On his return to Agra, Zeb detained Emperor Shah at the Agra Fort and seized power. He was the victor! He could claim Ranadil as his own. He sent a message to her through a courtier. “Go, tell her I cant live without her. She has bewitching charms. What bright eyes! What rosy skin! Her face is indeed her fortune. Zeb sang in praise of Ranadil.
Ranadil smiled wanly at the courtier. “Is it really so? Let me check.” She signaled to the courtier to wait and ran to the full length mirror in her bedroom.
She picked up a dagger and ran it several times across her cheeks. Bleeding from every pore, she walked back to the presence of the courtier. She wiped the blood with her dupatta (towel ) and handed it to the courtier. “Give this to your master. Tell him that my face is no longer my fortune. That fortune was only for my Lord, my dear Dara. I have destroyed it. Now, I have a face bleeding from cuts. Soon they will turn into scars.
The courtier turned his face away, unable to stand the gory sight.
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