The family gathered at the dining table as the dinner was served and so they all settled down to have it together.

"Nanisa Hukum,ab hum dono aa gaye h toh kahi family trip pr jaye? please na hum sabko bht waqt ho gaya h kahi saath gaye huye aur ab toh Bhabhisa bhi aa gayi h,woh bhi kahi ghumi nhi hongi, chaliye ja sab saath mein kahi chalte h"Veer said and everyone stared at him.

"Ha Nanisa Hukum kahi chalte h na hum sab"Gauravi too said.

"Hum busy h iss waqt"Shiv already stated so that they don't blame him in the future for not being a part of the plan.

"Bhaisa!!!!"Gauravi said.

"Pratap yeh kya baat hui?hum sab itne samay baad saath h aur aap h ki kaam mein lage h"Nanisa Hukum said.

"Kaam bht zaruri h Nanisa Hukum,aur agle hafte hamara polo match bhi toh h,phir uske baad toh Diwali aa rahi h,aapko toh pata hi h na Diwali mein kitna kuch krna padta h"Shiv said and his Nanisa Hukum nodded at that.

"Haa aur issbaar toh Iti ki pehli Diwali h yaha Mahal mein aur hum sabke saath"Nanisa Hukum said.

"Pr bhaisa kahi ghumne chalte h na please!!"Veer still pleaded.

"Aap dono hokr aaiye"Nanisa Hukum said.

"Sirf hum dono honge toh kya maza aayega Nanisa Hukum"Gauravi said.

"Ek kaam kijiye Papa free honge,aur bhuasa,dadisa bhi free honge,unke saath chale jaiye aap dono,phir sirf aap dono nhi honge"Shiv said and both Gauravi and Veer narrowed their eyes hearing that.

"Rehne dijiye phir toh hum dono hi chale jayenge"Gauravi said.

"Wahi!bhuasa bht irritating h!unke saath kahi jaane se accha h hum ghar pr hi bethe rahe"Veer said and Shiv shook his head in disapproval.

Iti was a silent suspector as she didn't knew what was the issue in hand.

"Aisa nhi bolte h Veer"Shiv said.

"Pr woh h bhaisa!hame bilkul nhi pasand papa aur unke parivaar wale,sab ek jese hi h"Veer said and Shiv and his Nanisa Hukum sighed.

"Aapko unn sabse milkr aana chahiye,2 din ho gaye h aapko yaha aaye"Nanisa Hukum said.

"Hame nhi jaana"Veer said.

"Veer"Shiv said.

"Hum kal chale jayenge Bhaisa...pr sirf lunch tak rukenge waha,usse zyada waqt nhi bita sakte hum unke saath"Gauravi said and Shiv nodded at that while Veer still sulked with the thought of meeting his father's family.

"Acha,aap dono Aradhya ke saath jaa sakte h ghumne ke liye,woh kal hi aayi h Udaipur kisi kaam se,1-2 din mein wapas Jaipur jaa rahi h,aa chahe toh unke saath Jaipur jaa sakte h,aapko acche ghumayengi woh,aur aapko maza bhi aayega unke saath"Shiv said and Veer and Gauravi smiled hearing that.

As soon as Shiv mentioned Aradhya,Iti frowned.

Aradhaya was the one he loved right?

The one he had introduced as his best friend to Iti on her first day here.

"Acha h!!!Aradhya jiji toh ekdam best h!"Veer said.

"Ha Jaipur chale jaatein h!"Gauravi too said and Shiv smiled at her then.

Iti didn't feel good hearing her name from Shiv for some unknown reason.

The dinner then continued and they all retired to their bedroom after sometime.

Iti changed into a simple night dress and settled on the bed with a book she wanted to start reading.

She wasn't sleepy because she had slept a lot during the day.

Shiv too changed and settled on the bed,but he was sleepy.

"So jaiye Iti"Shiv said but Iti didn't respond to that.

Shiv removed the blanket from his face and stared at her.Her eyes fixed on the book as the soft light radiated on her face from the bedside lamp.

"Iti so jaiye bht raat ho chuki h"Shiv again said but Iti still didn't respond.

Shiv understood she was still upset with their lil argument from the evening.

"Aap bht choti si baat pr gussa ho rahi h"Shiv stated.

"Aapke liye choti si baat hogi Shiv!!hamare liye nhi h!"Iti said and Shiv just stared at her.

Iti wouldn't have stretched the matter but hearing Aradhaya's name has made her more mad at him for some unknown reason and so that's why she was ignoring him.

"Hame aise rehne ki aadat nhi h!aisa lagta h saans bhi lenge toh bhi log hame hi dekhenge!!!kya hum shanti se apni marzi se apni pasand ka khana bhi enjoy nhi kr sakte apni family ke saath?uski bhi news banani h logo ko!!ek toh wese hi itni security saath hoti h hamare hamesha!!hum nhi h comfortable itne saare logo ke beech!!!hame accha nhi lagta!!!......pure 1 mahine mein yeh sirf dusri baar hi hum ghar se bahar nikle the!usmein bhi yeh sab ho gaya!!!aisa hoga toh hame bahar hi nhi jaana h kabhi!"Iti said as hot tears poured down her eyes without her knowledge.

It was all pent up emotions that were coming out now.

She missed her family,this house was huge and nobody was there to talk to.

It isn't as if she is not liking it here but she is still not able to accept it all, it's all too much.

People expect too much from her which she doesn't like.

Shiv tried to wipe her tears but Iti didn't let him do it,she herself wiped her tears and Shiv sighed.

"Aapko kya accha nhi lag raha h?"Shiv couldn't help but ask.

"Sab kuch"Iti said and Shiv frowned after hearing that.

"Iti....

"Chodiye,aap nhi samjhenge,ulta hame hi samjhna padega"Iti said as she kept the book aside and was about to get up from the bed but couldn't as Shiv held her wrist again.

"Chodiye hamara haath"Iti said as more tears flowed down her eyes.

"Iti"Shiv said softly as he made her sit beside him and wiped her tears.

"Thik h,agar aapko media se itni nafrat h toh hum make sure karenge ki aage se aap kahi bhi jaaye media aapko pareshan nhi karegi"Shiv said and Iti nodded her head at that.

"Aur koi sikayat?"He asked.

"Hum apne ghar jaa sakte h thode dino ke liye?"Iti asked as she looked at him with those teary eyes.

"Bilkul jaa sakti h pr Diwali ke baad, please"Shiv said and Iti pouted hearing that.

"Sirf 10 din baad Diwali h Iti,aur Mahal mein bht dhum dham se Diwali manayi jaati h,bht saari cheezein h jo aapko aur hame saath krni h,jese hi Diwali khatam ho jayegi hum khud aapko aapke ghar chodkr aayenge,pakka!"Shiv said and Iti nodded her head at that then.

"Ab rona band kijiye Iti"Shiv said as he couldn't help but wipe her tears and Iti didn't protest this time.

"Wese itni si baat pr kon rota h?"Shiv teased her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hamare liye yeh itni si baat nhi h"Iti said and he nodded his head at that then.

"Acha ab so jaiye"Shiv said and she just nodded but her actions were different.

She again picked up the book and started reading it.

Shiv shook his head at her actions and settled on the bed.

Next morning,

Iti was in the library yet again doing some office work which Shiv had sent for her through his PA.

The knock on the door disturbed her and Iti looked up and saw a househelp.

"Ranisa,Aradhya Baisa aaiye h"The Househelp said and Iti nodded her head at her and got up.

The only disadvantage of working from home for Iti was that whenever someone would arrive in the palace she would have to go and meet them because nobody else is present except her.

Iti corrected her saree and walked out of the library into the living room where a young lady sat.

"Khamma Ghani Ranisa"Aradhya said in a fun-filled voice.

Iti too folded her hands in greeting.

"Bethiye na aap,hum aapke liye refreshments mangwate h"Iti said as the two settled down.

"Nhi,nhi,hum bas Veer aur Gauravi ko lene aaye the"Aradhya said.

"Woh dono bas aa hi rahe honge"Iti said.

"Wese aapse milna chahte the hum"Aradhya said making Iti frown at that.

Why?

"Hamara matlab h Pratap hamare bht acche dost h,isliye aapse bhi milna chahte the hum,uss din toh aap bht busy thi aur baaki logo se mil rahi thi toh itni baat nhi ho paayi hamari aapse"Aaradhya said with a smile and Iti remembered she was talking about the night when Iti was introduced as the Queen and a whole feast was arranged in her honour.

"Pratap office mein honge na?"Aradhya further asked and Iti nodded at that.

She called him Pratap!

Even Iti doesn't has the right to call him Pratap!

Pratap was something his family and closed ones called him right?

Why was she calling him Pratap then?

Offcourse she could do that!They were childhood Friends!

Iti shook those thoughts away and wished for her to leave soon so that she could go back into her safe sanctuary.

The Library.

"Wese aapko kabhi hamare mahal aana chahiye"Aradhya further stated and Iti yet again nodded at that.

"Pratap sahi kehte h,aap bht kam bolti h"Aradhya said and Iti frowned hearing that.

Shiv talks about Iti with her?

Why?

"Nhi aisa nhi h"Iti said with a small smile.

Soon enough Gauravi and Veer arrived with their luggage and the trio left after bidding by to Iti.

____________________________

"Iti"Shiv's voice reached her ears and Iti looked away from the file she was working on and found him standing at the library door.

Iti checked the time and it was already 7pm.

She had lost track of time again!

"Aap aa gaye"Iti stared as she closed the file and kept it neatly on the table.

"Aap jaldi se ready ho jayengi?"Shiv asked making her frown at that.

"Kyu?"She asked.

"Kyuki hum bahar jaa rahe h dinner krne ke liye"Shiv said and Iti was a bit confused but nodded at that and moved towards him towards the door.

"Achanak kyu?"Iti asked as the two walked towards their chamber.

"Sab bahar h aur Nanisa Hukum bhi apne party ke logo ke saath dinner krnewali h,toh sirf do logo ke liye kyu staff ko pareshan krna"Shiv stated as he waited for her objection but it didn't came.

"Agar aap nhi chahti toh hum ghar pr hi reh sakte h"Shiv said but Iti shook her head in denial at that.

"Thik h toh jaldi se taiyaar ho jaiye"Shiv said and Iti nodded and went towards the wardrobe.

"Hum kya pehne?"Iti turned around and asked him.

Shiv didn't knew about all these things.

"Aapko jo thik lage pehen lijiye"Shiv said and she sighed.

"Matlab saree pehene ya kuch aur pehen sakte h?"Iti asked and he thought about it.

"Aapko jo pehenna h aap pehen sakti h Iti koi aapko kuch nhi kehnewala h"Shiv said and Iti stared at him for a moment before she spoke.

"Jeans-top chalega?"Iti asked because she thought she was a queen and so she had to wear modest and traditional all the time.

"Aapki jo marzi ho aap pehen sakti h"Shiv said and Iti nodded.

"Agar humne Western pehene aur wapas koi article aa gaya hamari clothing pr toh?"Iti still asked because she didn't wanted yet another breaking news.

"Hum sambhal lenge,jaiye aur change krke aaiye"Shiv said and Iti finally gave him a small smile and nodded.

Iti came out wearing a plain white crop top and jeans with a warm jacket because it was freezing cold in Udaipur at nights especially.



She kept her long hair open because she wasn't in a mood to style them and just applied face cream,a lil powder and a lil gloss.

Shiv was ready in a dark green sweatshirt and jeans.

"Chale?"Iti asked as she turned and looked at him and he nodded as he saw her.

They made their way out of the palace,Shiv took the keys from the driver and sat on the driving seat after making Iti sit in the passenger seat.

He drove them to a nice restaurant which wasn't that big but had a nice ambience and a cosy vibe.

Iti thought he would take her to a big 5 star kind of hotel but this was something different.

They walked inside and the staff seemed to know him.

Offcourse they knew who he was.

He was the king of Udaipur.

"Ranasa aaiye aaiye...Ranisa aaiye aaiye"The manager said as he ran to escort then inside.

They were taken inside the AC section were already a few families were sitting having their dinner.

Shiv pulled a chair for Iti and made her sit and then sat infront of her.

The people surely were staring at them because they seemed to recognise who they were but luckily till now nobody had approached them.

"Hum aise restaurant mein khana khane aa sakte h?"Iti couldn't help but ask because it wasn't a place she thought a king or queen would dine ever.

"Kyu aapko sahi nhi lagi jagah?"Shiv asked frowning at her question.

"Nhi achi jagah h,hame laga tha aap aisi jagah pr nhi khaate honge"Iti said and Shiv further frowned at that.

But then he understood why she said that.

"Yeh hamari mumma ka favourite restaurant h,hum sab yaha aksar aate h dinner krne"Shiv said and Iti then understood.

Though imagining the royal family dining at a small restaurant did seemed a lil hard to believe but Iti trusted his word.

When he had not introduced his mother she had googled about her and she had got to know that she passed away when he was only 15.

"Jagah thodi choti h pr yaha ka taste bht accha h"Shiv said and Iti nodded at that.

Soon enough a waiter came bringing a menu for them.

"Wese yaha ka pizza bhi bht accha hota h"Shiv said as he saw her browsing through the menu.

Iti stared at him and then saw that Pizza was in the menu.

She knew what she had to order then.

The waiter came to take their order and Shiv ordered for himself while Iti had already told him her order which consisted of a pizza,peri-peri fries and a chocolate shake.

Though Shiv didn't approve of such dinner he let her have whatever she wanted because the whole idea of taking her for dinner was so that she could relax and feel a lil good about staying here.

Yesterday night when she had cried infront of him he had understood that it wasn't just about the media thing.

She was sad as she was away from her family and from her usual comfort zone.

He has been observing her a lot now a days and he has come to the conclusion that Iti was a reserved,shy and socially awkward person.

And getting married to him means contradicting all these qualities because she would have to have social encounters more often than usual and also she would have to speak more than she usually likes to do.

He doesn't has a problem letting her visit her family for a few days but the thing was Diwali was around the corner and it always is a grand celebration but this year it would be more grand because Udaipur had finally got it's new Ranisa.

So not only will the Rathod Family celebrate it grandly but the people of Udaipur will celebrate it grandly too.

He came out of his thoughts when he saw Iti staring at the plate trying not to have eye contact with anyone.

He smiled softly seeing that.

"Iti"Shiv called out and she stared at him.

"Hum jaante h ki yeh aapke liye unfair h ki aapko suddenly itne log dekh rahe h,itne log judge kr rahe h,itni saari expectations h aapse,trust me I know how it feels when you are being burdened with something you aren't ready for.....pr sach yahi h ki hum iska kuch nhi kr sakte....hum aapko thoda waqt zarur de sakte h iss sabse use too hone ke liye,pr aaj nhi toh kal aapko isse accept krna hi padega...and I know this isn't something you want....but this is the reality now"Shiv said and Iti kept staring at him not knowing what she should say.

"Hum jaante h hamari wajah se hi aa...

"Aapki wajah se nhi,hum iss sab mein apni wajah se h,aapki akele ki galti nhi h Shiv"Iti said and Shiv sighed.

She can't forget that he was binded with her for life because of her safety.

He had just tried to save her, protect her.

If anyone,he should be the one blaming her for getting married to him without his will.

And even after that he accepted it and has been genuinely trying to make her comfortable,it's just she isn't able to accept it.

But gradually she would.

"Hum samjhte h aap kya keh rahe h aur hum try karenge settle hone ki,hame bas.......thoda waqt chahiye "Iti said with a sigh and Shiv nodded at that then.

Before he could say anything the waiter arrived with their order and started serving them.

Iti had a bite of the pizza and moaned at it's taste.She loves pizza.

"Pizza aapka favourite h?"Shiv couldn't help but ask even though he knew the answer.

"Sabse zyada"Iti said with a smile and Shiv smiled hearing that.