Chapter 87 — Haldi Ceremony Chaos
Morning arrived slowly over the Udaipur palace.
Golden sunlight spilled across the marble courtyards and reflected in the calm lake surrounding the palace.
But unlike the calm sunrise—
The palace courtyard was already exploding with yellow color and noise.
Today was the Haldi ceremony.
And nobody in the group was prepared for how chaotic it was about to become.
---
The Courtyard
The massive courtyard had been completely transformed overnight.
Everything was yellow.
Marigold garlands hung from every balcony.
Flower chandeliers swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Long strings of jasmine and marigolds formed floral walls.
Low seating areas covered with yellow silk cushions surrounded the center stage.
Large brass bowls filled with turmeric paste were placed everywhere.
The entire place smelled like flowers, sandalwood and fresh turmeric.
Traditional music played softly in the background.
But the group?
They were already making noise.
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The Outfits
Haldi outfits were intentionally simple.
Because everyone knew one thing.
They would be destroyed within minutes.
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The Brides
Care
Care wore a soft yellow lehenga with minimal embroidery and delicate flower jewelry.
Tiny marigold buds decorated her hair.
Her earrings were made entirely from jasmine petals.
Her bangles were strings of small yellow flowers.
She looked peaceful.
For now.
---
Lyra
Lyra wore a lemon-yellow lehenga with golden borders.
Her flower jewelry included a delicate forehead chain made of small white jasmine flowers.
She looked elegant even in the simplest outfit.
---
Nova
Nova wore a mustard yellow silk lehenga with very light embroidery.
Her jewelry was minimal.
Just a small flower bracelet and earrings.
She looked calm.
Composed.
But the group already knew—
She would not stay clean for long.
---
Daisy
Daisy wore a bright sunflower-yellow lehenga with playful floral jewelry.
Her hair was braided loosely with marigold flowers woven into it.
She already looked ready for trouble.
---
The Grooms
Cole
Cole wore a simple yellow kurta with white pajama pants.
His sleeves were rolled slightly.
He looked relaxed.
But his eyes were already scanning the courtyard like a man preparing for war.
---
Alex
Alex wore a pale yellow kurta with golden embroidery.
Elegant as always.
But Lyra had already warned him:
"You will not survive this ceremony clean."
---
Ben
Ben wore a soft mustard kurta, calm and collected.
But Percy was already planning his downfall.
---
Joong
Joong wore a light yellow kurta, looking slightly nervous.
He had been warned.
But he didn't understand the scale of chaos coming.
---
The Married Couples
JJ
JJ wore a yellow saree with delicate white floral patterns.
Her presence alone still carried authority.
Even during a Haldi ceremony.
---
Keifer
Keifer wore a classic yellow kurta with white churidar.
He looked amused.
He already knew this group too well.
---
Percy
Percy wore the most ridiculous outfit.
A bright neon-yellow kurta with flower garlands around his neck.
Which was suspicious.
Because Percy being this prepared meant one thing.
He was planning something.
---
Honey
Honey wore a soft yellow lehenga covered with tiny mirror work.
She had two cameras hanging around her neck.
Because she refused to miss documenting the disaster.
---
Freya
Freya wore a deep mustard lehenga with bold marigold jewelry.
Confident as always.
---
Endrix
Endrix wore a simple yellow kurta, but had already rolled his sleeves up.
Which meant he expected trouble.
---
Rakhi
Rakhi wore a light yellow saree with jasmine flower jewelry.
Graceful and calm.
---
Cin
Cin wore a pale yellow kurta, already smiling like he knew chaos was coming.
---
Ash
Ash wore a soft pastel yellow lehenga with small floral embroidery.
Her hair was braided with tiny jasmine flowers.
She looked peaceful.
But more importantly—
She looked happy.
Something the group had not seen for a long time.
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The Ceremony Begins
Traditional music played.
The four couples sat on decorated seats in the center of the courtyard.
The Haldi bowls were placed before them.
Normally the ceremony would start with family gently applying turmeric paste.
But this group?
There was no chance of normal.
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Percy Starts the War
The first Haldi was applied respectfully.
JJ placed turmeric gently on Lyra's cheek.
Rakhi applied Haldi to Care's hand.
Nova smiled calmly as Honey placed a tiny bit on her forehead.
Everything was peaceful.
For about forty seconds.
Then Percy grabbed a full bowl of turmeric paste.
And shouted dramatically—
"THIS IS TOO CIVILIZED!"
Before anyone reacted—
He threw the entire bowl at Keifer.
Direct hit.
Keifer stood there.
Completely covered in Haldi.
The courtyard froze.
JJ slowly turned toward Percy.
"Percy."
"You have made a mistake."
And within seconds—
The Haldi war began.
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Total Chaos
Bowls of turmeric paste were suddenly flying everywhere.
Honey ran around filming while laughing hysterically.
Endrix smeared Haldi across Freya's face.
Freya retaliated immediately.
Rakhi tried to stay elegant but Cin attacked her with turmeric paste.
Nova tried to remain calm—
Until Percy smeared Haldi across her arm.
She blinked slowly.
Then grabbed an entire bowl.
And dumped it over Percy's head.
Even the serious doctor had reached her limit.
---
Care & Cole
Care tried escaping the chaos.
But running in high heels on marble floors was a terrible idea.
Her heel slipped suddenly.
She lost balance.
And would have fallen—
If two strong arms hadn't caught her.
Cole.
He held her easily before she hit the ground.
For a moment—
Everything paused.
Because the group immediately remembered something.
Percy shouted from across the courtyard—
"HEY!"
"DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR TO ANYONE?"
Honey screamed laughing.
"The morning jog!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Because months ago—
Cole had caught Care exactly like this during their early morning jog.
Care groaned.
"You people never forget anything."
Cole smirked slightly.
"Apparently not."
---
Revenge
Before Cole could react—
Care dipped her fingers into a bowl of Haldi beside them.
And smeared a bright yellow streak across his cheek.
The crowd exploded.
Cole looked shocked for half a second.
Then he grabbed turmeric paste himself.
And gently smeared it across Care's cheek.
She gasped.
"You're dead."
Within seconds they were both covered in Haldi.
---
Alex & Lyra
Alex tried escaping.
Which was impossible.
Lyra chased him across the courtyard holding a bowl of turmeric.
"You cannot run from your own wedding ceremony!"
Alex finally surrendered.
But as soon as Lyra reached him—
He grabbed Haldi and smeared it across her nose.
Lyra froze.
Then attacked him fully.
---
Daisy & Joong
Joong tried hiding behind a pillar.
Daisy spotted him immediately.
"Oh no you don't."
She dragged him back into the courtyard.
Within seconds he was covered in turmeric.
Joong sighed.
"I underestimated this culture."
---
Ash
Ash stood in the center of the chaos.
Laughing.
Not just smiling.
Actually laughing.
Loudly.
Freely.
The sound surprised even her.
Care noticed.
And walked toward her.
Without warning—
She gently smeared Haldi across Ash's cheek.
Ash blinked.
Care smiled softly.
"Family tradition."
Ash's eyes watered slightly.
Then she grabbed turmeric.
And attacked Care back.
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The Palace Staff
From the palace balconies—
The royal staff watched in complete shock.
They had hosted kings.
Politicians.
International billionaires.
But they had never seen guests behave like this.
Turmeric paste everywhere.
People running across the courtyard.
Flower garlands falling.
Music getting louder.
Laughter echoing across the palace.
One elderly staff member shook his head slowly.
"These people are… children."
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The End of the Chaos
After nearly an hour—
Everyone was covered in turmeric.
Hair.
Clothes.
Faces.
Even the marble floor was yellow.
The group collapsed onto the courtyard seating areas.
Breathing heavily.
Still laughing.
The Haldi bowls were empty.
The courtyard looked like a battlefield.
But something else filled the air.
Peace.
Because for the first time since the nightmare with Kevin—
Everyone here was simply living.
Laughing.
Being together.
Care looked around the courtyard.
At the people who had become her family.
Cole sat beside her quietly.
Both of them still covered in turmeric.
He leaned slightly toward her.
"You realize our wedding ceremony hasn't even started yet."
Care smiled.
"If it's anything like this…"
She glanced around the chaos.
"…we might destroy the entire palace."
Cole smirked.
"Worth it."
And across the courtyard—
The laughter continued.