Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LVII

Himprayag

Ahilya raised her head back and laughed.

Gayatri pursed her nose unhappily and said,

"If you think that this is a laughing stock, then you don't even deserve to compete for the throne. Seriously, once."

Ahilya wrapped her own body with a piece of cloth and grabbed the others before walking to Gayatri.

Placing a burgundy-colored satin cloth on his shoulder, he said softly, "That bothers me."

After doing so, Ahilya went to sit next to the window where the moon was peeping.

"I intend to defeat him by using my power. Competing against his skills would not only be foolish but would also lead to my defeat. As for the alliance, I never supported mother's proposal so no matter what she did the plan," Ahilya said.

Gayatri raised a pair of insecure eyes at him.

"You should know that I do not intend to stand in your way if a favorable matrimonial alliance comes to you. I will continue to serve you with my utmost sincerity and loyalty" he said in a calm voice.

Ahilya chuckled and said, "So you mean I'm going to have sex with a man and you're going to stand outside and be tortured?"

Gayatri looked at him reproachfully, "I know you don't mind being with a man either. I'm…"

"Stop being a martyr. It doesn't suit you. Now stop fussing so much and go back to bed. I have a long day tomorrow. The army general and I had an important discussion lined up early in the morning," he sat down on the bed and patted it.

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

Next morning

"I don't believe in alliances, General. Someone has to give something in return. Usually, one party gets a good offer while the other party simply believes that it is good. Tell me which of these smaller regions is profitable enough for us? country and for the king to see me, well?" ask Ahilya.

The general looked at her with concern and replied, "Daughter of Ahilya, Himprayag has always kept a neutral stance. If we disrupt the balance, the consequences will be felt by us as well and the impact will be long-term. The king will never give permission for the same."

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

South Zilla

It's been weeks now and Yash is really depressed. Mriga has not yet returned the letter. Yang from Ishani tells her that she does not know about Mriga's itinerary and she should be at home alone. But in the same sentence, he had written that he had to forget about it ever since he moved.

What does he mean by that word? He had eaten himself, inside out, thinking about it.

Thankfully, there were only two weeks left for the school to reopen and she was able to meet him in person.

Harshvardhan saw his son immersed in his thoughts, as was often the case. Sighing, he turned around from there and bumped into his wife.

"Are you happy now?" Ujjwala asked him with a frown.

He racked his brain to think of what could have provoked his wife's anger just now. As usual, she chose silence rather than guessing or asking him about it. He doesn't have to wait long.

"How dare they? Who do they think they are? Do they not know that even if their daughter becomes queen, she must let go of her association with her family for the next twenty-five years? All they had was an empty pride to hold on to," he snorted.

"What's going on? Why are you talking about that family again?" ask Harshvardhan.

Ujjwala looked at him with flaming eyes.

"It's all your fault. A few weeks ago, they would not dare to behave like this to me. I just wrote a letter to Vasudev as a courtesy from one head of zilla to another that I plan to visit West zilla soon for a job. He had written back saying that he would gladly welcome me as the head of the Southern zilla but the family was still irritated about what had happened. Therefore, he was unable to extend the invitation to stay with them. It was as if I would .. "he tangled the paper in his hand forcefully.

Harshvardhan spoke to him in a calming tone, "No problem. Aren't you glad to have seen their arrogant side? If they behave like this now, imagine how unbearable they would be if their daughter really became queen."

"But I really want to." he started.

"I know, I know but what's wrong with what we have right now? You're healthy and beautiful, have an amazing son, were recently tried as the best zilla chief and your husband loves you so much. Isn't that enough?" he asked gently.

Ujjwala had a biting answer on his lips, but something made him stop and nod his head.

"I plan to cheer Yash up by taking her fishing early in the morning, tomorrow. I know you don't like it, but are you going to join, think of it as a family outing? I don't think we've ever done it before" he tried his luck.

"What's wrong with her? Did he not get what he wanted?" he asked in a hesitant voice.

Over the past few weeks, Yash has deliberately avoided her mother. Although he did not directly rebel against her, his silence was deafening.

She was not used to being treated by her son like this and it had hurt her, causing her to pause and pay attention to the situation even before her husband showed it. He just didn't want to admit it openly until now.

Harshvardhan embraced his wife and said, "He broke her girl's heart for her mother. And it countered him with a broken heart. I'm sure he won't consider his feelings anymore."

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

South Zilla

"Well! Which girl can refuse my son? Obviously, she's taken her date lessons from you. From tomorrow morning, I'll teach him how to snare the catch and never let it go" he said with confidence.

Harshvardhan raised his head back and laughed,

"You mean the one you used to lure me? Look, I'm still captivated and happy, so."

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

Capital, Royal Palace

Prithvi came to visit Rani Samyukta officially today regarding the competition.

"So, this is the basic design of the various stages of the contest that I have drawn. Let me know if you want me to make modifications here," he said respectfully.

The queen nodded and said, "Leave them here with me and I will return with advice."

Indrani comes there and invites Prithvi to the dining room as he is about to leave.

"I don't eat." he started.

"I know very well that you only eat fruits outside. We have arranged specially selected fresh fruits from the queen's garden. Please present us with your presence" Indrani said with sparkling eyes.

Prithvi follows the Queen as they walk into the dining room. As the weather turned colder, the windows facing the large lawn on either side, were closed. The dining hall smelled of oranges in it and Prithvi noticed that the dried orange peel was floating in the oil in a large diyas* that lit up and stored on both sides of the door.

"There have been some changes in the blueprint from the last time we discussed. But I won't bother you with the details" Prithvi said slowly.

Rani Samyukta noticed the curious eyes and ears around her.

He nodded and said, "I will leave the detailed chart of the competition completely on your shoulders. I'm quite busy with the ministers in the annual budget planning and it would be a relief if you could continue to give 100% to this task."

Prithvi nodded respectfully and took out a piece of melon from the plate.

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

Saptindhu

All the spies in Cakra Suraksha know how extensive and interconnected the brothels in neighboring countries are and their information networks. But the details of the mole in this brothel are given on the basis of the need to know.

When Ratansingh was first placed here, he was linked to Chandragarh's mole in a brothel that had helped him set up his headquarters. But unknown to the two of them, there were a few more people who became part of this establishment and watched over the new spies and moles.

In every country where the information network was established by Chandragarh, there was someone ahead who in most cases was a new recruit, possibly a resident of that country and bribed or forced to switch loyalties. The person's information is shared freely with all the spies in the Suraksha Cakra system.

But there is a separate list of people who have been sent to these neighboring countries many years ago and who, along with their descendants, are, have lived there but remain loyal to their homeland, Chandragarh. These are the people who form the informant and second line contacts.

This list only exists on the head of the zilla along with the chieftain, Prithvi and is not distributed to others unless the situation arises as it did in Sapsindhu.

Information about Ratansingh turning naughty has been provided by an older link at this brothel and that is why Shaurya did not contact the 'official contact' at the brothel and instead interacted with other women. He knows that Ratansingh and his cronies must be watching him and he has to be very careful with his actions.

In recent years, she has made it a habit to visit brothels as all the other spies do, but in her case, she spends most of the night there, she said, instead of sneaking out after the job is done.

He has managed to create the impression that he has a tendency to sleep with these prostitutes and he hopes Ratansingh is aware of it. In fact, he was counting on her.

The prostitute was older than him but had eternal beauty, making her age an irrelevant matter.

His face though calm, seemed to keep a lot of stories in it. Pacing back and forth in the woman's room right now, Shaurya was waiting for the eagle to come impatiently. It was the window of this room from which he sent and received communications. The cottage is too visible and risky.

"Are you sure you don't want to divert your attention happily until the bird arrives?" the woman's words were spoken in a seductive tone.

Shaurya paused and then bowed with great respect, "I was humbled by the offer but I can't distract anything at the moment even though the loss was entirely mine."

His voice had the right amount of regret in order for him not to think that he was brash.

Staring at him, he said, "You're quite charming, aren't you? I bet young girls chase you all the time."

He looked at her and suddenly the face of that adorable creature flashed before his eyes.

With a sling of his head, he replied, "You are the only good person who says so. I don't think anyone else in the past has thought of me that way."

Saying so, he turned to stare out the window, ruthlessly putting the woman in the room and the one in his heart, out of his mind. He needs to stay focused.

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

Himprayag

King Indraditya looked up in shock, his eyes turning from Rudradev to Mithilesh.

"You want to travel instead of Rudradev to Vayuprastha? Why?" She asked.

Mithilesh bowed respectfully and replied, "I think if a member of the royal family goes with such an important proposal to another country, the chances of us getting a yes from them would be higher, right? Rudradev has been kind enough to explain the process in detail to me and I feel quite confident that I can execute it well, get a deal that is favorable to our country."

The king looked at him and said while pondering, "So this is the path you have chosen. Hmm, appreciable. But Vayuprastha is probably the most easily penetrated of the three countries. I don't think the other two would have agreed so soon for us to set up our financial institutions in their country. Sapsindhu is known to be suspicious of everyone, even their own shadow. As for Chandragarh, they already have a pretty good system. Why do they agree with us? You need to think deeply about this challenge."

Mithilesh understood that his father had agreed to his method of showing his suitability to be king, but also, to, at the same time he had told her that he needed to build systems in all three major neighboring countries in order to be counted as a success.

"Your advice is precious and I will not disappoint you, Father. I will be making preparations to travel on my own by the end of the week. I'm leaving Rudradev because you might need him here as your advisor" he said and bowed again.

He had told the minister to be his eyes and ears to keep telling him about what Ahilya wanted to do while he was away.

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

Saptindhu

Shaurya sat across from Ratansingh in one of the rooms in the brothel. It was different from where he was a few hours ago. His senior looked at him with an apologetic expression from across the small table between them.

"I spoke with err .. people on the other side. They are very willing to welcome you in their corner but need evidence in good faith. So maybe you can share some of the information you've been hinting at before that will make them feel calm and it will show your sincerity" Ratansingh said in a persuasive tone.

Shaurya remained steadfast and replied, "Don't get me wrong, senior. But I'll give the information directly to Sapsindhu's office."

Ratansingh frowned and asked why.

"What if you decide to take information from me and give it to them to advance your career as a defecting spy and treat me like a sacrificial lamb in the process. I'm sorry, but I'm in a precarious situation and this information is my only information as a bargain," he said with a sorry shrug.

Ratansingh's expression was twisted and he could not help but sneer, "For someone who has been expelled from one country and begging in another, your attitude does not have the right amount of obedience."

Shaurya laughed without excitement, "Rice from the mouth of a traitor, these are rich words."

Sensing his aggressive attitude, Ratansingh retreated a little and said, "Let me see what I can do. Until then, stay here and enjoy. The tab is on me."

As soon as he left, Shaurya sneered. He kept his posture straight while waiting for the other man to return.

According to his estimation, he won't be here long. Aware of the spy peering through the barely visible peephole in the door, he did nothing out of the ordinary.

The official spies in this brothel whose allegiance belonged to Chandragarh before, were altered and resisted by the Sapsindhu government. She was a prostitute with an ingenious past and that was why it was used by Chandragarh from the beginning. Shaurya does not know if he has influenced Ratansingh or vice versa. But it doesn't matter.

The older woman who was Shaurya's room earlier, was the one who told Prithvi about the same thing, some time ago. But no action was taken against either of the turncoats or the shift in their loyalty that Prithvi informed the Suraksha Chakra team because he wanted to see their game plan.

Shaurya had received the order some time ago. The second phase of the plan is underway.

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

Vayuprastas

Abhimanyu bowed respectfully as Kritika returned to her luxurious room.

"Do you receive updates?" he asked her.

He shook his head and said, "Your father seems to be silent at the moment and does not plan to take any action. I've been told he's busy with something else now, something big. But I can't find out what it is."

Kritika nodded with relief, "It doesn't matter as long as she has no intention of attacking Vayuprastha. Actually, I was curious about the degree of his contempt for my actions. Is he willing to spend money, energy, and resources to bring back his mischievous daughter?"

After a few seconds of silence, he continued, “I don't know if I should be relieved or disappointed by his decision. Send a message to King Shaligram that I want the assessment of the gem to be done quickly. I guess he's also been waiting to see my father's reaction before investing further in my goals."

Abhimanyu nodded but then hesitated, "Are you sure you don't want to stop here? It's not a bad way of life."

Kritika raised her eyes to look at him and she could see the intensity burning there. Without saying anything else, he walked out. He sat on a creaking wooden swing, overlooking the lotus pond. A pair of geese flew up, causing ripples in the water. He looked at them, but his mind was far away.

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

*Diya – lights from ground or metal with axis