…
Maan saw Jwala's eyes narrowing at him. He had his suspicion that this could go down but if it worked it could change everything. It was a gamble he had to play.
'She can't attack me in my camp in front of my own army.' He was contemplating the possibilities. 'Worst she will do is say no or get angry.'
"I will take my leave," Jwala said and stood up.
"Have I been out of line?"
She tilted her head saying, "Political alliances shouldn't be offered under the influence of liquor."
'She is angry.' He sensed it had gone south. He wasn't as smooth as he thought.
"I really meant what I said. I am sincere." He had to make a closing argument, "I will be faithful to my queen 'til my last breath."
"The king also has a great sense of humor." Jwala was just disappointed.
"You wish to learn from me… then I must tell you that politics is done with planning and confidence while hiding your desperation; if one can see it, you lose the upper hand and end up looking like a fool."
"Plan better next time." she got up and left.
Maan saw her disappear in the distance, his jaw clenched and fingers were rolled into fists while he sat there thinking about her last words.
"…Fool."
'She is right. I got too desperate. Maybe my execution was off too.' He was angry at himself.
He felt like a cheater, a scammer. He didn't know why but it made him more upset to see the empty seat in front of him.
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With the rising sun, both armies started preparing for their departure, gathering their belongings and retrieving them to their original places.
By the afternoon they were ready to move. The Maythene army had left a few bags of grains as the parting gift to the outcast villagers of Hanna before leaving.
Jwala had personally said goodbye to the young girls who used to decorate her hair often. She also had gifted them with small horses carved out of wood as her parting gift since they loved to play with Bela.
The kids waved happily at the Maythene army that was leaving while the adults couldn't believe that they were captured and released just like that. On the contrary, they were sad about losing their jobs and regular customers.
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Hanna's army was on its way back to Shaom, the capital city.
Meanwhile, Maan was deeply immersed in the thoughts of his next plan since the first one had failed. His life had become like a puzzle, scattered around the palace that he was trying hard to put back together.
But in the palace the atmosphere was lively; the guest palace was full of beautiful young women from noble and prestigious families. The selection for the queen was about to begin and for the first week, all the invited candidates were attending a basic etiquette class on how to behave in front of the Queen-mother who was to judge them.
The women were very careful about what they ate, how they dressed even how they walked, talk, and laughed because it was rumored that they were all being watched and it might affect their chances of becoming the queen.
They weren't wrong, all of them were being watched by the maids, servants, and other candidates. They all wanted to win either by hook or crook.
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Upon the queen's return with the missing villagers, it was like a celebratory atmosphere in the kingdom. The news reached every corner and all praised the bravery of their queen. They were calling her the saviour who would protect them at all costs even if it meant marching right into the enemy kingdom with her army.
The villagers were all praising the army's bravery and dedication towards their sense of duty.
Amid the celebrations, a letter had arrived for the queen from her older brother, Jay Dev Bhanu the emperor. It said that the emperor was pursuing the northeastern kingdoms for better control over the trade routes and imports. Also that he would like to meet with his sister soon to congratulate her on her victory.
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Jheng house:-
Sumin had been waiting for his father's meeting to end, while he paced outside the library. His hands were resting on his lower back, his eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought as his tall figure dressed in light green and white robe shirt strode back and forth.
Knock! knock!
Sumin heard a gentle knock from inside the library and then went inside.
"What is making you restless?" his father asked.
"Father, please, call Rumi back from the palace." He requested.
"Why?" the middle-aged man was reading something while sitting on a floor chair.
"She must not marry the king. He isn't right for her."
"To bad mouth your king… is a crime against the throne." The man said without lifting his head.
Sumin calmed himself. "I apologize. But you know what I mean, father. You know the king far better than I do."
"I do. That's why Rumi 'should' marry him."
"But father…" Sumin couldn't understand how his father was so calm about Rumi marrying the king it was as good as throwing his daughter into the well. "Rumi deserves someone more capable and reliable."
"I agree he doesn't have what it takes to be a king but Rumi is fit to be the queen."
"…" Sumin hadn't thought about it.
"Think of it as Rumi marrying the throne, not the king." His father was very calm about this. "Also have you seen her, she was so happy when leaving for the palace. She will take care of the palace and help out your aunt. It is best for Hanna that the throne remains under the influence of the Rei-clan."
When he put it like that it wasn't so bad. If his sister can have power then he was okay. He knew his sister was smart and capable of becoming the queen.
He recalled his sister's happy face when she had told him about the invitation to participate in the interviews. 'she always wanted to be a queen.'
'And he will always be there to support her too.'
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"My queen, I must accompany you." Mitra insisted.
Jwala looked at her from head to toe, "Not like this. Change first." She threw some clothes at Mitra.
Mitra changed into them without wasting any time.
"You cannot carry a sword with this." Jwala took away her sword. "We are dressing up as commoners to blend in and look around."
Mitra felt out of place without her sword but the queen was right it made her stand out from the crowd.
They were dressed in Hanna's clothes, Jwala was wearing full sleeve robe shirt with trousers and an overcoat while Mitra was dressed in a half robe and flowing trousers in a combination of yellow and white colors.
Jwala tied her small dagger sheath to her waist and hid it under the shirt and suggested that Mitra should do the same. They were only going to explore the capital city but a little safety was necessary.
Jwala contemplated taking or not taking her sword then gave a low groan and picked up the sword.
Mitra had a look of objection on her face.
"What? These are man's clothing. I have seen men carry a sword with them like this." Jwala explained averting her eyes and walked out of the room.
Mitra was still displeased but she didn't say anything. She also wanted her sword.
They had been roaming around Hanna while hiding their identities since last week. They had come to know that the whole kingdom was invested in the queen selection process and the arrangements regarding the events.
The highlights of the events were announced at the city square and people would bet for the next rounds. Jwala had found it interesting that just a month ago the king was proposing to her while the palace was holding selections for the queen.
They both were walking through the market. The streets were busy with young girls and women coming and exiting the market.
Some wore fine silk while some made robes of thick and coarse fabric in dull colors. Their clothes were a clear giveaway of their financial as well as social status.
The ones from wealthy families were usually accompanied by their maids dressed in plain and white clothing, the uniform of maids and servant girls.
The shopkeepers were yelling to attract more customers. But their advertising style was different, "The daughter of the Ho family uses these. Come take a look!"
"The San family's daughter uses this fragrance that made her pass through the last round."
"The Rei family daughter used this flower pattern to win the first charm."
"How do they know all this?" Jwala asked Mitra.
"Someone must've told them." Mitra guessed. "It is allowed to leak details of the palace's affairs?"
"I don't know. But it is working for them." Jwala said as she moved away from the narrow path upon seeing the group of girls rushing towards the shops.
"let's go to the riverside. I have heard it is beautiful."
They both covered their faces with a scarf and walked out of the market.
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Sumin was leaving the house of a noble family after investing the whole house. there had been incidents of theft happening every 3-4 days.
So far they knew it was a group of more than 4 men who were agile and trained in sneaking and hiding since they were known to disappear like wind. They targeted the wealthy and noblemen who had tight security to protect their hidden treasures in the granary or secret lockers hidden in the stables.
Sumin instructed his team to look around before he left to report it to the headquarters.
He had a suspicion that these men were not only good at sneaking up and hiding but also knew martial arts.
'it isn't easy for four men to get past 20 guards without bloodshed.' He thought after recalling the injury marks of the injured guards. 'could it be the men from behind the mountain, they are fast and light on their feet, they are trained to fight wolves from an early age…'
Sumin was going home after finishing his work at the headquarters when he spotted a suspicious man.
"That sword is odd." He thought and casually took a turn to follow the man.
'His boots are also different… Is it metal?' he noticed that his shoes were making a different sound than that of a shoe with a wooden sole. "An outsider" he was sure of it.
…