Royally yours

77. Wedding II

Long chapter ahead. 

I have tried to explain the rituals clearly without making them boring. Hope you people like it. Give a try to my other books if you can. 

Happy reading!

Chaitra

The beauticians did my make-up and hair before draping the saree. They helped me wear my jewelry and left once they were content with my look saying they would meet me at the mandap. They would be staying back to help me with the saree as I was required to change my saree after a while.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at me is a bride adorned in a red kanjeevaram saree and golden bridal jewelry. Her eyes were shining with happiness and her cheeks pink due to continuous blushing. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Mumma and Nanna looking at me with their eyes full of love and adoration. She made me sit on the chair and adjusted a red net dupatta with golden work over my head. She then placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and applied a little kohl behind my ear. My father too kissed my forehead and I couldn't stop the few tears flowing from my eyes which he wiped softly.

"Can you read a story for me, Nanna?" I asked giving him my best puppy eyes and he agreed happily. I reminisced about the times when he read bedtime stories for me as he read through the pages giving animated expressions.

"Not fair, Maamu. You are again reading stories only to her," We heard Dev bhai's accusing voice and turned to see my three brothers looking at us with smiles etched on their faces. I ran into their arms and they hugged me tight. 

"You are looking gorgeous, Chotu," Dev bhai placed a kiss on my forehead followed by Annayya and Hithen. Annayya pinched my cheeks making me yelp as three of them made me sit on the bed. I quickly stood up and asked one of our maids to bring some salt and dried chilies.

Once she was back with those, I made all my brothers stand in a row, rounded the contents around their heads, and asked her to throw them in the flame after they fake spit on them. 

"Madam, if you are forgetting, you are the bride," Hithen exclaimed as he plopped himself on the bed pulling me along and making me land beside him.

"I know. But those ladies out there were ogling at you all like they would swallow you," I huffed in annoyance. I have always been possessive of my brothers. I share them with no one except their partners and I would gladly pull out the eyes of the women who ogle at them.

"You warded the evil eyes off us, what about your dear hubby? He is an eye-candy out there," Dev bhai mused making me snap my head at him. What the hell? It's his wedding they are attending for god's sake. They shouldn't be ogling at him, at least.

"Nanna, story," I grumpily sat on the bed at which the four men shared a laugh as Nanna continued with the story. Mama and Maamu entered after a while and we all chatted until it was time for us to leave for the mandap.

Mumma and other ladies performed my aarthi before we left for the mandap. I sat in the car in the passenger seat while Hithu took the driver's seat with Dev bhai and Ishika bhabi in the back. Viv settled himself in my lap as we drove to the venue.

Once we reached the venue, I was guided to a room in which I had to stay until I was called to the altar. I could see the side profile of Daksh as he performed some rituals required by the groom. My heartbeat rose as I heard Pandit Ji ask to bring me.

Vadina placed the raw coconut in my shaking hands as Ishika bhabi adjusted my pleats for one last time before they both along with Atha and Maami guided me to the altar. An off-white cloth with Lord Rama and Seetha maa woven in the middle with pearls adorned around them was lifted as a partition as soon as I was called. I felt my heart beating erratically and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.