"you do it, then strategy! I do it, then cheating! What in the world is this logic Huh!?"
"oh, come on. Just accept your defeat, bhratashree"
"you.........."
Karna watch the group of brothers yelling at each other, though it is not good but still better than physical fight as they all practice together without hurting each other under his watch. He chuckled slightly at the offended look on dushasana's face which he throw at vikarna who just shrugged before running for his life when dushasana came for him.
He tried to stop himself laughing but couldn't help himself as he watch dushasana trying to catch vikarna who is jumping here and there before karna's eyes caught the esteemed guest of hastinapur's eyes on him as he stop laughing immediately but Dwarkadheesh still has a small smile on his face while looking at karna which made him turn around to look somewhere else so that he won't have to look into Dwarkadheesh's eyes.
The man is still mystery for karna, he act all bubbly and childish in front of Rajmata and Maharani. But the person yesterday in library with karna was completely different, his words are still running in karna's mind like a puzzle which karna hasn't been able to solve yet.
"hey karna"
"hello Rajkumar Arjuna" Karna said formally as per their agreement of being formal in front of others but informal when they are alone.
"are you busy?" Arjuna ask as Karna look at kauravas around him making arjuna sigh but he still smiled a little before dragging Dwarkadheesh with himself while waving to karna who to his delight, waved back.
"see you soon"
-------------------------------------------------------
"come soon"
"we will come to meet soon too"
"come again"
"take care of yourself"
"we will come to Dwarka soon too"
"yes"
All the elders and Princes of Hastinapur come to drop Dwarkadheesh as he is leaving soon which of course doesn't matter to karna as he stand at the corner while looking at scene in front of him until suddenly the Dwarkadheesh's eyes caught his one.
"aapka intezaar rahega"
Huh? What the- Who is this man saying for? Is this man saying this to him? Karna, wide eyed look around to see if someone is standing beside him or in his surrounding but he found himself alone making him look at Dwarkadheesh with a frown of confusion but the man already turned around to leave towards the chariot..................This man does not have any mystery instead he himself is a mystery, truly.
Karna sighed as he watch both group of princes coming towards him after Dwarkadheesh's chariot left from their sight.
"what should we do now?"
"I have to go to meet mamashree" Duryodhana mutter as Karna frowned. For some reason, whenever duryodhana come after meeting Gandhar Raj, he has an unusual aura around him and he even behaves angrily and rudely, completely different from his demeanour.
"you said you will spend time here" Karna don't know why he said that but seeing duryodhana rubbing his neck anxiously before agreeing to stay with karna and knowing that he won't meet Gandhar Raj now, karna can't help but to smile.
"how about we go to roam around outside the palace?"
And soon all the Pandavas and some elder kauravas went outside the palace with karna while other kauravas went to spend time with their mother.
"how much it costs?"
"it is cheap at that stall"
"isn't it too expensive"
"this is fixed price"
"Have some fruits! Exotic! Sweet! Healthy!"
"Look at these beautiful Bangles! Come Ladies! Try then buy!"
The crowded market and dimmed light in the dark allow the princes to see the beauty of their Rajya as they walk while observing the market and enjoying the view until they hear some shouts from other corner making all of them alert before they walk towards the corner.
"please leave my daughter"
"I will but first pay my fees"
"what is happening here?" Vikarna asked carefully as the man who is grabbing young girl growled at them before gritting out.
"get lost kids, this is adult business-"
"he wants to marry my daughter" The woman who was crying says as they all look the man in shock. The man is clearly in his old age while the girl look...........same age as dushala as she is crying in the tight hold of man around her body.
"leave the girl" Dushasana says but the man didn't budge, instead a smirk come on his face as he mutter out.
"I teach this girl and it has been three months since she has not given my fees, so now he has to marry me"
"we don't have money to pay" The woman beside them mutter but their eyes kept on the girl who is crying and if they aren't reminded of their only sister.............
"how much is the fees?" Yudhishtir asked as the man told him the fees of three months before he turn towards his brothers who gave him a guilty look, indirectly telling yudhishtir that they don't have money right now. Just as yudhishtir was about to say something, someone stretched their hand out with the money as the man took before counting it while pandavas look at the person who gave money, only to realise it is duryodhana.
"hmm, who are you all?"
"just focus on money" Nakula says as the man left from there leaving the girl crying in her mother's hold as her mother kept thanking them until they turn around to leave.
"can't believe, a person can do this too" Nakula mutter and the disgust can be clearly heard in his voice as other also agreed to him before karna says.
"it is normal for lower class"
"huh?"
"most lower class can't afford to pay money for their child's education or anything and that's why only lower class are the one who are mostly called as uneducated"
"but education is everyone's right" Arjuna says to which karna nod.
"but not everyone think like this. You know, citizens make king not king make citizens so always remember that, the more strong the people of Rajya, the stronger will be the King"
"I want to change this thinking" Duryodhana mutter out after listening to karna's words as yudhishtir look at karna before muttering same thing making karna smile.
"we still have a long way to go but for now..........we can definitely help citizens without being King too"
"Yes!!" All of them says as they walk towards the Palace with karna behind them.
'Being King is nothing if you don't have a happy Rajya' Karna remembers this point as he recalls his time in Magadh where not only King but the citizens also help to make new and prosperous Magadh. You get to know more about your Rajya when you interact with your Praja. And karna really hopes, whoever becomes the King of Hastinapur it doesn't matter but they all will have a character which is respected by every person, in or outside the rajya.
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