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THE news hit Vidya so hard like a bomb, jeez, this was the least of her expectations right now, the least. My gee! What has Raghav done? What has he done to her?
“What!” She shouted again and stood up this time, “what did you just say?” She asked, looking at Roshni, who stood up too, as she tried calming her down.
“You can’t tell me to calm down, you can’t tell me to calm down after hearing such disheartening and heartbreaking news, jeez”, she lamented, then began pacing about the room.
“Rina is preg what? God! This is still unbelievable”, she said, putting her both hands on her head.
“Calm down Vidya, just calm down okay, please”, Roshni kept pleading with her.
“Do you know that had been my very next action as soon as Raghav returns?” She turned to Roshni.
“Your next action? How?” She asked, looking befuddled.
“I had already planned to get pregnant for him, anyhow, even if it means stealing his sperm to do it”, she lamented.
“My gee! Really?” Now Roshni was seeing it the way she was. Initially, Roshni had thought it was a welcome news, that they would just deal with her.
“My plans has just been ruined and shattered. Why must it have to be Rina, that pauper, that enemy of mine, why?” She cried.
Roshni was quiet, she was thinking of something, her thoughts raced to and fro.
“If Raghav gets to hear of this, my dear I’m finished, I’m done with. He is gonna make her his bride, because she is with his child”, Vidya kept lamenting.
Roshni’s thinking came to an end, she has just thought of something. She turned to Vidya.
“How about you tell the Queen, and let her take actions? Yes, Raghav gonna accept the child but Queen Arya, are you sure she would? Rina is a pauper, her family are paupers, and the Queen detests paupers like cancer. Think about it”, Roshni said, twisting her lips.
“Tell the Queen”, Vidya said, repeating what she has just heard.
Roshni nodded.
“Yes, tell her. She might eliminate whatever way this news gonna get to Raghav, or any other. Come on, go tell her before it becomes late”, Roshni nudged her.
Vidya simpered, that was the solution, that was it. That was the only thing she could do right now to avoid any hindrance to her supposed ‘bride of the Prince’.
“And not just that, you can use the opportunity to tell her everything now. The things he had got for her, the benefits, everything”, Roshni added.
Vidya smiled so broadly, that it turned into a laugh, a sarcastic one. Gee! She’s been wanting to do that, now, here comes the opportunity.
“I will do just that, straight away”, she began looking around for her jacket. She saw it on the bed and went to pick it up. Roshni nodded in satisfaction.
“You stay right here and wait for me, I will be back”, she said as she put on the jacket.
“I await good news”, Roshni said and flopped on the bed, Vidya walked out, heading for the door. She just couldn’t wait to tell this to the Queen.
***
They got back home in silence, Rina and her mother. They had been silent throughout their voyage back home, mother wasn’t talking to daughter, daughter wasn’t talking to mother.
They finally got home and Rina carefully sat down on the couch, she was so tired.
Her mom left her and went into her room, and after few minutes, came out again. She was just pacing about.
Rina saw her and sighed, why was she agitated? To her, it was a good news and she couldn’t wait to tell it to Raghav.
Children are gifts from God and not bad news, so why the fear? Even if it had come at the wrong time, and at the wrong scenario, they will still have no option than to accept the reality.
Initially, she had been scared, really scared. The normal eerie feeling that follows a teenager who just discovered she is pregnant out of wedlock.
What about school? What about what people will say? Her future? She as a person, was she ready to mother and nurture a child? Nurse a baby till he or she grows?
Not just that, but pregnant for someone whose mother detests and hates on her like poison.
But then the fear and feeling eluded her, when she discovered it wasn’t her doings, but fate’s.
Fate had done this, and what else can she do? Nothing but just to accept her fate.
“Tell this to no one”, Selena suddenly said, disrupting her thoughts.
Huh? Rina looked up at her.
“Why?” She demanded.
The mother turned to her. Really? Really Rina? She was asking her why?
“It seems you are yet to know the family you come from, keep this low and tell no one, while I rally around and think of what to do”, she said.
This got Rina peeved, why the hell would her mother say that? They are paupers yes, agreed, but that doesn’t change the fact that she, Rina, the pauper is pregnant for the royal Prince.
And besides, Raghav has every right to know he was expecting a child with her, this is his baby, his offspring.
“That doesn’t still change the fact mother”, she disagreed, “I am pregnant for the Prince, he needs to know, he really does”, she said.
Selena sighed and folded her arms, looking intently at her daughter.
“And his mother? The Queen? What happens if she hears of it too?” She asked.
Her eyes twitched.
“But she isn’t gonna hear of it, not until someone tells her, and I know Raghav won’t, at least not until things become normal”, she said.
“Rina the walls has ears, have you heard of that saying before?” She rhetorically asked and Rina’s shoulders fell.
“Unseen ears that carries whatever word you speak into the ears of humans, don’t you know?” She added.
Rina heaved a sigh, now she was more than confused. How would she not let the father of the unborn know?
“And I do hope you didn’t tell anyone that you are sick? I mean before now that you just discovered the cause of the sickness?” She asked.
This made Rina laugh inwardly, what if she had done that? Like she didn’t know what prompted her, she just decided to keep the sickness saga away from all of them, none of them knew.
“No I didn’t”, she replied.
“Good, good of you”, Selena applauded her.
“By the way, I haven’t even really talked to you since we returned”, Selena said and Rina looked up at her.
“Rina why would you let this happen to you? Why would you choose to bring me shame Rina? Why?” She asked, her voice was breaking.
Rina felt touched to the bones, and really sorry.
“Momma I can’t tell, I… I don’t know, it, it just happened unexpectedly. I wasn’t expecting it. I’m sorry mother”, she pleaded.
“You should have waited till everything was settled, this is like bringing more problem atop another. How do you think the Queen gonna accept this news if she gets to hear of it? We are paupers daughter, and you know how much she detests paupers, she’s gonna kill us once she hears of it”, she lamented.
“Mother I didn’t know it was going to lead to this”, Rina said and placed her right palm on her tummy.
“I’m really sorry mother, I’m really sorry”, she pleaded the more.
Then there was silence for a while, and it stretched out. Soon, she interrupted it.
“What do you suggest we should do mom?” She asked.
“Well, I have been thinking. Like I earlier said, don’t tell anyone about this, including him. We will be leaving Shimla in an hour’s time, I need to get to the shop and lay my hands on a few things”, she said and began looking around.
Rina sat up, her eyes widened in shock. Leave the kingdom?
“To where mom?” She asked.
“To God knows where. We need to leave, I need to take you away to a safe place, where no one can reach you, maybe by the time you get there, you can now inform him”, she said.
Rina brightened up now, she was willing to go.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
“Ok momma, I’m ready for this”, she said and tried to get up.
“Go in and get ready, while I leave for the shop, I will be back soon”, she said and began walking to the door.
“Alright mom”, Rina replied her and went into her room to get ready.
***
It wasn’t up to thirty minutes Selena left for the supermarket that Rina got her backpack ready and prepared. Her clothes, personal belongings and some few other things. She brought them out to the living room.
Then she remembered something all of a sudden, her phone. Gosh! She had even forgotten she had one. Throughout that morning up till now, as she was packing, her phone never occured to her.
Infact, she had put it on silent and tossed it aside the previous night, after talking with Raghav. So she went back into her room, and began the search for it.
She was still searching when she noticed through the window, a very dark coloured Venza driving in through the driveway, huh? She immediately stopped what she was doing and walked up to the window to have a better view. She watched as it slowly drove in.
Who could it be? She wasn’t expecting anyone, and even if she was, it was gonna be Zaina, or Raghav. But Zaina hadn’t changed her car, or has she?
Her thoughts raced as she watched this car proceeded. Then, her eagle eyes caught something on the right side mirror, the royal emblem, hanging down. Yes, it was it, it dangled as the car drove.
Chills ran down her spine, who was this? Was it Raghav? Had he returned, without telling her? Then it dawned on her that her phone was nowhere to be found.
“Shit!” She cussed, he must have sent her a message or something. Nevertheless, she still stood, watching.
Soon the car finally came to a stop after whoever was behind the wheels had negotiated a halt.
As soon as it stopped, the left back door opened and four palace maids came out, and immediately took a uniformed standing positions beside the car.
Rina could tell they were palace maids through their uniforms, I mean, she was once a palace maid.
She continued watching, with keen interest this time. What the hell is going on? Is Raghav trying to surprise her with his return?
Instantly, the front door also opened and a guard alighted, it was a palace guard, she could tell through the uniform as well.
She watched as the guard walked to the right back door and opened it, then a figure began alighting.
She watched as the alighting figure fully alighted, and holy moly, it was the Queen!