Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

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

"She had to be present at the dean's office first thing for the Queen's competition formalities," she whispered, not willing to let Yash hear this.     

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

"Ishani, please... I need to speak to her just once. Where is she?" Yash implored Ishani but Vandit took her hand and walked off from there.     

Himprayag     

"How can I trust you?" asked Ahilya.     

Bela took out a sealed scroll and handed it over to her, wordlessly. It was the official seal of Chandragarh and Ahilya recognized it well enough.     

"This person is here on my behest and is speaking my will." There was only that one line on the parchment.     

Ahilya raised her eyes and looked at Bela.     

"You are welcome to send someone to Chandragarh to confirm the authenticity of the same. It takes ten hours, one side on a horse back if a person travels non-stop. In case, I am an imposter, you are welcome to behead me if the matter turns out to be false. But in the meanwhile, please take a decision regarding the proposal. Time is of paramount importance here," Bela said politely.     

Vayuprastha     

Prince Mithilesh was seated in front of Raja Shaligram. He had just finished giving a detailed description of his proposal to him. The king sat with his eyes shut and had a benign expression on his face. It was tough to figure out what was he thinking.     

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and said, "I request you to enjoy our hospitality for some time while I think about this absolutely lucrative offer of yours."     

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

After Mithilesh was escorted out, Raja Shaligram clapped his hands and his strategic minister immediately came to where he sat. He had been listening in to the conversation from a hidden room behind.     

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

"Your majesty, there is a strong rumour about Prince Mithilesh being in the running to becoming the next king of Himprayag. If that was to happen, we must use this opportunity to strike a bigger deal than what he is currently offering. If Prince Mithilesh has come to strike a deal himself, it means that the success of this project means a lot to him. For allowing them to set up their financial institutes here, we should ask for a stake in their iron ore mines. They get a stake in our core strength, we get it in theirs!" he advised.     

"He may not agree to it or rather he may not have the power to agree to it. But even if he does, what happens if he doesn't become the king? Would we be stuck with this deal without him being able to fulfill his side of the bargain? There is no reason for the other person to honor it then, right?" Raja Shaligram countered.     

"Then, we should ensure that this deal be signed before the current king abdicates the throne," his minister replied with a smile.     

Raja Shaligram drummed his bejeweled fingers on the throne's arm and smiled.     

"Tell the Prince to join me for dinner tonight," he told the attendant waiting there.     

Saptsindhu     

"Let Mahendra do the meeting with the person. After all, he needs to start taking over the reins from me, sooner than later," Raja Amrendra instructed the prime minister.     

"Very well, your majesty. But... I mean," the old man hesitated, well aware of his king's temper.     

"Speak without hesitation," the king raised his arm imperially.     

"I think that for such an important conversation, you should be present. After all, it is a matter regarding Princess Avantika's engagement as well. Prince Mahendra is extremely capable as a warrior but for this negotiation, maybe your wisdom will be needed," he said in a low voice, tactically.     

The king smiled to himself and said, "Don't worry, I have no intentions of giving away more than what I want to. Let them negotiate all they want."     

The minister frowned at the king's cryptic remark but didn't let the expressions show on his face. Raja Amrendra was known for being willy and not playing fair. So it wouldn't be a surprise if he went back on his word even after promising something but the question was, could he afford to do that in this case?     

Gurukul, Chandragarh     

Vindhya came face-to-face with Mriga as they were exiting the dean's office. All the contestants had been called in to confirm their nominations. There had been more than eighty girls crammed in that room earlier. Surprise flitted on Vindhya's face momentarily before she composed her features into the usual supercilious expressions which she always wore.     

Vindhya was surprised because she remembered Yash telling her clearly that Mrignayani wasn't interested in the competition, even if she was eligible. Then what was she doing here? Maybe the boyfriend didn't know enough about his darling girl as he had assumed. Not that it was any of her concerns anymore.     

Giving her half a smile, Mriga made a move to walk past her, only to stop in her tracks.     

"Ah! You made me look for you all over the place," Abhirath's annoyed words matched with the scowl on his face.     

Mriga looked at him and replied in confusion, "How was I to know that you were looking for me? Has something happened?"     

Abhirath gave a pointed look towards Vindhya who was eavesdropping unashamedly and beckoned her to walk away from there.     

She nodded and made a move. But Vindhya's mocking words hit her ears.