As the sweet afternoon sunlight filtered through the corridors of the Junagarh palace, Arohi tenderly laid the sleeping Prabhasha on the bed. Stroking the little girl's forehead, Arohi thought to herself, "Prabhasha, you might not be my biological child, you might be the daughter of my rival—but from today, you have only one identity. You are the beloved youngest daughter of Arohi and Aditya. May the shadow of that cold-hearted Sushila never fall upon you again."
Arohi noticed Aditya standing on the balcony, gazing absently at the garden. She tiptoed up and stood beside him. Placing a hand on Aditya's shoulder, Arohi said in a soft voice, "Aditya, are you thinking about our children? Only a few more days, and then Prafulla and Snigdha will be back in our arms."
Aditya started and looked at Arohi, a shadow of guilt crossing his face. Like a culprit, he said, "Arohi, forgive me. These past few days—catching Sushila and Shilajit in their hideous forms, sending them to jail—I was so overwhelmed by it all that I even forgot to ask our children's names. In fact, a moment ago, I accidentally referred to Prabhasha as 'Sushila's daughter.' I am truly so ashamed."
The gaze in Arohi's eyes instantly turned stern. Gripping Aditya's hand firmly, she said, "Aditya, don't you dare! Never associate Prabhasha with that monster again. That ghoul Sushila can never be Prabhasha's mother. She has no merit to be a mother at all. Do you remember, Aditya? When Sushila was in this palace, one day Prabhasha was screaming in hunger, and Sushila was casually enjoying grapes by herself. Forget picking up the child, she instead snapped—'Why do you scream so much? I feel like strangling you!' Can anyone say such things to their own biological daughter? She is an animal!"
Aditya shuddered upon hearing Arohi's words. He whispered, "You are right, Arohi. I was blind, so I couldn't see it. You alone are Prabhasha's mother. She has no sinful mother."
Arohi smiled slightly, trying to lighten the mood. She asked Aditya, "Anyway, enough of that. Now tell me, what could be the names of our eldest son and daughter? Can you guess?"
Aditya thought for a moment and said, "The boy's name you already mentioned—Prafulla. It has a certain gravity to it. But what is our daughter's name? I can't quite figure it out. Why don't you tell me?"
Arohi looked into Aditya's eyes with a mysterious smile and said, "Our daughter's name is—Snigdha!"
Aditya was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes widened in surprise as he said, "Snigdha! You mean the name you used as a disguise in this palace for four years is our own daughter's name? You entered this palace using your daughter's name? Wow, Arohi, that is such a wonderfully strange thing! So our daughter is Snigdha and our son is Prafulla... and our little girl here is Prabhasha. Prafulla, Snigdha, and Prabhasha—our three children!"
Aditya embraced Arohi in joy. He began to say laughingly, "The name Snigdha was always very close to me because you served me under that name. Now I know it is also my princess's name. I am so lucky, Arohi!"
The two stood on the balcony, laughing together. The sound of their laughter seemed to make the gloom of the palace vanish like camphor in the air. Arohi thought to herself, only a few more days, and then her incomplete family would find its wholeness. When Prafulla and Snigdha set foot in this palace, the soil of Junagarh would be blessed.