Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

"I am not here to hit you or demand money from you. I wanted to know if you want to eat something? I was there when that pub owner threw you out. He is a mean guy who won't even offer one bronze coin's discount to anyone. Here, take this…" the guy extended a paper wrapped packet towards Prithvi.     

Hesitating only for a second, Prithvi snatched the package out of the man's hands and tore it open. There seemed to be some sort of pakoras* in it which felt cold to the touch. But looking at Prithvi gobbling it down, it appeared to be the tastiest dish on Earth.     

"Slow down. There is a lot more. If you like, I can get you better food next time," the man grinned.     

Prithvi raised his eyes and looked at the man quietly.     

Southern Zilla     

Vindhya's carriage stopped outside the mansion and she stepped out. The sea journey and then the road travel had left her weary and slightly cranky. But she didn't let the polite façade slip from her face.     

Both Harshvardhan and Ujjwala were there to greet her. Her parents had sent her old, trusted governess along with as a chaperon. She had been sent with the specific purpose to be able get a detailed information about the household from the servants and make an estimation about the assets and value of the family.     

At this moment, the governess, Mandavi had nothing to crib about. If the house's structure was anything to go by, this family indeed was at par if not better than her own master.     

"Welcome to our home, Vindhya. We have been awaiting your arrival anxiously," Ujjwala said, with extra enthusiasm injected in her voice.     

She had just lost an argument to her son who refused to come down to greet Vindhya. In his opinion, she was his mother's guest and not his. He told her unequivocally that he would do what was deemed absolutely necessary and not a thing more.     

Not wanting to create a scene right before the arrival of the girl, Ujjwala had no choice but to abide by his wishes for now. She would make him regret it later. Ultimately, she had forced her husband to come along to receive the girl.     

"Greetings, Uncle and Aunty. My parents send their best wishes along with a few small gifts," Vindhya said politely and gestured to the servants accompanying her, to start unloading the precious gems and assortment of expensive things.     

While Harshvardhan nodded his acknowledgement of her greeting, Ujjwala came forward and took her hands in her own and pulled her into the house.     

"Your parents needn't have troubled themselves. But we really appreciate the thought behind the gesture. Come, I will show you to your room. Yash is in the middle of an important business assignment on behalf of his father and will join us soon," she added.     

Vindhya smirked at the meaning behind Ujjwala's words. The woman had reduced the significance of the gifts by thanking her for the intention behind them. It was a good way to politely make the other person feel that irrespective of their value, the gifts weren't a big deal. With just that one line, Ujjwala established her superior stance for the moment. Vindhya told herself that will remember this trick!     

It was only when Ujjwala mentioned Yash's name did the first glimmer of real emotions flicker in her eyes. Unlike the governess, she had zero interest in checking out the house which was going to be her home after marriage. It was probably because she never imagined that she would live anywhere except in the capital at the palace.     

So, the riches or the lack of them didn't matter to her.     

"Aunty, please don't tire yourself out. Just have some maid direct us to the room. I will freshen up and see you soon," she said in her usual polite and elegant manner.     

Once she went towards the guest wing of the house, Ujjwala turned her aggrieved eyes towards her husband.     

"Did you see how beautiful and well bred, the girl is? She is not only considerate but also obedient and elegant. What is wrong with my choice?" she asked him.     

Harshvardhan looked at the zeal in his wife's eyes and replied, "That is what is wrong. She is your choice not his. Have you even bothered asking him about his preference?"     

Ujjwala snorted, refusing to even entertain answering such an irrelevant query. Had Yash known what was good for him, would she have to worry about it on his behalf. She knew of atleast seven households who had sent an invitation to Vindhya's parents, expressing their interest in her after her sixteenth birthday party which Yash had attended. Thanks to her well-placed mole in their house, she had managed to stay on top of things till date.     

Seeing his wife lost in her plots and plans, Harshvardhan emitted a deep sigh and walked away from there.     

Northern Zilla     

"At this rate, I am seriously going to die even before I go for my internship. Maaaa… how much longer do you intend for me to do this for?" Mriga panted.     

It was only the third day of her and Shaurya's practice regime as designed by her mother. But it was already many levels higher than what Ramanujam had ever made her do. Not only was she making them do highly intensive training, she was also expecting them to practice horse riding, archery and sword fighting. Mriga was adept at the former two but sword fighting was absolutely new for her. Her arms and shoulders ached with the flurry of activities.     

But Shaurya looked completely at ease. Even though he had just recovered, he seemed to be doing things effortlessly.     

*Pakoras - deep fried dumplings made out of gram flour, containing vegetable fillings