The next morning, a strange, stifling atmosphere prevailed in the Junagarh palace. Aditya sat alone by the window, gazing at the dawn sky, thinking of Arohi. His heart was filled with a desperate cry—why did he not believe her? Just then, Subarnalata (Sushila) entered the room. Seeing Aditya's grave face, her temper flared even more. She wanted to grab his attention.
Suddenly, Subarnalata began a bizarre dance, jingling her anklets violently. She started stomping her feet on the floor so hard that it felt as if an earthquake had struck the palace. The chandeliers in Aditya's room even began to tremble from the heavy thudding sounds. Unable to bear it any longer, Aditya shouted, "Stop it, Subarnalata! End this madness!"
But Sushila was dancing as if possessed by some evil force. She went right up to Aditya's face and began clapping her hands, making hideous noises. All the accumulated rage and hatred within Aditya exploded in a single moment. Losing his control, he delivered a forceful slap to Subarnalata's cheek!
The sound echoed—Thash! Subarnalata froze. Her cheek turned crimson. Growling in rage, she roared, "You! You slapped me, beloved? How dare you! Today, I will make things miserable for you!" She grabbed Aditya's hand and, with a violent jerk, dragged him out of the room straight toward the royal court. Present in the court then were the Maharaja, the Queen Mother, the ministers, and the disguised Arohi (Snigdha). Acting out a scene of tears, Sushila screamed, "Maharaja! Grant me justice! Is it the rule in this palace to lay hands on the daughters-in-law? Aditya has insulted me in front of everyone; he has slapped me!"
The Maharaja said in surprise, "Aditya! What am I hearing? You laid hands on the daughter-in-law? Such incivility has never happened in our lineage. Why did you do such a thing?"
Aditya gritted his teeth and said, "There is a limit to madness, Father. She started such a rampage inside the room that I felt the house would collapse. I lost my mental composure." Aditya could not say that he was actually restless to take revenge for the injustice done to Arohi.
The Maharaja sighed and said, "The daughter-in-law might be a bit restless, but laying hands is not right. Aditya, apologize." Despite his lack of will, Aditya stood like a stone and said, "Forgive me." Sushila then smirked with a victory smile and thought to herself— "Serves you right! Now you've come to your senses, my dear!"
From then on, Aditya could not stand Subarnalata at all. Whenever Subarnalata dressed up and approached him, Aditya would flee using some work as an excuse. Sometimes he would say, "I have accounts to check," other times he'd say, "I must go see the condition of the subjects." Subarnalata realized that Aditya's heart was no longer under her control. She hastily sent a secret letter to her father, Shilajit— "Father, everything is slipping out of hand. Aditya hates me. Come quickly using any pretext!"
Upon receiving the letter, the cunning minister Shilajit arrived at the palace two days later. Seeing him, Arohi's (Snigdha's) blood began to boil. She said to herself— "There! Another devil has arrived. Now the masks of these two must be ripped off together. Sushila has already ruined her own image with her madness; now I must pluck the feathers of this vulture as well."
That night, Shilajit and Sushila sat in a secret corner of the palace to discuss. Shilajit said angrily, "Have you truly gone mad, Sushila? Why are you losing your dignity with those snake-like dances and gorilla-like calls? People have started thinking you are a witch!"
Sushila lowered her face and said, "Father! Being the Queen of this massive palace, I couldn't control myself. Seeing the royal luxuries, I did whatever I wanted while trying to fulfill all my whims. Now Aditya doesn't even want to touch me. Tell me, what should I do?"
Shilajit stroked his beard with a crooked smile and said, "Don't worry. Now that I have arrived, I will manage everything. From now on, you stay a bit calm. We must awaken pity in Aditya's heart again. And keep an eye on that new maid so she doesn't get suspicious. I will play such a move that the Junagarh lineage will once again grovel at our feet."
Arohi was listening to everything from behind the door. She saw Shilajit placing his hand on his daughter's head, giving her assurance. Arohi smirked internally— "Both father and daughter are planning quite well! But you don't know that after five years, when my Prafulla and Snigdha return, this very secret chamber will be your prison. I am now only waiting for proof. You will drown in your own sins."
With Shilajit's return to the palace, black clouds seemed to gather once again over the sky of Junagarh. But this time, Arohi is not alone; she has the knowledge of the magic mirror and her own indomitable courage.