bandages, and glanced at his face but he didn't show any emotions and was continuously smiling like a fool.

When Ambika told her about his stunt she quickly left everything and came here only to witness his utter madness with those paintings, She didn't know what those paintings stated but they were horrible and disgusting to even take a single glance at them, How could he portrays a woman in such a disgusting way through his paintings, but it's her grandson and she was never gonna raise any question against him, but what if today's incident has something to do with those paintings, No it was not possible, Rudra always ran away from women, she declined that Idea not wanting to get to any conclusion.

She could never understand him but the way he behaved around always scared her to death.

Rudra slowly kept his head on her lap and kept her hand on his chest, asking her to pat his chest the way she used to do it in his childhood, he closed his eyes, and her beautiful onyx eyes again started to rotate in his mind, making him open his eyes in anticipation,

Ratnamala Devi noticed the frown on his forehead and asked calmly, "Aren't you feeling sleepy Ladesar?"

Rudra snuggled near her chest and said like a little child, "There is a little butterfly Dadisa, who has been troubling me for so many days....she is not letting me sleep peacefully......I want to punish her, she should know the consequence of messing with my mind."

Ratnamala Devi chuckled not noticing the darkness those words held, She caressed his hair lovingly and asked with amusement, "And how are you gonna punish her?"

A beautiful smile adorned his lips making him more sinful with the moonlight falling on his face,

"I will catch her, cage her, make her bleed till I get satisfied, and then..............and then I will kill her," Rudra answered with excitement dripping down from his dark eyes.

The smile that was adoring Ratnamala Devi's lips fell from her face and she took a sharp breath to control her thudding heart, she gulped down her Saliva and replied hiding her fright behind her calm voice, "You can't cage her Rudra, She will die in that cage, her lifespan is of only one day, which God gives her to spread happiness everywhere, and when her work gets completed she leaves this world leaving that bliss behind herself."

Rudra opened his eyes which were filled with extreme darkness, he held his grandmother's hand almost squizzing them harshly, and asked with a satanic smirk gracing his lips, "Don't you trust my words Dadi Sa?"

Ratnamala Devi hesitantly nodded her head not knowing what to answer after seeing his sudden change of behaviour, he was scaring her so much that she wanted to get up and move out of his room.

Rudra chuckled seeing her hesitancy and let out in a calm voice, "Then I will do it."

"Rudra...I

Rudra turned his eyes toward her shutting her in between and Ratnamala Devi quickly gulped down her words seeing his dark eyes, She didn't want to accept it, but he was scaring her so much, but there was no grandmother in this world who would let her grandson walk on the wrong path, so She gathered her leftover courage and asked while caressing his hair, "Do you love me Rudra? "

Rudra hugged her tightly and replied making her smile in return, "I do Dadi Sa."

"Can you complete my one wish?" Ratnamala Devi asked with so much hope in her voice, She knew he would neglect it but there was no harm in trying it.

"I will," Rudra answered without any hesitation in his words maybe he knew what was coming next.

Ratnamala took a long breath before letting out her words, "Will you marry Tara Maheshwari?"

Gayatri told her about Harinath Mahrshwari's proposal and she didn't see anything to neglect it after seeing today's incident she was adamant about getting him married quickly.

Rudra's lips twitched in a beautiful smirk upon hearing her words and without taking too much time he replied, "I will."

Ratnamala Devi wanted to smile and get his approval after getting many denials but there was something sardonic in his tone that Alarmed her mind from believing his words, Rudra never let down his words and she knew he would never do it but still this time it felt weird

In the second part of the palace, Baldev Singh Rathod and his whole family were sitting in an open gallery under the blanket of dark sky, chugging the alcohol down their throats to forget the failure they faced today, but his elder son Abhiraj Singh Rathod was in a different mood.

"If I wouldn't have shot that man you were doomed Baba Sa." Abhiraj roared at his father showing his displeasure at his father's reckless action.

Baldev didn't answer and kept seeping his drink, while his wife Aarartika was busy getting a massage from her loyal servant Basanti.

"Sometimes I doubt if you are on our side or theirs Bhai Sa." Arth counter-attacked his brother not liking his words against his father.

Abhiraj glared at him and shouted in anger, "I am not fucking ridiculous like you Arth, Do you fucking think that he doesn't know who did it? For fuck sake get some sense and try to understand the reality of the situation before time slipped out of your hands."

Baldev glanced at his elder son and said with a sly smile playing on his lips, "Are you scared Abhiraaj?"

Abhiraaj banged his head on the table and said with an enraged voice, "I am not afraid Baba Sa, but you need to understand that the things you are doing are so wrong, can you imagine what would have happened if that man would have gotten alive in Dada Maharaj's hand?"

This Time it was Arth who gulped down the lump that formed in his throat just thinking about the consequences.

Aarartika glanced at her nail polish and said to her elder son, "You should focus on your life Abhi rather than getting involved in your father's matter, it will be good for you."

Abhiraj rolled his eyes and asked not getting his mother's words, "What do you mean by my life MaSa?"

Aparna who was trembling in the corner heard her mother-in-law's words and her body shook violently, she knew where that conversation was heading.

"Why don't you ask it to your wife?"

Abhiraj turned his rage-filled eyes toward the girl who was already on the verge of tears and, he moved his eyes all over her body he got up from his seat, and stormed toward her, he held her hand in tight grip but didn't forget to warn his father,

"I am sure Baba Sa you will regret it, you still don't understand him if you knew him very well you wouldn't have done this."

He said and dragged his wife from there, not even giving her a chance to walk on her legs.

***********

Sisodiya Niwas.

Veer kept writing and filling the pages with blue ink, till his mind lost count of the words he wrote down inside that diary and stopped writing with 'Sorry Shona.' In beautiful handwriting, he was still inside his sister's room who was sleeping peacefully under the quilt.

There was a lava of emotions bubbling inside his heart but he didn't know what to do to lessen that guilt, he glanced at his sister's sleeping figure and tears dripped down his eyes.