Page 94 of Claimed By the Maharaja
Yamini opened her eyes.
Her father stood at the top of the steps.
Maharaja Mahinder Gaur wore an ivory kurta and a sleeveless jacket. Age had deepened the lines on his face, but his authority was unchanged.
He had the particular posture of a man who had never once doubted his own judgment. Yamini had grown up trying to earn a nod from that posture. She had stopped trying at twenty-two.
As soon as he saw Yamini, his expression changed to fury.
“Get out,” he said coldly.
Yamini’s heart jerked.
Her mother turned toward her husband. “Mahinder, please—Our daughter has come back—”
“I said get out,” her father repeated, louder now. “You have no right to step into this house.”
Her chest tightened painfully. “Papa—”
“You lost the right to call me that,” he snapped. “You are a disgrace to this family. Five years ago, you humiliated us, destroyed our standing, and ran away like a coward. We disowned you. Nothing has changed.”
Footsteps sounded from up the stairs. Her older brother came down and stood behind their father. Shock lit his face when he saw her.
Yamini’s heart jerked.
She and her brother had once been close. He used to sneak her extra sweets from the kitchen and cover for her when she disappeared to photograph stray dogs and children playing in the streets outside the palace. He had stopped calling after the elopement. She had stopped expecting him to.
He looked so much like their father. But instead of cold authority, his expression was now strained.
“Throw her out,” their father ordered. “Now.”
Her brother looked torn.
When her brother didn’t move, Yamini saw her father turning towards the staff hovering nearby, watching the drama unfold. “Throw her out. I don’t want her—”
Before he could finish, the main door opened wider, and the uniformed royal security stepped in, standing by the door.
A moment later, Bharat Jogra walked in.
The air seemed to still.
“Your Highness,” her father said in shock. And then, she saw him descending the steps rapidly. “This is an honor. We were not informed you would be visiting.”
Bharat inclined his head once. “Maharaja Gaur. Maharani Gaur. I’m here with your daughter.”
His voice was low and formal yet commanding.
For a moment, her parents and brother froze, unsure what to make of it.
Yamini inhaled a deep breath. “Ma… papa… I am married now to… Maharaja Bharat Singh Jogra.”
There was absolute silence.
Her mother’s hand shook slightly in hers before she spoke. “That’s… that’s wonderful news.”
Her father recovered quickly. He straightened, his expression shifting into something like relief. “I see,” he said. “I am… glad, Your Highness. Glad that you chose to forgive my wayward daughter.”
Yamini stiffened at the word.
