Hearing Abhi concede his defeat left Sashi deeply upset. Her pride in her husband's fighting prowess had been shattered. Ram, noticing her downcast expression, couldn't resist teasing her.
"You lost your wager," he said cheerfully, a grin spreading across his face.
Sashi, her face reflecting disappointment, sighed in defeat. "Okay, I lost. I'll agree to anything you ask for."
Ram chuckled at her admission while Rajeev, who had been watching the scene unfold, smiled broadly. He stepped closer to them and said, "Come on, let's get back to them." With that, he led the way, Sashi and Ram trailed after him.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Gowthami, beaming with quiet triumph, approached Abhi. She extended a hand to him with a gentle smile. "Persist, sibling."
Before Abhi could reach for her hand, Rajeev appeared by Gowthami's side. He gently brushed a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear, his fingers lingering affectionately as he tucked it securely.
"Do you feel worn out?" Rajeev asked, his eyes searching her face.
Gowthami's grin widened, " Do you sense my fatigue", Not a drop of sweat marred her brow. She was composed, utterly unfazed by the intense sparring match. In fact, she seemed to have enjoyed it thoroughly.
Abhi, still on the ground, rolled his eyes in mock frustration. "Are you going to help me up or not?" he asked, glancing at the pair.
Gowthami chuckled and quickly apologized, turning to help Abhi to his feet.
"I had a great time today, especially sparring with my brother," Gowthami said, her joy apparent as she looked at Rajeev, who gave her an approving nod.
Abhi dusted himself off as he stood, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sister," he began, "I'm so impressed by your skills. Thank you for that sparring session. But now, I have to ask—who is the guru who taught you all of this? I'd love to meet him."
Gowthami smiled warmly at Abhi's compliment, her eyes glinting with pride. Rajeev stood beside her, clearly pleased that Abhi had recognized Gowthami's prowess.
She replied, "It was a long journey to learn what I know. Perhaps one day, you'll get to meet my teacher."
Abhi, intrigued and humbled, nodded, silently vowing to one day meet the person who had shaped Gowthami into such a formidable fighter.
Abhi was really amazed by Gowthami's abilities. He wasn't the type of man to let his pride get in the way of recognizing talent, instead, he will help and motivate those with genuine potential. Despite Gowthami's crushing victory, he remained unfazed and even expressed admiration for her abilities.
Ram, eager to join in on the conversation, happily chimed in, "Who else might it be? He is definitely our rud....."
But before he could finish the sentence, Ram abruptly cut himself off. His face went pale as he realized what he had almost revealed.
'Oh my gosh', he thought to himself in a panic. 'what do I do? I was about to expose Rudra's father's identity. '
Rajeev shot him a fierce glare, his eyes burning with anger. 'This idiot was only able to sustain his physical form; he lacked intelligence'. Rajeev cursed Ram in his mind as he reflected on himself.
Just then, a commanding voice cut through the tension. "Who is her guru?"
Everyone turned, startled by the sound. It was Gurdeep, accompanied by Uma, both walking toward the group with a stern expression. Their presence suddenly added a layer of seriousness to the situation.
Abhi, sensing something deeper, glanced at Ram with curiosity. Does Ram know about her guru? he wondered.
"Who is her guru?" Abhi asked Ram directly, his voice firm as he demanded an answer.
All eyes were now on Ram, waiting for him to speak. The pressure was immense, and Ram felt like he was standing on a cliff, unsure whether to jump or stay silent. He fidgeted nervously, glancing around at the expectant faces.
Oh my goodness, I'm done for, Ram thought, beads of sweat forming on his brow. What am I supposed to do now?
Ram, murmured to himself, 'Can't you hush your mouth off? You often sought flaws to yourself through your foul tongue."
Ram's eyes darted back to Rajeev, silently pleading for help. But Rajeev's expression was stone-cold. He wasn't going to save him this time. Ram could tell that Rajeev's patience had run out.
Now completely alone and with nowhere to turn, Ram swallowed hard. The silence was suffocating, and everyone was waiting for him to either reveal the truth or come up with a clever lie.
But Ram, caught between fear and loyalty, could only muster a nervous laugh as he desperately tried to figure out his next move.
Without delay, Ram blurted out , "Of course it's me—I'm her guru."
Everyone gasped in disbelief. "You?" they all exclaimed at once, completely taken aback.
Gowthami and Rajeev exchanged a glance before burbling wid laughter at Ram's response.
'Oh my gosh', Rajeev wondered to himself, 'What the heck am I going to do with this idiot?'
With a skeptical gaze, Abhi questioned, "You?"
"Yes, it's me," Ram repeated, trying to sound confident.
"Yeah, he's my guru," Gowthami chimed in, playing along with Ram's ridiculous statement.
But Gurdeep wasn't convinced. He sensed that Ram had been about to say something else earlier and stopped himself. He didn't buy the story for a second.
Abhi, with a skeptical look, glanced back and forth between Ram and Gowthami.
Abhi can see right through Gowthami's ploy to make her chuckle. He muttered to himself, "So this dupe ram is again seeking to mislead me."Abhi thought, rolling his eyes.
" Alright, I trust in you. Let's battle, and I want to gain insight into how her guru will triumph over me". With a menacing grin, Abhi added.
"That's amazing I'd love to see that even, how my spiritual advisor will ultimately win, right at this moment." Gowthami teased, still smirking.
Rajeev responded, "Yes, me too," and folded his hands.
Rajeev, glaring at the ram with rage, thought to himself, "This will drop the greatest sanction for you, ram, for neglecting to control your moronic tongue."
Ram gaped in shock as he opened his eyes further and took in his surroundings. He thought to himself, crying within his head, 'Is this people attempting to murder me or what?'
In comparison to abhi, Ram is not as skilled a fighter. He would undoubtedly lose badly if he fights Abhi. This time, abhi, for speaking such a falsehood, he will undoubtedly put up a strong struggle.
Desperately thinking of a way out, Ram stammered, "You're sick of battling with Gowthami, so let's take a breather, brother. Don't rush in right now; we will debate later."
Abhi gave Ram a menacing smirk and stated, "I'm tired off, it ought to be an honor for me to engage in combat with such a wonderful guru."
" Hey, good job. Cough...., cough....., cough..... We could have it again later since I don't feel good". Ram, trying to buy more time, coughed dramatically, acted as if he couldn't handle things well.
"Rest assured, there is only one match left, and Sashi and Rajeev will provide you with an excellent medication to help you recover. "
Sashi, seeing right through Ram's act, smirked and said, " Yes, rest assured that Ram; following this battle, I'll offer you the greatest treatment possible" .
She was aware that Ram was purposefully pretending to be the guru and that he was attempting to dupe Abhi once again, and she was unwilling to allow her spouse to fall for his tricks. She is very enraged at Ram.
'Oh my goodness, somebody rescue me from these guys; they genuinely seem to be attempting to murder me'. Ram appealed to the Almighty.
They were interrupted instantly by Gurdeep, who stated, "You guys can have combat again in the future.Come on, lads, get back to me. We need to chat."
Gurdeep observed Ram's unease, sensing that he was hiding something. He knew pressing Ram or Rajeev for answers now would only result in more lies. I'll question them later, he thought, deciding to bide his time.
Listing Gurdeep's words, Ram grinned broadly and thanked Gurdeep for rescuing him.
'Ho, God, I am very grateful that you sent Gurdeep Uncle to rescue me,' he pleaded.
Without wasting a second, Ram eagerly jumped at the chance to escape. "Yes, Uncle, you're right. We've still got so much to do for Rajeev's wedding!" he exclaimed, already moving toward the house as if sprinting for his life. His awkward haste didn't go unnoticed by the others, and soon everyone was chuckling at how Ram had narrowly escaped a fight with Abhi.
As Ram hurried off, Abhi gave a sly grin and called out after him, "Don't worry, Ram. I'll catch up with you later." His tone was light, but there was a glint in his eyes that suggested he wasn't going to let Ram off the hook so easily.
The group shared a knowing smile, watching as Ram disappeared inside. The tension from the mock confrontation faded, replaced by the warmth of camaraderie and anticipation of the upcoming wedding. But one thing was clear to everyone—Ram wasn't out of the woods just yet.