When Prime Minister Rupanjan and Princess Prabhasa arrived at the soaring gates of the Junagadh Royal Palace, a surge of pure, sacred joy washed over the entire courtyard. As Prabha stepped out of the palanquin, parting its silk curtains with shy steps, her bashful face glowed with love and divine contentment, like the fragrant light of dawn.
Prince Prafulla rushed forward with immense joy and drew Rupanjan into a warm embrace. Meanwhile, King Aditya and Queen Arohi stood before Rupanjan with tears of relief in their eyes. Despite being the Prime Minister of Rupnagar, Rupanjan showed not a single trace of arrogance; with utmost humility, he touched the feet of King Aditya and Queen Arohi to seek their blessings.
Placing a hand on Rupanjan's head with profound affection, Aditya said in an emotional voice, "Rupanjan! The height of honor and competence you have achieved today fills our hearts as parents with immense pride. And above all—the fact that you and Prabha are about to become life partners feels as though God Himself has forged this sacred bond with His own hands!"
Right at that moment, Rupanjan raised his right hand, looking toward Aditya, Arohi, and Prafulla with absolute gravity. The wisdom of a clever and visionary Prime Minister flashed across his face and eyes.
Addressing everyone in a low yet firm voice, Rupanjan said, "King Aditya, Queen Arohi, and my friend Prafulla... I have a special request. Not a single soul in the Junagadh Royal Palace must learn of our fixed marriage or the truth of our relationship! In particular, Snigdha and that cunning Jishnu must not get the slightest inkling of this news!"
Upon hearing this, Aditya and Arohi turned to each other in shock. Prafulla asked inquisitively, "But Rupanjan! What is the reason for hiding such joyful news from them? What harm could come if they knew?"
With a subtle yet firm smile, Rupanjan replied, "Prafulla, Snigdha's jealousy and mental derangement have reached their peak. In her heart, she still considers herself the most fortunate person in this kingdom and floats in false pride. If she comes to know that the very person she once belittled—Rupanjan—is now holding Prabha's hand to make her his life partner, her venomous envy could bring utter ruin upon Prabha! Moreover, the cunning Jishnu would also find an opportunity to plot some evil scheme. I want the palace of their false pride to shatter to dust at the right time and on the right stage! Therefore, for Prabha's safety, all preparations for this wedding will be carried out in secret."
Queen Arohi let out a deep sigh, took Rupanjan's hand, and said, "You are absolutely right, Rupanjan. Blinded as Snigdha is, she is capable of committing any heinous act. Your foresight is Prabha's greatest shield. We will follow your instructions to the letter. We will not let a single person in the palace suspect a thing!"
Meanwhile, standing on a high balcony of the palace, Snigdha caught sight of Rupanjan from afar, looking resplendent in his royal attire, and bit her lip, burning with jealousy! Yet, in her mind, she thought—Rupanjan must have come here to consider her secret marriage proposal and would soon approach her to apologize and offer to make her his queen! Standing beside Snigdha, Jishnu also furrowed his brow, thinking that Rupanjan might have come to intimidate the Junagadh royal family with the power of his prime ministership!
Both of them, remaining completely in the dark, began tangling themselves further in the web of their own false pride and scheming—while behind the scenes, preparations for the deeply sacred union of Rupanjan and Prabhasa quietly got underway in absolute secrecy!