RAJVANSH PALACE

It was already 4:30 PM, yet Tara wasn't ready.

After carefully packing the essentials she would need for the night, she walked towards her wardrobe. Quietly locking the bedroom door behind her, she began getting dressed.

A few minutes later, she stood before the large mirror. Her eyes fell upon the delicate butterfly bracelet resting on the dressing table. It had always been her favorite.

She gently picked it up, her fingers tracing its tiny wings.

A memory surfaced in her mind.

When Maa was pregnant with you, your father somehow knew you would be a daughter. Everyone called it just a feeling, but he never doubted himself. The day you were born, his belief came true. He had already bought this bracelet for you long before you opened your eyes to the world.

The memory wrapped itself around her heart.

A lone tear escaped her eye, silently rolling down her cheek.

Tara quickly blinked it away and shook her head, refusing to let herself dwell on the past. Wiping away the tear, she fastened the bracelet around her wrist before taking one final look in the mirror.

She looked beautiful in her elegant purple kurti. The soft fabric flowed gracefully with every step, while her silver earrings swayed gently, catching the evening sunlight.

Earlier, she had informed Dadi Sa about spending the night away from the palace. Much to her surprise, Dadi Sa had agreed without asking many questions.

With that thought, Tara made her way towards the palace entrance.

Standing beside a black luxury SUV was her Bhai Sa.

She wasn't surprised.

Dharv had always been a man who valued punctuality.

The moment he noticed her approaching, a warm smile appeared on his face. Walking around the vehicle, he opened the passenger-side door.

"Baitho, Tara," he said softly.

Without another thought, Tara slipped into her seat.

Dharv settled behind the steering wheel and glanced at her.

"Ready?"

"Ji, Bhai Sa," she replied with a smile.

"But... hum jaa kahaan rahe hain?" she asked curiously.

He chuckled.

"Surprise, baccha."

Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, Tara simply smiled and turned towards the window.

The city slowly drifted past as the car moved through the evening streets.

After some time, the familiar roads disappeared behind them. The route ahead was completely unknown to her.

She glanced at Dharv.

His entire attention remained fixed on the road, his expression calm and unreadable.

Realizing he wasn't going to reveal anything, Tara leaned back in her seat and continued admiring the passing scenery.

Nearly an hour later, the SUV finally came to a halt.

Confused, Tara looked towards Dharv.

He stepped out of the car without saying a word.

Before she could react, he had already walked around to her side and opened the passenger door.

He extended his hand towards her.

Tara looked at his outstretched hand before meeting his eyes.

Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his.

He helped her out of the car.

As she took a few steps forward, her eyes widened in complete disbelief.

Standing before her was a magnificent temple.

A Radha Krishna temple, bathed under the setting sun's rays. Every corner and every pillar was shining with sacredness and devotion. The most important thing was that there was a lotus pond, bigger than her palace's lotus pond.

Tara was so lost in the view of this sacred place that her eyes were shining with devotion. She didn't even look at Dharv before starting to walk forward. Even Dharv didn't say anything because he also knew his princess's devotion, especially towards Krishna.

Since childhood, Tara didn't have many friends because of her identity. She was a very talkative person, but no one knew how many storms she carried inside her mind. Due to her curse, she never got a chance to share those storms and find even a little relief.

She had a friend, Aadhya, but she didn't share anything with her because she didn't want her only friend to judge her. So, she shared all her thoughts and every insecurity with her Bhai Sa.

But time passed, and for his higher studies in business, Dharv had to go abroad. He was also aware of the fact that his sister was an introvert with a disastrous mind, so he was worried about her mental state because he also knew how his own family treated his sister.

One day before leaving, he gave a Krishna idol to Tara and asked her to share all her storms with Him.

Then she asked, "What if He also judges me?"

Dharv replied calmly, "Don't worry, Tara. He will never judge you. Bas tum inka saath mat chhorna, phir dekhna ye bhi tumhara saath kabhi nahi chhorenge."

Little Tara took that little idol and hid it. She said that if Choti Maa got to know about it, she would throw it away.

Dharv didn't say anything because he knew that every word spoken by this pure child was true.

As Tara reached the first stair , before letting her foot touch the stairs she first touched the stairs with her hands to take blessings from this sacred place.

Her smile wieden as she looked at the interior of the temple everything was perfect , each desings was showing how creative was that who created this masterpic.

Her thought break when she heard a priest voice who was taking to dharv.

"Khamma ghani kuwarsa" he said repectfully, dharv also nodded.

"khamma ghani rajkumari ji" He said to Tara which was very shocking for her because for her identity dharv himself made sure that nobody get Tara's photo because he don't want her sister to tolerate any kind of misbehaviour in outside world just because of this so called cursed identity.

Tara was shocked but still replied back" khamma ghani"

"bilkul shi samay par aaye h aap dono abhi aarti suru hi wali h " priest said.

"agar aap dono hmare sth aarti me rhte to hme bht acha lgta kuwarsa" he said again.

Dharv looked at Tara exited face then nodded. They both walked enters as they enter a warm and and sacred environment filled with devotion welcomed them . finally stand in front of krisna idol.

.As time flew by, the evening aarti came to an end. After receiving prasad and greeting everyone, they walked towards the lotus pond.

As they walked, Dharv asked, "How was the surprise, Tara?"

"It was amazing, Bhai Sa. I have never seen such a beautiful and sacred temple in my life. Just look at the interiors—every pillar, every corner, and every design reflects devotion. It feels so peaceful," Tara said excitedly. As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the sacred temple.

Dharv simply smiled.

"Bhai Sa, where is this temple? I'm visiting it for the first time," Tara asked curiously.

Hearing her question, Dharv's smile slowly faded. He looked at Tara before saying softly,

"This temple was designed by Badi Maa, Tara."

Tara stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes shifted from Dharv to the magnificent temple standing before her.

Years ago, Vanya and Nandini were devoted followers of Lord Radha Krishna. Since their college days, they had been inseparable best friends. During one of their college projects, they had designed this sacred temple entirely from their imagination.

Veer Rajvansh knew how deeply his wife was devoted to Lord Radha Krishna. So, on her first birthday after their marriage, he gifted her the very temple she had once drawn during her college days, making sure every pillar, carving, and design matched her original artwork as perfectly as possible.

Everyone in the Rajvansh family knew the story behind this temple.

Everyone except Tara.

She had never been told.

After learning that the temple had once existed only in her mother's imagination, Tara looked at it once again. Every carved pillar, every intricate corner, every delicate design... everything was exactly as her mother had imagined it years ago.

A wave of pride filled her heart.

She was the daughter of such a talented and extraordinary woman.

As they reached the lotus pond, Dharv received an important phone call. Excusing himself, he walked a little away to answer it.

Tara slowly walked towards the edge of the pond. She bent slightly, reaching out to gently brush her fingers against the soft lotus petals.

Suddenly, someone running past accidentally bumped into her.

Since she was standing right at the edge, her foot slipped.

Before she could react—

She fell straight into the pond.

The moment she hit the water, panic consumed her. She flailed helplessly, thrashing her arms and legs in every direction. It was painfully clear that she didn't know how to swim.

Seeing her struggle, someone immediately jumped into the pond.

Still fighting to stay above the water, Tara suddenly felt a solid chest in front of her.

Without wasting a second, she tightly wrapped her arms around him and instinctively locked her legs around his waist, clinging to him as though he were her only lifeline.

The man who had jumped into the pond to save her was Rana Rudraksh Singh Rathore.

Rudraksh looked down at Tara.

She was completely wrapped around him, her face buried against his chest as she struggled to catch her breath.

Almost unconsciously, his arms moved around her, holding her securely so she wouldn't slip back into the water.

The moment he did...

Something stirred inside him.

For a few silent moments, they remained like that.

Tara, trembling as she tried to steady her breathing.

And Rudraksh...

Simply staring at the tiny, frightened girl clinging to him, unable to understand why something inside him had suddenly begun to change.

Finally, Rudraksh's gaze shifted to little Anaya. The child stood a few steps away, clutching the edge of her dress as her frightened eyes darted nervously between him and Tara. He looked back at Tara. "Open your eyes."

His deep, husky voice sent a shiver down her spine. Instead of obeying, she instinctively tightened her grip around his neck, burying herself even closer to him.

A faint crease appeared between Rudraksh's brows. "If you don't open your eyes right now," he warned calmly, "I'll leave you exactly like this."

The warning worked instantly.

Tara slowly opened her eyes, but the moment she realized how close they were, heat rushed to her cheeks. Embarrassment washed over her, and she immediately squeezed her eyes shut again.

A tiny sigh escaped Rudraksh.

He gently placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face toward him. Her arms still rested around his neck, though her grip had shifted to the collar of his shirt. Wrapped around him, she could feel the warmth of his body despite the cold pond water, while his steady breaths brushed softly against her face.

Leaning slightly closer, he spoke once again.

"I'm saying this for the last time... Open. Your. Eyes."

Each word carried quiet authority.

Another shiver ran through Tara's body. Gathering every ounce of courage, she slowly opened her eyes.

The moment their gazes met, time seemed to stand still.

Her hazel-brown eyes locked with his dark ones. Fear was clearly visible in Tara's eyes, but Rudraksh's condition was entirely different.

He simply stared.

For the first time in years, the man whose face rarely betrayed any emotion found himself completely captivated.

Those hazel eyes...

They weren't merely beautiful.

They felt endless.

Like an entire universe hidden within them.

The fading rays of the setting sun reflected in them, making them sparkle like countless stars scattered across the night sky.

For a brief moment, everything around him disappeared.

The cold water.

The silent temple.

Even time itself.

Only those eyes remained.

Without realizing it, a single word slipped from his lips.

"...Kainaat."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Tara frowned slightly.

"Huh?"

She hadn't heard him properly.

Rudraksh didn't answer. He simply continued looking at her with the same unreadable expression.

Unable to understand his silence, Tara lowered her gaze.

The instant she noticed their position again, embarrassment flooded her face. Slowly, she loosened her legs from around his waist, though her trembling fingers still clutched the collar of his shirt.

For the first time, she truly looked at him.

Water trickled down his sharp jawline. A few damp strands of hair rested carelessly across his forehead, making him look even more attractive. His neatly trimmed beard enhanced the sharpness of his features, while his dark eyes remained fixed on her without blinking.

For a moment...

She forgot to look away.

"Don't stare at me."

His deep voice pulled her back to reality.

Tara's eyes widened in shock. Realizing she had been openly staring at him, her cheeks turned crimson. She immediately looked away, blinking rapidly.

What was I doing?

Taking a shaky breath, she finally gathered the courage to speak.

"I... I..."

Before another word could leave her lips—

"TARAAA!"

Dharv's panicked voice echoed across the pond.

Tara immediately turned toward the shore. Dharv stood there, his face filled with worry.

"How did you fall, Tara?" he asked anxiously.

Tara remained silent.

What could she possibly say?

Someone had pushed her...

Yet there had been no one behind her.

Then who pushed me?

Her eyes instinctively shifted toward little Anaya.

Did she...?

She immediately dismissed the thought.

No... she couldn't have.

Meanwhile, Dharv quickly searched the surroundings before spotting a long wooden branch lying near the pond. Picking it up, he extended it toward her.

"Tara, hold this."

Without wasting another second, Tara reached for the branch and carefully made her way toward the edge of the pond. As soon as she came close enough, Dharv grabbed her hand and pulled her safely out.

Her entire body trembled from the cold.

Without saying a word, Dharv removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders before guiding her toward the parking area.

Neither of them looked back.

Still standing waist-deep in the water, Rudraksh silently watched their retreating figures.

His face remained expressionless.

Yet something inside him shifted.

Only moments ago, she had been clinging to him as though he were her only refuge.

And now...

She had walked away without even looking back.

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

Who was that man?

"Bade Papa..."

Anaya's timid voice pulled him back to reality.

Rudraksh looked down.

The little girl stood quietly beside the pond, fear still visible in her innocent eyes.

His gaze unconsciously drifted to the place on his shirt where Tara's trembling hands had been clutching him only moments ago.

Then his eyes followed the direction in which she had disappeared.

His expression darkened ever so slightly.

Who was he?

Pushing the thought aside, Rudraksh stepped out of the pond, took Anaya's tiny hand in his own, and silently walked toward his car.

THIS WAS FOR TODAY GUYSSSSS

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