
Queen's Room, Royal Palace
After Prithvi said so, the men caught Prince Saptsindhu and dragged him aside, making room for a long fleet of similar black-clothed people coming from the passageway.
Mriga came forward and folded his hands in front of Prithvi,
"Please allow me to go with these people on a cleaning trip, Guruji."
Prithvi's face smiled slightly hearing his words and he nodded quickly.
"Then, I'll assign you to clean this up. Also, I have left a small gift for your two friends. Make sure everyone outside the palace can see it," he said faintly before he stepped out.
"My army is marching here from the border. They won't be here much longer. If you admit your current guilt, I might let you live and serve under me. But once my troops get here, this option will not be available to you!" the prince shouted at Prithvi.
Prithvi did not bother to answer and instead told those people,
"Make sure he's tied up well. Put him in the cell till my next order."
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Gouruk
Vaishali looked at Vindhya with increasing fear and distrust as Vindhya told her about the situation.
With a grim face, he said,
"What do you want to do? I can help you hide in the orphanage until we find a better plan."
Vindhya felt a warmth flowing in her frozen heart but she shook her head,
"I want to do something a little more 'impact' in the current situation. Can you help me find Ganga, the senior on Mrignayani's team? Also, make sure you don't tell anyone else about it. My sister seems to have spies around this place."
Vaishali was curious about what this girl wanted to do, but she was not pushing him at the moment. He was currently without his usual arrogance. Vaishali had never seen this 'golden girl' look so devastated like now.
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An hour later
"How sure are you about the correct location? What if those people aren't there right now? Are you sure you didn't take us on a suicide mission? Just because you don't want to marry a prince and die instead. You want us to come with you for company?" Ishani meets the three girls as they are about to get out of Gurukul and she is very suspicious of their behavior.
As a result he urged them until they told him about everything.
Not surprisingly, he demanded to be taken as well.
Ever since the capital was besieged by the enemy, there was no word from his friends and Ishani went crazy out of worry.
Although he hated Vindhya, this was a great way to distract her.
"Shh. you will wake the dead with your harsh monologue" Vaishali scolds as they sneak out of Gurukul through one of the secret loopholes, known only to the students.
Sapsindhu guards roamed around the capital at night, looting and causing chaos everywhere. As a precaution, the Gurukul gate was sealed shut to keep the students safe and sound inside.
Standing in front of the dimly lit inn, the girls debated the wisdom of their decision.
"What if they're not here? We can't randomly light up an entire place" Ishani said.
Ganga, who had been silent all this time, spoke up,
"Although I agree with you to some degree, you must remember that innocent people who get nothing from the new regime, will not stay in an inn at this time. But we still have to make sure that this is where male supremacy is now. To do so, I will go inside with Vindhya under the pretext of meeting her brother while the two of you wait for our signal. If I give you permission, you should do it as soon as possible and not wait for us to come out. We'll find a way out but you shouldn't be bothered by it. Understood?"
Vaishali nodded briefly. Even Ishani was silent.
They all understood what was not said but they also knew the importance of this action. People with such a sick mentality cannot be allowed to live, especially when they have caused chaos in the country just because of their stupid ideas.
Unfortunately, no one else knew about it and no one else they could rely on right now.
Vaishali and Ishani take over the heavy oil tube from the other two girls. They had purchased this from a store not far from where they were standing now.
Vindhya seemed to know about this place because she remembered her brother often held 'meetings' at this particular inn every time he came to the capital.
He hoped this inconspicuous place would be the lair of Vidyut and his cronies.
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Devyani brothel room, Chandragarh
"Guruji, someone burned down one of the inns in the market. Our people have made sure that it was not done by the Saptsindhu army. We tried to find out the culprit but unfortunately, everyone who was inside, had died," one of the subordinates came and told Prithvi.
He did not show any reaction to her but nodded his head in receipt.
"What is the status of Sapsindhu's troops going in and out of the palace?" Prithvi asked him.
"He was there. He swore that this was done according to your orders. "
Prithvi let a satisfying smile run down his face. He didn't bet on the wrong horse.
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Three months later
Himprayag shows signs of the coming of spring, with snow melting from its summit.
The royal palace wore a very festive look with the best local craftsmen showing off their skills in various corners throughout the capital.
Inside the royal room, several maids were dressing the young lady sitting in the middle of the room.
There was a powerful aura around the young lady's face, making everyone unable to take their eyes off her.
"How much longer? The royal priest was ready and the ministers were waiting," Gayatri's impatient voice rang out throughout the group to reach the new king.
Although Princess Ahilya had ascended the throne three months ago, an official coronation is underway now. There are too many things to take care of during this period, the most important of which is the dismissal of the cabinet of ministers.
With most of the kingdom's ministers on Prince Mithilesh's side from the beginning, it took the combined efforts of Rudradev and Ahilya to reach the idea of supporting her as the new queen wholeheartedly.
Himprayag had just been in a battle against Saptsindhu and was unable to carry out an attempted coup by the ministers. In order to avoid this scenario, all kinds of coercion methods were used and finally a blessed day had arrived.
"Gayatri, why are you so impatient?" Ahilya's seductive voice made the other woman blush.
Thankfully, the relationship between the two improved and although Ahilya had not yet begun intimacy with him, she returned to being his closest confidant.
"Queen.this is not the time to be confused. The representative from Chandragarh has also arrived now. You have to hurry," he told her.
Ahilya's heart skipped a beat when she heard Chandragarh mentioned. While he only had fun with Chadragarh's spies during his stay here, seeing him in action in Saptsindhu's defeat, Ahilya was completely captivated by him.
Shauryaveer... did he come today to attend his coronation as well?
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An hour later
"Greetings to the new queen Himprayag! Our queen sends her best wishes embedded in this scroll for you," Prithvi's soft voice echoed in the room.
The officer took the sealed letter from his hand and gave it to Ahilya. Opening it, he smiled as he read the contents.
"Please thank Rani Samyukta for his generosity. Although we divide the former Sapsindhu territory fairly, his granting of the hidden mines from his section of Saptsindhu is greatly appreciated. Himprayag will definitely share the same spoils with her," Ahilya told the white-robed man in front of her.
During the country's exploration, Chandragarh discovered many hidden mineral reserves. Since Himprayag has been handling mine excavations expertly for decades, the queen has decided to hand over these resources to them as a gesture of goodwill.
Himprayag was very generous in his dealings with Chandragarh in the past and this is his way of showing his support for this coronation.
"I hope we can enjoy your time together for a few days. I have a plan to share with you about the neighboring country that lies across the river from us. I think Rani Samyukta would be interested to know about my proposal as well," he said with a faint smile.
Prithvi understood that the young queen was referring to the current government in decline. He bowed deeply to show his approval and asked for permission.
"Before I release you, I have a request. I hope Chandragarh can oblige me to do the same. There's a brilliant strategist on your team. I want him to come and develop a similar group for Himprayag. After working with him at close range, I personally found him to be very capable. I wonder if Rani Samyukta would be generous enough to share 'resources'. Of course, in exchange, I am happy to offer a well-guarded military formation like Himprayag.is widely known," he said with a smile.
Right now, there was no one in the room except Rudradev, Prithvi, and him. Although he was famous for his calmness, Rudradev could not stop the shock spreading across his face.
Has he lost his mind?
How could he offer the country valuable secrets to get a man in return?
For someone who had shown such incredible potential as a king at such a young age, how could he be so stupid in terms of personal matters?
He had to deal with this madness immediately before he handed over the entire government instead!!!
Prithvi did not react and just said,
"I will deliver that message to my queen without fail!"
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In Rudradev's room
"I'm honored to see you in person, Guruji!" Rudradev's voice sounded amazed and respectful as he looked at the man before him.
Prithvi smiled slightly and replied,
"I think the honor is mine. At such a young age, you've managed to effect a major change throughout the region. I'm sure Abhaidev will see you generously from heaven. I would also like to thank you for your timely assistance for as long as it takes. Chandragarh owes you."
Rudradev shook his head and replied,
"I have studied your methodology for a long time and everything I do now is a manifestation of your learning."
Prithvi did not acknowledge the compliment and instead asked,
"Why don't you ascend the throne yourself? Is it because you're not sure of your abilities or don't want to operate on the front lines?"
A mouthful of milk he had drunk, choking in Rudradev's mouth. He looked at the calm man sitting in front of him.
How could Prithvi know about his inner struggle?
This was something he did not say out loud even to himself.
Without winking at the young minister's stunned expression, Prithvi continued,
"We haven't been able to find Prince Mithilesh's body until now. I wish he had been killed while trying to escape but if he were still alive, you would have to be on your guard. Also, the assassin who tried to kill Queen Ahilya disappeared mysteriously in the chaos that night. I believe that there are some forces still operating in the dark. I urge the minister to pay equal attention. On a personal note, on the day you decide to come out of the shadows, please find this humble man. I would be happy to offer help, if needed. Lastly, for a 'brilliant strategist' request, this is just for your information - I don't want to part with him. I leave it to you how to calm your queen in this matter."
Rudradev smiled looking at the indifferent gaze of the maestro sitting in front of him. He still has a lot to learn!
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North zilla, Chandragarh
"When are you going to stop sulking? It's been over a month now that you've been wandering around with a black face. I said I wouldn't be lost like this without continuing to tell you. What else do you want me to do?" this persuading side of Bela was a truly strange phenomenon.
Never in her two decades of marriage has she behaved like this. But this time, because of his actions, he ended up making Raghu hurt. With no news of him during his undercover operation, and the violent happenings in the capital, he had prepared himself for the worst possible.
Even after peace was restored in the country, he had long received no news of his daughter or his wife. In deep pain, he had been trying to keep believing and wait patiently for either them or the news of them to arrive.
Finally Bela appeared two months after everything and Raghu managed to start living again.
His daughter turned out to be fine and underwent heavy training in the capital.
With the mother-daughter duo showing so much apathy towards him, it was no wonder that he did not want to let go of grudges so easily.
Is he not important enough to them?
To make matters worse, Bela has now been officially inducted back into the spy network, though in an administrative role as head of the Northern Zilla's Suraksha Cakra instead of being an active agent. But this meant that he no longer lived a peaceful life.
"Well, you made me have no choice but to use the ultimate weapon!" Bela's soft voice flowed into Raghu's ears, making him freeze for a moment.
Whatdoes thatmean?
However, before he could react, he had launched himself towards her.
Pinched the soft nerve on the side of his collarbone, he whispered,
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An hour later
Bela's face shone in the post-relative fog while Raghu burned with shame and helplessness. This wife of his became extremely shameless without him noticing ???
"I'll take revenge on you, just wait. I have successfully translated a strange aphrodisiac formula that I found in one of the eastern foreign books. It claims to make the afflicted person become an *x slave while under the influence of the herb. All this time I wondered who should use it. Now I know.." he muttered to himself.
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south zilla
Ujjwala devi is a different person since he returned from Prince Mahendra's prison. Although the prince of Sapsindhu did not cause any physical damage to any of the zilla heads, the humiliation and ridicule for those two days had left his pride and courage in tatters.
The prince was eventually given the death penalty but in the end, he failed to contribute anything to the reclamation of the country.
Instead, her husband has been a major catalyst in stabilizing and helping revive Chandragarh's financial arm.
Known by him as one of the most obedient people, he is now publicly known as a powerful financial monarch and is involved in overseeing the smooth merging of the damaged Sapsindhu territory with Chandragarh.
He had just returned from a long trip and was sitting at the dinner table.
"I was thinking of resigning my zilla chief position," Ujjwala's words made the father and son look at him in wonder.
"I found myself unable to contribute much to zilla, even less to the country. I thought it would be.." he wasn't allowed to finish his sentence.
"Do you know what you're good at?" her husband's calm words interrupted.
At a questioning look, he continued,
"Rise from the ashes. When you lost QIT that year, you didn't run away and face everyone face to face despite the acute loss of face you felt. Not only did you build a network worthy of praise, you increased your administrative ability to compete and win the post of head of the Southern Zilla. Zilla has skyrocketed since you took command. Then why do you want to throw it away? Hard work?"
Ujjwala's eyes glazed over the sharp words of her husband. He had never seen such a passionate look from her.
At this moment, she could feel the warmth of her love putting a balm over her bruise.
"Thank you," he said in a gentle tone and returned to eating.
"Yes God! No one cared about this one soul who was too exposed to middle-aged porridge. I'd better go back to Gurukul, even though it's closed, right now" Yash grumbled making her parents' faces blush for a moment.
Adopting a loud voice, Ujjwala said,
"Omong empty. Under the new order issued, all children aged fifteen and above will have to undergo mandatory military service starting next week. We won't be able to see you for six months after this. Mama knows why you want to go back to the capital but even if you go there, you won't be allowed to meet her. So it's best to use this time constructively to make yourself worthy enough to attract his attention."
Both father and son looked at him in wonder again.
This was the first time Ujjwala had admitted that there was someone higher than his family and that too, a girl who was cruelly rejected by him a year ago.
But Mriga gained notoriety over the past three months with his actions. Not only was he at the forefront of the action at the time of the uprising, he was part of a task force set up to remove traitors from the rest of the country.
Over the past few weeks, he has traveled far and wide in Chandragarh with other spies.
They managed to capture many people who had been opposed by Sapsindhu to fight against his own people. After returning last month, he was invited by the royal palace and since then, he has undergone rigorous training.
Yash's lips lowered as he remembered it and he regretted the fact that he had not been able to meet her since the tournament. While he was busy fighting the invaders, he was assigned to work under his father, learning the ins and outs of finance, with the blessing of the queen.
"I'll work hard, Maa!" said firmly.
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Royal Palace, Capital
Rani Samyukta pinched the trunk of her nose. He's exhausted.No, he's heartbroken.
It has been ninety days since he lost Indrani. The woman sacrifices herself to prevent Mithilesh from evading. Not only did he lose his life, the cunning prince finally managed to escape.
Although there were guards chasing after the man, there had been no trace of him since then.
The sense of victory felt empty without the presence of his best friend. The queen felt as if she had aged for a decade.
His only strong desire now was to ensure that the new queen became worthy enough to take the robe carrying Chandragarh to glorious heights.
He was quite satisfied with the progress made by Mrignayani in the past month, but their path was still long before he could become quite capable of occupying the throne.
He could almost hear Indrani's voice telling him,
"Step by step, my impatient queen!"
During this period, Prithvi stepped out of his role as head of Suraksha's chakra and joined him in the royal palace officially.
His subordinate Shauryaveer is currently undergoing grueling training to become the youngest Suraksha Chakra chief. His role in the alliance of Chandragarh and Saptsindhu along with his contribution in the conquest of the Saptsindhu palace earned him much respect from Prithvi and Rani Samyukta.
There was also a major reshuffle in the cabinet of ministers in the aftermath of the attack. Some of the older ministers were found guilty of treason and the queen was personally struck by their unfaithfulness. He felt that he had failed in his duty to inspire his people to follow him.
"Greetings to the queen. Vindhya, the daughter of the head of the Western zilla, asked for an audience," a servant came and told Rani Samyukta.
After order was restored in Chandragarh, the three competitors were summoned by Rani Samyukta to discuss.
Since the final stage of the QIT selection was hindered by the arrival of the Saptsindhu prince, the QIT decision was left hanging.
During the interaction with the three girls, Vaishali voluntarily withdrew from the competition, citing her willingness to join the military. He felt that he would be more suited to the life of a soldier than a king, seeing the events that happened.
But even more surprising is the attitude of Vindhya, who was once one of the strongest challengers and favorites of the throne. She had told the queen that given the contribution given by Mrignayani during the emergency, she seemed to be a better candidate between the two. And hence, he wanted to abdicate as well.
"What does he want to discuss with me today?" the queen wondered.
"Hail queen. Thank you for being willing to meet me," Vindhya bowed politely.
After making small talk, Vindhya finally spoke up,
"I'm here to make a request in the hope that the queen won't misunderstand my intentions."
In response to Rani Samyukta's nod, she continued, she continued,
"Although Mrignayani is currently more capable than I am on the throne, I would like the opportunity to challenge him at the end of the first year of QIT."
The queen was surprised at the girl's request and asked her why.
"I am ashamed of my inability to contribute to the country in times of distress. But I'm sure if given the chance, I will prove myself as a worthy challenger. If nothing else, the queen will be able to evaluate the competence fairly.of QIT in this way," she said humbly.
Rani Samyukta was very serious when she spoke next,
"I think you're well aware of the consequences of the failure of the challenge."
Vindhya showed a stern face and replied,
"I would gladly accept the death penalty if I failed. My entire existence up until now revolved around this aspiration and I believe that my life would have been meaningless if I had not been able to achieve this."
"You're too young to have only one goal in your life. There's a lot to be said. Don't waste your life" the queen persuaded him.
But Vindhya was firm and did not move from her position, making the queen reluctantly grant her request.
As Vindhya walked out of the palace, she turned to look at the majestic building in front of her.
"I will come and claim you as mine, soon.wait for me!"
His reason for withdrawing from the competition was not Mriga's brilliance. Instead, he had no choice.
Unbeknownst to everyone, including her parents, it was her brother's plan to burn down the inn.
That fateful night, Vidyut had received information about the palace undergoing another power change. One of his moles had seen a gathering of people in the royal stables and knew in part about Prithvi's plan to defeat the prince of Sapsindhu.
Vidyut had realized that if the prince was defeated, his involvement would also come to the fore and he would eventually be captured.
To save the situation, he returned to Vindhya and told her to bring some people to burn the location where she would wait with her group.
He tells her that this is the only way to avoid her marrying the prince and saving her brother as well.
She finds herself with no alternative and as a result, walks the path she wants. He knew that he would think of an escape plan for himself, but since then, he had not appeared in front of him until he was summoned by the queen to discuss the QIT competition.
Although she hates him for tricking her into doing her wish, she tells him that this way she can prove her loyalty to the country and the black marks caused by him will not affect her in the future.
After showing the logic behind his actions, he told her to back away from the challenge and then ask for a chance later. He promised her that within a year, he would make sure that the throne and crown belonged to her!
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Mriga wiped the sweat on her eyebrows. He had just finished a long and heavy battle session that lasted for an hour. Before that, he engaged in detailed policy discussions with several experts, all of whom were fighting for his blood.
He had been devoured by this 'lesson' every day for the past month now. Other than the instructor, she hardly ever interacted with anyone in the outside world, including her mother.
Apparently, this plan to train him had been devised by Prithvi and was an improvement over the previous system. He had to undergo this training for three months before going to the queen's side as an observer for the next three months.
For the remaining six months of her first year as a QIT, she will play an active role in the administration of the country.
Suddenly, the only light in the room flickered. Being vigilant, he looked around but could not see anyone in the dimly lit room.
Before his hand touched the sword beside him, a voice whispered mischievously,
"Still slow, so. You haven't made much progress in the past month…"
Mriga's breath was stuck in her throat hearing that familiar voice. When he is selected to be part of a national task force, he finds himself face to face with Shaurya.
Having not seen him for the past few months, he noticed the appearance of his chisel and his sharper face. But he had surprised her with a complete change in her behavior.
Lost was already a resolute and expressionless teacher, instead, he was replaced by a bastard who left no chance to tease him.
In the early weeks, Mriga was too confused even to understand what her actions meant, but slowly, to her embarrassment, she realized that she was 'interested' in him. He did not know until now how to react to his seduction.
Through Nirbhay, he learns that Abhirath who skillfully accompanies Shaurya on an adventure in Sapsindhu, is thrown mercilessly in training.
Apparently, Abhirath had told him about his fondness for Mriga and the fact that he was after her. Afterwards, the poor man was sent to one of the remote border areas, undergoing a strict module.
Coincidentally, Vaishali was once sent to the same location, after he expressed his willingness to undergo military experience.
According to Nirbhay, Saraswati helped Shaurya in this matter. Mriga refused to believe that either of the two would do something so childish. He has never seen his team-mates aside from one chance meeting with Nirbhay.
Chiranjeev, according to him, had withdrawn the connection and requested to be placed in the same location as Ganga for their mandatory six-month training.
As for Vandit and Ishani, they go to visit Ishani's parents before leaving for their respective locations.
Has Cupid been so focused on Gurukul lately??
"Why are you here again? If you get caught, you and I will face unimaginable consequences" he said coldly.
But Shaurya was not bothered by his words and replied,
"What if I tell you that I have the queen's official permission to seduce you?"
Mriga's sharp breath was accompanied by a shy expression on his face,
"No .. Tell me that you're kidding. Have you lost your mind?"
"Sst, do you want the two of us to face 'unimaginable consequences'? Why are you so hard? Don't tell me your sense of humor is also slow as your reflex action," his god made him feel extremely agitated.
Leaving caution to the wind, he pushed Shaurya against the rough muddy wall and said,
"You stopped playing this game with me. I don't have time for this shit. Just go.... Are you listening to me?"
Shaurya shook himself from fainting and replied in a hoarse voice,
"I never knew that you would be the dominant type.but I like it!"
Mriga was not sure of his intentions, but prudence told him to remain silent at this time.
"I haven't seen you for a few months and you managed to build a harem behind me. I'm having a hard time trying to remove that thorn from your side. But I'm worried that if I don't continue to visit you periodically, more such pests will accumulate around you. It is not my duty to protect my interests." his tone was completely helpless, as if he was the one who was harmed in the whole process.
Mriga is irritated by his behaviour but is too tired to respond at the moment. He moved away from her, only to be caught in her arms the next second.
"Don't worry. I won't distract you from your goal. There are many things that you and I need to accomplish before we can enjoy the happiness of being together. But I can't hold back for too long. For my sanity, can you allow me to visit you once in a while?" his magnetic voice caused goosebumps to appear all over his neck.
Without realizing it, he nodded his head, making his lips curl upwards.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," as he said that, he turned his body around and expressed his gratitude in a long and passionate manner, one that required no words!!!
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