Valli remained indifferent in her expression towards him. The farce she put on for people around. The Princess was a wonderful actress. He eyed her from top to bottom and found the mark of his assault on her. Red and burning.
Her face had a sweet princessy smile. The demeanor remained dangerously like that of a typical Princess. Polite, submissive, unopinionated, and easy to capture. Her eyes, on the other hand, were a whole different story. Fire and Blood in them.
She knew who he was and she was clear that she regretted her miss.
'Perhaps, Pragvamsa won't be as boring as I thought.' He wondered.
"Welcome to Pragvamsa, Yuvraj Shakrajit. Hope our outskirts were polite to you. I hear of bandits around there."
He chuckled, "I did encounter the bandits. Surely I gave them a show of my strength. They seem like amateurs." Shakra returned it with a grin. Her eyes stayed on him.
He gave a namaskaram. The girl was an actress when she gave a shy smile. It intrigued Shakra.
"Yuvraj, have some rest. We can then meet in a while." Maharaj Kartik suggested. Shakra had gotten all the information he needed from Karma about the family.
The reason Shakra chose Karma as his assistant was her innate ability to get out any information he needed. She was an extraordinary spy when he needed it. Especially within the palace walls. No information can escape her senses. Hence, he quickly chose to secure her loyalty before anyone else in the palace could.
Karma followed him dutifully and quickly gave out orders needed to be given to the maids given to serve him.
First thing he needed was a hot bath. Karma didn't need specifically being told this. That was her job and she did it wonderfully.
Shakra walked to the indoor bath and discarded his dhoti. He wore the wrapping cloth which covered a little above his mid thighs. When he sat in the kund, Karma brought in the bathing paste and rubbed over him.
"Yuvraj, I have confirmed all the people we can potentially use to our advantage here. Pragvamsa is at the brink of rebellion. A lot of people are unhappy with their Crown Prince Aaditya. They do not deem him to be the right heir. Maharaj Kartik does have five sons but they are hardly much different. Quite the womanizers and pleasure seekers. We can twist them into our wishes but just one tiny problem exists." She said in whispers.
"Rajkumari Valli." Shakra answered with a grin.
"Yuvraj is accurate. Although she does not hold any political titles in this country, she does have some influence over the public and the ministers for her intellect. She has a great sense of politics. I assume that Maharaj holds his throne for this long because she is standing behind him. The eldest son Aaditya wouldn't think a lot before upsurping the throne."
"Hmmm... Pragvamsa is going to an interesting place." Shakra decided.
Karma applied the bathing paste over Shakra and walked out for a moment. He closed his eyes and felt a presence in the room.
No. It wasn't the maids. Too silent for them. Cautious in their approach. A soft clinking of some jewellery. There was a soft smell of roses and ambers. The soft hint of kasturi.
His senses heightened when he felt the presence get closer to him.
"Rajkumari, didn't your Guru tell you about me? I am Shakrajit. Even a butterfly cannot fly its wings around me without me knowing. You, little butterfly, tried your catch and failed last time." Shakra said.
Shakra anticipated another try although she was caught. She lunged at him. At that moment, he grabbed her arm that had a knife and pulled her in the water. He grabbed her head and pushed it in the water. Valli wasn't going to take defeat so easily. She stopped struggling and grabbed him. The two wrestled in the waters until she was within his grasp completely. She had no way to escape.
Valli looked into his eyes. It suddenly made her extremely aware of the closeness between them. Shakra was a well built man. A physique she was yet to see in the men in her family. His muscles were cut into shape to make it perfectly fit a warrior. A few scars left and right but scarce. He was fast. Faster than her which was her only weapon against most men but he disarms her with his reflex speed.
His long hair dripped with water droplets. The paste over his chest rubbed off over her a bit. His grip was like that of an eagle, near impossible to get free.
"There can only be two options. Kill or get killed." She told him.
"Kidnap and torture is always an option. My favourite one at that." He commented with a grin.
Someone cleared their throat. Shakra paid no attention to them and focused his attention on her.
"Or maybe I should ask Maharaj Kartik why the Princess chooses to escape from the palace late at night and try to attack a guest. A potential ally or an enemy."
"My father does have much of an option either way. What is the most he can do to me? Imprison me in the palace? I can deal with it. But if I get out of here alive, know this, Yuvraj of Kalika Empire, I will come for your head."
Shakra grinned, "It would do you well to not threaten our Yuvraj, Rajkumari. Yuvraj Shakrajit is someone your father cannot afford as an enemy. He ignored the offer once. This time it is Yuvraj himself here. Yuvraj, it would not bear well for the Rajkumari and her reputation to be seen in such a state." Karma gave his two-piece opinion about the whole thing.
Giving a bit of attention to the opinion of his assistant, Shakra released her and got up. Karma quickly reached up and took the knife from her Master's hands. Shakra took his place back to let her do her job of cleaning him up.
Karma washed him with rose water and removed whatever paste was left over him.
Valli, a bit taken down, just didn't know how to react. He was almost threatening her. "Your father may not do anything to you but what about your maids? They will have their heads cut down. One of them is a new mother I hear. What about them?" Shakra asked her.
Valli had to admit. Every inch of Shakrajit was meant for that throne. The way he sat. That too in her family's palace which is not in his kingdom. His arms wide open which were nicely cleaned by his attendant. His stare right into her eyes. He could almost catch her soul.
A man of his calibre wasn’t scared of much even though he was just crowned as Yuvraja. It wasn't a rule for the eldest son to inherit the crown to be accurate. The King could anytime change that as he wishes. Yet, he didn't seem insecure about it unlike her brother.
His attendant then dug her hands into his hair and thoroughly cleaned it. They catch dirt while he rides off the stallion. He closed his eyes as the head massage relaxed him away.
Valli couldn't understand how this man was so relaxed with two attempts of murder at him.
"You are a little too cocky, aren't you?" She asked. He chuckled. His chest moved in a rhythm as he chuckled.
"If you had the same titles that I have, wouldn't you? Victory has a strange way of making someone really proud of themselves."
"Pride is a fatal flaw, don't you know, Yuvraja?"
"It surely is when you aren't aware of when to shut up. I wouldn't boast about myself before Amma Kalika. One should know when to bend the knee and when to raise the sword. That is intelligence. It is important for a ruler to have that intelligence. Know when to bend silently and when to stand and show your strength, Princess. That is how you become a King."
Valli chuckled at the suggestion. "Bold enough to think I can ever be a King. At the most, I would become a Queen Consort."
Shakra sighed loudly, "And just a while ago I was wondering that I had finally met my match in a young apprentice."
"What?“
"Yuvraja wishes to explain that you are very similar to him when he was your age. So, he was assuming you'd be as ambitious as him." Karma explained.
"I'm the fourth child among all the children my father has. My brothers have children. I would be 17th or 18th in line for the throne." She answered.
"Pragvamsa Samragini Valli. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He asked.
Valli stood up and walked away scoffing at his suggestions but Shakra grinned as she disappeared.
If only the girl had a little more confidence, he would have considered Valli a potential threat to him. But the girl didn’t have a political desire. She was playing the duteous little Princess.
“Amma Kalika isn’t going to like it if you play politics with girls.” Karma told him.
“Karma, that is why I have you. You are supposed to find a way for me to get an escape ticket from Amma for various things.”
Karma rolled her eyes, “Yuvraj is funny when he assumes that I have any authority on Amma Kalika or what can appease her.”
Shakra laughed. “That is fine, Karma. I do what I have to do. We don’t win kingdoms without some foul play. Not like the people here are any worthy.”
“I cannot speak for others but I am under the impression that Yuvraj does find Rajkumari Valli worthy enough to give her a little more mind.”
Shakra looked over his shoulder at her and splashed water at her. She winced slightly and gave a confused look to him, “That tone, Karma, that tone is offensive. My heart only belongs to my peacock-eyed-lady.”
Shakra pushed his head back and placed his hand over his heart. In his mental fantasy, she sat on the exact opposite side to him. The white cloth wrapped around her. She raised her eyebrows playfully. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.
Moving a little down the steps in the bathing kund, she dipped her head and rose up. Moving down, she reached the deepest point and let the water push her up. Lifting her legs up. The thin anklets around her feet were visible. She then looked at him and winked, calling him to play with her. When that didn’t move him, she teased him by reaching to the knot of her bathing robe.
In that exact moment, Karma chose to put her hand over his eyes. “Tch… what are you doing?” He asked, annoyed at her, swatting her hand away.
“Someone has to save Rajkumari’s modesty.”
“Karma, it is just my head. She isn’t actually here. At least in my mind let me enjoy the view.”
Karma closed her eyes and shook a no, “She is a respectable lady. Do not let your mind see her in that vile nature that you are in.”
Shakra chuckled, “She almost cornered me, poked her finger over my chest and almost changed her clothes while I was in the same room. Don’t blame me if I think she is bold enough to play teasing.”
“I don’t believe it. She is a shy little girl.”
“Shy? I have never seen her blush.”
“Not for you. I have seen her blush plenty of times. She does blush a little when Amartya talks to her.”
“Amartya? Are you poking me purposely? Amartya has no feelings for her other than the ‘brother-in-law’ one. He always addresses her as Vadina when he’s talking to me about her.”
Karma chuckled, “Of course he harbors no feelings for her. I can’t say the same about her. She is easy for him to reach out to. She asked him to help her escape one of Patrani Raashi’s containment punishments.”
“She could have sent me her stupid parrot. I would have stolen her away forever.” Shakra sighed.
“And perhaps that’s why she did not ask you.”
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