Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Thanks to the increase in people flocking to Chandrapur. They had to expand the capital to accommodate more people. The roads had to be widened for pedestrians and merchant caravans.

In the distance, a carriage trodden towards the capital along with a large contingent of soldiers.

The soldiers marched in neat formations and looked out for any trouble on the way for the carriage.

The sides of the carriage had an etched royal seal of the Vijayanagara Empire.

It was Harsha\'s carriage. He was visiting the Yadava kingdom capital to discuss matters of common interest with the Queen, Gauri Seuna.

Accompany Harsha was his personal contingent of soldiers from the spy bases in the Empire. They were led by Viswa, his personal bodyguard.

The Yadavas were informed of the visit a few days ahead. The discussion would elevate their relationship from just allies on paper to true allies.

Harsha looked outside from the carriage window. The roads were the ones made with the help of the Empire. He looked satisfied with the quality of work. It was smooth for transport and well maintained.

He turned to Viswa.

"Have you got the documents ready?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, but I am still skeptical about the plan!"

"Is that so? What are you worried about? " Harsha asked.

"Things are moving too fast! I think we should explore more options before we go ahead with the plan."

"Opportunities don\'t wait for anyone, Viswa. You must strive to carve a path even if there is just a small opening."

Viswa stayed silent, Although he was worried about things moving fast. He knew the ability of Harsha to get through these problems easily.

"Did we really need the help of the Queen? We could have done it without them as well!" suggested Viswa.

"That is true but we need to cut costs of logistics. So we just take some help from them and give them something in return."

"Still it benefits more to them than us?"

"We gain their trust and we can finally call them allies. They already have a trade deal going well with the Empire." He said with a smirk. "We need to show them the benefits of sticking to our side."

"I see, as you say, Your Majesty." Viswa responded with a smile.

Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace of the Yadavas. The preparations for the Emperor\'s visit was going on in full swing

It was a high-profile visit. The staff had to ensure that everything was nice and clear. This would leave a good impression on the Emperor.

Akhil Holkar sighed. "Damn it, why is the Emperor visiting at this time? I haven\'t slept in two days due to the preparations."

Naiki turned to him. "You know the reason for these excessive decorations."

Akhil glanced at her and sighed deeply again. The Queen wanted to show her best side to the Emperor. She undoubtedly had a crush on the Emperor. The strong and cold queen acted like a maiden, reading the Emperor\'s handwritten letter.

"I got to attend to the Queen." Naiki said. "Take care of all the stuff all alone." She smirked playfully.

"Wh-damn you! Come back and help me! I don\'t want to do this alone!!" He complained but Naiki had vanished.

"My fate is grim," he mumbled.

Naiki walked through the hallways humming a melody. She had already finished her work.

Although she didn\'t know much about the visit. She figured it was related to that masked man from the Empire.

He was doing some sketchy work in the Qutb sultanate. She didn\'t dare go digging for information as she witnessed the power of the masked man firsthand.

Naiki walked into the queen\'s room with a bright expression.

Her expression turned to one of a cracked stone.

The Queen was diligently trying to apply makeup to her face. She was bad at it; her face was a mess. She wanted to laugh but couldn\'t. She clenched her fist to stop herself from bursting in laughter at her makeup skills.

She saw Naiki standing in the corner and quickly ran up to her.

"Hey Hey!! How do I look? Will he like this??" She asked, shaking her like ragdoll.

Naiki nonchalantly replied. "I will do the makeup. Sit down, Your Majesty."

"Okok!!" Gauri nodded aggressively.

She sat down like an eager child. Naiki began to wipe off the makeup off her face. Then reapplied the makeup. She knew how to do makeup.

"Close your eyes." She uses Kajal.

"Puff your lips!" She then applies some vermillion to give the lips a tinge of red.

"Now it\'s done. You look beautiful, Your Majesty," exclaimed Naiki.

Gauri looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face looked different than usual. There were no blemishes. Kajal was used to line her eyes. Her facial features stood sharp and bright. Her lips had a faint reddish tinge, enhancing her beauty further.

She wore a saree for the occasion and tied up her long black hair into a long braid. She applied a lot of perfumes and oils. She wanted to be at her best for Harsha.

A servant barged in to the room.

"The Emperor has arrived," said the servant between breaths.

Gauri stood up quickly but Naiki stopped her.

"Escort the Emperor to the meeting spot. We will be there in a minute." She ordered the servant.

"Understood." The servant left the room.

"We have to go fast!" Gauri said.

"Your Majesty, calm down. The Emperor won\'t mind." She said. .net

Naiki did a final adjustment of her clothes before she went to the meeting place.

Then Gauri went to meet with Harsha.