It has been a few days since the day of baby shower. Everybody is very attentive about Saudamini as her delivery is due in a month. Both Meenavathi and Sunaina, Anamika's mother were asked to stay in the palace for few more months as Saudamini's delivery is due in a month and then the naming ceremony will follow and immediately after that Anamika's baby shower and delivery. So they both decided to stay with their daughters.

Saudamini was lying in her bed as usual. Her head maid Mala came there with her food as she couldn't go to the dining room. She called Saudamini to eat the food for which Saudamini replied that she is not hungry.

Mala said, "Choti bahuranisa, I'm looking at you for the past few months. You are not at all taking care of yourself or the baby. If you are like this then the baby won't be healthy."

Still Saudamini didn't answer her anything and kept looking down. Sighing Mala said, "I know choti bahuranisa. You are not yourself since you saw yuvraj and Badi bahuranisa in the garden."

Saudamini looked at her and said, "If you know me so well then why don't you leave me alone."

Once again Mala tried to explain, "Choti bahuranisa! I know you couldn't tolerate all this after all you have loved yuvraj since childhood. I know the condition you were in when you heard about yuvraj's marriage with Anamika. But you should accept the reality Choti bahuranisa. Yuvraj is not only yours but badi bahuranisa's as well. In fact she has more right on him than you. You should learn to share."

"How can you say this Mala? You don't know my condition for the five years when yuvraj was married to Anamika. You just saw me till their marriage. After that my mother gifted you to Ranisa to keep up the relationship as their wish of me marrying yuvraj to strengthen their relationship didn't happen. Then when I came here, Ranisa assigned you to me for my convenience. You don't know about my pain Mala. You don't know anything."

Mala thought to herself, "I know everything choti bahuranisa, everything. You just had to go through the pain of your love not being reciprocated, but Badi bahuranisa had to go through hell in earth for not able to get pregnant. She had to share her love with another woman, the pain of which is much more than the pain of unreciprocated love. She was forced to do many things that she doesn't like but still she did just to keep up her responsibility of being badi bahuranisa. But you don't think anything more than yuvraj, not even your own children. I'm repenting every single moment, for the things I did in the past because of which badi bahuranisa was suffering till now. But at least I'm happy that she got her happiness in the form of a baby now after all these years of penance. "

Mala was so involved in the thought that she didn't hear Saudamini calling her. She came out of her thoughts when Saudamini clapped her hands and called her.

"what were you thinking Mala? I'm calling you for sometime now", Saudamini asked for which Mala replied, "Nothing Choti bahuranisa. Shall I serve the food for you?". Saudamini nodded at her and Mala tasted all the food items before serving the food to Saudamini.

On the other hand, Meenavathi and Ranisa were having their own conversation in Ranisa's chamber. Meenavathi was venting out her anger towards Anamika.

"How did she get pregnant? Initially we distracted yuvraj with one or the other reasons and kept him away from her. Later on the distance between them grew gradually and fell apart. Anamika didn't even get a chance to be pregnant. Then suddenly how come yuvraj went to her chamber?", Meenavathi asked Ranisa curiously.

Ranisa tried to brush away the question as she remembered Ranasa warning everyone to not leak anything about the horoscope prediction. So she answered, "There is nothing special Meenavathi. Yuvraj came after his ten year long war expedition and he gradually met his wife. That's it."

"But why didn't you do anything to stop them? We didn't want her to be happy right. Also you already have another bahuranisa to get as many grand children as you want. You could have stopped that if you wanted right", Meenavathi questioned Ranisa again.

Ranisa stammered at this and said, "I couldn't stop yuvraj as all the wars were over and he would obviously rest. So there is no excuse of work." Meenavathi was not convinced but Ranisa continued, "Also How would I know that she would get pregnant within a month when she didn't get pregnant for five years initially?". At this, Meenavathi shut her mouth. Soon she left the chamber and went to look after her daughter.

Meenavathi reached Saudamini's chamber and asked Mala about her daughter's health and meals for the day. When she received satisfying answers, she met Saudamini.

"Saudamini, you look weak. You should take care of your health, if not for you at least for the baby. It is your good luck that your baby will be elder than Anamika's. He will be the first born and the future rightful heir to the throne. Otherwise I couldn't imagine your position in the palace. Thank god", Meenavathi ranted out. Saudamini didn't correct her mother as she remembered Ranasa's words.

All this time, Yuvraj tried to find out the person behind the attack on Anamika. Initially he though that someone from the palace who knows about the horoscope must be helping the person to plan the attack. But Ranasa had strictly ordered to not leak any information about the horoscope, so yuvraj came to a conclusion that the person might not know about that. Then yuvraj thought, "what could be the reason behind the attack on Anamika specifically and not Saudamini? Is it someone who knows Saudamini and wishes her well being? Because they might have thought that Anamika's child might be a competition for Saudamini's child to the throne. So now I have to keep a watch on Saudamini's close people inside the palace."

Yuvraj didn't want to think about the other option that is Saudamini being the culprit. He didn't want to come to such a conclusion without any clues. At the same time, he cannot afford to have another attack on Anamika. She is already in her fourth month and even small incident may cause more loss for them.

So Yuvraj increased the security of Anamika and posted many guards outside her chamber. And asked Anamika to not go out of the palace till the attacker is found. She also complied with his words.

Will the attacker stay quiet till a good opportunity is found? Or will the attacker make a second move again?

----------------------------------------------------------

If you like the chapter, do vote and comment.

Your comments will encourage me to write more and correct my mistakes.

Thanks,

SM.