Chapter 22:- Double Identities

Did she just discover....that she had unknowingly been living another life?

The continuous clattering of Ms. Gold’s black heels were getting on my nerves. The suspense was killing me, yet she showed no sign of revealing what she knew.

“Patience Roshni, patience!” I tried to calm myself.

“And here we are!” Maria Gold announced in a not-so-enthusiastic tone. We entered another plain, glassy room, with a stylish maroon sofa and a black coffee table as the only pieces of furniture. There lay a projector screen in front of us, with the words “Discover Your Real Identity” plastered on it. What sort of identity would I discover here?

“Have a seat, Ms. Roshni and Noor Walia.” Ms. Gold asked, putting a halt to my rapid chain of thoughts.

I gave her an ambiguous look, before landing onto a hard, sturdy sofa instead of an expected soft and comfy one.

“Coffee?” She offered, to which I gave a polite refusal. I desperately wanted to know what she knew about me, and she was beating around the bush. I could not control it any longer.

“What do your reports tell you? About me…” I left my question unfinished, restlessly.

She sighed and took a deep breath which made me clasp and squeeze my hands again. Noor di clutched my shoulder, giving an assuring nod. I smiled before turning back to the officer.

“ I might have to give a very long and tedious speech here, so please bear with me..” Ms. Maria Gold started.

“Okay, so you were first told to spit in a conical flask once you stepped onto the Aurester. The spit was needed to examine your DNA, which is needed to evaluate your reports. The ‘Aurengy’ as it was referred as, or the energy in you was taken in to assess if you had the capability to endure the pain required for the two stages. The jacket you wore was merely to support you through your ‘journey’.” She said, clearly explaining why everything happened the way it did.

“So am I capable?” I questioned in a meek voice.

“Surely you are, Ms. Roshni! That is why you survived the first stage, and you still have balance and control over yourself. You are the same as you were before you experienced Provoking Past!” Ms. Gold beamed.

“So, here are the results…” She announced, which made my heart beat 10 times faster.

“Um, I do not want to sound rude, but can Ms. Roshni and I talk in private?” Ms. Gold requested Noor di. She nodded approvingly before reluctantly letting go of my hand.

“Okay, so here are the results…” She repeated, handing a blue file to me. I opened it to see a bunch of weirdly structured letters and numbers.

“What does this mean?” I questioned.

“So, this means that you have another identity…you are related to some other person in a way which is indescribable; which is above all human relations. Can you explain what you saw during the stage of Provoking Past?” Ms. Gold’s eyes softened.

“Yes….the moment I opened my eyes, I saw something completely different yet familiar in front of me. My surroundings resembled our recent Indian historical show’s set. It felt as if time had travelled back to the 15th century.” I spoke, revisiting the events that took place an hour ago.

“Good…what about you? Did you notice any change in you?” She asked hopefully.

“Yea, my look had changed completely. My body had adorned typical Mewari clothes and jewelry instead of my modern 21st century ones. Moreover, all the servants in the ‘palace’ started addressing me as ‘Rajkumarisa’; I mean as the ‘Princess’.” I corrected myself.

“Anything else that you found bizarre?”

“Rajshree di, who portrayed the role of Maharani Jaiwanta bai; Maharana Pratap’s mother, was present too. She wore the same royal attire and carried the same elegance and poise. But…she addressed me differently too. She called me ‘Ajabde’! And somehow, I automatically addressed her as ‘Ranima’; the name I called her when I portrayed the role of ‘Ajabde’.” I elaborated.

“Would you like to share anything else?”

“No.” I answered quickly. I decided not to reveal about Faisal…as Pratap. My inner instincts refused to share this with any outsider, and I wasn’t sure of Ms. Maria being reliable enough.

“Okay, so my purpose of asking these questions were a way to confirm the results.”

“According to the reports collected through stage 1, as well as responses to your questions, I, Maria Gold, hereby announce that you are the Queen; or Maharani Ajabde of Mewar.” She said collectively.

“What?!” I screamed frantically!