Within a few seconds, most villagers kneeled down to show their respect, catching the remaining people off guard.
The new settlers weren't aware of the heroic deeds of the young man in front of them. Nor did they know that he was majorly responsible for making this place inhabitable and protected from the attacks of the nearby ferocious wild animals.
Looking at his deceptively thin stature and young age, it was perplexing for them to see the behavior of their fellow villagers.
It had been on Dushyant's recommendation that a sturdy, high fence line was erected around the perimeter of this village. At that time, he had personally led a small group to hunt the surrounding jungle, making the nearby wilderness free of the ferocious animals, during the early days of settlement.
He had been fourteen that year.
"Welcome back, General!" echoed across the marketplace.
Dushyant took off the mask covering his face and his eyes crinkled as a small smile spread across his lips in acknowledgment of their greetings.
"Everyone, handle your business well. Remember your identity!" With that, he turned around and walked off.
He exchanged a look of acknowledgement with the leader of the shadow guards before stepping out of their encirclement.
The two brothers who had fallen to the ground, rose up shakily, only to find the rest of the crowd avoiding them.
In the duration of these few minutes, Princess Anara felt a stirring of attraction for the first time in her life.
Much to her dismay, thugh, the object of her desire didn't bother to spare her a look.
"Ge… general, just a moment," she called out in a soft voice.
Laasya looked up at her mistress in surprise. She had never heard her speak so coyly ever in her entire serving time. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms.
Dushyant stopped a few metres away and turned to look at the girl in front of him. Even though he wanted to know the purpose of her presence here, he would not be foolish enough to seek the answer directly.
Princess Anara took a moment to study the man's features. Deep black eyes under thick, sooty eyelashes, a sharp nose, chiselled jaw and a cruel pair of thin lips… he was clearly a good looking guy despite the plain clothes and wind-blown jet-black hair.
Was he supposed to be her intended groom?
Damn, why didn't she do some more research before setting off?
But… General Slayer… well the name suited him!
A charming blush spread across her tender cheeks, causing her to curl her fingers in her palm.
Dushyant's boot laden foot tapped impatiently against the ground, bringing her back to her senses.
"I… umm, I wanted to thank you for your intervention right now," she started in a dignified manner.
He waved his hand and replied in a nonchalant tone. "It's nothing. Had I not arrived, your guards were more than capable of taking care of the matter."
Princess Anara bit her lip and said hesitatingly, "I err… wanted to request you for another favour."
At his gesture for her to continue speaking, she smiled and brought out a sealed letter from her sleeve, extending it towards him.
Dushyant took the folded parchment from her hand and opened it slowly.
It was a letter with the Empress's personal seal addressed to the commanding officer stationed at the Northern army post. It stated that this letter holder was a daughter of a prominent minister in the capital and she was here on behalf of her father to carry out some research on the nearby area's plantation.
Dushyant wanted to laugh after reading the contents of the letter.
At least one thing had become clear to him - the princess was here of her own accord, not on behest of her mother.
Knowing what he did about Maharani Vaijayanti, she would have not come up with such a flimsy excuse to gain an entry to a camp belonging to her family's nemesis.
It wasn't a secret that despite fighting on behalf of the kingdom of Mandhaar, the Northern army was the biggest competitor and obstacle for the Southern army, belonging to the vassal country of Bharani.
Over the years, the glorious achievements of the Northern Army had far overshadowed the Southern Army's merits, much to the dismay of it's commander, General Ugraveer who was the eldest son of the king of Bharani and Maharani Vaijayanti's elder brother.
Moreover, the Northern army was loyal solely to the throne of Mandhaar and didn't have any affiliations with any power faction in the capital.
But who didn't know that the Southern army's commander, General Ugraveer was the nephew of the Empress Dowager, elder brother of the empress, Maharani Vaijayanti, and maternal uncle to Prince Anirudh.
Did anyone need to ask which team did the Southern army belong to?
Earlier, during the squirmish, Dushyant had noticed that the arrival of shadow guards clearly surprised the girl. This meant that the empress was well aware of her daughter's visit here and had even tacitly approved of the same while the daughter remained in the dark!
Interesting! He really wanted to know what game was being played here by the little princess and the empress?
Dushyant's face stayed blank and he didn't let the girl know that he had seen through the fake letter.
To be fair, the 16-17 year old in front of him seemed to be ingenious enough to come up with a daring plan like this. But she seemed to be flying solo.
After a minute, he said neutrally, "Be ready to leave this place in ten minutes. I will take you up to the cantonment. Do both of you know how to ride?"
Princess Anara nodded delicately and then nudged her dazed looking maid who caught her mistress's gesture with practiced accuracy. "Ahem, General… can we know our benefactor's name please?"
Dushyant raised an eyebrow with interest and said, "You don't need to know."
Laasya compressed her lips sullenly but Princess Anara's smile bloomed. What arrogance!
It seemed to resonate with something deep inside her bones. Maybe the place's harshness could be offset by the unique charm of the man in front of her.