The massive wooden doors groaned open with a heavy, echoing sound.Four towering royal guards stepped inside first, their polished chest armor gleaming under the bright lanterns.
Then, absolute silence hit the room. A powerful man walked in. He looked to be in his late 40s, sporting a neat white beard, a glittering gold turban, and a rich black angarkha.
The entire air in the room changed the second he crossed the threshold.
The young maid immediately lowered her head so low she was looking at the floorboards."Huzoor-e-Aala..."
(Your Imperial Majesty...)My jaw dropped internally.
The Shahenshah. Sitara's actual father.He walked straight to the grand canopy bed and looked down at me from head to toe, his sharp eyes full of deep, paternal worry. He reached out and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Betiya, tum kaisi ho? Tum theek to ho na?"
( My daughter, how are you? You are alright, aren't you?)
Oh wow, I thought, my modern brain was shifting into a sudden panic. This is the big boss.
Act normal, Tara. Just play along and don't ruin this upgrade.
"Jee baba, main bilkul theek hun. Shukriya,"
I said, forcing the sweetest, most polite smile I could manage onto my face.
The Shahenshah frowned slightly, his brow furrowing.
"Tumhein yaad nahi? Tum talab mein kaise gir gayin thin? Chot lag gayi thi sar mein."
( Do you not remember? How did you fall into the lake? You had injured your head.)
Oh, so the original Sitara fell into a lake, I noted quickly. I took a deep breath, composed my features, and said softly, .
"Baba... mujhe kuch yaad nahi aa raha."
The young maid standing by the wall gasped out loud in absolute horror.
"Kya? Bibi Jaan aapki yaadasht chali gayi hai?"
( What? My lady, has your memory vanished?)
The Shahenshah ignored the maid and held my hand gently.
"Do din pehle tumhari mangni thi. Mangni se ek raat pehle tum talab ke paas behosh mili thin."
( Two days ago was your engagement. The night before the engagement, you were found unconscious near the lake.)
Engagement?!
My mind screamed. Who on earth did I get engaged to right after dying in a truck accident?!
"Mangni? Meri mangni thi baba? Kis ke saath?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.
"Rudradev Rathore ke saath," the Shahenshah stated calmly.
My entire brain stopped working.
RUDRADEV RATHORE. THE RUDRADEV RATHORE. The fierce, terrifying king from the historical archives.
The one Sitara was legally supposed to marry.
"WHAT-mera matlab... Oh... achha," I stammered, quickly catching my modern tongue. Pressing a hand against my forehead,
I started my grand theatrical acting.
"Baba, mujhe sar mein bahut dard ho raha hai. Kya aap log thodi der ke liye mujhe akele chhod denge?"
The Shahenshah and the maid exchanged a long, concerned look."Koi baat nahi beti," the Emperor spoke softly, his voice full of understanding. "Hum tumhari mangni ki tareekh aage badha dete hain. Jab tum theek ho jaao, tab."
( No matter, my daughter. We shall postpone the date of your engagement. Once you are fully recovered, then.)
"Jee baba. Shukriya," I murmured, leaning back against the silk pillows.They slowly turned and walked out, the heavy doors closing securely behind them.
The exact second the latch clicked shut, I fell back flat on the bed, throwing my hands over my face.
"Okay, Tara. New plan. Survive. Don't get killed. Don't get married. And somehow figure out how to get back home to Ayaan. Easy."
Ten minutes later, the iron locks clicked again.The young maid walked back into the chamber, trailing behind an old man wearing a simple white linen kurta and carrying a small, polished wooden medicine box.
"Hakeem Sahib aaye hain check karne, Bibi Jaan."(The physician has arrived to examine you, my lady.)
The old physician stepped up to the mattress, adjusted his spectacles, and looked at my face. "Zabaan dikhaiye."(Show me your tongue.)
I opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out, waiting. Wait, is this their entire medical checkup? I thought, my brain was screaming in confusion.
Just looking at my tongue? No blood pressure machine? No CT scan? No stethoscope? Wow, the 17th century is wild.
Hakeem Sahib nodded slowly, packing his wooden box. "Aap theek hain. Bas sar ki chot ko waqt lagega. Aaram kijiye."(. / You are fine. The head injury will simply take some time. Rest well.)
The maid quickly escorted the old doctor out of the chamber. A minute later, she came back inside and stood right near the edge of the bed, nervously twisting the corner of her cotton dupatta.
"Bibi Jaan, aapko kuch chahiye?"( My lady, do you require anything?)I patted the empty space on the velvet mattress next to me.
"Tum yahan baitho mere paas."The girl hesitated instantly.
She looked down at the marble floor, then at my face, and then slowly, carefully sat down on the absolute edge of the mattress, looking as though she was terrified the expensive royal bed would break under her weight."Jee... hukm kijiye Bibi Jaan."( / Yes... give your command, my lady.)
She is completely terrified of me, I realized, looking at her shaking hands.
Poor girl. The original princess must have been a real piece of work
."Daro mat. Main kaat ti nahi hun," I chuckled softly to ease her tension.
"Tum batao, Sitara kaisi thi?"The maid's eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her head low.
"Bibi Jaan bahut suljhi hui thin. Bahut kam bolti thi. Apne kaam se kaam rakhti thi. Bahut himmat waali thi. Padhne mein tez thi. Aur jab bolti thin to hamesha tameez se."
(. / My lady was very composed. She spoke very less. She kept to her own business. She was very courageous. She was brilliant in her studies. And whenever she spoke, it was always with manners.)
Perfect, I thought, staring blankly at the wall. So I am the exact biological opposite of the original Queen. I am incredibly loud, I am extremely nosy, I failed high school physics twice, and I have absolutely zero royal tameez.
"Achha. Aur meri mangni ka kya hai?" I asked, shifting my weight.
"Jee vo to saalo pehle hi the gayi thi. Par aap dono kabhi mile nahi the."
( / Yes, that was decided years ago. But you two have never met before.)
Oh my God, I panicked internally. So I am going to meet the terrifying King Rudradev for the first time during the formal engagement ceremony.
This is going to be an absolute, unmitigated disaster."Theek hai. Tum jaa sakti ho. Mujhe thoda aaram karna hai,"
I said, waving my hand politely."Jee Bibi Jaan."(Jee Bibi Jaan. / Yes, my lady.)
The young maid stood up, bowed gracefully, and quietly exited the grand chamber.
I turned my head, looking up at the carved gold ceiling, and whispered to the empty room. "Chal, Tara. New life, new rules. Let's see how long you actually last in this timeline."
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