A strange, stifling aura hung over the skies of Junagarh today. For four years, Arohi had roamed the nooks and corners of this palace in the guise of the maid Snigdha, enduring all the atrocities of Sushila and Shilajit. But today, her patience had reached its limit. With only one month left to complete the five-year mark, Arohi wanted to sweep away these venomous serpents before her heroic children returned. When her pure blood stepped into this palace, she wanted the air to be untainted.
Arohi decided—no more. It was time to rip off the masks. She secretly sent a message to her mother in Kanchangarh through a messenger: "Mother, the time has come. Today is the day to bring the true forms of these ghouls before everyone. Come to the outskirts of Junagarh under the cover of night. I will be waiting for you."
As evening faded into night, Arohi went to the Maharaja and said in a humble voice, "Maharaja, I have worked in this palace continuously for the last four years. My heart yearns for my village home. Would you kindly grant me a day's leave? I wish to visit there once." The Maharaja, always satisfied with Snigdha's work, smiled and granted permission, saying, "Certainly Snigdha, you may go. You have done much for this family over the past few years; go and have a look around."
Upon getting leave, Arohi left the palace. In the pitch-black darkness of the night, she waited for her mother under a massive banyan tree near the forest. Shortly after, the Queen Mother of Kanchangarh arrived. The moment of their reunion was tearful, but the fire of revenge burned in Arohi's eyes. Arohi held the mystical magic mirror in her hand. Holding it forward, she said, "O magic mirror, enough is enough. Now show me the way. How shall I bring the true faces of these devils before everyone?"
A magical light radiated from the mirror, and it answered in a grave voice, "Arohi, I will do exactly what I did when I showed Shilajit's old conspiracy like a video. But this time, you will not go forward. If you go directly, they might not believe you or dismiss it as sorcery. You must perform this task through your mother."
Arohi asked in surprise, "Through my mother? How is that possible?"
The mirror explained, "The Queen Mother will appear in the royal court tomorrow morning with this mirror. She will request the Maharaja to have the guards hold Subarnalata and Shilajit firmly, because they will try to flee once the truth is revealed. Then the Queen Mother will hold me up before everyone, and I will project that one hour of hideous transformation and all their misdeeds largely upon the wall. When everyone sees their true, ugly faces, there will be no room for argument. Then, you shall slowly step forward before everyone."
The Queen Mother said in a firm voice, "Alright Arohi, I will do just that. Let the destruction of this unrighteousness begin through my hands. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Junagarh palace and expose them."
Arohi breathed a sigh of relief. She and the Queen Mother hid in a safe shelter in the forest for the night. Looking at the minarets of the distant Junagarh palace through the window, Arohi said to herself, "Sushila, Shilajit... have all the fun you want tonight. Because tomorrow's sunrise is going to be the last royal day of your lives. Your true forms, your one-hour demonic curse—everything will crumble into dust tomorrow." While talking to her mother in the dark forest, a flash of insight struck Arohi's mind. She thought, the magic mirror will provide proof tomorrow morning, but with the web of illusion Sushila and Shilajit have woven, will the royal family wait until tomorrow morning? What if Sushila spreads the charm of her beautiful form again and misleads everyone? Arohi knew that it was nearly midnight. This one hour is their real hell, when their magical beauty turns to dust.
Holding her mother's hand, Arohi said in an excited voice, "Mother, the mirror will give proof tomorrow, but I want the Maharaja, the Queen Mother, and Aditya to see the true faces of these devils with their own eyes tonight. Enter the palace secretly right now. Let no one know you have arrived. Go to the Queen Mother's room and pretend you are very unwell, that you are having breathing difficulties. Tell Aditya to rush and get medicine from the physician's house. Once Aditya leaves, you will tell the Maharaja and the Queen Mother this terrifying truth. They won't believe you at first, Mother, I know they won't. But you will tell them that tonight I will give you proof—you won't be able to distrust your own eyes!"
The Queen Mother hesitated slightly and asked, "But what if Aditya returns?" Arohi insisted, "Tell Aditya everything too when he returns. Then exactly at 12 midnight, when that devilish father and daughter return to their original hideous forms, the four of you will stand behind the window of their room. Shilajit is in the palace now, so Sushila will definitely go to her father's room to hide their grotesque appearance. They will think the world is sleeping, but today the final bell of their sins will toll."
The Queen Mother did not delay any further. Following Arohi's instructions, she entered the palace under the cover of darkness. According to the plan, she went to the Queen Mother's room and began acting sick. Aditya became restless seeing his mother-in-law in such a state. Panting, the Queen Mother said, "Son Aditya, I am in great distress; can you go to the physician's house just once and get the medicine? I cannot trust anyone else." Without thinking, Aditya galloped away on his horse. After Aditya left, the Queen Mother broke down in tears, embracing the Maharaja and the Queen Mother. She began to whisper that this Subarnalata is not actually Arohi; she is the daughter of that devil Shilajit, Sushila. They are deceiving you by changing their forms with a witch's potion!
The Maharaja roared, "What nonsensical talk is this? Our Subarnalata is so beautiful, so enchanting, could she be the daughter of that ghoul Shilajit?" The Queen Mother also shook her head in disbelief. The Queen Mother of Kanchangarh said, "I know you won't believe it. But have patience for a little while longer. At 12 midnight, you will see with your own eyes what a poisonous snake you are harboring. Tonight is the night to see their true forms."
A little later, Aditya returned with the medicine. The Queen Mother told him everything too. Aditya stood like a stone. He remembered the Lungi Dance, those gorilla-like roars, and the fake letter about Arohi. The fire of suspicion blazed within his mind. It was 11:55 PM. The entire palace was silent. The Queen Mother signaled the Maharaja, the Queen Mother, and Aditya toward the back of Shilajit's chamber. A window there was slightly ajar.
Aditya's heart was thumping. The clock chimed twelve. Peering through the gap in the window, the ground slipped from beneath the feet of the Maharaja and Aditya. They saw that the exquisite Subarnalata was bit by bit turning into a hideous witch. Her skin was sagging, her eyes blood-red. Beside her, Shilajit had removed his royal mask and assumed the form of a gruesome old man. The two were laughing diabolically, looking at each other in their primal, ugly states, and speaking vulgarly about the royal family. Aditya wanted to break the door down right then and strangle them, but the Queen Mother held him back. She signaled, "Not now, son. Tomorrow morning I will finish them with the magic mirror before everyone. Today you only saw the truth; now wait for tomorrow's sunrise."
Arohi stood outside, looking at the sky and smiling. She knew that after seeing this scene tonight, Aditya and the Maharaja would not forgive these devils for a single moment. Truth triumphed tonight in the Junagarh palace; now only the final judgment of tomorrow awaits.