When Saanvi and I reached the palace gates, my heart skipped the tiniest beat. No matter how many times I had walked through these arched doors, the sheer vastness of the walls always pressed down on me in a strange way. Today, though, I wasn’t just walking in alone—I had brought Saanvi with me, her eyes wide and uncertain as she tried to take in the grandeur. I could almost feel her hesitation in her steps, but I gave her hand a light squeeze and kept walking.

We stopped a few feet away from the tall, imposing woman standing in the kitchen. Straight-backed, sharp-eyed, she looked like she missed nothing—not even a speck of dust on the polished floors. I lowered my voice slightly and called out, “Anuradha ji?”