A stitch in time saves nine

Empress's chambers, Royal Palace of Mandhaar

Amongst her three children, Anara was the closest to her in temperament. They were both military trained and multi-skilled but most importantly, they were ruthlessly practical in their approach towards their ultimate goals.

Maharani Vaijayanti understood the weakness which emotions brought along and she liked to counter it with pragmatic solutions. She hoped that her daughter would grow up and become the same!

Princess Anara sulked and said, "If you had your eyes set on the Northern army guy, why didn't you marry Elder Sister Anira to him? She would have infinitely preferred to go and live in the rugged mountains instead of being sold off to the enemy prince as a peace offering."

"Impudent! How dare you comment on the marriage matters of your elder sister? Just because We indulge you more often than not, you have become insensible enough to speak on the matters of the state in such a frivolous tone?" Maharani Vaijayanti looked at her with a stern expression.

Thankfully, she had ordered all the maids to step out of her inner chamber before her willful daughter came in.

At present, except for her trusted eunuch, Vartak, there was no fourth person in the room.

Maharani Vaijayanti was well aware of her daughter's temperament and knew that she needed to be cajoled rather than ordered for her to cooperate. Else, she would become a hindrance. This was a complication which the empress couldn't afford in her carefully woven plan.

She deliberately softened her voice and said, "Are you not well aware of your sister's limited potential? At most, Anira could only be a very pretty ornament. She doesn't have the guts to actively participate in any sort of political ploys. Hence, we decided to marry her to Kadinga's king, Charuvrat as his second wife. In this manner, your father, the emperor, managed to slightly repair the troubled relation with the Eastern kingdom of Kadinga. More importantly, your sister isn't really capable of being an empress and managing the harem. It was better to have her capitalise on her good looks and concentrate on capturing the favour of her husband, King Charuvrat while the main wife remains busy in handling the dirty politics of his harem."

Princess Anara looked at her mother in askance. She always thought that her parents had treated her sister unfairly, sending her hundreds of miles away to a foreign and hostile environment.

Seeing her daughter in a daze, Maharani Vaijayanti sighed quietly. "Do you think We are wronging you by marrying you to a mere general's son?"

Princess Anara lowered her gaze and her cheeks turned red at being seen through. Her mother was truly omnipotent, which is why she had managed to hold onto her position as the empress of the most successful kingdom on this continent firmly even after two decades and despite the presence of multiple other queens.

"As the sister of the future king, your first duty is to help ensure that the throne is within his grasp. Everything that We have done in the past twenty years is to reach that goal. Once your brother is established as the king and the threats around him are subdued, your position in the general's family would be elevated as well. General Chandraveer is getting old and is due to be replaced soon. Being his eldest son, the prestigious position of commanding an army of 50,000 soldiers would fall on General Agastya. As his wife, you would reign over the entire Northern plains. After that, you can always come back and live in Dima instead of staying in the mountains. After all, the current general's wife also stays away from the military camp in Sarvaan city," Maharani Vaijayanti explained it to her in a patient manner.

"Most importantly, given how headstrong you are, do We dare give your hand to a royal family? We can't tolerate seeing you having to lower your head in front of anyone except your own parents. Hence, this is the best option for you as well," she added in a coaxing manner.

Intercepting his master's tone correctly, Vartak also chipped in. "Princess, this servant has been on the empress's side since she was a little girl. Her vision is far-sighted and she would never wrong her children, whether it is Prince Anirudh, Princess Anira or you. All these years, she has toiled so hard, just for the sake of the three of you. Now that the other people in the palace are trying to play petty tricks, we have to take countermeasures now before the snakes can raise their heads. Under such a situation, the Northern army's support becomes pivotal for your brother's claim to the throne."

Before Princess Anara could react, Vartak struck a lighter note and exclaimed. "This lowly servant has heard that the young general is quite a good looking chap and has a forthright personality. Many beauties have been slayed by his appearance but he hasn't lost his heart to anyone yet. I believe that the celibate streak of his will break once he sees our gorgeous, one in a million, Princess Anara's smile."

"Hmph! Empress Mother, I think the consumption of honey in your imperial kitchen has gone up by many folds otherwise how could this stupid parrot of yours suddenly become so sweet-mouthed," though Princess Anara's words were acrebic, she had a tiny smile on her face now.

Vartak compressed his lips and looked at the empress with a pitiful expression. Used to the interaction between the two, she ignored it and asked her daughter seriously. "Does this mean that you have agreed to marry General Agastya?"

Princess Anara thought for a moment and said, "I want to go and see him once…"

"Princess..." Maharani Vaijayanti's voice held a sharp rebuke.

"Empress Mother, I am not my elder sister who would blindly follow your instructions. What is so wrong in wanting to just have a look at the man whom I am supposed to spend my entire life with? I promise that I would go covertly and simply observe his actions from a distance. Surely, you can allow this much leeway in return for my lifelong commitment," Princess Anara pouted, trying to play the coquettish card with her mother.

Maharani Vaijayanti gave her an unyielding look. "You may have forgotten your identity but we haven't. You have less than three months remaining. Start preparing for your wedding."

With that, she turned away, indicating that she wished for her daughter to leave. Princess Anara threw a dissatisfied look at her mother's straight back and stepped out of the room quietly.