Both Rudradev and Lilavati's faces lit up. Both girls' marriages sponsored by Kirtidev would mean that no expenses would be spared.
Lilavati got up and went to touch Kirtidev's feet. In a choked voice, she said, "Thank you, Father."
Rudradev also thanked his father in a grateful voice and then looked at his brother, who was sitting next to him with a sullen expression on his face.
Jayantdev didn't lack money nor did he need to save up for any dowry since his two boys will be bringing the wives in.
But his eldest brother getting extra benefits didn't sit right with him. Still, he consoled himself that eventually the family wealth would be inherited by his two sons. Moreover, Father had thrown the subtle threat out tonight regarding the next family head.
Subhadra was cursing the cheap brother in-law and sister in-law in her heart. They had been born just to leech off the family wealth.
She belonged to a wealthy merchant family and had been married to Jayantdev with a lot of pomp and show. Her dowry had been talked about for years in their circle. In comparison, Lilavati belonged to an aristocratic family which had been in decline for many years and was only known for their education.
Hmph! What good was education? Could it be eaten?
It was due to the good relations and previous arrangement between elders of both families that Lilavati could enter the prestigious Bali household.
The worst was the deceased sister in-law, Kadambari. Apart from her striking looks, and a mass of barren land in the mountains, she had brought nothing along to the marriage.
But then, even her husband had been no better. Unlike the studious eldest brother who became a minister and the youngest brother who was great at finance, Hridaydev had been mediocre in his studies despite managing to get into the prestigious Sarvaan gurukul and ended up getting a useless portfolio in the royal court. That was also possible due to the recommendation of the then powerful minister, Kirtidev.
Despite being on that obscure post of a junior minister for many years, Hridaydev couldn't make any major contributions nor did he win any recognition from the emperor. Both husband and wife were worthless and had left an equally useless offspring behind!
"I think it is a great idea, Father. The girls are blessed to have you as their grandfather," Subhadra spoke up in a cloyingly sweet voice, in absolute contrast to her vicious thoughts.
Both Lilavati and Rudradev looked at her with complicated eyes.
Kirtidev remained unperturbed and said, "Katyayani's marriage alliance and dowry will be arranged solely by me. Neither of you need to bother about this matter. By the end of next year, I will find a groom for her and marry her off. Till then, I do not want to see a repeat of what happened today."
He was referring to the shabby welcome which his granddaughter received upon coming home after many months.
Lilavati flushed in anger while Dharitri's ears turned red with embarrassment.
Soon, five pairs of eyes shifted towards the demure girl who was sitting with her head down. The room had a fluctuating flow of emotions ranging from envy, to indifference, to angst and in case of both brothers - relief.
"That's all. Everyone can retire for the night. Katyayani, accompany me till my chambers," said Kirtidev and got up from the table.
While the women were happy that they weren't going to be saddled with the charge of finding a groom or spending on the orphan girl, both Rudradev and Jayantdev felt a twinge of unease. Though their father hadn't mentioned anything about the distribution of family wealth in this talk, there was something in his words which caused them to be wary.
Of course, neither of them shared it with the other.
Bhadrak was waiting outside the dining room but when he saw his master being escorted by the young girl, he hung back and waited for them to go past him.
After a few minutes, the old man started on a sigh. "I know that you have been wronged in this house for many years. I also know that you have your own ideas and plans regarding your life. But I want you to start living in the present and leave the entanglements of the past behind. Your parents would have wished for the same. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Katyayani didn't try to explain or argue with him.
She nodded her head and said softly, "I will listen to your arrangements regarding my marriage. I have the next one year to myself, right?"
Kirtidev shook his head and replied. "It is high time that you return to this house. This place belongs to you as much as the rest of them."
Katyayani looked at the arched entrance of her grandfather's chambers and stopped right outside. She bent down and touched his feet respectfully.
"I wish you a pleasant night, Grandfather. I will come and see you tomorrow morning," with that she turned around and walked away.
Eka, Trini and Chatvari were sitting in front of the fireplace, awaiting their mistress's arrival. Contrary to the wooden cabin, they hardly had any work to do here and it was slightly boring. This was of course till the accounts books arrived from the music hall in the next few days.
Hearing footsteps ring in the courtyard, Eka got up quickly and welcomed Katyayani into the room with a smile. "Should I heat up the soup? You must be hungry."
Katyayani's lips turned up at the warmth in her words. It was true that she hadn't been able to eat much at the table despite the lavish spread.
Chatvari walked up to her and took her cloak. After a minute, she returned and made Katyayani sit on a wooden stool in front of the fireplace. "Let me knead your shoulder muscles for a bit. This woman has been warming up for the past twenty minutes. I am afraid that she will hasten you to leave for your workout as soon as you finish eating."
Before Katyayani could respond, Chatvari had started working her acupuncture magic and the young girl couldn't help but moan softly in satisfaction. Despite her detached attitude towards the family, she was nonetheless tensed every time she faced them.
"You are behaving as if you are the only one who cares about her. If I was so lax about her well-being, do you think she would have survived the harsh training rigour?" Trini responded with dissatisfaction in her voice.
"I don't mean to imply anything but it is a fact that in your eyes, training ranks higher than anything or anyone else, including yourself. During the entire day, you haven't worked out for even a minute. Don't I know how desperate your body must be by now?" Chatvari teased her gently while her expert fingers had moved to Katyayani's lower back now.
Usually it was Dvi who took care of her body but currently, she had gone to stay with Mandodari and was not going to enter the Bali mansion anytime soon. The first year that Dvi stayed in the Bali household, almost all the males in the house buzzed around her, causing major discontentment and discord.