It is a new morning bringing happiness to some and heart breaks to some.  The palace was gradually falling into the routine except the west wing. Since yuvraj was present it is no less than a celebration in the west wing and children were clearly enjoying the company of their father.

Yuvraj said to the children, "Girls, come let's go to the garden and play for some time."  Girls followed their father and waved at their mother who was stichting clothes for the new baby and refused to join them.

In the garden, children started playing with Yuvraj who is trying to catch them. Once tired from running around, they sat down in the shadow of a tree and played with the birds and rabbits. 

After some time the sun started to move upwards which indicates it's past 9.  Seeing this Ragini, the eldest of them said to her father, "Papa, It's time for puja. we should take our leave".  Saying this she informed her sisters about the same. And they all started to move towards the east wing.

Confused yuvraj asked them, "Why are you going to east wing?  Won't you do puja in the west wing itself? ".  Malini, the second of the sisters said, "No Papa. we do puja in east wing only. "

Yuvraj asked surprisedly, "why? Don't You want to do puja with your Masa? " Ragini replied to that saying, "No papa, Masa will ask Mala Daima to do all the works for puja and only come to pray.  Also when you are here, she will be busy in looking after you and when you are not here, she will be sad all day and won't have attention in any other work. So we always go to Badima to do puja.  You know she taught us how to do puja, how to connect flowers to make a garland for god and also to sing bajan songs. And after that we play in garden for sometime". She finished.

Yuvraj was in deep thinking and asked, "But I never say you going to east wing for puja or you playing with your Badima in the garden. why? ".  This time Prachi, the third of the sisters said, "oh ho Papa!  Whenever you are home, you will come and see us in the morning after we woke up and on the night before we sleep.  And play with us for some time in the night because you have many works in day time right. So you never saw us do puja with Badima".

Yuvraj remembered that and sighed. "I totally neglected my family", he thought.

All these years although he will finish a war in 3 or 4 months and return to the palace, he was not able to do any other work or spend time with family except the night time. Because of which he didn't even interact properly with Ranasa, Ranisa and even Anamika. He was busy in planning for the next wars in that time and he didn't give attention to his family.  But before going to sleep he went to check on the kids once Ragini was born and spend time with them and sometimes sleep with them in the west wing itself which later became his habit.  He will check kids and talk with Saudamini and they spend time with each other and sleep. Now that there is no other wars scheduled, he is relaxed and try to spend time his family.

Yuvraj asked them to go and do puja and they went away running. He followed them to east wing.  When he entered the east wing, all the dasis wished him and asked if he need anything.  When he said no, they said Badi bahuranisa is in puja with the children and she will come in a few minutes. He nodded and instead of just waiting for her, he went to the puja room to join them.

Anamika along with the girls are singing the song when he joined them.  He was standing behind them so as to not distract them during puja.  Once puja is done, Anamika turned around with aarthi in her hand and became shocked for a moment on seeing yuvraj there but composed herself quickly within a fraction of second.  Why not after all he entered her chamber after a long time, precisely ten years.

Once being normal with her neutral face, she asked, "Yuvraj! Anything important? ".  That's the first question came to her mind on seeing him.  Yuvraj frowned at that and before he continued his conversation he asked the children to go to dining hall have breakfast. 

Once they went away, he turned to Anamika and asked, "Can't I come here without having anything important to talk? "  She replied immediately, "No yuvraj. It's your wish to come anytime you want."

Silence prevailed in the room for a few seconds before Yuvraj broke it with his question, "So children were saying that you were teaching them puja work and also play with them in the garden?" she replied, "yes Yuvraj".  He added, "But I never saw you and girls in the garden. "

She looked at him without giving out her thoughts although she is confused why he is asking this now after all these years and replied, "You have very little time for family yuvraj. So when you are not at work, I will not call the children so that they can spend sometime with their father." But the actual reason was something different from what she is letting him know.  She remembered that incident as if it happened yesterday and not ten years ago.

Flashback

A few weeks after Ranisa rebuked yuvraj about his behavior towards choti bahuranisa and ordered him to spend 5 days a week with her, Anamika went to the garden to pluck some flowers for puja when she heard some giggling sound.  She turned around only to see a sight which she never thought she would see. Yuvraj was pushing Saudamini in the garden swing and was playing with her, not aggressively as she is two months pregnant.

Anamika never thought Yuvraj would bring Saudamini to the garden and especially to the swing that he presented to her on their wedding anniversary. He claimed to marry only for child sake but whatever she is seeing tells her a whole new story. Dejected and heartbroken Anamika left the garden and she never dared to go to the garden when yuvraj is in the palace.

Flashback over

Little satisfied with her answer of letting the children spend time with him, Yuvraj started strolling in the chamber, looking around when a dasi came and asked permission to enter.  He gave permission and waited for her to answer. 

Dasi replied, "Yuvraj, Ranisa asked you and Badi bahuranisa to come and meet her in her chamber. I went to your chamber to search for you yuvraj and Dasi informed that you are in east wing so cane here yuvraj."

Yuvraj nodded at her and she left the room. Then both of them left the chamber to meet Ranisa.

Both unaware of what was about to be asked from them?  Sacrifice for one and Second Chance for the other.

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@shabzz496 Thanks for your interest in the story.

Thanks,
SM.