In the vast courtyard in front of the Junagarh palace, there wasn't an inch of space left today. Under Prafulla's command, that lecherous boy and Snigdha's cunning friends were bound in the middle of the thoroughfare. The subjects were waiting in a state of high excitement. Standing in a corner of the crowd, with a face as pale as death, was Rupanjan. The news had reached his ears too—that an attempt had been made to strike at the Princess's honor.
In a thunderous voice, Prafulla commanded the scoundrel before everyone, "Speak! What were you trying to do with the Princess?" Fearing the whip, the boy cried out and confessed before all, "I am no prince! I am just a common lecher. Having taken money from these friends, I wanted to dishonor the Princess. I intended to destroy her purity and spread a scandal across the kingdom tomorrow!"
The words pierced Rupanjan's ears like arrows. Rupanjan stood frozen like stone. The Snigdha he worshipped like a goddess, the one for whom he had considered his own life trivial—was she really surrendering herself to the allure of a fake prince? Hearing of this agonizing betrayal, Rupanjan's head spun. Everything turned dark before his eyes, and he collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Seeing Rupanjan fall from amidst the crowd, Snigdha shrieked, "Rupanjan!" Forgetting all her nobility, she ran and took Rupanjan's head into her lap. Sobbing uncontrollably, Snigdha pleaded, "Open your eyes, Rupanjan! I have made a mistake, please forgive me! I was blinded by infatuation." Water was splashed on Rupanjan's face, and he was helped into a comfortable chair. When Rupanjan finally opened his eyes, the magic and the smile were gone; there was only a profound emptiness.
Meanwhile, by Prafulla's order, those friends and the lecherous boy were whipped until they were half-dead and sent to the dark cells of the prison. As fate would have it, they were imprisoned in the cell right next to Sushila's. Sitting in that dark corner, Sushila heard the sounds of new people after a very long time. Bringing her face close to the bars, she laughed in a hoarse voice, "Well, well, new criminals? What sins did you commit to enter this hell?"
Writhed in pain, the cunning friends replied, "We wanted to drag the honor of that arrogant princess through the dust, but Prafulla came and ruined everything." Sushila's eyes glittered like a serpent's. She whispered, "Where is that witch Arohi? Did you see her at the palace?"
The friends answered, "No, Arohi and Aditya are away from the kingdom on some urgent royal business. Right now, only Prafulla and his two sisters are at the palace." A demonic smile spread across Sushila's face. She said to herself, "God has given me the opportunity today! Arohi is gone; this is the best time to attack her children. I must get out of this prison today." A terrifying plan for a final, lethal strike was turning in Sushila's head—one that would shake the very foundations of the Junagarh palace.