The silence after Aryan's question was sharp. The kind that cuts deeper than words.
Ratan looked at him, eyes unreadable. For a few seconds, Aryan wasn't sure if he was going to answer.
But then Ratan took a breath. And when he spoke… it was like a dam breaking.
"You've seen our house, haven't you?" he said quietly. "The mansion. The cars. The guards. The walls so high they almost block out the sky. All that power, Aryan… comes with a price."
He took a slow step forward.
"We are the Vale Empire. Our roots go deeper than politics, deeper than wealth. We built towns. We broke kingdoms. And we made enemies that don't just hate us—they want to erase us."
Aryan's brows furrowed.
Ratan kept going.
"Do you know how many assassination attempts have been made on me since Aarohi was born? Twelve. And that's just the ones I know about."
His tone turned colder.
"Every smile you see on our property hides a lie. Every deal we make costs blood. The world bows to us not because we're kind—but because we're feared."
Aryan stayed silent, fists clenched.
Ratan's voice lowered, almost like a whisper.
"And now, it's my time to choose an heir."
That caught Aryan off guard. "What?"
"I'm not immortal," Ratan said simply. "And I can't just hand this empire to anyone. I have no son. No brother. No one I trust."
He turned his back to Aryan, staring into the dark.
"So yes… I chose Aarohi."
Aryan blinked. "But… she's not like that. She's soft-hearted. Kind. She doesn't belong in this—"
"I know," Ratan cut in. "Aarohi doesn't belong in this world."
He turned back, and this time… there was something broken in his gaze.
"She was supposed to be normal. Gentle. She was everything my world isn't. And that terrified me."
He ran a hand over his face.
"My father—the former head of Vale—wanted to kill her the moment she was born. Said a girl would weaken our bloodline. Said no daughter would ever be worthy of the Vale name."
Aryan stared in horror.
"He tried to drown her when she was six."
"What?"
Ratan nodded. "I stopped him. That night… was the first time I saw her change."
Aryan's breath caught.
"She wasn't Aarohi anymore. She was someone else. Calm. Dead in the eyes. She walked right up to him, took the knife from the table… and stabbed him."
Aryan took a step back.
"She was seven years old," Ratan said, voice hoarse. "But she looked like she had done it before. Like she was meant to."
A long silence followed.
"That… that was Vayira, wasn't it?" Aryan whispered.
Ratan nodded. "The first time she surfaced. The night she became the reason my father died."
"But why…" Aryan tried to find the right words. "Why would you want that version of her to inherit Vale?"
Ratan's voice became like steel.
"Because the men who sit at my table—my advisors, the heads of foreign arms and intelligence—they don't fear love. They don't fear Aarohi. But Vayira?" He leaned in closer. "Vayira makes them sweat."
He sighed, the weight of years pressing down on him.
"I didn't raise a daughter just to marry her off to someone I barely trust, or hide her away behind glass walls. I raised her to survive."
"But what about Aarohi?" Aryan asked. "What about her? Doesn't she deserve a life that's not built on violence?"
"She deserves peace," Ratan said. "But in this family… peace is earned, not given."
Aryan looked away, emotions raging inside him.
"She's not a weapon," he said finally. "She's not just some heir to your throne."
"She's more than that," Ratan said, almost gently. "She's every version of herself. Aarohi, Reyza, Zarah, Kiara, and Vayira… each one is her. Whether you like it or not."
Aryan stepped forward. "Then I'll protect all of them. Not just Aarohi."
Ratan smiled faintly, tiredly.
"You still think you can save her."
Aryan met his gaze. "No. I know I will."
Ratan nodded once, as if giving silent approval. Then he said, "One day, Aryan… you'll see why I had to do all of this."
He paused at his car door.
"And when that day comes, I hope it's not too late."
With that, he got in and drove off—leaving Aryan standing alone in the dark, heart pounding with fear, hope, and a growing storm he was now deeply a part of.