Private Suite - Farmhouse, Morning After
A soft golden light filtered through the sheer curtains of the grand window, casting warm patterns across the floor and bed. Maira stirred gently, her head still heavy from exhaustion. Her eyes fluttered open.
She blinked at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented, before realization dawned - she was on the bed, tucked beneath a plush white blanket.
Her brows furrowed.
But I fell asleep by the bathtub...
Maira sat up slowly, the memory of Mihir unconscious in her arms rushing back. She looked around the elegant suite - the giant mirror, the marble floors, the slight trail of damp footprints leading away from the bathroom. Her lips parted in a breath of relief.
Mihir must've recovered... he carried me to the bed.
Her heart swelled with a strange, unfamiliar warmth.
And just then-
The bathroom door swung open.
Maira turned instinctively-and froze.
So did Mihir.
He stepped out of the bathroom, fresh out of the shower, a towel draped casually over one shoulder-and absolutely nothing else. His long wet hair clung to his neck and collarbones, water still dripping down his chest.
For a heartbeat, both of them stared at each other in complete horror.
Then-
"Aaaaahhh!" Maira screamed, diving beneath the blanket like a missile, covering her head.
Mihir flinched, then panicked. "WHAT THE-! You're awake?!"
"OF COURSE I'M AWAKE!" Maira screeched from under the blanket. "AND NAKED?! REALLY?!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE AWAKE!" Mihir barked, grabbing the towel and hastily wrapping it around his waist. "What are you doing sitting up like a ghost-silently staring at me like that?!"
Maira peeked from under the blanket, red as a tomato. "Because I just woke up! Unlike someone who likes to parade around like-like-"
"-like someone who lives here?! This is my suite!" Mihir snapped. "I didn't expect to find Sleeping Beauty having a front-row seat to the morning show!"
"You could've checked!" she argued, still hiding behind the blanket.
"You could've warned me!"
"I wasn't expecting to be FLASHED by my boss!"
"You were unconscious five minutes ago! What do you think I am - a psychic?!"
They both went quiet for a beat - the only sound in the room was Mihir aggressively tightening the towel knot around his waist.
Maira slowly lowered the blanket from her face, glaring. "Next time," she said firmly, "knock before you walk out of your own bathroom."
He rolled his eyes. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're indecent."Maira shot back.
Mihir opened his mouth to reply-then shut it.
He turned around and muttered, "I'm putting on clothes. Try not to faint."
As he disappeared back into the wardrobe area, Maira exhaled loudly, her cheeks still burning.
But even beneath her flustered fury... her lips twitched ever so slightly.
Just the faintest smile.
Kashyap Mansion - Morning
The grand Kashyap mansion stood regal under the early morning sun, the scent of incense lingering in its corridors, mingled with the faint aroma of cardamom tea brewing in the kitchen.
The doorbell rang-sharp and sudden.
Sapna Kashyap wiped her hands on the edge of her dupatta as she hurried to the door. "Mihir beta must've come early," she mumbled to herself, smiling with anticipation.
But as she swung the heavy door open, her smile faltered.
"Panditji?" she blinked in surprise.
Standing before her was the family's village priest - aged, with kind eyes that now seemed shadowed by something heavier. He looked worn from travel, his dhoti creased, beads around his neck slightly askew.
"Sapna ji," he said, his voice low and urgent. "I came without notice, I know... but the matter couldn't wait."
Sapna stepped aside at once, concern tightening her chest. "No, no - please come in. You've never come here unannounced... What's happened?"
As the priest stepped in, removing his sandals with deliberate slowness, Moti Baa appeared at the stairwell, her regal presence firm and composed. Uma, wrapped in a pastel saree, followed behind with curiosity and unease.
"Pandit Narayan ji?" Moti Baa's eyes scanned his face. "You look like you've walked through fire."
He bowed respectfully. "Namaste, Moti Baa. Uma ji. I... didn't know how else to say this."
Moti Baa motioned to the sofa. "Sit. Speak plainly."
The priest lowered himself onto the couch, but his heart was not calm. Anandi... his daughter's face flashed before him again - trapped, frightened, helpless inside Ruby's enchanted glass coffin.
"I come with grave concern," he began, his voice cracking ever so slightly as he looked directly at Sapna.
"One of your sons... Sahir... is walking into grave danger."
Sapna froze. "Sahir?" Her voice trembled. "What-what do you mean?"
The priest looked down, forcing his hands to stay still. "Darkness... surrounds him. I saw it in the havan fire last night. A shadow follows him. One that grows bolder with each hour."
"But Sahir has gone to the farmhouse," Sapna whispered, her breath catching. "To check on Mihir-he said he was worried about his brother."
The priest nodded grimly. "Then he walks straight toward the threat. But the danger... has not yet arrived. It is still circling."
Uma sat down, holding her head. "We should have stopped him-"
"There must be a way to prevent it," Moti Baa interrupted, her voice calm but fierce. "Nothing is written in stone. What can we do, Panditji?"
The priest hesitated. His soul was torn. Ruby's venomous voice echoed in his mind:
> "Help me get into the Kashyap house, or your daughter dies tonight."
He pressed his trembling hands together. "There... is a way.
The warmth of the sun filtered through the lattice windows of the Kashyap haveli, casting sacred shadows across the floor. Bells chimed faintly from the home temple as servants moved about quietly, unaware that darkness had entered disguised in ritual and faith.
The priest sat stiffly on the drawing room divan, his hands folded in prayer-but his mind, elsewhere. Anandi... forgive me, he thought, I do this only to save you.
Moti Baa watched him sharply, her intuition whispering that something was wrong. "You said there's a way to protect Sahir. A way to stop this danger."
The priest cleared his throat, trying to steady his voice. "Yes... there is."
Sapna, who had barely sat, leaned forward, desperate. "What is it, Panditji? Please tell us."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Only a sacred alignment can block this shadow. Sahir's life force is vulnerable-but if he's bonded to a girl whose stars... whose destiny matches his, the evil will be deflected. Nullified."
"Are you saying," Uma whispered, "he must... marry?"
The priest nodded. "Yes. Only a true match can shield him."
Moti Baa didn't flinch. "Then we'll find the girl. The right one. We still have time."
But the priest raised his palm gently. "There's no need to search. She... is already here."
Before anyone could question what he meant-a gust of wind swept through the open corridor.
A pair of soft sandals tapped against the marble floor.
They all turned toward the entrance to the hall-and there she was.
Ruby.
Clad in a soft pink saree that glowed like dusk itself, her hair cascading over one shoulder, her smile gentle and graceful-but her eyes holding something deeper. Something veiled.
"Namaste," she said softly. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"Ruby!" Sapna gasped, rising to her feet. "You're here! We were just talking about Sahir and-"
The priest stood, his voice clear and deliberate. "This is the girl."
Moti Baa turned sharply. "What?"
He nodded solemnly. "Her presence... it resonates. With Sahir's chart. With his soul energy. The alignment is divine. She... is the one."
Ruby bowed her head, hiding the sly glint behind her lashes.
Sapna placed a hand to her heart. "Our dear Ruby... is Sahir's remedy?"
Kashyap Mansion - Drawing Room
The priest lowered his gaze respectfully, voice steady now with the conviction of a man forced by darkness. "Yes... she is the remedy. The girl whose stars are written to protect Sahir."
Moti Baa let out a soft sigh, her tightly drawn features easing for the first time since he arrived. "Then we are blessed," she said firmly. "If fate itself has brought her here... we must not delay."
Uma nodded, visibly relieved. "And to think... Sahir and Ruby grew up together. Perhaps it was always meant to be."
Sapna stepped toward Ruby, her eyes welling with tears of fragile joy. "His childhood friend will now become his life partner."
Ruby lowered her lashes with graceful modesty, but not before the faintest smirk passed her lips - gone in an instant.
"Panditji," she said softly, tilting her head, "you said... I'm Sahir's 'remedy'? I... don't understand. What danger is he in?"
The priest swallowed. Every word was a betrayal. "I cannot reveal the full truth," he murmured, "but the threat is powerful. And only the power of sacred alignment - of true destined union - can shield him from harm."
Ruby turned to Sapna, her expression perfectly composed, lips trembling as if in worry. "Sahir is in danger? I... I had no idea."
Sapna stepped forward and took Ruby's hands in hers. "I can't explain everything, beta... but yes. My son is walking into something dark. We don't know when it will strike. But we do know this - only you can protect him."
Ruby's eyes shimmered with mock emotion as she nodded slowly. "He's been my love since we were children, aunty," she said softly. "My heart has never swayed. If I can save him... if I can be his shield... I'll do whatever it takes. Let alone marry him."
Uma smiled, her hand resting over her chest in relief. "Then everything will be fine. Shubh ho jaayega."
Moti Baa's expression remained stern, but something ancient in her eyes flickered with uncertainty. She looked at Ruby again... a little too long.
But then she said, "The preparations must begin. Panditji, guide us. We'll speak to Sahir at once."
The priest bowed, voice tight. "Yes... I'll begin the ritual work."
He stood slowly, but inside, he was crumbling. Anandi... may the gods forgive me.
Ruby turned slightly, letting the light catch her eyes as she looked toward the family's large ancestral portrait. Beneath her breath, she whispered:
"Soon... I won't just destroy Sahir. I'll take him. And through him-this house will be destroyed."