"Missy, she is truly your daughter," Vartak, the eunuch, switched to using the childhood address for the empress.
A year older than the young and valiant Princess Vaijayanti, Vartak saw her for the first time on a training field when he was eleven years old in the Southern kingdom of Bharani. An orphan, he had been recruited in the southern army that year.
Princess Vaijayanti was the precious daughter of the king of Bharani and was famous for her military skills even at the age of ten.
On that scorching day, she was busy exchanging blows with a soldier on the practice field when an arrow shot out of nowhere towards her. Without even realizing it, Vartak found his feet taking him in front of the girl. He saved her by sacrificing a pound of flesh from his chest. The attacker was a dissatisfied general who had wanted to retaliate against King Ugraveerya, the ruler of Bharani, through his most cherished daughter. This was because everyone knew that Princess Vaijayanti was being groomed to become the next empress of Mandhaar.
The rebelling general killed himself on the spot after the failed attack but Vartak survived the ordeal!
For his brave act, King Ugraveerya appointed him as a personal guard of his headstrong daughter, Vaijayanti.
As time passed, the young boy, Vartak, fell deeply in love with the young princess, so deep that he chose to get castrated and become a eunuch so that he would be allowed to stay with the love of his life till his death.
He had experienced every step of the willful princess becoming the commanding empress in the past few decades.
Maharani Vaijayanti gave him a questioning look to which Vartak responded with a smirk.
"Missy, don't tell me that you have forgotten the time when you came to this very royal palace to 'observe' your intended groom. This servant can still feel the harsh lashing which my poor back received when our escapade was discovered by your father, King Ugraveerya. He only gave you verbal flogging but this servant's flesh didn't heal for weeks."
Despite the complaint in his voice, Vartak had a nostalgic smile on his wrinkled face. At 41, he was still fit and well-trained as he was as a young lad.
There was a strange melancholy in Maharani Vaijayanti's eyes when she heard his words.
At the age of 18, she had been really headstrong and dismissive of the newly crowned king of Mandhaar, Raja Indraneel.
As the daughter of a vassal country of Mandhaar and belonging to the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, it was the duty of young Princess Vaijayanti to marry this scholar turned regent, Raja Indraneel.
Not willing to give into her fate of being tied to a wimpy ruler, she had sneaked out of the royal palace of Bharani and travelled incognito all the way to Mandhaar with her ever faithful servant, Vartak. Between the two of them, they had enough combative skills to be able to defend themselves against any and many unsavory characters.
But she hadn't expected the outcome once they reached Mandhaar. The naive heart of an inexperienced girl, Vaijayanti, had fallen for the serious looking and extremely handsome emperor on the very first go.
"Sometimes We wish that We had run in the opposite direction instead of Mandhaar," responded Maharani Vaijayanti in an uncharacteristic, mellow manner.
The young emperor whom she had fallen for, never looked at her even once with love in his eyes. That affection had always been reserved for his first wife, that woman with an ordinary background.
But the young princess had strongly believed that it would not be difficult for her to make the emperor forget his common-born wife, not even after her death!
Without even realising it, Maharani Vaijayanti had ended up wasting her entire youth on a man who never stopped obsessing over his dead wife and his first born son.
"No! This is what you deserve, sitting on the highest seat in the most powerful kingdom," said Vartak with unwavering conviction in his voice.
Maharani Vaijayanti sighed and shook her head at the foolish person in front of her.
Obviously, she knew the reason why he had become a eunuch. But, she had been selfish enough to want his incomplete body and the devoted affection despite knowing that she would never be able to return the sentiment.
Unexpectedly, as the years went by, she was grateful for his quiet and reassuring presence by her side. He was unflinchingly loyal and still in love with her.
At least, someone in this world belonged solely to her!
"This lowly servant thinks that the princess would be more amicable to the marriage if you let her go and see the boy with her own eyes. It would also give us a reason for sending a few spies into General Chandraveer's camp posing as the princess's guards," Vartak proposed.
The empress threw an appreciative glance at him. Had it not been for his lowly birth and his decision to stay next to her, he would have made for a fine strategist in the battalion.
"Don't make it easy for her to escape the palace. Also, make sure that her tracks are covered completely and other pavilions in the palace don't get to know about her absence. Send enough people to follow her. Nothing is more important than her safety," ordered Maharani Vaijayanti brusquely.
Vartak knew that this was her tacit agreement to his suggestion. He bent his waist and withdrew from the room.
"Have the maids draw a bath for the empress. Make sure that the water is not too hot. The empress's skin can't tolerate extremely high temperature. Also, ensure that the rose petals in the water are fresh and fragrant," Vartak's demeanor was icy cold as he instructed the maids.
The attendants outside dared not raise their heads to look at him straight. He was the empress's confidant, the most powerful person in Maharani Vaijayanti's boudoir.