Episode 3.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(sits on an ornate carpeted floor, cross-legged)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(sits on his lap)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(giggling)
Rukmini Gaekwad
(sits nearby on a raised divan)
Rukmini Gaekwad
(watching the two with a quiet smile)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(gazing at his daughter fondly)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
Day by day, my little princess is growing more and more beautiful, Rukmini.
Rukmini Gaekwad
(with grace)
Rukmini Gaekwad
She carries your fortune and the brilliance of our lineage, Raghunandan ji.
The ornate doors creak open
Bodyguard
Maharaj Chandrapratap Gaekwad has arrived.
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(face lights up)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(enters)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(runs forward)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
Dada saa!!
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(lifts her up effortlessly)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(kisses her forehead)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(giggles)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
My darling princess!
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
You’ve grown so much.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Feels like just yesterday I held you as an infant.
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(sitting on Chandrapratap's lap)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
Baba, how did your meeting with the Prime Minister go today?
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(stroking Lavanya’s hair)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
That’s exactly why I’ve come. To speak on that matter.
Exchange a curious glance
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(still looking at Lavanya, smiling)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
We are blessed…
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Through this little princess, fate has given us a boon.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
One that can lead us back to power.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(frowns slightly)
Rukmini Gaekwad
What are you implying, Baba?
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Politics is shifting.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
And now, we need a bond.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
One that erases the gap between royalty and the republic.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
And that bond… shall take the form of a marriage.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(confused, almost alarmed)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
You mean… Lavanya’s marriage? With whom?
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Rudraansh Singhania.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
The grandson of Prime Minister Indrajit Singhania.
Rukmini Gaekwad
(expression falters briefly)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(leans forward)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
So you’ve decided… without even asking us?
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Time never asks for permission, Raghunandan.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
This marriage is not just a union… it is a strategy.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
A path back into the politics of Amargarh.
Rukmini Gaekwad
(looks at Lavanya)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(playing with her bangles, completely unaware)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(quietly, with a slow nod)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
You are right, baba.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
If this marriage strengthens our standing in the kingdom…
Raghunandan Gaekwad
Then I support it.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
(now looking at his wife)
Raghunandan Gaekwad
Times are changing, Rukmini.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
We cannot remain mere spectators.
Raghunandan Gaekwad
Lavanya could be the center of this change.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(watches his son with a proud gleam)
Rukmini Gaekwad
If this marriage must happen....
Rukmini Gaekwad
It will happen with the full dignity of a Gaekwad.
Rukmini Gaekwad
Lavanya is not a bargain, not a transaction....
Rukmini Gaekwad
She is the Princess of Amargarh.
Rukmini Gaekwad
(turning to Chandrapratap)
Rukmini Gaekwad
As a mother, I fear… but as a princess, I understand.
Rukmini Gaekwad
I respect this decision, Baba.
Rukmini Gaekwad
But as her mother, I ask for a promise.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Go ahead, Rukmini.
Rukmini Gaekwad
That every step taken for Lavanya will be safe and honorable.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Your trust matters to me, Rukmini.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
And I give you my word.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
Lavanya will be both the pride and the protection of our empire.
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(hand on Lavanya’s head)
Lavanya Gaekwad (young)
(smiling innocently)
Chandrapratap Gaekwad
(leaves the room)
Rukmini Gaekwad
💭 Kritika was right....
Rukmini Gaekwad
💭 A princess’s life is never truly her own.
Rukmini Gaekwad
💭 Some destinies are written in palaces....
Rukmini Gaekwad
💭 With ink made of power and silence.
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