The new couple had spent two days with Adirath and Radha. Radha doted on Aadrika for she was truly happy that her son married the princess. Adirath too was pleased with the pair for he knew Aadrika would calm his temper when needed. One thing that worried him was that both were equally stubborn, he knew Karna's habits already but the princess too shared the resemblance in some activities. They both refused to back down from an argument without a proper fight, and had the same temper. While Karna was a spitfire, whose anger flared in a second, Aadrika possesses a cold fury, which burns slowly and can be quite destructive as well. He silently prayed to Mahadev, desperately, to keep them away from misunderstandings. 

~
Aadrika's pov

Today was the day we would go to the palace, to meet Rajkumar Duryodhan and the rest of the royals. As I was getting ready, I saw Radha Ma coming towards me. I smiled at her,"Maa, please sit  with me." Radha Ma was adorable, she reminds me of my own mother a little, with her constant fussing and pampering. She helped with my jewelleries to make things quicker.  As we walked outside, Angraj helped me get on the rath. "We'll meet Maharaj and his family first, then we'll go to the rest of the royals.", he said. I nodded at him, and smiled a little. The distance was quite short and we shared a comfortable silence in the moment. 

We could already see Rajkumar Duryodhan standing with his brothers and uncle, at the gates. Angraj helped me down, and then went to Rajkumar for a hug. "Congratulations Mitra, You proved your merit at the competition. You've made us very proud.", he said. Angraj smiled," Thankyou Mitra, You are too kind" They all turned to me and Karna introduced,"This is the Queen of Ang, Aadrika." I smiled wide, at being introduced as the Queen, walking towards them I said,"Pranipat, We did not get the chance to meet earlier. I am glad to finally meet the man my husband talks so highly of". Duryodhan chuckled and was about to reply but Gandhar Naresh cut him off," It was quite a puzzling swayamvar if I say so myself Rajkumari Aadrika. I have never seen a princess put forward her own weapons for the suitors, nor have I seen the type of friendship between a man and a woman similar to yours and Dwarkadheesh!" I frowned, but refused to back down,"Pranipat Gandhar Naresh, I don't think it was anything new, a task was to decided and I put forward the challenge that I thought would help me find my match. And I guess we don't know each other enough to worry our relations with other. Lastly,   I hope you do realise that I am the Queen of Ang, now that I have married Angraj himself, so I request you to use the said title please.",I replied. If Rajkumar Duryodhan was a kind man, then maybe Gandhar Naresh is trying to look out for him? I didn't quite understand the behaviour though. I looked at Gandhar Naresh, he had a crooked smile, eyes fleeting between me and Angraj. "Of course Maharani Aadrika. Let's go inside, the Maharaj and my sister must waiting for you.", he said, and left without waiting for a reply. The brothers followed Gandhar Naresh but Rajkumar Duryodhan walked beside Angraj. As we walked inside the court, I saw Maharaj Dhritrashtra, Maharani Gandhari, Mahamantri Vidur and Gangaputra Bhishm sitting and talking amongst each other. 

~

After the introduction, we all retired to our chambers. We were staying in the palace today and would leave for Ang tonight. Angraj was out with his friend, and I was in our chamber. The dasi, who was in charge of helping me, was very sweet and kind. It was quite refreshing to talk with her. She told about the family history, and even some secrets that were shared amongst the workers. I asked the girl to accompany me for a stroll in the garden, since I didn't have much to do , this would help me pass time.When we reached the garden, I was engulfed by the cool most and the  sweet perfume of flowers. As we walked together, talking about random things, we saw the Pandavas the Rajmata, Kunti and Mahamantri Vidur standing nearby. I walked towards them and joined my hands in respect. They too smiled,"Pranipat Maharani Aadrika, congratulations for your wedding. I wish you both a wonderful married life", wished Rajmata. Maybe I was being too critical, or crazy, but Rajmata Kunti had a look in her eyes, yearning? Pain? love? I couldn't pin-point it, so I let it slide. I thanked her, when Rajkumar Bheem spoke up,"Don't you think its a little sad, you are the wife of a man without a noble birth. How can it be possible that Arjun, who is a Kshatriya, couldn't lift the bow but a sutputra could?" My blood boiled and before anyone could open there mouth I snapped,"With due respect Rajkumar Bheem, I would suggest you watch your tongue when you speak to me! I think it is a matter of pride, that despite being constantly denied the basic rights of a human, despite getting taunts from everyone my husband managed to become a king on his own merit. Its better to stay quiet instead speaking nonsense. The only sad thing is that when your elder brother takes the reign as the king you'll be the next in line of command, and with that narrow minded thinking of yours, I pray for the kingdom." I can't believe it, I had heard such good things about the sons of Pandu, but this is shocking. I was trying to calm myself, when I heard Rajkumar Yudhishthir reprimand him. Rajkumar Bheem clearly wanted to say something but apologised half-heartedly. It was quiet tense, and everyone could feel it. To change the mood, Rajkumar Nakul spoke up,"Bhrata Arjun tells me that you are very close to Madhav?". I smiled widely," Yes we are, he is quite an important person in my life. Although he used to get me in trouble most of the times when we were younger!", I joked and we shared a laugh. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Angraj walking towards us.

Karna's pov

Why was she standing next to Arjun? I walked over to them, and stood by her side. Rajmata Kunti looked at me and smiled, congratulating me for the wedding, followed by the pandavas. I thanked them, and looked at Aadrika. I clenched my fist in an attempt to calm myself. My conversation with Gandhar Naresh was still fresh in my mind. Although I didn't want to believe it, but Mitra Duryodhan too agreed and his sources are usually correct.

Flashback(In third person pov)
After the introduction, Karna left Aadrika in their chamber and went to meet the Kauravas. On reaching the room, he found that they were already in a conversation. "Mitra, why are you standing there? Come and join us. We were just talking about you.", said Duryodhan. Karna walked towards them, smiling, and sat down with them. Shakuni had a sly smile on his face," Angraj , we were just talking about something very concerning. And as your well wishers, it is our duty to warn you" Karna frowned, and asked about the issue. "Don't you think that Maharani Aadrika's friendship with Rajkumar Arjun is a bit concerning? I mean, if they only met at the swayamvar then how come she is frank enough to meet him, after the ceremony? Also, why did he stay back after all the suitors left? And relation does she share with Dwarkadheesh?  She did defend him today, but as far as I know , there is no blood relation between Dwarka and Manipur. So if its not a blood relation, then what type of a bond do they share? Do you know anything about it?" Karna was about to dismiss this when Duryodhan chipped in," Mitra, Mamashree's words are a bit harsh, but you know that we only speak be because of our concern for you. Today herself she said that she has a special place for Krishna, and I'm sure you remember that he is Arjun's best friend, who also wanted to marry her. I just want you to be sure of her loyalty, because I'm not, at the moment."  When Karna left the room, he was in a deep thought. He would be lying if he said that he didn't agree with Gandhar Naresh's words at all, because he did find it strange. He still doesn't question her friendship with Krishna but why did the Pandavas stay back? And why were they speaking to her? Maybe he was overthinking this? He decided to speak with her as it would help clear the air, leaving no room for misunderstandings. He looked around for her, when he saw her sharing a laugh with the pandavas. To his dismay, she was standing next to Arjun. As she turned towards him, she smiled at him, but he couldn't return one to her. 

Present

Karna's pov 

We were on our way to Ang Pradesh. I asked Aadrika to travel in her palanquin while I was on my horse, simply because I needed to be alone to think things through. After Aadrika's introduction I would leave for a hunting trip with the Kaurava brothers. I have a feeling that they'll ask me more questions about this and I need a clear mind to answer them. I wonder how she is feeling.  

Aadrika's pov 

I wonder what is going on with Angraj. We were fine in the morning but something must have happened at the palace. I wanted to speak to him about his security, but so far we couldn't get a single chance to be alone. I guess I would have to speak to him after we reach Ang Pradesh. As we neared Ang Pradesh, the sounds of trumpets could be heard already. The people were standing outside, waiting for their King. When we entered the lands, people cheered in joy, making me smile. Curiously, I peered outisde from the curtain and found people of all age, throwing flowers at my palanquin. There joy doubled when I waved at them, as they realized I was watching. Angraj helped me out, and we stood at the gates of the palace. I whispered to Angraj that I want to talk to him when we go inside. The minister smiled and welcomed us.  I turned towards the people and thanked them for their warm welcome, then proceeded towards the palace.
I was looking around for Angraj, but being new to the palace I kept getting lost after every turn. Finally I asked a guard to help me find Angraj. As we were walking the minister came towards me and informed me that Angraj has left for his hunting trip with Rajkumar Duryodhan. This was quite baffling. Why didn't he inform me about this? Why was it so important to meet Rajkumar Duryodhan when we had just returned from their kingdom? I did ask him to wait for me, it was important! I'll have to ask him when he returns. With that thought in mind, I arranged for a trip around the Kingdom to meet the people. Usually this is done by the couple but if Angraj couldn't wait then I wouldn't either.

While Karna spent his day hunting and trying to keep Aadrika out of his mind, the Queen of Anga spent her day touring the Kingdom, meeting the people. As she saw the Kingdom pour their love and adoration on her, the sour feeling for Angraj left her mind. Spending time with his friends helped Karna clear his head as well. Both were unaware of the impending disaster that would widen the gap between them.