Southern Zilla
Ramanujam took in the fatigue on her face and the lines which seemed to have become more pronounced around her eyes since the last time he saw her.
He stood against the door for a second and then walked towards where she lay on the bed.
Upon reaching there, he bent down and whispered, "Your father is keeping well and has sent some herbs for you. Make sure you take them. I will not be here by the time you wake up. See you in the Gurukul soon."
He got up in a fluid motion and went out of the door after looking across the corridor carefully.
Saraswati ignored the goosebumps which had sprung up on her forearms due to his voice floating next to her ears. Eyes shut, she smiled and shifted her body a little to make her tired limbs more comfortable.
Himprayag
"So, what exactly is your position in the Chandragarh army?" Gayatri asked curiously.
They were sitting at the small dining table in Gayatri's room. It had been decided that any further conversation on the topic will happen outside the royal rooms. There were too many eyes and ears in there.
Bela was sitting cross legged in front of the low table and replied with a small smile, "I am a humble citizen of the country who retired long ago from active duty due to personal circumstances."
Gayatri put down her glass of wine and looked at her in amazement.
"Retired? Why would Chandragarh send a retired nobody instead of a high ranking official for this?" she asked bluntly.
Ahilya shook her head at her words but Bela didn't seem to have taken any offence. It had been Gayatri's hot headedness which caused the initial attraction between the two of them. But there were times when Ahilya felt that she should think before she reacted. Unfortunately, she was near similar to her partner in this aspect and hence couldn't take the high ground and lecture her!
"My being away from the limelight makes my absence and activities go unnoticed," Bela said calmly.
"So, you are like a member of a sleeping unit of the administration, hiding in plain sight. I like the concept. We should also cultivate some of these, no Princess?" Gayatri replied, tongue-in-cheek.
Ahilya was slowly coming to appreciate the person in front of her. She understood why she had been chosen to be sent with such a proposal instead of anyone else. Rani Samyukta was a shrewd queen with a good foresight. It would be good to have her as an ally.
She was looking forward to meeting her. But for now, they needed to figure out a way to make the plan move from concept stage to the execution stage.
It was a daring plan!
From Ahilya's perspective, the most important thing was to keep it hidden from the spies of Mithilesh for as long as possible. If he got to know about this, he would surely leave no efforts to thwart it.
"Call all the army generals tomorrow night. Tell them that I want to discuss about the winners of the tournament which concludes tomorrow morning. Make sure that apart from our trusted men and women, no other person is present," Ahilya instructed Gayatri.
"Also, place Belavati in quarters next to yours. Give her a uniform of the lowest level army personnel. Uh, actually put her in the team which looks after the stables. Lesser the interaction with people, better the chances of staying hidden. Inform the weaponry department that we have bought the rights to her design and have sent her back to Chandragarh," she got up while saying this.
The other two women got up as well and bowed respectfully.
"It will be done," with that Gayatri escorted Ahilya out, leaving Bela alone in the room with her thoughts.
Even though there was nothing amiss in their behavior, while the two of them were present, there seemed to be some sort of an undercurrent flowing in there.
"Are they something more than superior and subordinate?" Bela's instinct questioned her.
Southern Zilla
"And this is how you look after growing up. Not bad, except that your hair is whiter than mine and you've got more wrinkles too!" Harshvardhan's amused words made Saraswati scowl at him.
"I knew that coming here would be a mistake," she muttered under her breath.
Putting on a long-suffering face, she said, "I see that you haven't outgrown your childish habits till date. Behavior of the spoilt, rich kid keeps him company even in his 'old age'. I wonder if you act like this in front of your staff and other people as well. What must they be thinking of you."
Harshvardhan laughed loudly and replied, "Sulku, I have only shown this side of mine to you. Aren't you the privileged one? Otherwise, I am known for my dignity and kindness. Everyone around me looks at me with respect and awe!"
She snorted in return, "Did I ever ask for the privilege? As for awe and respect, I guess you still suffer from grandeur delusions. Huh!"
He shook his head in delight. Meeting his childhood friend so unexpectedly had thrown him back in years. Saraswati and Harshvardhan first met when he was eight years old. Her father had been the local medicine practitioner in the area where Harshvardhan and his family stayed. Since Harshvardhan's mother was perennially sick, his father arranged for the Vaidya to set up his medical practice on his premises. Saraswati's mother had died in childbirth and her father brought her up to be fairly independent.
When Harshvardhan met her for the first time, she was a five-year-old, precocious child who believed that she was invincible. Three years her senior, Harshvardhan was a pampered heir of a wealthy money lender and had led a lonely life before this little brat walked into his life.