Chapter 1

...Author's pov...

The scent of burning sandalwood usually brought peace to the inner chambers of the Suryagarh palace. Tonight, it smelled only of copper and death.

Aradhya clutched her abdomen, her fingers stained with the brilliant crimson of her own royal blood. She collapsed against the marble pillar, the cold stone a harsh contrast to the fiery agony consuming her body.

Before her stood Avantika. She was holding a silver dagger dripping with blood. The sweet, innocent sister Aradhya had protected her whole life was gone; in her place stood a monster wearing a twisted smile.

"Aapki yeh dasha dekhkar mujhe atyant prasannata ho rahi hai, Jiji," Avantika whispered, her voice laced with venom.

​[Looking at your condition brings me immense joy, elder sister.]

She stepped closer, the heavy silk of her royal lehenga rustling sharply against the blood stained floor.

"Avantika... kyun...?" Aradhya gasped, her voice trembling as she fought the darkness tugging at her vision. "Humne tumse keval prem kiya..."

​[Why...? I have always given love to you ...]

Avantika laughed. It was a sharp, mocking sound that echoed through the empty, cavernous chamber.

"Prem? Aapka prem mere liye ek abhishap tha!" Avantika hissed, her eyes wide with years of hidden malice.

​[Your love was a curse to me!]

​"You sat on the throne I deserved. You wed the man I desired! Maharaja Devendra belongs to me. He always did."

As the poison on the blade began to paralyze her limbs, Aradhya’s mind flashed back through the bitter years of her marriage. Devendra.

For three years, she had been his Queen, yet she had kept him at an absolute distance. She had treated his fierce devotion with cold suspicion, locking herself away in separate chambers, refusing to let him touch her. All because of Avantika.

Jiji, Maharaja is ruthless,” Avantika had wept to her days before the wedding, holding her hands. “He treats women like mere spoils of war. He only marries you to conquer Chandragarh through bloodlines. He will break you.”

Aradhya had believed her blindly. She had built a fortress around her heart, deliberately ignoring the silent pain in Devendra’s dark eyes every time she recoiled from his touch. When he brought her exquisite gifts, she threw them away. When he tried to speak to her, she answered with icy disdain. She had punished a man who had done nothing but protect her, all based on a web of lies woven by her own flesh and blood.

"He never loved you, Jiji," Avantika mocked, kneeling down to look directly into Aradhya's fading eyes. "Every rumor you heard of his cruelty? It was my doing. Every misunderstanding between you two? My whispers in your ear. I poisoned your mind so you would push him away. And now, with you dead, I will comfort the grieving Maharaja. I will become the Maharani of Suryagarh!"

"Tumhe... kabhi safalta nahi milegi..." Aradhya choked out, a thick trail of blood escaping her lips.

​[You will never succeed...]

"Mera karya safal ho chuka hai, Maharani Aradhya," Avantika sneered.

​[My work is already successful, Queen Aradhya.]

With a brutal thrust, she plunged the dagger deeper into Aradhya's heart.

"Ab aap parm dham padhariye."

[Now, depart for the supreme abode.]

Aradhya did not feel the cold stone ground anymore. Instead, she found herself floating in a vast, ethereal space shimmering with cosmic stardust. The air hummed with ancient Vedic chants that resonated within her very soul.

Before her, a blinding, golden light materialized into a towering, magnificent form. It was a deity, eyes burning like twin suns, exuding an aura of absolute cosmic authority and ancient peace.

Aradhya fell to her knees, tears of rage flowing freely.

"Hey Ishwar... mujhe nyay chahiye. Meri atma ko shanti nahi milegi jab tak un papio ko unke karmo ka dand nahi milta."

*​\[Oh Lord... I want justice. My soul will not find peace until those sinners are punished for their deeds*.\]

The deity’s voice boomed, vibrating through the fabric of the cosmos.

"**Aradhya. Thy heart is filled with anger, yet thy destiny was severed before its time. We grant thee a second chance. Return to the mortal realm, one day before thy wedding vows were taken**."

A fierce spark of vengeance ignited in Aradhya's chest. She bowed low.

"Main unhe nahi chodungi. Main apni nirdoshta ka swang rachkar unhe nasht kar dungi."

​\[*I will not leave them. I will destroy them while pretending to be innocent*.\]

The deity raised a glowing hand, cutting through the cosmic fog.

"**A Vardan is bestowed upon thee for this journey. Use it wisely, though its nature shall remain hidden from thee until the cosmos deems the time right**."

Aradhya bowed her head, focused purely on her wrath. "Mujhe keval mera pratishodh chahiye, Prabhu. Meri dushman ko mitana hi mera ekmatra lakshya hai."

*​\[ I only want my revenge, Lord. Erasing my enemy is my sole purpose*.\]

The deity’s eyes flared with a strange, solemn, and ominous light.

"**Nahi, Aradhya. Tumhara janm keval pratishodh ke liye nahi hua hai. Tumhara lakshya kuch aur hai**..."

**​\[No, Aradhya. You were not born merely for revenge. Your true purpose is something else**...\]

"Kya...?" Aradhya looked up, her breath catching.

​\[*What*...?\]

Before the deity could utter the truth, a profound, shocking revelation whispered directly into her consciousness

"................................"

Aradhya's eyes widened in sheer horror. Her soul shook. The truth of her existence was far more dangerous than a sister's betrayal.

Before she could scream, the golden light expanded violently, blinding her, and the divine realm shattered like glass.

Aradhya gasped, sitting upright violently as air rushed back into her lungs.

She was drenched in a cold sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She frantically pressed her hands against her abdomen and then her chest.

No blood. No wound. No agonizing pain.

"Rajkumari Aradhya? Kya hua? Aap thik toh hain?"

*​\[Princess Aradhya? What happened? Are you alright*?\]

Aradhya snapped her head toward the voice, her breathing ragged. Standing by the grand arched window of her old bedchamber in Chandragarh was Dhaasi Kaveri, holding a heavy brass tray filled with fresh jasmine garlands.

She looked past Kaveri, out the window. The sun was setting peacefully over the familiar, pristine courtyard. It was the evening before her wedding. She had actually returned.

As she forced herself to stand, a sudden, violent jolt struck her mind. For a split second, the brightly lit room blurred into a terrifying darkness, and a horrific vision flashed before her eyes

​A vast battlefield covered in ash and blood. Senapati Veer Singh falling brutally from his burning chariot. And Maharaja Devendra his armor shattered, standing entirely alone against an unstoppable army of shadows, his divine sword broken into pieces.

Aradhya stumbled back, gripping the carved wooden edge of her bed as the vision vanished as quickly as it had arrived.

What was that? A glimpse of a future she hadn't lived yet?

Before she could process the shock, the heavy, ornate wooden doors of her chamber pushed open.

Jiji!"

\[*Sister*!\]

Avantika walked in. Her face wore that exact same sweet, innocent smile she had worn right before she drove the dagger into Aradhya’s heart in her past life.

"Aap abhi tak tayaar nahi hui? Maharaja Devendra ki barat kal subah hi aane wali hai!"

*​\[You aren't ready yet? Maharaja Devendra's wedding procession arrives tomorrow morning*!\]

Looking at her sister's flawless, deceptive face, a cold, lethal calm washed over Aradhya. The naive, easily manipulated sister was dead. The game had just begun.

Aradhya forced her lips into a soft, graceful smile, masking the absolute hatred burning in her veins.

"Chinta mat karo, Avantika," Aradhya said, her voice smooth as silk. "Hum tayaar ho rahe hain. Iss vivah ka utsah toh hume tumse bhi adhik hai."

​\[*Do not worry, Avantika. I am getting ready. I am more excited for this marriage than even you*.\]

Avantika walked closer, holding up a heavy gold necklace against Aradhya's neck. "Mujhe gyaat hai, Jiji. Kintu... kya aapko bhay nahi lag raha? Maharaja Devendra ke kroor swabhaav ke baare mein soch kar?"

*​\[I know, sister. But... are you not afraid? Thinking about Maharaja Devendra's cruel nature*?\]

Aradhya looked at Avantika’s reflection in the polished bronze mirror. She didn't flinch. Instead, she leaned in slightly.

"Bhay? Nahi, Avantika. Hume poora vishwas hai ki Maharaja hamare sath jo bhi karenge, hamare bhagya ke anusaar uchit hi hoga."

*​\[Fear? No, Avantika. I have full faith that whatever the Maharaja does with me will be exactly what my destiny deserves*.\]

Avantika’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, an unsettling shift crossing her eyes. She hadn't expected Aradhya to be this calm. Usually, mentions of Devendra made her older sister weep with anxiety.

"Aap... badli hui lag rahi hain, Jiji," Avantika murmured, stepping back slowly.

​\[*You... seem changed, sister*.\]

"Badlav toh sansar ka niyam hai, Avantika," Aradhya replied softly, turning around to face her. "Kal ek naya savera hoga. Aur naye savere ke sath, purane hisaab bhi chukte honge."

*​\[Change is the law of nature, Avantika. Tomorrow is a new dawn. And with a new dawn, old debts will be settled*.\]

Before Avantika could question her cryptic words, a sudden, heavy commotion echoed from the outer courtyard. The sound of royal trumpets bleated frantically, followed by the chaotic shouting of guards.

The heavy doors of the chamber burst open once more. This time, it was Kaveri, her face pale, the brass tray slipping from her hands and clattering loudly onto the stone floor.

"Devi! Anarth ho gaya!" Kaveri cried out, her voice trembling with sheer terror.

​\[*Princess! Disaster has struck*!\]

Aradhya stepped forward, her heart skipping a beat. "Kya hua, Kaveri? Spasht kaho!"

*​\[What happened, Kaveri? Speak clearly*!\]

Kaveri fell to her knees, looking up with wide, frightened eyes.

"Maharaja Devendra... unki barat kal subah nahi aayegi. Unka sandesh aaya hai... unhone Chandragarh ki sima par sena ke sath aakraman kar diya hai!"

​\[*Maharaja Devendra... his wedding procession will not arrive tomorrow. His message has come... he has attacked the borders of Chandragarh with his army*!\]

Avantika gasped, stumbling back in genuine shock.

Aradhya froze, the blood running cold in her veins. He attacked? In her past life, Devendra had arrived peacefully as a groom. Why was he attacking now, a whole day early?

Had her rebirth altered the timeline, or was there something about Maharaja Devendra she had never truly understood?

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