Page 14 of Twisted Deceit
Nakul’s parents would start the pilgrimage right after the wedding festivities were done that day. Aadhya Kanwar was the missing piece, and he would be married to her soon to set things in motion to bring the clans together.
He smiled, thinking of his mother. Chitra Thakvar was the happiest woman on the planet, as her wishes came true. All her three sons would be married before sunset on Singoor lands that day.
His smile broadened when he thought of his youngest sibling, Nandini Thakvar. Their sister was mad for not being able to attend any of the brothers' weddings. The youngest of the four, and the brothers were extremely protective of her.
No matter how upset his sister got, it was not safe for her to be in Singoor amidst the chaos and the unknown danger. Nakul, just like his brothers, was on a mission to unite the clans and soon hoped for their sister to visit the home where his father grew up.
Earlier that morning, his parents helped him get dressed for the wedding, and he knew his bride would identify him as a Thakvar as soon as she noticed any of the clan-specific items he had on that morning as a part of his attire.
The design of the Thakvar medallion was unique, and it was surrounded by gold-rimmed tiger nails. The ceremonial sword he carried had a jeweled handle and was secured to his side in an ornately decorated gold case. He had almost forgotten to wear his ring.
Mihir Thakvar had given his three sons a ring with the Thakvar symbol that served as an identification as heirs to the clan. Nakul didn’t want to take any chances while at the resort with Aadhya and had put it away.
His wife-to-be may have grown up away from Singoor, but he knew she would recognize the Thakvar emblem when she noticed the symbol with the attacking tiger.
Nakul was ready. He had a plan of action no matter how she would react or respond to the truth!
*****
Later that morning,Nakul waited for his bride at the Singoor temple. The one he had secured as his wife through a legal marriage and a contract a week ago. There was no other way to get her to agree to the alliance between their families. It was moments before she would find out the truth about him, and he was prepared for every possible outcome.
It’s what he did even for work. He was the business strategy guy for all the companies he and his brothers owned, and he had to apply the same principles in his personal life. Whatever her reaction would be, he was ready. But knowing her, he knew exactly how she would react to the truth about his identity. Even if she knew the Thakvars were present at the temple to attend the wedding and suspected anything, he had a plan laid out for that, too.
Nakul heard the drumbeats and corn shells clashing, getting louder, and he looked toward the entrance. His dark eyes followed the tip of the palanquin in which Aadhya was being carried over to where he stood, waiting to take her hand. He knew she had not suspected anything if she reached the temple.
The ceremony would be long, and he would not see her until after the rituals. Anything he needed to say to her would be much later when they had some alone time. The Kanwar clan women who led the palanquin all looked surprised to see the Thakvar clan in total attendance. But they quietly went and stood to the side.
He then looked at the Kanwar clan leader, Aadhya’s aunt, as she greeted the clan heads who were in attendance for the event. He had seen pictures of the woman who took care of the Kanwar clan after her older brother passed away in a tragic accident. The woman respected her niece's wish to marry the man she loved and never once pressured her into the alliance.
As Aadhya’s aunt approached him, he bowed to her to take her blessing. “Nakul, it is so good to meet you in person.” She placed her hand gently on the top of his turban, giving him her blessing.
Nakul straightened his back, looked down at the woman, and noticed her eyes were trained on the Thakvar insignia on his turban. Her eyes were confused as they averted from the metal piece with the Thakvar emblem to the ceremonial sword he carried.
“I’m Nakul Thakvar, son of Chitra and Mihir Thakvar, here to take your niece’s hand in marriage.” He saw a strain of fear in the older woman’s eyes. “I’m also the man who loves your niece with all his heart.” Her aunt didn’t know how the Thakvar heir looked but had seen pictures of the man her niece loved.
“I don’t understand.” Her aunt’s voice was loud but drowned in the background noise, even for the folks standing a foot away from her.
Nakul nodded. “I wanted Aadhya to like me for who I am and not be forced into an arranged alliance. We love each other very much, and I promise to cherish and care for her while we strengthen our ties to keep our region safe.”
A moment of blankness later, there were tears in her eyes. “God bless you, Nakul. Aadhya is lucky to be marrying a man like you.”
With those words, she nodded at the priest to start the rituals and walked to the palanquin to bring his bride to the wedding pavilion. He could see the joy in her aunt’s eyes; that emotion was his insurance for the event to go without a hitch. Aadhya would not do anything to upset her aunt, not when the woman was bouncing with joy.
A small smile played on his lips as his bride approached where he stood, holding a garland of flowers. As per the Kanwar traditions, as soon as the woman places the flower garland around her groom’s neck, the union is made. He knew she would be too nervous to notice the Thakvar attire and emblems he had worn for the event. He hoped to reason with her privately and assure her he would abide by the contract as planned and ask her to do the same.
His motive for marrying her was to be able to commission the sculpture of the goddess in case they couldn’t find it in the next few months. The past few investigations about the statue yielded no leads or clues.
Nakul kept his eyes on Aadhya as she moved toward him. An embellished translucent cloth covered her face, and the skirt moved fluidly with her every step. As she got closer, the drumbeats intensified, and the priests read themantras,louder.
She stopped a foot from him and raised her hands to place the flower garland over his shoulders. He still could not see her face as it was covered. The priest handed him a flower garland, and as soon as he reached for it, one of the women standing next to Aadhya lifted her veil.
His breath quickened when his eyes fell on the magnificently beautiful face of his bride. The woman was a classic beauty and looked stunning even in casual clothes, but in the traditional attire with the jewelry, she looked like a piece of art.
He felt a strange warmth spread over his chest when she raised her eyes to look at him, beaming. She lowered her eyes as he placed the garland around her neck. The priests chanted the holy words to bless their marriage and the region. He kept his eyes on her all along, even as he wondered why he wasn’t looking away. The moment felt real; although he knew it was only a contract marriage, excitement took root.
He followed the priest's instructions and placed a good amount of the vermilion powder on the forehead, spreading it into the partition of her hair. As he pulled his hand back, a few powder specs fell on her nose, making her look even more beautiful.
Unable to suppress the need to touch her, he gently tapped away the powder and saw her cheeks redden. It wasn’t his who felt the reality of the moment.
