Chapter 1

"Myra Moretti. Please come here. The surgeon wants to talk to you." A nurse called her name and guided her to the nearby room.

"Good afternoon Dr. Blake." A 21-year-old girl with a height of 5 feet 11 inches stood in front of a surgeon while greeting. She was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt. Her long waist-length golden brown hair was tied in a ponytail. The most beautiful feature in her appearance is her ocean blue big eyes. She is indeed a beautiful creation of God. She got her eyes from her mother. Her mother Minerva has the same ocean blue eyes as her. 

"We are trying our best, but we don't know how long she can survive. The chemo is going on, but the expansion of the malignancy is too fast. And your mother is trying to cope up but...." Dr. Blake stopped midway when she looked into his eyes.

"I know. It’s been three years since she is fighting this cancer and we are trying our best with it. Thank you for your immense support always but let’s try again if this chemo can do something better." Myra's voice was heavy, but she didn't let her pain reflect in her voice. Her eyes held millions of drops of tears welled up in them but her inner strength made a strong dam to hold them back. She moved out of the room and reached her mom's cabin.

There lay Minerva Moretti, an Italian woman with similar features to Myra. Her face was pale but the smile on her face was just heavenly.

"mamma, come stai?"(mom, how are you?) Myra asked her mom.

"assolutamente bene”. (Absolutely fine). Minerva replied with joy in her eyes.

A silence took place in between them. A duo of mother and daughter sat together holding each other's hand.

"Myra, you know what, when I was your age, I was very stubborn and always confident on every step that I used to take. I can see the same reflection in you."

"Of course, mamma. I am your daughter only so I would be just like you."

"I am sorry Myra that I have kept you away from your father for so long. Someday you would understand why I did so."

"It's ok mamma. I do not have any grief on you on that part. I was a kid 12 years back and that's why I was mad about having my father or meeting him. But mom I am happy with you. You will always be with me."

"Dear, I don't know how long I would survive. After me you would be alone, I know but I am sure that I have made you enough strong to survive in this world."

"Mamma, how many times I have to say that don't say such words. Nothing would happen. Everything would be fine. We would go back to our old life again. We would roam in Sicily again."

"Myra remember one thing. Even if I won't be there, you are not alone. There is always a person to look after you. Someone would reach you whenever you would be in a need."

"Mamma, stop thinking too much. You got good progress in your health. You would be discharged after two days."

"I know I would be fine."

A small tale of white lies found its way to soothe the pain of each other's hearts.

"How is your boyfriend by the way?" Minerva asked her daughter.

"Mamma. Not again. I told you I don't have." Myra pouted her lips.

"Get a one, my girl. What would you do being alone? Have some life. Don't tell me you would marry some stranger."

"No mamma. I won't marry some stranger. But a boyfriend also is not required right now. Will think about it later."

"What a joke. Come on girl."

"Should I find someone for you? What do you say, mamma?" Myra pinched her with a big smile.

"Don't you dare girl?" Minerva laughed her heart out. They both hugged each other, and Myra kept her head on her mother's bed. 

"You know mom, I love you." She whispered.

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Meanwhile In India

Solanki Family

"Mom, I said I am not going to marry the Sekhawat's bastard."

"Ragini, do you have any idea what you are saying! Are you out of your mind? You have still one year left for you. Don't be so stubborn beta."

"Rana Pratap Singh Solanki is known for his words and how could you think of denying the proposal." A man of 6 feet 2-inch height entered the room where his wife Mayabati and her daughter Ragini were arguing.

"Words or deal? Papa, tell me the truth." Ragini hissed.

"Behave yourself, Rini. Is this the way you are supposed to talk to your father?" Ragini's brother Arjun Singh Solanki replied standing behind his father.

"Is this a way a father supposed to deal with the happiness of her daughter? Tell me Bhai."

"What's your problem with Ranvijay Singh Shekhawat, bahen. Tell me."

"I don't like him. I have already chosen someone for myself."

"Our tradition doesn't allow that. You know it right?" Her father spoke with the same calm but heavy voice.

"But papa, my freedom allows me to choose my partner with whom I would like to spend my entire life."

"Who is he?" Arjun asked her sister.

"Shaurya Agnihotri."

"What?" Both her mother and brother screamed in shock.

"Are you out of your mind? You have chosen somebody from Agnihotri? That Agnihotri family became rival of us and Shekhawat for the past two years. How could you choose your life in the hands of your enemy?"

"He might be the enemy for you but not for me. He is a far better person than Ranvijay. Who is this Ranvijay papa? He is a murderer, a mafia, and currently is the leading political party. I don't trust my future or life with him."

"And who is this Shaurya? A saint? Right? He is not a murderer or not even a bad person. Did you forget how brutally he killed some men of another gang during the political rally? They tried to rather step into Shekhawat's business areas also."

"So? Just the way we support the  Shekhawat family, the same way we can support Agnihotri too. Our family is the Royal family. We have enough influence to bias the votes then why not Agnihotri's family dad. Why Shekhawat?"

"Some alliance was made long back over some words, trust, and reasons. They are the protector of our Legacy. Our ancestors made some vows, we had never crossed each other's path and always protected each other's places. If we have Royalty, then they have strength. Don't try to break it with your shitty love game."

"Enough Bhai. I won't get married to Shekhawat. That's my final decision. If you try to force things on me result would not be good." 

"The daughter of our family would get married to Sekhawat's. That's my final decision. You have one year left in your hand to make up your mind." Rana Pratap is always a man of few words. He glared at his daughter and left the place.

Following him, his son also left the room.

"I would also see papa, how would you make me marry that monster Ranvijay Singh Shekhawat."

Ragini moved away from her mother and closed the door of her room. 

In the study room of Rana Pratap, his son sat with his father.

"Should we force her for this marriage? Papa, I think we should rethink our decision." Arjun spoke in a low tone.

"I am not thinking about the decision. I am thinking about the Takht. We never got the power of it alone. We are still holding the alliance with Shekhawat. I know Agnihotris is not clean also. But if the king of the Takht gets replaced? Have you ever thought about it?"

"Papa, what are you saying? Our age-old alliance, trust, and the relationship we share with Shekhawat. It was never bad. We always got what we wanted. Nobody had ever thought of betraying Shekhawat for Takht because we know that they are the real fighter and deserving candidates for it."

"You are forgetting one thing that Takht was created by the Solanki family since the royal era. It was with Shekhawat to protect the dynasty."

"They are protecting our Legacy since then. So what's the point of even bringing the thought of betraying them?"

"Sometimes some power is better to be kept on hand. Our ancestors did something that doesn't mean we have to follow the same."

Arjun couldn't believe his father's words. How could his father become so hungry for power? Even he was thinking to let the Agnihotri family passively enter their area. Arjun looked at his father in disbelief.

"Papa, do you have any plan to deal with the Agnihotri family? No. I can't trust my sister's life with him."

"Do you trust your sister's life with Shekhawat's? Don't forget years back Ranvijay's father fell in love with someone from the outer cast. I had a fair chance to throw away him from the Takht making it an issue. But I failed. I would never forget that defeat. I had every chance to throw away him from Takht to claim it but I lost it."

Arjun understood that speaking with this man is of no use now. He won't stop. But Arjun has a choice. A choice of choosing the bond of Shekhawat and Solanki or the new bond of intruder Agnihotri and Solanki. He understood a big game has started already but nobody knows whom to trust to follow. 

Going against Shekhawat means losing the life, going against Solankis means losing everything. Both are dangerous and the biggest knife is Agnihotri now. Who can cut both the families as they don't bother about virtues or morals?

"Papa, you have only one daughter and Ranvijay and Ragini are supposed to get married. If we married off Ragini with Agnihotri then whom we will send to marry Ranvijay? We don't have any more daughters."

"The world knows that. Let the world think. You don't need to bother about it. You start the preparation of Ragini and Ranvijay's wedding."

Arjun was too surprised now. What plan his father did, he had no idea. But he was never interested to marry off her sister to Shaurya Agnihotri. The man is nothing more than a bastard. Ranvijay is merciless but Shaurya is the backstabber. Arjun was never interested in Takht. For him, his family was more important. 18 years back he lost someone very close to him due to this war of power, crown, or more. He is no longer interested to be a part of this anymore. How could his father be so hungry for power he never understood?