Several days had passed since the gruesome murder of the maid Ratna. Dark clouds of mourning seemed to hover over the sky of Junagarh. From the King to Prince Aditya—everyone was desperate to catch the killer. Day and night, the soldiers and the General scoured the entire kingdom.
As the investigation progressed within the palace, Shilajit's heart began to pound faster. He realized that escaping the sharp gaze of Arohi and Aditya would not be easy. To save his own skin, he devised a terrifying plan. He summoned a very ordinary and needy servant of the palace named Kalu.
Shilajit called Kalu to his secret chamber and poured a bag of gold coins before him. Kalu's eyes widened at the shimmer of the gold. Shilajit spoke in a grave voice, "Kalu, you have a task to do. If you can do it, this bag of gold coins is yours. Your next four generations will never have to work for a living again."
In a trembling voice, Kalu asked, "What must I do, Minister?"
Faking a drama, Shilajit said, "Listen Kalu, I killed Ratna in a fit of rage. She was pestering me with a marriage proposal, even though I have a wife and an elder daughter at home. Out of fear of society and my family, I lost my head. But now the King is investigating. If you take this blame upon yourself, I will give you these gold coins. And listen, the King might sentence you to death, but I will use my influence to change it to life imprisonment. Then, after a few months, I will secretly have you released from prison."
Initially, Kalu did not want to agree. He said, "Will four generations be able to live off one bag of gold coins? If it falls short, you will have to give me more coins." Shilajit smiled cunningly and said, "I will give you as many coins as you need, just confess to this murder with your own mouth." Driven by greed for the gold, Kalu finally agreed.
The Royal Court, the Next Day...
The King was seated on the throne. Beside him, on two separate thrones, sat Prince Aditya and the discerning Arohi. The Queen Mother was in the inner quarters at that time. Suddenly, the servant Kalu came into the middle of the court and knelt at the King's feet. Weeping, he said, "Maharaja, please forgive me! It was I who killed Ratna!"
The entire court fell silent. Aditya stood up from his throne and roared, "You! A mere servant dared to do this? Why did you kill her?"
Kalu hadn't prepared a reason beforehand, so he made up a story on the spot. "Maharaja, I had an old romantic relationship with her. But she was being lured by another boy and was trying to cheat on me and run away. Unable to bear that insult, I killed her and threw her into the forest."
Aditya's eyes turned red with rage. Placing his hand on his sword, he said, "Just because she cheated, you would take someone's life? General, take him away this instant and execute him!"
At that moment, Arohi spoke in a calm but firm voice, "Aditya, calm down. Do not be so angry. We should judge everything before passing a death sentence. Kalu has committed a wrong, indeed, but he has confessed to his crime himself." Looking at Kalu, Arohi said, "What you have done is unforgivable, but taking the law into one's own hands is also not right."
Siding with her, Shilajit said, "Yes Maharaja, Princess Arohi is absolutely right. Aditya, it is wise to follow Arohi's discernment now."
The King looked at Arohi with a satisfied smile and said, "Arohi, my child, you are truly very intelligent. Because of you, our kingdom is filled with happiness and peace today. Your judgment shall be upheld." The King declared, "Kalu the servant is not sentenced to death, but to life imprisonment instead."
As the soldiers dragged Kalu away, Shilajit let out a devilish laugh in secret. He thought, "Foolish King and emotional Aditya! With one bag of gold coins, I have washed away all the bloodstains of my murders."
Apparent peace returned to the kingdom of Junagarh, but a doubt remained in a corner of Arohi's mind. She thought—is Kalu truly the killer? Or is there a massive whirlpool hidden beneath this calm lake?
The morning in the Junagarh royal palace was different today. Princess Arohi had decided that she would cook lunch for everyone with her own hands today. There was a buzz of preparation in the massive royal kitchen. Just as Arohi was discerning, the fame of her cooking was also widespread. The servants arranged everything, but Arohi insisted—she would do everything alone and would not let anyone inside.
The surroundings were fragrant with the aroma of spices. Finishing the cooking, Arohi wiped her sweat and thought she should take a bath. She went to bathe in the crystal-clear water of the inner-palace pool. And this was the very opportunity the serpent Shilajit was waiting for.
Unseen by all, Shilajit tiptoed into the kitchen like a cat. Opening the lids of the dishes Arohi had cooked with such care, he mixed in handfuls of salt and hot chili powder. With a cunning smile, he muttered, "Mother Arohi, today I shall wash away your reputation in the pungency of salt and chili."
At Lunchtime...
A royal gathering was seated in the massive dining hall of the palace. The King, the Queen Mother, Prince Aditya, and Minister Shilajit sat down to eat together. Arohi was serving everyone with her own hands. She said with a satisfied smile, "Please begin, I will serve everyone and then eat at the end."
But as soon as he took the first morsel into his mouth, the King's face turned pale. He began to cough violently. The Queen Mother gasped and offered water, but she herself spat out a spoonful of dal as soon as she tasted it.
The King said angrily, "What is this, Arohi! Do you want to kill us with poison? There is so much salt and so much chili that it's impossible to put it in the mouth! Given the state of my health, I will fall ill immediately if I eat this food."
The Queen Mother also said in a rather harsh tone, "Arohi, I used to think you were proficient in all tasks. If you didn't know how to cook, you could have told me; I would have taught you. But I did not expect this from you—to cook such inedible food and ruin the Maharaja's health."
Arohi stood frozen. Tears welled up in her eyes. She said in a choked voice, "Father, believe me, I used to measured spices. I tasted it myself and everything was fine. I don't understand how this happened..."
Showing fake empathy, Shilajit said, "Ah! She is a young girl, she cooked for the first time, so a small mistake has occurred. Please forgive her. I am telling the maids to start cooking afresh. Mother Arohi, do not cry; humans do make mistakes."
But the King stood up with resentment, "No, I have no appetite left. A mistake happens once, child, but being this careless in cooking is an offense. You may be kind, but to manage a household, you must learn more." Saying this, he left the room, and the Queen Mother followed him with a grim face.
Aditya went to Arohi and said in a calm voice, "Arohi, you didn't let anyone into the kitchen. If I were there, perhaps I could have helped you; then you wouldn't have had to face this situation today. Be a little careful from next time." Aditya also sighed and left.
Only Shilajit remained. Placing a hand on Arohi's shoulder, he said in a thin voice, "Don't be sad, child; everything will be fine from tomorrow." Then he too walked out.
Arohi stood alone in that silent dining hall, weeping uncontrollably. She said to herself, "I know what I cooked. Everything was fine; then did someone conspire? But who holds so much grudge against me that they poured such poison into something as sacred as food? Or did I truly get so rattled by that gruesome murder yesterday that I messed everything up in a lapse of mind?"
With a heavy heart, Arohi went and stood on the balcony of her room. The gentle breeze was drying her tears. She began to question herself—was she truly incompetent? Or was someone weaving a web to isolate her in this palace?
Just then, two strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Aditya. Aditya held her chin, turned her toward him, and traced a deep kiss on her forehead. He said in a soft voice, "Don't cry anymore, Arohi. Humans make mistakes. I know how hard you tried. Next time we will cook together, and you'll see, everything will be the best."
Resting her head on Aditya's chest, Arohi found some solace, but deep in a corner of her mind, a seed of doubt began to take root. Someone wanted to set fire to this happy home—and she had to find them.