Kirtidev had always believed that Katyayani was unwilling to spend more than three months in the Bali mansion due to the indifferent and unfair treatment which was meted out to her by the family members.
He wasn't aware of the instructions left behind by Kadambari to her in the letter.
It was Mandodari, Katyayani's nanny who had given him such an impression when Katyayani decided to follow her mother's wishes, making it easy for her to go and live in the wooden cabin without any restriction.
Katyayani didn't open the tied bundle nor did she try to return it. Instead, she bent down and touched his feet, expressing her gratitude wordlessly for giving her the familial warmth during all these years.
"Sukhi bhav*," his voice was hoarse with the weight of his love and guilt.
Katyayani straightened up but didn't look at her grandfather.
She knew that he was trying to control the emotions on his face and didn't want to embarrass him. She moved her eyes and looked down at the things which he had given her. Amongst the pile, lay a thick book whose title read, 'Changing Relations - Mandhaar & Adra'.
Her fingers moved without her even realising it, and she tugged at the thread holding the things together. She pulled the book out from the pile and held it curiously.
"Grandfather?" She raised her eyes and looked at him with a questioning look.
Kirtidev had a complicated expression on his face for a moment before he started laughing. "As it should be… it turns out that this is the first thing which will catch your eye, truly his child. He never cared much about wealth and instead…"
The old man stopped speaking mid-way and closed his eyes in despair. Katyayani was slightly taken aback at his fluctuating emotions and wondered if she should have Chatvari take his pulse once.
"You are truly the daughter of your father! This book was written by Hridaydev after his few years' sojourn in Adra. There are only two copies of this book till date, one in the royal library and the other one in your hand. I am the one who is remiss. I should have handed it over to you much earlier. This is rightfully yours," he said after composing himself.
Katyayani could hear the unmistakable tinge of pride in his voice and felt sad for him.
An old man bidding farewell to his young son and daughter in-law and then within a short period, his wife who was heartbroken due to losing her child.
It must have shaken the very foundation of his heart.
"Thank you, Grandfather. I shall surely cherish it," she replied steadily.
Holding the book and the thick sheaf of papers, she bid him farewell after informing him about her visit to the music hall after this.
"Tell that old woman to come stay here while you are in Dima. Why should my granddaughter go all the way to the marketplace?" He said with false anger in his voice.
Katyayani knew that her grandfather thought highly of her nanny, otherwise he wouldn't have let her manage her mother's legacy nor would he have left her upbringing completely on her.
"I will convey your message to Dai Maa*, Grandfather. I will take your leave now," she said with a smile.
Few kilometers away, Royal Palace of Mandhaar
"She's gone," Vartak came and whispered in Maharani Vaijayanti's ear right after she finished her early morning ablutions.
The empress froze, sitting in front of the mirror. She had expected her daughter to go upto the hills but not so quickly.
"Were Our instructions followed?" She asked him, referring to the previous night's conversation.
Vartak hummed in response.
"Five shadow guards are protecting her. She is travelling with just one attendant, hence it becomes easier to guard her. The carriage is being drawn by one of my trusted people," he replied in a whisper.
Even though the empress's attendants had left immediately when Vartak came in, the conversation was still held in undertones between them.
Extra caution never hurt anyone!
Maharani Vaijayanti frowned at her daughter's impetuous behavior. She didn't even give her mother the time to plan a reasonable excuse for her absence.
"Send a message to Prince Anirudh. Tell him to come here straight after the morning royal court proceedings get over," she instructed him in a low voice.
Raja Indraneel had long stopped coming over to the empress's pavilion unless there was something important which needed to be discussed.
In true sense, it was Vartak who had been nurturing her and keeping her warm with his heart and his incomplete body during all these lonely years.
No one except the empress, her two children and the eunuch knew about the empress's plan of using this swayamvar to pull General Chandraver to her camp via his son, Agastya.
In fact, it was her idea to organize the swayamvar for Princess Anara instead of fixing a marriage alliance directly. It had taken a bit of coaxing on her part to have the emperor agree to it. She had to use his guilt of sending their elder daughter, Princess Anira to a hostile kingdom as a political tool to make him agree to the swayamvar.
Maharani Vaijayanti put forth the argument that at least one of the daughters should have the privilege of choosing her own husband. The prospective list had been prepared by Maharani Vaijayanti after a lot of deliberation and a lot of names had been included just to hide the name of General Agastya, all in the name of 'impartiality and openness'.
Looking at the thirty people list which held names from all aristocratic families, regencies from friendly neighbouring countries and military families across the kingdom, even the king had no objections. The swayamvar had suddenly become a tool of expressing goodwill by the royal family.
Since the invites were issued by the emperor himself and the names were made public already, no invitee would dare excuse himself unless he wanted to be hanged for refusing a direct royal command.
In the past, General Chandraveer's strong army had always stood only on the emperor's side loyally and refused to cooperate with any of the factions, despite many lucrative baits.
*Sukhi bhav - Always stay happy
*Dai Maa - Katyayani's nanny, Mandodari