Chapter 363 - 361: Inviting Alakshmi... With An Apology...

(A/N):

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The moment Alakshmi called Devara her nephew, something inside Lakshmi changed.

Until then, she had remained composed despite her elder sister’s anger, accepting every accusation without responding harshly.

But the moment Alakshmi’s attention settled upon Devara and she addressed him directly, Lakshmi’s maternal instincts surged forward before she could even think about it.

She stepped between them.

It was not an aggressive movement, nor did Lakshmi raise her voice.

Yet the change was unmistakable.

The mother who had only moments earlier been smiling proudly at her son’s wedding was now standing protectively before him, her eyes fixed upon her elder sister.

"Alakshmi,"

Lakshmi said quietly, but firmly,

"please speak to me with whatever anger you have. If you are hurt because I did not invite you, then blame me. If you believe I have wronged you, then tell me. I will listen."

She glanced briefly toward Devara before looking back at her sister.

"But please do not take your anger out on Devara."

Alakshmi’s expression froze.

Lakshmi continued, her voice remaining respectful despite the tension filling the arena.

"He does not know what happened between us. He does not know what has passed between you and me, or what history lies behind your anger. He only knows that you are his mother’s elder sister, and that makes you his aunt. Whatever happened between us was never his responsibility."

Her voice softened.

"So please, sister, do not make him carry something he knows nothing about."

For the first time since entering the arena, Alakshmi did not have an immediate response.

She simply stared at Lakshmi.

The anger that had been burning in her eyes seemed to falter.

Then, slowly, her gaze moved away from her younger sister.

She looked around the arena.

And what she saw made something inside her grow painfully quiet.

The gods were watching her.

Some looked tense.

Some looked concerned.

Some seemed genuinely afraid of what might happen next.

There were mortals among the crowd who had instinctively moved backward, their faces pale with uncertainty.

Several kings and warriors had their hands close to their weapons, though none had actually drawn them. Even among the divine family, expressions varied.

Some watched her cautiously, while others seemed to carry the silent expression of people who believed she should never have come here in the first place.

Alakshmi noticed every one of those looks.

She noticed the fear, the hesitation and the panic.

And most painfully, she noticed the looks that seemed to ask the same question without anyone daring to say it aloud.

’Why did she come here?’

Her eyes slowly moved across the decorated arena.

The flowers, The lamps, The wedding stage.

The citizens who had come to celebrate.

The families who had gathered together.

And then her gaze returned to Devara.

He was not looking at her with fear.

He was confused.

That was all and there was no hatred in his eyes.

No judgment and there is no disgust.

He simply stood there trying to understand why his mother’s sister had arrived at his wedding surrounded by such tension.

Alakshmi’s expression changed almost imperceptibly.

She looked at Lakshmi again.

Her younger sister was still standing between her and Devara.

Not because she believed Alakshmi would necessarily hurt him.

Because she was his mother.

And mothers did not wait to find out whether their children were in danger.

Alakshmi lowered her hand slowly.

The anger that had been driving her moments earlier seemed to lose some of its force.

"You think I would hurt him?"

Lakshmi’s eyes softened.

"I don’t know what you came here carrying in your heart, sister. I only know that Devara should not be caught between us."

Alakshmi remained silent.

Her gaze drifted once more toward the people surrounding her.

For years, perhaps centuries, she had become accustomed to such reactions.

People stepping away.

People becoming uncomfortable.

People associating her presence with everything they feared losing.

Prosperity. Happiness. Peace. Fortune.

And now, standing in the middle of a wedding filled with divine light and celebration, she saw those same reactions again.

Only one person seemed completely untouched by them.

The nephew she had never properly met.

Devara.

Alakshmi looked at him for a long moment.

Then she noticed the peacock feather resting against his crown, the gifts surrounding him, his newly married wives standing close by, and the members of his family gathered around him.

Her eyes softened for only a heartbeat.

"You really don’t know anything, do you?"

Devara slowly shook his head.

"No, Aunt."

The word seemed to affect her.

Alakshmi’s eyes flickered.

’Aunt.’

Not goddess. Not Alakshmi. Not misfortune.

Just Aunt.

For the first time since she entered the arena, the anger on her face completely disappeared.

And in the silence that followed, Devara realized that whatever had happened between his mother and her elder sister, the story was far more complicated than he had first imagined.

Devara watched the silence stretch between the two sisters before finally deciding that he could not simply stand there and let his mother carry the entire weight of the situation.

Slowly, he stepped forward.

Lakshmi immediately turned her head toward him.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, Devara understood the message hidden in his mother’s expression without her saying a single word.

’Be careful.’

She knew her elder sister better than anyone standing there.

Alakshmi was sensitive to words, and the wrong sentence, even if spoken without malicious intent, could easily be interpreted in a way that reopened old wounds.

Lakshmi’s eyes almost seemed to warn him not to let his natural habit of speaking freely get ahead of his judgment.

Devara gave the smallest nod.

He understood.

Then he stepped past his mother.

Alakshmi’s eyes followed him.

The entire arena seemed to become even quieter as Devara approached his maternal aunt.

He stopped at a respectful distance before her and folded his hands.

"Aunt Alakshmi,"

He began, his voice calm and respectful,

"I want to apologize."

Alakshmi’s expression remained guarded.

Devara continued before anyone could interrupt.

"You are right that you should have been invited to my wedding. This was my wedding, and you are my mother’s elder sister. Regardless of whatever circumstances exist between you and my mother, I should have remembered that relationship and personally made sure that an invitation reached you."

He lowered his head slightly.

"I cannot blame anyone else for that mistake. I was the one who failed to think about it."

Lakshmi’s expression softened slightly as she listened.

Devara raised his eyes again.

"I have spent so much time preparing for the wedding, arranging everything for my kingdom, welcoming guests, travelling between realms and dealing with everything that happened before the ceremony that I focused on the people I already knew were coming. Somewhere along the way, I failed to think about someone who should have been remembered simply because she was family."

He paused.

"That was my lack of thought, and I am sorry."

Alakshmi continued staring at him.

Devara did not try to defend himself.

He did not say that someone else should have invited her.

He did not claim that he had been too busy.

He simply accepted the mistake.

"I cannot change the fact that you were not invited,"

He said quietly.

"But if you are willing to accept my apology, then I would like to correct that mistake now, even if it is late."

His expression softened.

"This is still my wedding celebration, and you are my aunt. If you wish to remain here, then I would be honored to have you stay."

Lakshmi watched her son carefully.

She had expected Devara to speak, but perhaps even she had not expected him to take responsibility so directly.

Alakshmi’s eyes remained fixed upon him.

The anger that had been present when she entered the arena was no longer visible in the same way.

She seemed almost caught off guard by his words.

She looked toward Lakshmi.

Then toward Vishnu.

Then back at Devara.

"Your mother warned you about me, didn’t she?"

Devara hesitated.

Lakshmi’s eyes widened slightly.

Devara looked toward his mother.

Lakshmi gave him a very subtle look that clearly said,

’Choose your next words carefully.’

Devara swallowed.

"I think my mother was mostly warning me to be respectful."

Alakshmi stared at him.

For a heartbeat, Devara wondered whether he had said the wrong thing.

Then the corner of Alakshmi’s lips moved slightly.

It was not quite a smile.

But it was no longer anger either.

"At least you are honest."

Devara let out a quiet breath.

"I am trying to be."

Alakshmi looked at him for another long moment.

Then her gaze softened.

"Very well, nephew."

The word carried less bitterness this time.

"I accept your apology."

Lakshmi finally relaxed.

Devara’s shoulders also loosened slightly.

Alakshmi looked around the arena once more, this time with a different expression.

"And since you have personally invited me now..."

She looked back at Devara.

"...I suppose I cannot exactly leave immediately."

Devara smiled.

"Then please stay."

Alakshmi’s eyes briefly moved toward Lakshmi.

There was still a complicated history between the sisters, something Devara could clearly sense even though he knew nothing about it.

But for the moment, Alakshmi did not bring it up.

She simply looked at the nephew who had approached her without fear and apologized for a mistake he had genuinely made.

"Very well," she said quietly.

"I will stay."

The tension in the arena eased by a small but noticeable degree.

The lamps continued burning.

The wind began to calm.

And Devara quietly realized that sometimes the hardest battles were not fought with weapons at all.

Sometimes, all that was required was the courage to admit that you had made a mistake.

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(Author note:)

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