The return to the Haveli was not the triumphant, noisy parade one might expect. It was quiet, solemn, and heavy with the weight of realization. As the tractor rolled into the courtyard, the village women began to depart for their own homes, their heads held high, knowing they were the ones who had held up the roof of the Thakur's house.

Inside the grand hall, the silence was different now. It wasn't the silence of a tomb, but the silence of a sanctuary. Baba Sa stood by the central pillar, his silver-topped cane resting against the stone. As Rudransh helped a pale, trembling Shivika toward the stairs, Baba Sa stepped forward.