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‘Katha‘ is a word that means a story, but what of the girl whose name is Katha?

Does the name itself have any origin?

Is anything about my name related to me at all?

The answer to all these questions is yes.

I was given this name by my mother even before I was born. She had always wanted a daughter and had wished to have one for years, as her old ladies framed it.

I was told that my mother prayed to God,

“Main ek aisi putri chahti hoon, jo Uttar ki anchui barf ki tarah shuddh ho, jiski sundarta man ko moh lene wali ho. Uske honth waise hi laal hon jaise us shvet vistar mein khila ekmatra gulaab, jo apni abha se sabka man moh le. Uske kesh chandni raat mein mahakte chameli ke bagh ki tarah laharayein, komal aur sugandhit. Aur uska swaroop aisi saumyata aur pavitrata se bhara ho, mano koi devi swayam is dhara par avtarit hui ho—shaashvat sundarta aur aakarshan ki pratimoorti. Ek aisi putri, ek rajkumari, jo swargiya abha se mandit ho, jiska saundarya prakriti ke chamatkar aur ishvariya kala ka anupam sangam ho, jo dekhne walon ko vismay se bhar de.”

“I want a daughter like the untouched snow in the North, a daughter who possesses a beauty that captivates the senses. Her radiant lips, as red as the sole rose blossoming amidst that snowy expanse, evoke a striking contrast and a sense of rare enchantment. Her hair cascades like a lush jasmine garden on a moonlit night, delicate and fragrant. And her body, sculpted with grace and purity, resembles that of a Goddess, a manifestation of timeless elegance and allure. A daughter, the princess who embodies a celestial beauty that leaves one in awe, a harmonious blend of nature’s wonders and divine artistry.“

I am talking about all of this, my mother and her ladies in the past tense because the name also states that it took my mother years, and many miscarriages to have me and when she finally did, she couldn’t even see me, because she had died while delivering me and that is the saddest part of my life.

I may have lived up to my mother’s expectations of being a beautiful, strong, fearless, and extraordinary daughter, but I am the same gift she never learned about.

 My father’s heart never stirred for my mother, for she bore not the fair countenance that kings so desire in their queens. Her beauty, though radiant in its own right, was a melody lost upon his ears—unheard, unappreciated.

My mother was my father’s first wife and also the only one among the three of his wives to have provided him with children. She was unloved by my father and always regretted not having been able to keep him all to herself; she did not like sharing what was hers, a trait I have inherited from her.

I have an elder brother who is my everything, a friend, a mentor, a tutor, and of course, the only man who loves me enough to make up for all the other members of the royal family.

My brother Abhay Singh has taught me how to overcome challenges. But the weapon that I have learned to be a master of is being a silver-tongued person.

Even Bhai-sa is not at all a master of it, but I have always been praised by the royal priest, who himself is the most intelligent person, as people phrase it. He is also a master manipulator and the very tutor of Bhai-sa and me.

My father never loved me, and I also don’t have any desire to be loved by him.

My heart yearns for one who sees beyond the veil of flesh, who desires not my womb’s worth but the fire within my soul. A man who, with each whispered vow, kindles my every longing—be it of mind, spirit, or flesh, whose love is not bound by the fact of how many heirs I produce for him, who understands what I want and fulfills every single desire that I have within myself, be it royal, mental, or physical.

All this might make me very different from other princesses, but I also have talents that are common among all the princesses of the country – the art of knitting and sewing, the art of singing beautifully, the art of making people lose their senses with just a single action. These are the very activities that I do in my own time, because the time when I need to use my other skills of manipulation and warship has not come yet, but will when I am married off to Maharaj Mrityunjay Rathore of Vajrajanapur.

I have heard stories about him being a strongly built, tall, and handsome man who never breaks his promises, but is he the man who is arrogant about his beauty, or is he the man who respects inner beauty?

Will he give me everything I want, or will he snatch the freedom I have had in my entire life of 21 years?

Only time will answer the questions arising in my mind, and only time will tell what it has in store for me.