Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LXIII

Gurukull, Chandragarh

"Where is he?" Abhirath asked Ishani in a low voice.

"He must be present at the dean's office first for the Queen's competition formalities" he whispered, not wanting Yash to hear this.

He nodded and then told her that he would go to the dean's office to look for her.

"Ishani, please. Where is he?" Yash pleads with Ishani but Vandit grabs her hand and leaves from there.

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

Himprayag

"How can I trust you?" ask Ahilya.

Bela took out a sealed scroll and handed it to him, wordlessly. It was the official stamp of Chandragarh and Ahilya recognized it quite well.

"This man is here on my orders and conveys my wishes." There was only one line on the parchment.

Ahilya raised her eyes and looked at Bela.

"You are welcome to send someone to Chandragarh to confirm its authenticity. It takes ten hours, one side on a horse if one travels nonstop. If I am a fraud, you are welcome to behead me if the problem turns out to be wrong. But in the meantime, please make a decision regarding the proposal. Time is very important here, "said Bela politely.

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

Vayuprastas

Prince Mithilesh sits in front of King Shaligram. He had just finished giving a detailed explanation of his proposal to her. The king sat with his eyes closed and had a tame expression on his face. It's hard to know what he's thinking.

After a while, he opened his eyes and said, "I'm asking you to enjoy our hospitality for some time while I think of your very lucrative offer."

Mithilesh hoped to see a more spirited reaction on the king's face, but he was a patient man and accepted the ruler's words with a slight bow.

After Mithilesh was escorted out, King Shaligram clapped his hands and his strategic minister immediately came to his seat. He had been listening to the conversation from the hidden room in the back.

"What do you think?" the king asked his most trusted minister.

"Your Majesty, there are strong rumors about Prince Mithilesh who will be the next king of Himprayag. If that happens, we should use this opportunity to reach a deal that is bigger than what he currently offers. If Prince Mithilesh has come to an agreement on his own, it means the success of this project means a lot to him. In order to allow them to set up their financial institutions here, we must ask for shares in their iron ore mines. They get a stake in our core strength, we get it from them!" he suggested.

"He may not approve it or rather he may not have the strength to approve it. But even if he did, what would happen if he did not become king? Are we going to be stuck with this deal without him being able to fulfill it? With the bargaining side? There's no reason for anyone else to respect it, right?" King Shaligram replied.

"Then, we have to make sure that this deal is signed before the current king abdicates the throne" his minister replied with a smile.

King Shaligram tapped his jeweled fingers on the throne arm and smiled.

"Tell the Prince to join me for dinner" he told the officer waiting there.

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

Saptindhu

"Let Mahendra have a meeting with that person. After all, he must start taking control of me, sooner or later" King Amrendra ordered the prime minister.

"All right, Your Majesty. But .. I mean," the old man hesitated, well aware of the temperament of his king.

"Speak without hesitation," the king raised his hand in a haughty manner.

"I think for such an important conversation, you have to be present. After all, this was the matter of Princess Avantika's engagement as well. Prince Mahendra is very capable as a soldier but for this negotiation, maybe your wisdom will be needed" he said in a low, tactical voice.

The king smiled at himself and said, "Don't worry, I have no intention of giving more than I want. Let them negotiate everything they want."

The minister frowned hearing the king's faint remark but did not let an expression appear on his face.

King Amrendra is known to be reckless and not playful.

So it is not surprising that he reneged on his words even after promising something but the question is, is he capable of doing that in this case?

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

Gurukull, Chandragarh

Vindhya comes face to face with Mriga as they exit the dean's office. All contestants have been called to confirm their nominations. There were over eighty girls crammed into the room before.

Surprise flashed across Vindhya's face just before she formed her face into the arrogant expression she used to wear.

Vindhya is surprised because she remembers Yash telling her clearly that Mrignayani is not interested in the competition, even if she qualifies. Then what is he doing here?

Maybe the boyfriend doesn't know enough about his favorite girl as he thought. Not that it was his concern anymore.

Giving her half a smile, Mriga moved past her, only to stop in her tracks.

"ah! You made me look for you everywhere" Abhirath's annoyed words matched with a frown on his face.

Mriga looked at him and replied confusedly, "How do I know that you are looking for me? Did something happen?"

Abhirath stared intently at Vindhya who was eavesdropping shamelessly and gestured for her to leave from there.

He nodded and moved. But Vindhya's mocking words hit her ears.

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

Gouruk

"You're really moving fast! Does that poor guy know that you're flirting with the other guy next to him while he goes and fights the whole world for you?" Vindhya could not help but react.

How dare this girl laugh and feign embarrassment at other men openly?

Wasn't he supposed to be with Yash on the first day after leaving for two months?

The truth is that the whole episode with Yash is still a big deal for him.

Even though he told himself and everyone around him that he had moved on, he clearly did not. His parents had already spoken about the bigger match for him but his heart was secretly bleeding.

Mriga's face paled but she ignored another girl's explosion and pulled Abhirath so he wouldn't react to the girl's words. He knows how protective he is.

But it was a conscious decision on his part not to engage in any quarrels or infighting with the older girl. He has nothing to do with her. The problem is between Yash and himself.

Vindhya is a non-entity!

"What do you want to tell me," he asked as soon as they were out of everyone's hearing range.

Abhirath turned to face him and grabbed his forearm into his palm, suddenly, surprising him.

"Have you decided to enter the competition?" he asked very seriously.

Mriga was a little confused by her closeness but she seemed to be only focused on her answer, unaware of her actions, so she nodded her head.

"Alright then, we should start planning from tonight alone," he said, nodding his head.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked her.

He dropped his hand in the same sudden manner as he raised it. What happened to him this morning?

"Before departing from that forest on the last night, Guruji spoke to me separately. He told me that if you decide to take part in the contest, me and the others should help you prepare. See you outside the Admin department tonight after dinner. I'll tell the others. You just carry all the information about the rules and regulations. We have been given permission to use the reception area all this time, "he said.

It seemed that many people were willing to believe in his abilities, more than himself!

It seems the Admin team is supporting him. The idea warmed him up but also scared him at the same time. Is he worthy?

He looked at her with smiling eyes and said, "Thank you! I have a feeling that I'm going to say this a lot in the coming weeks. Should we go to the foodhall now? I assume that you haven't eaten. breakfast either, haven't."

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

South Zilla

Saraswati had just entered the small inn where she had stayed for so long when she saw the familiar face. Keeping his expression neutral, he walked past the person nonchalantly and asked the innkeeper if there was a letter for him.

After that, he climbed the stairs and went to the public bathroom. It was another long night and he was tired. But looking at that face, it seemed like all that fatigue was gone in an instant.

He had to hurry if not before he got to his room, everything there would be examined and put on trial!

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

Twenty minutes later

"What are you doing here? Does Guruji think I need help and worse, does he think you are the one who can help me? Are you even capable of doing anything other than torturing the trainees?" he asked in a low voice.

Without looking at him, he walked past him and towards the small bed that was kept in one corner of the small room. He stood with his back to the door and grinned at her scathing words. Until now, she had not realized how much she had missed him in the past few weeks.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ramanujam said, "Who knows? I just follow orders. After all, I'm not here to provide help but just to deliver a message that seems too important to send through others or so it seems."

Saraswati stopped her steps and turned to look at her in surprise.

"You need to increase speed. Apparently, we probably don't have much time left. Does this make sense to you?" he asked his last part.

Prithvi had asked him to get off the Eastern zilla for a day and when he met him in the capital, he was, Prithvi told him to go all the way here just to convey this message and immediately return to the Eastern zilla.

She had no idea what project Saraswati was involved in, but the message seemed to sound ominous.

He nodded his head slowly. Already at the tip of his tongue to tell him that speeding up further might be a very difficult request.

Resources are stretched thin as they are. But he knows that Prithvi is well aware of the challenge and if he has sent this message, it means he has a pretty strong reason for it.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Tell him that I will do my best. But I might need to hire some outside help. I will make sure that I keep the secrecy of the project intact but my presence in this zilla will be known to people. If he doesn't agree, tell him to send me a message in the next two days."

Ramanujam shook his head indicating that he understood his point.

"It's nice to meet you today and there's so much I want to ask you and so much I want to tell you. Unfortunately, I had to sleep because my eyeballs would come out of their sockets and shrivel. Hope you're happy to stay in South Zilla!" With that, he dropped himself on the bed and closed his eyes.

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

South Zilla

Ramanujam felt fatigue on his face and the lines that seemed increasingly clear around his eyes since the last time he saw her.

He stood in front of the door for a while and then walked towards where he was lying on the bed.

After he got there, he bowed and whispered, "Your father is fine and has sent some herbs for you. Make sure you drink it. I won't be here when you wake up. See you in Gurukul soon."

He got up in a flowing motion and exited the door after looking across the corridor carefully.

Saraswati ignored the goosebumps that appeared on her lower arm because of her voice that floated beside her ear. Eyes closed, he smiled and shifted his body slightly to make his tired limbs more comfortable.

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

Himprayag

"So, what exactly is your position in Chandragarh's army?" Gayatri asked curiously.

They sat at a small dining table in Gayatri's room. It has been decided that further conversations on this topic will be conducted outside the royal chamber. There are too many eyes and ears there.

Bela was sitting cross-legged in front of a low table and replied with a small smile, "I am a humble citizen who has long since retired from active duty due to personal circumstances."

Gayatri put down her wine glass and looked at it in amazement.

"Pension? Why would Chandragarh send a pensioner instead of a high-ranking official for this?" he asked frankly.

Ahilya shook her head at his words, but Bela did not seem to be offended. It was Gayatrilah's anger that caused the initial attraction between the two of them. But there are times when Ahilya feels that she should think before reacting.

Unfortunately, she was almost similar to her partner in this aspect and thus could not take a high place and lecture him!

"My distance from the limelight left my absence and activity unnoticed" Bela said calmly.

"So, you are like a sleeping member of the administrative unit, hiding in plain sight. I like the concept. We should also develop some of these, not the Princess?" Gayatri replied with tongue on cheek.

Ahilya slowly began to appreciate the person in front of her. He understood why he was chosen to be sent with such a proposal rather than anyone else. Rani Samyukta is a smart queen with good foresight. It would be better to make him an ally.

He was looking forward to meeting her. But for now, they need to think of ways to make the plan move from the concept stage to the implementation stage.

It was a bold plan!

From Ahilya's point of view, the most important thing is to hide it from the Mithilesh spies for as long as possible. If he were to find out about this, he would definitely not attempt to derail it.

"Call all army generals tomorrow night. Tell them that I want to talk about the winner of the tournament that will end tomorrow morning. Make sure besides the men and women of our faith, no one else is present," Ahilya instructed Gayatri.

"Also, place the Belavati next to yours. Give him the lowest level army uniform. Uh, actually put him on the team guarding the stables. Less interaction with people, better chance of staying hidden. Inform the armaments department that we have purchased the rights to the design and have sent it back to Chandragarh" he got up while saying this.

The other two women also got up and bowed respectfully.

"That will be done," with that Gayatri escorted Ahilya out, leaving Bela alone in the room with her mind.

Although there was nothing wrong in their behavior, while the two of them were present, there seemed to be some sort of undercurrent flowing there.

"Are they something more than superiors and subordinates?" Bela's instincts questioned him.

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

South Zilla

"And this is how you look after growing up. Well, unless your hair is whiter than mine and your wrinkles are more!" Harshvardhan's amused words made Saraswati pout at him.

"I knew that coming here would be a mistake" he murmured softly.

Putting on a long patient face, he said, "I see that you have not surpassed your childish habits to date. Spoiled behavior, rich children accompany him even in 'old age'. I wonder if you act like this in front of your staff as well as others. What they think of you."

Harshvardhan laughed out loud and replied, "Sulku, I just showed you this side of me. Aren't you special? Otherwise, I am known for my dignity and kindness. Everyone around me looks at you with respect and admiration! "

He snorted back, "Have I ever asked for a privilege? As for admiration and respect, I guess you still suffer from delusions of grandeur. Huh!"

He shook his head happily. Meeting his childhood friend has unexpectedly thrown him into the past. Saraswati and Harshvardhan first met when she was eight years old.

His father was a local medicine practitioner in the Harshvardhan area and his family. Because Harshvardhan's mother was always ill, her father arranged for Vaidya to establish her medical practice in her place.

Saraswati's mother died in childbirth and her father raised her to be quite independent.

When Harshvardhan meets him for the first time, he is a precocious five-year-old who believes he is invincible.

Three years older than him, Harshvardhan is the pampered heir of a wealthy money lender and has lived a lonely life before this little boy comes into his life.