Nidhi had never imagined that the love and belonging she had been craving since childhood would come to her so suddenly… and in this way.
She never thought it was possible.
Raghav and Kavita were strangers to her, yet the biological connection between them was undeniable.
The moment they touched her, she felt a warmth—an instinctive sense of belonging she had never known before.
Her eyes slowly filled with tears, and her throat tightened with emotion.
"Come," Raghav said gently. "Let's go inside. You must be tired."
He and Kavita guided Nidhi into the villa.
Raghav quietly took her bag from her hands.
There was no brand logo on it—simple, old, worn.
His eyes then moved to her clothes.
A sharp pain pierced his heart.
This… was how his daughter had been living?
"Come, Nidhi," Kavita said softly, holding her hand.
"This is your home."
As they walked, Nidhi carefully observed the garden around her.
Beautiful flowers bloomed everywhere.
Sleeping lotuses.
Juliet roses—rare and extremely expensive.
They stood at the center of the garden.
Housekeepers, drivers, chefs, gardeners, and bodyguards were already waiting.
The moment they saw Nidhi, all of them bowed together.
"Welcome home, little miss."
Nidhi froze for a second.
Kavita led her through the fairy-tale-like garden and into the grand main hall of the villa.
Expensive paintings.
Rare antiques.
Everything spoke of wealth and legacy.
Seeing all this, only one thought echoed in Nidhi's mind—
Wasn't my family supposed to be poor?
She quietly leaned toward Jack, who was standing nearby, and whispered,
"Can you tell me… who exactly is my family?"
Jack answered respectfully, his voice low.
"Miss, your parents are the Singhanias.
They are among the richest families in the country.
And you are their only daughter—their princess. Princess Nidhi."
Nidhi stared at him in disbelief.
Before she could react, Kavita's voice came from ahead.
"Why did you stop, sweetheart? Come inside."
Nidhi controlled her shock and walked toward Kavita.
The moment she entered the villa, her eyes landed on a painting.
It was one she had seen at an auction not long ago.
'The Return of the King.'
Its value was nearly three crore.
A five-hundred-year-old masterpiece by a legendary artist.
Nidhi could tell at a single glance—
It was original. Completely authentic.
When Kavita noticed where Nidhi was looking, she smiled, finding a chance to connect.
"Do you like that painting, Nidhi?"
Nidhi was overwhelmed by the antiques and luxury around her.
Yet somehow, that painting felt… out of place among the modern décor.
Seeing her silence, Raghav grew nervous.
"You don't like it?" he asked quickly.
"Should I ask them to remove it?"
He immediately signaled a butler.
The butler hesitated.
This was 'The Return of the King.'
A priceless, world-class artwork.
And the master wanted it removed… just because his newly found daughter didn't seem to like it?
More importantly—
It was Miss Mansi's favorite painting.
Nidhi noticed the anger flicker in the butler's eyes.
But she remained calm.
Casually, she turned to her parents and said,
"You can place this painting in one of the inner rooms."
Her gaze shifted toward the dining area nearby.
Several paintings by the same artist were displayed there.
The butler's anger deepened.
Such a valuable painting belonged in the main hall—
Where guests could see it, admire it, and praise the family's wealth.
This girl must be uneducated, he thought.
She doesn't even understand the value of real art.
But before he could say anything—
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Kavita said warmly.
"The painting should be placed inside."
She looked at Nidhi with pride.
"My daughter has excellent taste."
Then Kavita ji and Raghav ji took Nidhi to the tea room.
Tea and snacks were served neatly on the table.
"Eat whatever you like, Nidhi," Kavita ji said softly.
"There are fruits, snacks… everything. Please eat."
Nidhi was quietly observing everyone around her, but she didn't say anything.
Kavita ji felt that Nidhi was feeling awkward in this new environment.
Suddenly, she spoke in a shaky voice,
"We… we never wanted to lose you. We don't even know how it happened…"
While speaking, her face slowly fell.
Seeing her mother upset, Nidhi gently held her hand and said,
"It's okay. Everything is fine now."
Raghav ji couldn't hold his guilt anymore.
"No, beta… this is all our mistake. Because of us, you had to suffer so much."
Nidhi looked at him and asked calmly,
"How did you find me?"
A few days ago, a missing person notice was published in the Mehra family,"
Kavita ji explained.
"They described an old incident that happened years ago.
When I read it, I felt something strange… I started getting bad dreams again and again."
"So I asked your father to investigate the matter further."
After the investigation, we found out that you are our real daughter,"
Kavita ji continued, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"And the girl we raised as our daughter for 18 years… she is not our biological child."
"I'm sorry… we made a huge mistake," she cried softly.
"And you ended up living in someone else's house."
Raghav ji lowered his eyes and spoke with regret,
"I was careless back then. I brought Mansi home without proper verification.
Later, when we checked her background, we found out that her biological mother had died years ago.
We never found any information about her father."
"But after all… we raised her for 18 years like our own daughter.
We can't just throw her out."
He looked at Nidhi seriously.
"That's why we want to ask you…
Can she stay here with you, as your sister?"
Nidhi looked into their eyes gently and replied,
"Whatever decision you take, I have no problem with it."
Kavita ji took a deep breath.
Finally, her heart felt lighter.
Then she asked softly,
"Beta… did the family you lived with take good care of you?"
Hearing that question, Nidhi suddenly went silent.
The slight happiness on her face disappeared instantly.
She replied formally,
"They did their duty."
Raghav ji and Kavita ji understood her pain from her expressions.
Kavita ji quickly changed the topic.
"Why don't we show you the house?" she said with a forced smile.
Nidhi nodded gently in response.
Kavita ji felt relieved and happy again.
They started showing her the house.
While passing through the music room, Kavita ji asked curiously,
"Baby, what are your hobbies?"
"Earning money," Nidhi replied plainly, without any expression.
Hearing this, Raghav ji burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Like father, like daughter.
When I was your age, I also wanted to earn a lot of money."
Immediately, Kavita ji scolded him playfully,
"Nonsense! Liar!"
She turned to Nidhi and said teasingly,
"The truth is, when your father was your age, he was always chasing girls."
Raghav ji froze on the spot.
"T-that's not true!" he quickly tried to explain.
"But the only face in my eyes was your mother," he said seriously.
"Making her feel loved and marrying her was more important than earning money."
"Otherwise, someone else would have taken her away."
Saying this, Raghav ji pulled Kavita ji into his arms and kissed her cheek lovingly.
While talking and laughing, they finally brought Nidhi to a room.
The room was beautifully decorated.
Kavita ji smiled and said,
"Nidhi, look… this room is prepared specially for you.
Do you like it?"
Raghav ji explained,
"Your mom thought girls like pink color, so she designed a princess-theme room for you."
Then he asked carefully,
"Do you like this room?"
Nidhi didn't answer.
Seeing her silence, Raghav ji quickly added,
"If you don't like it, that's okay.
Your mom has designed many other rooms with different themes."
He opened one room after another and showed them to Nidhi.