Chapter Nineteen: What It Means to Keep Her

The Rathore estate stood quiet under the night sky of , its grandeur untouched, its walls holding generations of pride, power… and lessons.

Inside, the atmosphere was different from the chaos of the Mewar palace.

There was authority here—

But there was also… warmth.

Veeresh Rathore stood near the large window of the sitting hall, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed outside. The day had been long, but his mind was still awake, still moving through everything that had changed in just a matter of days.

Behind him, his parents sat together, watching him.

Not as a business magnate.
Not as the next Rana Sa.

But as their son.

“Veeresh,” his mother called softly.

He turned slightly, acknowledging her.

“Sit,” his father added.

There was something in his tone—not commanding, but firm enough to make it clear this wasn’t a casual conversation.

Veeresh walked over and sat across from them, his posture straight, his expression calm as always.

But his mother’s eyes softened as she looked at him.

“You have made a big decision,” she said gently.

He didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

A single word.

Steady.

Certain.

His father leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharper now.

“Then you must understand what comes with it.”

Veeresh didn’t respond.

He listened.

Because this…

This was not business advice.

This was something else.

“We have heard about her,” his father continued, his voice quieter but heavier. “About how she has been treated.”

A pause.

“How her own father has never accepted her… not even till today.”

Veeresh’s jaw tightened slightly—but he didn’t interrupt.

His mother spoke next, her tone softer, but filled with a quiet strength.

“Beta… a girl who grows up without love… carries that emptiness with her.”

Her words were not judgment.

They were understanding.

“She will not ask for much,” she added. “But what she asks for… will mean everything to her.”

Veeresh’s gaze lowered slightly, thoughtful now.

His father’s voice followed.

“And the one thing you must never do…”

A pause.

“Is use her past against her.”

The words were firm.

Clear.

Final.

“Not in anger. Not in frustration. Not even by mistake.”

The silence that followed wasn’t empty.

It carried weight.

Because they weren’t just advising him.

They were trusting him with someone fragile in ways the world didn’t see.

“She has already lived a life where she was made to feel less,” his mother said quietly.

Her eyes held his.

“Do not make her feel that way again.”

For the first time—

Veeresh didn’t have an immediate response.

Because this wasn’t something he could calculate.

Or control.

This was something he had to… understand.

His father leaned back slightly, studying him.

“You are not a perfect man,” he said bluntly.

A faint, almost knowing pause.

“And we are not asking you to become one.”

Veeresh’s lips pressed together slightly.

“But if you are choosing her…”

His voice grew firmer.

“Then you must protect her.”

Not just physically.

Not just socially.

Emotionally.

Completely.

“Marriage is not just about staying,” his father added.

“It is about how you make the other person feel while you stay.”

That line lingered.

Deep.

Because Veeresh had already promised one thing—

He wouldn’t leave.

But this…

This was asking something more.

His mother reached out, placing her hand gently over his.

“She may not say it,” she said softly, “but she will need reassurance.”

A small pause.

“She will need to feel chosen.”

Every day.

Not once.
Not in a moment.

But continuously.

Veeresh looked at her hand for a second… then back at her.

Something in his expression shifted.

Not dramatically.

But enough.

“I won’t hurt her,” he said finally.

His voice was low.

Steady.

Not loud…

But sincere.

His father nodded once, as if that was enough for now.

“See that you don’t.”

The conversation ended there.

No more words.
No more instructions.

Because some things…

Had to be understood, not taught.

Veeresh stood up slowly, his mind quieter than before—but heavier in a different way.

Because for the first time—

This wasn’t about winning a deal.

This wasn’t about control.

This was about a person.

A woman who had never been given what she deserved.

And now—

She was being placed in his hands.

Not as a responsibility alone.

But as something far more delicate.

Trust.

As he walked away, one thought stayed with him—

He had promised he wouldn’t leave.

But now…

He understood—

That staying…

Would require more than just presence.