The atmosphere in the royal court was tense. As soon as the guards moved to drag Sushila and Shilajit away, Arohi raised her hand to stop them. There was a glimmer of devious joy in her eyes. In a calm voice, Arohi said, "Wait, guards! Why are you taking them away so soon? Let them hear the sentence first! How will their hearts tremble if they don't hear the consequences of their sins?"
Trembling, Shilajit spoke in a shaky, toothless voice, "What... what is our punishment? Will you whip us? Or banish us from the kingdom?"
The Maharaja announced from the throne with a voice like a thunderclap, "No, Shilajit! Whipping or exile is far too minor for your crimes. You are sentenced to—Death! Very soon, you will be sent to the gallows. For now, go and grind the prison mill; the God of Death may arrive to fetch you at any moment!"
The moment the words 'death sentence' hit his ears, Shilajit's limbs began to flap like the wings of a frightened bird. He slumped to the floor, staggering. But Sushila? She realized that her end was truly near! To save her own skin, she made an unimaginable move. Suddenly, she wrenched herself free from the guards' grip and began to make strange gestures.
Sushila stood in the middle of the court, flashed her toothless mouth in a grotesque grin, and screamed, "Come, little girl, come! I am a magic fairy! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Saying this, she began her famous Nagin Dance. She writhed on the floor in such a way that it looked like a rotting snake wriggling in agony. Then started the Gorilla Dance—Sushila began thumping her chest with both hands, making "ooh-ooh" sounds and leaping here and there. Then came the Lion Dance, Suri Dance, Collar Dance—she began every bizarre dance imaginable so everyone would think she had gone mad!
The entire royal court burst into roaring laughter seeing Sushila's clownish dancing. Even Arohi and Aditya couldn't hold back their laughter. Seeing his daughter's selfishness, Shilajit sat with his head in his hands. He shouted, "Stop it, Sushila, stop! Do you think you'll escape the death penalty by acting crazy alone? And what about me? Will you leave me alone at Death's door? Are you doing this stunt just to save your own hide? Won't you save me?"
Sushila stopped dancing for a second, looked at Shilajit, stuck her tongue out, and said, "Shut up, old man! Let me save myself first, then I'll see about you! Go and play Ludo with the God of Death for now!" Saying this, she resumed her bizarre dance.
Enraged, Shilajit began to wail loudly. He lifted his dhoti over his shoulders and began to dance in a peculiar manner. Once he became a 'Nagin' and hissed at Sushila, and then, forgetting his royal pride as Subarnakumar, he began rolling on the ground and crying. While jumping around, Sushila suddenly fell right on top of Shilajit's neck! Father and daughter clung to each other, rolling on the floor and making strange noises. While dancing, Sushila eventually lost her balance and crashed violently into the large oak chair in front of the Maharaja. She fell to the floor along with the chair, legs up in the air, flailing her limbs.
The whole court erupted in waves of laughter. Laughing, Arohi rested her head on Aditya's shoulder. She said, "See, Aditya? Sin never spares even the father! Those who were once blind with the greed for power are now dancing like beasts to save themselves!" The somber gravity of the royal court was completely crushed today by the clownish dance of Sushila and Shilajit. As Sushila lay sprawled over Shilajit's neck, flailing, Shilajit gnashed his toothless gums and tried to shake her off. Wailing, Shilajit said, "Oh my god! I'm dying! Will this girl break my bones just to save her own life? Guards, are you just watching the show? Get this demoness off me!"
Sushila, still striking a Gorilla Dance pose, gave her father a sharp thump on the cheek and said, "Shut up, you selfish old man! I'm just getting some exercise before I go behind bars. I won't be able to dance at Death's door, will I?" Suddenly, Sushila turned and stood before the Maharaja with a bizarre, jaunty tilt of her hips. She thought this madness might make the Maharaja feel pity and release her.
The Maharaja tried his best to stay grave, suppressing his laughter. Looking at Aditya, he said, "See, Aditya? How the pride of power and greed brings humans down to the level of animals? Those who once played with human fate are now begging for their lives by acting as jesters in the royal court." Aditya replied with a look of disgust, "Father, their place is no longer in this sacred court. Their demonic dance and hideous forms are creating terror in the minds of the common people. Guards, do not delay. Let this 'Collar Dance' and 'Suri Dance' session take place in the dungeon instead!"
Arohi stepped forward from beside the throne and stood right in front of Sushila. Sushila was still trying to mock Arohi while dancing. Arohi said in a low voice, "Sushila, what you think is acting crazy is actually the irony of your fate. This filthy dance is a reflection of your sins. Do you think this will get you released? Instead, the disgust for you in the hearts of Junagarh's people has increased manifold. Now go, practice your dancing with the God of Death!"
Still laughing, the Maharaja gave the order, "Take this troop of clowns away immediately! Their madness won't save them from the death penalty. Guards, drag away this dancer and the jester!"
As the guards carried Sushila and Shilajit away like sacks of grain, Sushila was still kicking the air in a Nagin Dance pose, and Shilajit was hurling insults at the God of Death with his toothless mouth. Then Shilajit began to wail loudly, dragging his feet and covering his face with his dhoti. He thought that by covering his face, people might not recognize him. But the foul stench of his grotesque feet and hideous body was so overwhelming that everyone moved away, covering their noses. As they were being led through the court's balcony, the subjects began throwing rotten tomatoes and dust at them.
Sushila was still screaming, "Why are you laughing, you burnt-faced fools? I am the princess of a magical land! Just wait, one day I will return and cut out all your tongues to eat them like candies!" Her madness-filled insults and Shilajit's lamentations seemed to poison the very air around them.
Finally, when they were bound with iron chains and pushed into that damp, dark dungeon, Sushila lost her balance and rolled over Shilajit once again. As the heavy iron door of the cell slammed shut with a harsh metallic clang, Sushila thrust her face through the bars and hurled one last filthy insult at Arohi's name. But Arohi was far away by then, holding Aditya's hand and dreaming of a new dawn. The suffocating smoke of conspiracy that had choked the royal palace was finally extinguished forever.