"Go to your chambers, right now!" Viraaj yelled. everyone started to leave except for Daksha. She went towards Viraaj.
"Your majesty, i know you will not do anything which is bad for Ira. But i am her mother, i am worried if something happened to her-"
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her. I will make sure that everything will be good for her from now on. She don't have to tolerate the pain, disrespect and taunt, that she was bearing till now." Viraaj reassured Ira's mother but she was still worried for her daughter.
"Go to your chamber, i will go to meet Ira. I have to talk to her."
Knowing that Viraaj is more powerful than her to protect Ira, she didn't asked anything. "Ok." She replied and went towards her chamber.
Viraaj leaned back on the chair and sighed, thinking how he will explain this all to Ira.
Ira was sitting on her bed. Her knees were near her chest and her hand were wrapped around them tightly. Tears falling down from her eyes. Sobbing continuously, trying to control her tears but the more she tries to control them, the more she burst into tears. Her heart was aching. What just happened it was hurting her.
Every word of her father and others were echoing in her ears. She have to get married, it means she have to leave her grandfather, her mother, her kingdom. She have to go to the other kingdom where she don't know anyone. How is the kingdom? How are the people? Will they accept her? How is the prince and his family? Are they like Ira's family? Who never accepted her. Always disrespected and hated her. How will she manage? Her life will change completely. Her grandfather will not be there for her. She will be more lonely and helpless.
Why her grandfather want her to get married? They never talked about it before.
When the king of Bayar kingdom sent the marriage proposal of his son for Ira, her grandfather didn't told anyone about it, not even Ira, except his son, Dhishva. Ira didn't expected this day will come in her life, when she have to leave her everything and have to go to a new place. And she didn't wanted this to happen. She don't want to go away from her grandfather. He is the only one who loved her. He is the only person whom she can trust. For Ira, Leaving him is like leaving her life. How will she live without her grandfather?
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, making Ira flinch in surprise. She wasn't in condition to answer so she remained silent. Sobbing silently.
"Ira." Her grandfather called her in a sweet and comforting tone.
But Ira didn't replied. She was so broken that whenever she tried to say something, her breath hitched.
"Ira, open the door dear." Viraaj again said but again, Ira didn't replied.
"Ira, i know you are upset. You are angry on me. but let me explain. You know your grandfather will not make any bad decision for you. Just listen to me for once." He tried to convince her to listen to him but she didn't replied.
After trying for some more time to convince Ira to open the door and failing in it, Viraaj left from there with low shoulders and sad face. He was feeling guilty. He was thinking, Ira is in this condition because of him. He shouldn't have talked about it. Especially not infront of everyone.
After her grandfather left, Ira tried to control her emotions but slowly, her pain turned into anger. Her father and other's humiliating comments scratched her old wounds. Useless! burden! we don't feed you so that you can be a waste!
She grabbed the pillow on her bed and threw it on the floor. She grabbed her hair tightly as if her mind is going to explode and screamed to vent out her anger.
"Ahhhh!!!!" She was breathing heavily. Doesn't matter how loud she yell or how many things she throw away, her anger was still at its peak.
She grabbed the bed sheet tightly, looking for a way to vent out her anger and calm down her heart.
She looked around her chamber and threw whatever caught her eye.
Viraaj and Dhishva can hear the sound of things falling and Ira's screams.
Viraaj was feeling guilty. Guilty for Ira, she is hurt, she is in deep pain and that's why this all is happening.
Dhishva was clenching his fist tightly in annoyance. "What a shame!"
He closed the window aggressively and turned around. He massaged his head as it was hurting because of thinking about Ira's marriage all the day. "We are doing her a favour by marrying her to a crown prince but she! She is acting as if we are torturing her!" He said to Daksha.
Daksha turned her gaze from her husband to her hands, feeling helpless that she can't do anything to help her daughter.
Ira lay down on her bed, Still crying and thinking about everything that happened. Her head was spinning, her stomach was making sounds because of hunger. Her throat was dry, her hands and legs were shivering but the only thing she can feel right now is pain. The pain she can't ignore, the pain of heartbreak.
Next day,
Ira opened her eyes and saw sunlight coming inside her chamber through the window. She slowly sat up and looked around. Her head was hurting so badly after crying whole night. she remembered everything that happened last night. Tears started to form in her eyes again but she don't have capacity to cry anymore. With a deep breath, she controlled her tears. She looked arround her chamber and found that the mess she created last night has already fixed. May be a maid cleaned her chamber as always.
She got down from the bed and went to her dressing table. She looked herself in the mirror but she wasn't surprised to see her red swollen eyes and stains of tears on her cheeks. Doesn't matter how she is looking, she don't care about anything anymore. With a sigh, she went towards her bathroom to take a bath.
After a while, she came out of bathroom and changed her clothes, without help of her maids. She wore a pink gown with some jewellery. She combed her hair by herself and left them open. There were no expression on her face. It's like now she don't care about anything. She was feeling like a puppet her family want to move as they want.
When she was in her deep thoughts, someone knocked on the door.
She shifted her gaze towards the door and found her grandfather standing at the door, with a maid holding the plate of food. He was waiting for Ira's permission to come inside.
"Can i come in?" He asked.
Ira nod and went towards her bed and sat down.
Viraaj entered in the chamber and went towards her.
"Place it there." He said to the maid and pointed towards the table.
When the maid placed the plate on the table, he asked her to leave.
After maid left, He sat down next to Ira. She didn't even looked at him. Whenever she looks at her grandfather, a smile appears on her face but not this time.
"Ira.." her grandfather called.
"Hm?" Ira replied without looking at him.
"Look at me..... please."
Ira didn't wanted to but still she looked at her grandfather, without any expression.
"I am sorry. Don't be upset. Look, your eyes are still swollen." He touched her cheeks gently.
"I know you cried whole night. Don't do something like this again. If you don't like something then tell me. You know your grandfather love you so much and i won't do anything which is bad for you. D-Don't you trust me?" Viraaj was hurt and it was heard in his voice. He don't want Ira to hate him. He don't want Ira to feel that her grandfather is trying to push her away. He love her more than she love him.
After hearing his cracking voice, Ira was feeling guilty for her behaviour. Her grandfather loves her more than anything, more than his life. And she didn't understood his feelings. She should have talked to him before behaving like this.
Her heart was aching after hearing the pain in her grandfather's voice. She never heard his voice cracking. He is really hurt.
She turned towards her grandfather and looked in his eyes. There was moisture in his eyes that she never wanted to see. She didn't thought that her grandfather will ever cry, especially because of her.
Seeing him like this, she quickly hugged him tightly. Her eyes were burning and unknowingly the tears started to fall down from her eyes.
Her grandfather wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
"Please don't hurt yourself. If you don't want then no need to get married. Your grandfather will always be with you. To protect you....but you have to promise me that you will be strong. Strong enough to protect yourself. No one should be able to make you feel low...You have to prove everyone that you don't need anyone. You don't need a man to protect you. Can you do this for me?"
Ira nod, trying to control her emotions.
"But how? A-And W-What if they also hate me?" Ira burst into tears and hugged Viraaj more tightly.
Her grandfather stroke her head and consoled her.
"I don't want you to go away from me. I can't live without you too. But i can't let you stay here forever. Where no one stands for you. Where you always feel lonely. I can't imagine and i don't even want to, what will happen to you when I am gone."
"Grandfather! please don't say something like this!" Ira broke the hug and looked at her grandfather with teary eyes.
Viraaj cupped Ira's face with one hand. "It is the truth. How long I am going to stay with you? One day, you have to live without me. What will you do then? I know you can be strong to protect yourself but i don't want you to stay alone. I don't want you to suffer anymore.
I want you to have a life that you deserve. A beautiful life where everyone loves you. A life where you don't have to find happiness, the happiness will come to you by itself. A life in which you can do anything you want. You don't have to fear about anything.
I want you to have someone beside you who can hold your hand for rest of your life. He won't leave you ever. I just want to make sure that you are safe. You have someone with you. And i can trust them."
Ira removed her grandfather's hand from her face and held it. "Do you trust them? His majesty and the prince, are they good people? You just get to know them. How can you trust them so quickly?"
"At least I can trust them more than our family for you. I trusted my son but he never loved you and on the other hand, his majesty Abhiveera just met you once and he want to make you his granddaughter-in-law. even when I told him that you have health issues. Still he want you to marry his grandson who is going to be a king. How can't we trust such a nice person?
I heard about him and his family. Before I met him, I sent some people to his kingdom to gather some information about his family and kingdom. And i found out that he is a nice person. His family is good and his kingdom too. People are happy with their king. They respect him and there are no bad rumours about him either.
Prince Raksheet have such a clean and reputed background that anyone would like to marry their daughter to him. Their background is clean. I have this feeling that prince Raksheet is good for you. You should think about it once." He tried to convince her. He really think that Raksheet and his family is good for Ira. And it's good for her future.
She looked down at her hands and thought for a while and then spoke.
"If you think prince Raksheet is good for me, then i am ready to marry him."
Viraaj was surprised to hear this but then he thought may be Ira is saying this in pressure. What her father said, may be she want to help her kingdom and family.
"Are you sure? You know you don't have to do this because someone is forcing you. Decision is yours. I will respect your decision. If you don't want to marry then it's ok."
Ira shook her head "No. It's not like that i am in a pressure because of someone. I want to do this. If marrying prince Raksheet will benefit our kingdom and if you trust them, then i am ready to marry him. The only thing i am worried about is...i can't see you after I get married." A tear fell down from her eyes. Her grandfather wiped it with his fingers and embraced her.
"I don't want you to leave me either. I want to see you everyday too. But we have to think about future. We have to think about your life." He broke the hug and cupped Ira's face. He made her look at him "And about meeting each other, i will ask his majesty Abhiveera to let us meet. I will request him to send you here whenever you want to meet me. Or i will come to meet you. Just send a letter and your grandfather will be right infront of you. Ok?"
"No." Ira held his grandfather's hand "You don't have to request anyone. I don't want you to request anyone. I don't want to see you feeling weak infront of someone because of me. I will come by myself even if they don't let me. Who are they to not allow me to do what I want?"
Viraaj chuckled at Ira's childish behaviour and the way she want her grandfather to be the strongest person whom no one can pull down. "Ok ok. You can come whenever you want. Your grandfather will always welcome you with same love and respect."
She hugged her grandfather and said " I know."