Shiv was sitting in the study checking the PPT his employee had sent him regarding the new deal.

A sudden knock on the door made him stare at the door as he asked the person to come inside.

"Aap ab tak soyi nhi?"Shiv asked as he saw his sister walking in with a small smile.

"Neend nhi aa rahi thi,aap kya kr rahe h?"Gauravi asked as she took a seat in front of him.

"Bas kuch kaam kr rahe the, Veer so gaye?"Shiv asked.

"Kabke so gaye woh toh"Gauravi said making Shiv smile hearing that.

"Unki padhai kesi chal rahi h?khush h na New York mein woh?"Shiv asked the same thing he used to ask her over phone calls too.

"Sab thik h,pr ab thode udaas ho jayenge woh kyuki hum toh abse yahi rehnewale h"Gauravi said and Shiv nodded at that because she had taken over his mother's foundation and so she would stay here and look after it from now on as she was done with her master's too.

"Thode time baad woh khud yaha aa jayenge"Shiv said and Gauravi nodded her head at that.

"Hamari chodiye aap apne baare mein bataiye"Gauravi said and Shiv stared at her in confusion.

What did she wanted to know about him?

"Hamare baare mein kya?"Shiv asked.

"Aapke baare mein nhi bhabhisa ke baare mein"Gauravi said making him more curious now.

"Iti ke baare mein kya jaanna h aapko?"Shiv asked.

"Janna nhi h puchna h unke baare mein"Gauravi said making him sigh.

"Paheliyon mein baatein mat kijiye aap,jo puchna h seedhe seedhe puchiye"Shiv said and she nodded.

"Bhabhisa aapko naam se bulati h"Gauravi said directly coming to the point.

"Hamari biwi h woh"Shiv stated simply but Gauravi shook her head at that not believing it.

Just because she was his wife doesn't mean he would allow her to call him by his name when that right wasn't even given to his own Nanisa Hukum!

"Aap bhi jaante h ki aap kisi ko bhi aapka naam lene nhi dete the mumma ke alawa,koi aapko Shiv bula hi nhi sakta unke alawa,baaki sabke liye aap sirf Pratap h,sirf unke liye Shiv the"Gauravi said and Shiv took a deep breath hearing that.

All his life only his mother,Princess Diya Kumari had the right to call him Shiv.

Not even his own father could call him that.

For the rest of the family and other people it was always Pratap.

Shiv was reserved just for his mother, nobody else has ever dared to call him that,he has never allowed it to anybody.

Iti was the second person and the only one after his mother who has called him Shiv.

He still remembers the first time she had called him that at the fort where they both had met for the first time,he couldn't deny her.He didn't asked her to not take his name and address him as Pratap as everyone else does.

He himself doesn't knows why he allowed that.

Even now she is the only one who calls him Shiv,he has still not asked her to call him Pratap instead.

He likes hearing his name from her mouth.

All these years since his mother has passed away he had yearned to hear his name.

He was Shiv after all,not Pratap.

With his mother's death it was as if his identity too died,Shiv had died.

As Iti came in his life,Shiv came back to life too.

He likes hearing her address him as Shiv,he feels like himself whenever she does that,it is as if he is again trying to become the same person he was before his mother's death.

That day on the pooja,when she had wore his mother's poshak he was left speechless.

He didn't knew how he should have reacted to it?

He still doesn't knows what he should have said to her.

It was his mother's poshak that she was wearing,he had seen those clothes after years.They weren't just clothes for him,they were memories.

His mother's memories.

He still has a clear image of his mother wearing those on special events or mostly festivals.

He doesn't allows anyone to even enter in his mother's room except his Nanisa Hukum and his siblings.

Gauravi does visits that room sometimes but Veer never goes there,he was very young when their mother passed away and so he always had seen Nanisa Hukum as a motherly figure in his life.

Shiv,on the other hand has never mustered the courage to go to that room,never in these years has he stepped into those doors again.

Though it held precious memories,it also carried a reminder that those moments were just memories now and nothing of that sort can ever happen again.

So seeing his wife wearing something that belonged to his late mother did stirr a lot of emotions within him but he as always didn't let them out and chose to be silent about it.

He wasn't angry with her though for wearing his mother's poshak.

She holds a special place in his life now,he doesn't know why but she does.

"Jaante h,pr woh bula sakti h hame Shiv,sirf wahi bula sakti h"Shiv said and Gauravi smiled hearing that.

The fact that he has allowed Iti to address him as Shiv was big!!!

She was worried when she had heard the rumours about his wedding,she somewhere knew that this was marriage was not at all planned and not something his brother had wanted.

She was worried he was forced to be with someone he didn't wanted to maybe!

But since the moment she has arrived here and heard her bhabhisa address him as Shiv,she knew in that exact moment that her brother has accepted her truly.

"Acha,sirf bhabhisa bula sakti h aapko wese?"Gauravi said with a hint of tease in her voice.

"Haa sirf wahi kyuki Udaipur ki Ranisa ko hi haq h hame Shiv kehkr pukarne ka"Shiv said because his mother was the previous queen and now Iti is the new queen of Udaipur.

Gauravi nodded at that.

"Hame laga tha yeh shadi zabardasti wali h,hame laga aap khush nhi h iss cheez se"Gauravi said.

She will be honest,she wasn't too pleased to meet whoever her bhabhisa was but when she met Iti and she saw how the two were with eachother,she was relieved.

"Aisa kuch bhi nhi h Gauravi"Shiv said.

"Pr aap unhe jaante nhi the na isliye hame aisa laga tha"Gauravi said.

"Jaanne ke liye toh puri zindagi padi h hamare paas"Shiv said and Gauravi nodded her head at that.

"Unhe yaha sach mein acha lag raha h na bhaisa?bhabhisa bht chup chup rehti h yaha"Gauravi said sharing her concern.

She had seen Iti talk very less.

"Iti bht shant h,zyada baatein nhi krti,unhe sirf apni kitabon mein dube rehna pasand h"Shiv said with a small smile.

He was missing her.

Even though they have talked less,spent less time with eachother,her absence was something he couldn't ignore or be okay with.

The already quiet room appeared more quiet because of her absence.

Atleast if she would have been there he would have heard the rustling of the pages of the book she would have been reading or her whispering something to her parents as she talked to them at night.

Also the library has been unvisited and empty without her or else he would always find her sitting comfortably on the couch with a book in her lap.

She hasn't called him even once since  she has gone to Mumbai.

It has been three days and he has received no updates from her.

She hasn't gone out because the guards he had appointed for her had notified him that Iti hasn't gone anywhere yet.

"Bada jaan gaye h aap bhabhisa ko lagta h"Gauravi again teased him and he rolled his eyes at that.

"Jaakr so jaiye aap abhi,bht raat ho chuki h"Shiv said as even he got up and shut his laptop.

"Aur aap jaakr apni biwi se baat kijiye"Gauravi teased him and ran from there.

Shiv shook his head at her antics and walked towards his chamber.

The empty bed made him sigh again.

She hasn't even told him for how many days she has gone.

One must atleast call the other one right?

It was as if she has forgotten she has a husband too.

He went and laid down on the bed trying to fall asleep as his mind kept him occupied with her thoughts.

Mumbai,

Iti came and sat on the living room as she had a bath and was dressed in a comfortable cord set with shorts and matching t-shirt.

She had missed dressing like this a lot,she had to wear sarees in Udaipur because she was the Queen.

"Naashta lag gaya h aaiye aap bhi"Aayat said as she dragged Kabir to the dining table who still seemed sleepy.

Iti nodded and settled on the dining table but made a face as she saw the paratha,she wasn't a fan of paratha since her childhood.

"Aapne hamare liye sandwich nhi banaya mumma?"Iti asked but Aayat shook her head in denial at that.

"Tin din se aap sandwich hi kha rahi h breakfast mein,aaj paratha khaiye,roz roz bread nhi khani chahiye"Aayat said making Iti pout hearing that.

"Wahi,yeh tera Raj Mahal nhi h ki tu Hukum chalayegi aur woh ban jayega"Aashray teased her and Iti narrowed her eyes at him.

"Wahi yaha tera nhi chalega yaha sirf dadi ka chalega"Kabir said laughing at her.

"Hum koi hukum nhi chalate waha pr bhi,okay!"Iti said.

"Rehene de,waha pr tujhe kon h bolne  wala?yaha toh mumma papa daant dete h,jo marzi khaa tu waha"Aashray said.

"Aisa nhi hota h okay!unke yaha khane ka sab Nanisa Hukum dekhti h,aur kitchen staff wahi sab banata h,aur woh sab log sirf healthy khana khate h,zyada tala hua nhi banta,snacks nhi bante,aur bahar ka khana toh aata hi nhi h ghar pr,hum itne time se roz healthy hi khaa rahe the waha"Iti said.

"Toh achi baat h na,ismein kya dikkat h,acha h aap healthy khaa rahi h"Hriday said.

"Dekha,yaha toh itne nakhre krti thi yeh sasural jaakr ekdam sudhar gayi"Twinkle dadi said and Iti pouted hearing that.

"Nhi aisa nhi h,waha koi khaata hi nhi h junk food,toh banega bhi kyu?"Iti said because in her law's did eat healthy home cooked food.

"Haa Raja waghera toh aisa sab hi khaate honge proper khana types"Shivansh chachu said making Iti nod at that.

"Pr aisa bhi nhi h,woh log na bht saara khana banwate h"Iti said and they didn't understood that.

"Matlab 3-4 type ki sabziyan,dal,alag alag type ke chawal,aisa lagta h bada sa buffet ki khola ho"Iti said and they understood then.

"Aee pagal!woh royal log h, obviously variety chahiye unko,wese bhi unhe kya fark padta hoga agar khana waste ho toh bhi,unke paas bht saara h,they can afford it"Aashray said.

"Haa obviously "Shivansh chachu too said.

"Pr aise itna kyu banwana jitna khaya hi na jaata ho,khana waste krna koi achi baat toh nhi h"Pankhuri dadi said.

"Aisa nhi h choti dadi,woh log waste nhi krte khane ko,jo khana banta h woh sabke liye banta h,staff ke liye,guards ke liye,unki families ke liye aur hamare liye,sabke liye ek jesa hi,aur yeh log khana waste nhi krte,jo bhi plate mein serve kiya ho na sab khaa lete h,bhale woh kesa bhi ho,annna ka apmaan nhi krte woh"Iti said,not knowing why she felt the need to let them all know that her in-laws weren't from those people who didn't understood the value of food.

"Ohho,yeh toh abhi se apne sasural walo ki side lene lagi"Abeer chachu teased her and Iti looked away feeling shy about it.

She wasn't taking anybody's side,she was just letting them know what the truth was,they would think bad about her husband and his family otherwise.

"Chaliye ab jaldi se paratha khaiye thanda ho jaiye,aap bhi annna ka apmaan mat kijiye ab"Aayat said smiling at her and Iti pouted but nodded and started eating the paratha.

"Toh baaki sab kesa h waha?"Hriday asked.

"Bht accha h papa,aur itni badi library h na wah....

"Hazar baar aap hame library ke baare mein bata chuki h Iti,hame uske alawa jaana h"Hriday said and Iti again pouted.

"Aur kya jaannaa h?"Iti asked then.

"Unka baaki parivar kesa h?kese treat krte h aapko?"Hriday asked,he had been giving her time these past 3 days and not jumping on interrogation,but now he couldn't have anymore patience.

"Sab acche h,Nanisa Hukum thodi si strict lagti h pr bht sweet bhi h,ab tak toh unhone hame daanta nhi h,aur Gauravi bhi bht acchi h,woh aur Veer dono hame entertain krte h kabhi kabhi,bas aur koi nhi h unki family mein"Iti said and the other's frowned hearing that.

"Tere saas-sasur ka kya scene h?"Twinkle dadi asked.

"Inki saas ab iss duniya mein nhi h"Hriday said and Iti nodded hearing that.

"Aur sasur?"Pankhuri dadi asked.

"Shiv ke papa ki family hamare saath nhi rehti,Shiv apni Nanisa Hukum ke saath rehte h"Iti said what she knew.

"Unke papa royal family se nhi h,unki mumma ek Princess thi,toh iss wajah se unke Nanu ki death ke baad Pratap ko 11 saal ki umar mein hi Udaipur ke Raja banaye gaye the,isliye woh apni Nani ki side ki family ka surname bhi use krte h aur unke saath hi rehte h,wese unke maa-papa ka divorce ho gaya tha jab woh kaafi chote the toh uske baad se woh aur unke bhai-behen unki maa ke saath rehte the,unki maa tab Udaipur ki Ranima thi,unki death ke baad wapas unki Nanisa Ranima ban gayi,jab Pratap mature huye tab unhe King ka title aur responsibility mili"Hriday said and everyone made an O face hearing that.

Iti herself was surprised hearing all that.She herself didn't knew so much about the family dynamics.

How did her papa knew all this?

"Aapko yeh sab kese pata papa?"Iti couldn't help but ask.

"Agar aap apni kitabi duniya se kabhi bahar aayengi toh aapko pata chalega asli duniya mein kya ho raha h"Aayat said and Iti pouted hearing that.

"Jab aap,hum aur aapki mumma Udaipur mein the,tab Pratap ki maa,Ranisa Diya Kumari zinda thi, obviously hame unke baare mein pata tha tab hum Udaipur mein hi toh rehte the na?"Hriday said and that made sense.

Bht still she felt stupid not knowing all this.She had spent 1 month with them and didn't knew anything about them.

She somewhere felt bad for Shiv thinking he had got the responsibility when he was quite young.

He was just 11.

Plus he lost his mother too.

Also his father didn't lived with them.

His Nanisa Hukum had raised then all on her own.

Somewhere she felt bad for him that he had to face so many things in his life,it wasn't pity though.

Because she had spent time with him,she had lived with him that's why she knew how good he was,but knowing the struggle and grief he might have gone through made her respect him more.

Iti can't imagine her life without her parents.

And here Shiv lost one permanently and the other wasn't present even though he was alive.

That must have been painful.

She kept thinking about Shiv the whole time as she had her breakfast.

Post that she excused herself and went to her room but his thoughts still didn't left her mind.

Life wasn't harsh for her but it seemed it was for him.

Without thinking anything she dialled his number.

Before she could cut it it was picked up and she heard his thick manly voice.

"Hello"His voice came.

"H...Hello"Iti stuttered.

"Kya hua Iti?"His voice was calm.

"Kuch nhi"Iti instantly said.

Maybe calling him impulsively was a bad idea.

What should she say now?

He must be busy and she has disturbed him.

"Aap busy h,hum baadmein krte h"Iti said trying to get away from the situation.

"Nhi hum free h filhal,aap kahiye kyu phone kiya tha"Shiv asked and Iti bit her tongue at that.

What should she say now?

She can't say that she felt bad hearing about his harsh childhood and so she without thinking anything called him.

"Hame nhi pata tha aapne hamare parivaar ke liye Diwali gifts bheje the"Iti quickly said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Ji,pr ab toh dono families ke beech ek relation h na?aur taiyohaaron pr kuch dena hota h Iti"Shiv said calmly as if explaining this to a lil kid.

"Ji"Iti said.

"Yeh bolne ke liye aapne hame call kiya tha?"Shiv again asked.

"Nhi woh...

"Woh kya?"Shiv asked.

"Woh hum 1 hafte bad aayenge wapas"Iti instantly said and again regretted it.

One week!

She wanted to stay more.

"Bas?aap chahe toh aur ruk sakti h"Shiv said.

"Phir 2 hafte baad aaye?"Iti asked and Shiv chuckled hearing that.

"Aap apna mann bana lijiye ki kab aana h,phir hame bata dijiyega "Shiv said and Iti nodded but then spoke as he couldn't see her nod.

"Ji"Iti said.

"Yahi kehna tha aapko?"Shiv again asked.

"Ji"Iti said.

Both of them didn't say anything then,silence followed for a few mins.

"Thik h,hum rakhe phir?"Shiv asked and Iti agreed and they hung up.

She took a sigh of relief.

She was this close to making fun of herself in front of him.

She immediately turned on the Google and searched her husband's name.

She needed to know whatever she could get more about him,she was so stupid she hadn't searched about him before.

She would have already known these things.

SHIV PRATAP SINGH RATHOD

A photo appeared and Iti stared at it for a min because he looked too handsome.

She shook her head and then scrolled more.

Completed master's in business administration.

National Polo Player

Caption of Udaipur Polo Team

Crown King of Udaipur,Rajas

than

Pet name-Pratap

Began playing polo when he was 12.

Iti then looked at an article and clicked on it.

The Prince of Udaipur is Dyslexic.

Iti frowned reading that.

Was he dyslexic?

But then she remembered that Shiv couldn't tie his shoelaces,he wasn't able to navigate maps.

But many people can't do it right?

Maybe it was just a false news.