Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

XXV

Mriga turned to look at Abhirath in surprise, "Really? You said nice things about me after giving me so much grief on the ground?"

"In fact, are you able to say positive things about someone? That would be the first," he continued.

Chiranjeev intervened before Abhirath could answer, "Why don't you tell us about that too at the dinner table? Gather your report and meet us in the dining room. We'll give you a seat, okay?"

Mriga nodded in agreement and said goodbye to them for now.

Am I getting carried away by emotions? Am I being rude? he wonders to himself.

"All right, now we're giving you a chance. You better take the first step to form a good impression on her tonight. As you just saw, it was the most urgent move now," Nirbhay patted her on the back.

He expected a sharp comment in reply with denial but everyone was shocked when Abhirath made eye contact with him and said softly, "Thank you very much. I'm thanking you."

When Mriga entered the Admin building, she found Saraswati in her usual place, who told her to wait in the reception area for a while.

"I believe that today is the last day of torment for you at the hands of Ramanujam during this semester? Is he showing mercy or is the morning practice just as intense?" he asked the girl.

Mriga giggled and then put a finger on her lips pointing towards the next room.

He said loudly, "Guruji never tortures, he only teaches."

Saraswati also put a finger on her lips and shook her head happily. Suddenly, he caught a shadow near the door. How interesting! Should he play a little?

Immediately, he asked Mriga, "So, what's been going on in your life lately? Are there any men or women who pursue you romantically?"

Mriga's mouth was open at Saraswati's question. He would never have expected her to ask such a personal question.

He was confused as to how to answer that question.

Was it a casual question or a covert investigation in her life because she was now part of a spy network?

Perhaps they want to know the in-depth details about each individual working for them and do not want to do so officially. Therefore Saraswati asked him about it casually.

After deliberating for a moment, he decided to tell the truth. First, there was nothing to hide and second, he wanted to give his senior the impression that he could be trusted to always speak the truth.

"Actually, there's someone. But everything is quite new and we are still trying to figure it out ourselves. Do you want me to give her name and other details on a scroll to note?" he asked very seriously.

Saraswati was confused for a moment. He had not expected Mriga to admit his feelings so quickly in front of him. But even more confusing is offering to tell them about the details of HIS.

Does he think that they do not yet have all the necessary information about Shaurya with them in the Administration department?

But before he could say anything, the shadow lurking outside came in.

"No, we don't need any more information. Why would anyone want to know about the details of your personal life? It's time for you to leave this place. Don't you know that you shouldn't be lurking here aimlessly ?" Shaurya's commanding voice spoke from behind Mriga.

He rolled his eyes and scolded himself in shock at hearing his voice again.

Didn't he already know that he was a ghost and could appear anywhere at any time!

Turning around, he bowed to her and then said firmly, "I'm not lurking here. I've been called in to collect my assessment report."

"We both know how your apprenticeship came about. Your report will be sent to your department. I'm here for an important meeting with those two teachers. So, it's time for you to leave" he said unhappily.

Accustomed to his behavior, he said nothing and bowed to the two of them before exiting the place.

Shaurya raised his eyes to look at his former teacher with a questioning gaze, "I don't know that we are starting to interfere in the personal lives of the trainees right now."

With her nostrils widened, she glared back at him and replied, "You may be a hot shot agent now, but don't forget that I've known you since your snot-nosed days. Don't use the 'I'm a scary guy' tone on me. I'm the one who might teach you how to talk like that. I just had a polite conversation with him while he waited for Ramanujam. And, I didn't know that you had an important meeting scheduled for tonight. "

"Maybe you lost contact and were as uninformed as before," with this insolent comment, he knocked on the door leading to Prithvi's office and walked in.

That brat! Shit, I'm gonna lose that bet to Ramanujam. But I'm pretty sure there's something between them. Does that mean he's dating someone else?

Thank goodness Shaurya came in and intervened otherwise I would have done it by saying something embarrassing to Mrignayani. *Ramanujam correct. I really need to control my gossip.

But I'm pretty sure.

Shaurya waited while the two teachers engaged in discussions about the report they received from one of the spies stationed internationally.

He thanked the moment for the reprieve to send his expression into a neutral facade.

"I already knew that they both liked each other. It's only a matter of time before they get together. He seems to be a good guy with a decent background and a good overall score. More importantly, she seemed to be completely in love with him, and he would probably always circle his fingers. Good luck to them!" with that, he firmly closed his disobedient mind.

...****************...

At the eating place

Mriga finds a boy waiting for her at the entrance.

"Oh, you guys didn't come in until now?" she asked.

"You know how big that place is, right? If we go in early and you come looking for us, there's a good chance we'll finish our dinner when you get to us" Chiranjeev said.

Foodhall is geographically located in the middle of the entire Gurukul and serves more than five thousand people at a time.

It was a rectangular hall that spanned without end and had wooden tables and benches scattered throughout the room.

Self-serving buffet stations are located periodically and cooks are kept busy getting in and out of the giant kitchen attached to the building.

The students are expected to rinse their own dishes after eating, in large sinks placed at various exits of the building. Anyone who has leftovers on their plate will be punished by having them work in a very large kitchen all day.

Admin department trainees found a spot near one of the French windows (a window style that starts from the top of the wall and stretches all the way down).

By tacit agreement, they made Mriga and Abhirath sit next to each other. The three boys sat opposite them.

With her usual style, Mriga began to fill her face with food. Abhirath, who had never seen him eat before, stopped in midair while carrying a bite into his mouth.

"Are you in a hurry? Where's the fire?" he asked her, confused.

He shook his head with a negative attitude and it made him even more confused. Impatient due to his lack of understanding, he tried talking to the food in his mouth and ended up choking on his own.

With concern in his eyes, he hit his back as he coughed violently.

"Peace up there! Who asked you to talk while eating? I'm not going anywhere before I hear your answer" he said with a smile.

The four pairs of eyes swung towards Abhirath in shock. He not only sounded gentle but also made a joke.

In the past few months of knowing her, none of them had ever heard of her sounding like this. Seeing their expressions, he became red and became a stone again.

"Err.no, no, don't put that sweet Abhirath back in the box" Vandit said with a laugh.

Listening to her choice of words, Mriga also burst into laughter. Abhirath, who glared at Vandit inexorably softened his expression seeing the girl next to him trembling with excitement.

"I agree. This Abhirath looks a lot nicer" Nirbhay said.

"Actually, after a second thought, I've seen this version of him before" Mriga told everyone.

Seeing the curiosity on everyone's faces, he took his time to speak up ahead.

His face flushed with shameful happiness. Her heart turned to the fact that she had noticed him and liked what he saw.

Aware of everyone around him, he spoke in a harsh tone, "If you're done analyzing me, can we go back to eating now? The food is cold."

The others exchanged an understanding smile between them. Abhirath did not notice it but he had a small smile on the corner of his lips, changing his attitude completely.

"Ah, did you start eating without us today?" Ishani's voice of scorn reached them.

Mriga looked up guiltily to see Yash who looked like a storm along with Ishani standing in front of him.

“I... uh, these are my friends from the Admin group. We met today after weeks, so I decided to eat a little appetizer with them while waiting for the two of you,” Mriga came with a weak excuse.

Before Ishani can say anything, Yash reaches her side and lifts her plate with one hand.

Stretching another hand towards him, he waited as he got up and hooked his fingers with his.

"Sorry guys, this is the only time I've spent with my girl all day. I hope you don't mind," he stared intently at Abhirath while saying these words.

Mriga is embarrassed by his possessive behavior but also gets a secret sensation from him. He quickly said goodbye and went with her.

"Uh huh.so that's the guy. Name Yashvardhan. He was the son of a wealthy money lender and his mother was the current head of South Zilla. I've met him once with Mriga before too" Vandit told them.

"Brother, I suggest you turn your attention elsewhere. This girl seemed to be fascinated by her shining lover. If you want, I can be wrong, help you find someone who is more suitable for you" Chiranjeev told Abhirath sympathetically.

Pulling the plate closer, Abhirath lowered his head and concentrated on his food.

The previous relaxed atmosphere had evaporated.

...****************...

Her night.

Ishani has said good night and entered, leaving the two love birds alone. The dinner was a little awkward with Yash's delayed feelings after seeing Mriga laugh and share a table with the man who had feelings for her over the past two years.

She had not expected Mriga to contact her now that she had been out of the apprentice some time ago.

Thankfully for her, Mriga seemed to have no idea about the man's emotions and that was why she made sure to state her relationship in front of the man.

"Should we take a walk around Gurukul. I think I overeat tonight" Mriga told Yash, holding her stomach.

She is actually fine but just wants Yash to release a little energy and not go to bed sulking.

...****************...

Medical department

The Medical Department is located right next to the entrance of Gurukul.

Since Vindhya has strict rules to follow every day, her parents have set up a high-protein diet that is delivered to her every night by a privately hired cook in the capital.

As a rule, he never ate after sunset and therefore rarely visited the place to eat.

He needed some equipment from the lab for his project and so decided to sit down and work overtime in the lab, tonight.

After finishing his last task, he wriggled and got up to leave the building. He felt somewhat sad over the past few days but refused to admit that it was due to Yash's confession.

As if he had roused her from his mind, he saw her in his line of sight, right outside the Medical department. He was standing on a path perpendicular to where he was standing at the moment.

A smile adorned his tired face. He went down the stairs quickly to reach her. A girl ran towards him right at that moment.

She was the same girl he had seen with Yash before. Mrignayani!

Jealousy snaked inside him as he watched the girl stuff something into Yash's mouth while laughing.

"Don't you tell me that you've eaten too much and need to digest it? Then why did you buy this big pack of beans from that seller?" Yash's pampering voice reached Vindhya's ears.

"Ah... selfless man! I stood in line to buy these baked beans, then peeled them while running after you and fed them to you, lovingly. And you stand here and complain? Very unfair," he said dramatically.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled it towards her while she tried to fight him.

The pair walked ahead on a circular path unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching them.

Shaurya's meeting with Prithvi lasted longer than usual and he was asked to stay for dinner by Saraswati.

He returned from there now when he saw Mrignayani and the man was lit by lights located on the path. He stood glued in the shadow of the tree until they did not pass him.

Vindhya did not know until when she stood on the stairs, much longer after Yash had left from there. With laden steps, he walked towards the dormitory for the Medical girls.

...****************...

A week later

The exam finally ended and********rehearsed relief from all over Gurukul. As is tradition, each semester end is held a sports match for the whole school. But it was an alternative event held.

In one semester, the students aged 9 and ten competed in outdoor sports while the elders clashed with each other in all indoor games.

In the next semester, the opposite is applied. This is done because the competition among the age groups of 11 to 16 years is fierce, and younger children may not get the necessary coaching and training from teachers simultaneously.

This term, juniors are supposed to have competition on the track, archery, long jump, bullet repel and group sports like kho kho, kushti. On the other hand, seniors will use their mental skills to play chess, chausar*, and quizzes alongside several other indoor games.

The event lasted for two days during which the entire school was supposed to be present with the teachers, regardless of whether they were participating in the sport or not.

Senior children act as coaches and referees during junior meetings and the younger ones assist in carrying out operational duties during the event.

Prithvi had assembled his team last night to assist him in conceptualizing the threshold he would design for the Queen's election.

Although she trusted Ramanujam, Saraswati and Shaurya completely, but she did not give them an explanation of the true purpose behind this exercise.

He told them that this would be part of a new simulation exercise he would design for the next semester's trainees.

...****************...

Sports ground

Prithvi usually stays away from sports matches because it is of no use to him. But she has decided to use this as an opportunity to research prospective girls, aged 15 and over, keeping in mind the Queen's words from their last meeting.

This morning, he had placed himself in a secluded place from where he could clearly see the process of all the events scheduled for that day.

The first round is dedicated to junior events. Because, he had no interest in seeing this, he brought along a scroll of his work. After a few hours, there was a sudden roar of applause that made him lift his head from his work.

A group of young people had walked to the ground carrying their bows and arrows. Surprisingly, they are led by Abhirath and Mrignayani. She smiled seeing her little soldier leading her group of children, looking like a proud hen.

It was he who urged the surrounding crowd to clap and cheer for the participants. Putting aside his work, Prithvi sat down to look at the process with interest.

......................

*Chausar – Strategic game which is a variation of Ludo, played with two dice.