In a remote corner of the dark forest, Arohi had fallen asleep, clutching the Magic Mirror in her exhaustion. As the first light of dawn broke, she woke from her slumber. Looking at the mirror, she asked desperately, "Oh, Magic Mirror, you know everything. Can you show the King what happened to me last night and what Uncle Shilajit is plotting?" (Actually, I fell asleep yesterday, so tell me again today.)
The mirror glowed with a strange, ethereal light. A grave voice answered, "Do not fear, Arohi. Whomever you hold me before, I will bring their misdeeds to life like a video before everyone's eyes. Truth can never remain hidden." Arohi found courage. She carefully tucked the mirror into the folds of her saree at her waist.
Arohi took a deep breath. But she didn't know that a pair of cunning eyes was watching her from the shadows. A spy sent by Shilajit stood behind a tree, snickering. He thought to himself, "Is this the same Arohi who showed such bravery to save the Prince's life? Now she lies here like a beggar on the street. My, my! This girl's pride has turned to dust. Let me go and inform the Minister."
Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace...
Shilajit was holding a closed-door meeting in his chambers with his wife and daughter, Sushila. Though Sushila was quite beautiful, her heart was filled with the same venom as her father's. Shilajit held his daughter's chin and said, "Daughter Sushila, today you must perform a difficult task. If you succeed, the throne of Junagarh will be beneath your feet. You will be the next Queen of this kingdom."
Sushila's eyes gleamed as she asked, "What must I do, Father? I can do anything."
Shilajit gave a crooked smile and said, "Aditya is completely broken by Arohi's absence. This is the chance! You will go to his chambers. Embrace him and pretend to love him. If he pushes you away, you will inflict injury upon yourself. Tear your own clothes, strike your head against the wall until you bleed. Then, run to the Royal Court and scream that Aditya tried to violate you, mistaking you for Arohi. To save your honor, the Maharaja will be forced to marry you off to him."
Sushila's mother stood by, agreeing, "Exactly! You must strike while the iron is hot. Arohi has been banished as a woman of ill-repute; now, if we can stain Aditya's character, the fortress is ours!"
Sushila didn't waste a moment. With disheveled hair and clothes, she entered Aditya's room. Aditya was staring out the window with a desolate face. When Sushila tried to get close and embrace him, Aditya pushed her away with a sudden jolt. In his eyes, only Arohi's magical face was floating.
Sushila said with a mocking laugh, "Are you still thinking of that characterless girl, Aditya? Why such tenderness for one who spends her nights with other men?"
Aditya roared, "Shut up, Sushila! Watch your tongue. Arohi is not characterless. I feel now that I have made a terrible mistake. There must be some other mystery behind what I saw with my own eyes. The fire and honesty in Arohi's eyes when she left the palace—no criminal has eyes like that. I have committed the greatest injustice of my life by casting her out!"
Sushila's face turned ugly with rage. Gnashing her teeth, she said, "I don't know if you've made a mistake, but I am standing before you now. Tell me, will you marry me? Yes or no?"
Aditya said in a firm voice, "No! I cannot give anyone a place in my heart except Arohi."
Sushila stood stunned for a moment, and then the demon within her woke up. She screamed, "Such an insult! You reject me? You will have to pay for this!"
Without wasting a second, she used her own hands to rip her silken attire. She dug her nails deep into her neck and arms, leaving gasping scratches. Then, like a madwoman, she ran and slammed her head hard against the corner of the wall. Blood spurted from her forehead.
Aditya watched in horror, seeing how low a person could sink for their own self-interest. With messy hair and a blood-stained face, Sushila ran toward the door, screaming. She fled toward the Royal Court, wailing, "Maharaja! Save me! Your son tried to take my virtue, thinking I was Arohi! Save me!"
It felt as if the sky had fallen on Aditya's head. He realized that Shilajit's daughter was ten times more dangerous than her father. Who would save him from this false scandal today?
The King, blinded by rage and a sense of betrayed honor, lost all reason. He roared, "Aditya! What is this I hear? Arohi has already brought us shame, and now you have done this too? To save your own honor and the dignity of our lineage, you must marry Sushila this instant. That is my command!"
Aditya pleaded repeatedly, insisting he was innocent, but the King was deaf to his cries today. He ordered the guards to decorate the wedding mandap immediately. Hidden in the shadows, Sushila wore a smug, wicked grin. Shilajit, bubbling with joy, began telling everyone, "Ah! Actually, the two of them were deeply in love, which is why the Maharaja has made this decision."
Meanwhile, with Arohi...
As Arohi reached the palace gates, she saw the entire palace ablaze with lights and heard the festive sound of the wedding shehnai. She asked a familiar subject, "Brother, what is all this preparation for? Who is getting married?"
The man let out a heavy sigh and said, "Don't even ask, mother. It's the wedding of Prince Aditya and the Minister's daughter, Sushila. Everyone says they were in love. But there is no peace in our hearts."
Hearing this, the ground vanished beneath Arohi's feet. It felt as if someone was crushing her chest with a heavy stone. She thought, "Did Aditya forget me so quickly? Or is this another death-trap set by that black cobra?" For a fleeting moment, she thought of turning back and leaving forever, but then her fiery spirit roared within her. Clutching the mirror tightly, she said, "No! If I run away today, that monster wins. I will prove my innocence, and then I will leave this palace forever—but I will establish the truth before I go."
Wrapping the black shawl around herself, Arohi stood in a corner of the wedding mandap. There, before the sacred fire, sat Aditya and Sushila. Aditya's face was dark with misery, but he lacked the power to defy the King's command. Arohi knew this was her final chance. She stepped forward slowly toward the mandap, the Magic Mirror hidden at her waist ready to determine the fate of Junagarh.