(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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A short while later,

Devara and Shakuni were escorted through the heavily guarded royal encampment before finally arriving at the largest pavilion in the center.

Unlike the military tents surrounding it, this one had been decorated elegantly.

Fine silk curtains swayed gently with the breeze, while fragrant incense drifted through the air.

The floor had been covered with beautifully woven carpets, and polished wooden furniture had been arranged neatly inside.

As the two merchants entered, the soft conversations taking place within gradually came to an end.

Queen Devayani sat gracefully at the center upon a cushioned seat.

Around her were several noblewomen, trusted ladies-in-waiting, and close companions, all of whom turned their attention toward the newcomers.

The guard who had escorted them stepped forward and respectfully saluted.

"Your Majesty."

"The merchant you summoned has arrived."

The queen acknowledged him with a slight nod.

"You may leave."

"As you command."

After bowing once more, the guards quietly withdrew from the pavilion, pulling the entrance curtain closed behind them.

For a brief moment, silence settled inside the royal tent.

Devara and Shakuni respectfully folded their hands and bowed.

"This humble merchant offers his respects to Her Majesty."

The queen studied the two men for a few moments before her gaze shifted toward a small wooden box resting beside her.

Opening it, she carefully took out a beautifully crafted necklace.

Its golden shine immediately caught the eye.

She gently placed it upon the low table between them.

"Merchant Deva."

She looked at him calmly.

"Was this piece sold from your stall?"

Devara lowered his eyes toward the necklace.

The moment he saw its intricate floral engravings and the distinctive clasp behind it, recognition flashed across his face.

He smiled faintly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I can confidently say that this ornament was indeed sold by me."

The queen noticed the certainty in his voice.

"You seem very confident."

"It is difficult to forget the work of skilled craftsmen."

Devara replied politely.

"The artisans who created this design possess a style unlike any other. After handling enough of their creations, one begins recognizing them almost instantly."

The queen slowly nodded before asking the question that had been occupying her mind since morning.

"What intrigued me..."

She gently picked up the necklace once again.

"...is not merely its appearance."

"It is its price."

She glanced toward one of her maids, who smiled sheepishly.

"This necklace was purchased by one of my attendants."

"When I first saw it, I assumed it was made entirely of gold."

"The craftsmanship is exquisite."

"The finishing is remarkable."

"The polish rivals ornaments worn even in royal courts."

She paused for a moment.

"Yet I was informed that it cost only a fraction of what genuine gold jewelry of this quality should."

Her eyes met Devara’s.

"Naturally..."

"My curiosity was aroused."

"My companions insisted I meet the merchant responsible for selling it."

Several of the ladies around the queen nodded in agreement.

One of them even added with a smile,

"We argued about it for nearly half the afternoon."

Another laughed.

"Some of us were convinced the merchant had accidentally sold it for too little."

Soft laughter spread throughout the pavilion.

Devara waited patiently until the room quietened again.

Then he respectfully answered.

"Your Majesty..."

"The reason for its price is rather simple."

He gestured toward the necklace.

"It is not made of gold."

Several of the ladies exchanged surprised glances.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The queen, however, remained composed.

She simply continued watching him.

"These ornaments,"

Devara continued to explain with a smile on his face,

"are crafted using specially treated alloys developed by the artisans of Trivenivrata. Their appearance closely resembles polished gold, yet the material itself is entirely different."

The queen’s eyebrow rose ever so slightly.

She had deliberately omitted one important detail.

Earlier that morning she had secretly asked one of the royal goldsmiths to examine the ornament.

The craftsman had confirmed that despite its appearance, it contained no gold whatsoever.

She had intentionally hidden that information.

It had been a small test.

If the merchant attempted to deceive her for profit...

She would have known immediately.

Instead...

He admitted the truth without the slightest hesitation.

Not even an attempt to exaggerate its value.

That alone made him far more interesting.

The queen leaned back slightly.

"Tell me then..."

"If someone were to place a genuine gold ornament beside this one..."

"...how would an ordinary person distinguish between the two?"

"To be truthful..."

She smiled faintly.

"Had I not ordered my royal goldsmith to inspect this piece..."

"...even I would have believed it was solid gold."

The ladies around her nodded enthusiastically.

They had all made the same mistake.

Devara smiled politely.

"There are several ways, Your Majesty."

He gently picked up the necklace after receiving the queen’s permission.

"Hearing the difference is the simplest."

He lightly tapped the ornament with his fingernail.

A soft metallic note echoed through the pavilion.

"This alloy produces a slightly sharper sound."

He then continued explaining patiently.

"The weight also differs."

"Gold is considerably heavier."

"If two ornaments of identical size are placed in your hands..."

"...the genuine one will almost always feel noticeably denser."

He pointed toward the engraved patterns.

"Another clue lies in the craftsmanship itself."

"The artisans of Trivenivrata intentionally carve a tiny identifying mark where ordinary buyers rarely think to look."

Turning the necklace over, he pointed to a nearly invisible symbol hidden beneath the clasp.

Several ladies leaned forward in surprise.

"I never noticed that."

One of the maids whispered.

Devara smiled.

"It serves as the craftsman’s signature."

"The workshops use it to identify their own creations."

The queen observed the tiny mark carefully.

"So every workshop has its own symbol?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It prevents dishonest merchants from falsely claiming another artisan’s work."

The queen nodded appreciatively.

"A clever practice."

She remained silent for another moment before asking another question.

"Do the craftsmen of Trivenivrata create similar ornaments using genuine gold?"

"They do."

Devara answered immediately.

"In fact..."

"Their finest masterpieces are crafted from pure gold and precious gems."

A spark of curiosity appeared in the queen’s eyes.

"I would like to see them."

"They are certainly available, Your Majesty."

Devara replied with a respectful bow.

"But if I may be so bold..."

The queen gestured for him to continue.

"No collection carried by traveling merchants can truly represent the skill of the artisans of Trivenivrata."

"If Your Majesty ever wishes to witness the full diversity of their craftsmanship..."

"...I would humbly recommend visiting the Kingdom of Trivenivrata at least once."

"There are entire streets where every workshop specializes in a different style."

"Some focus on royal ornaments."

"Others create ceremonial jewelry."

"Some craft pieces so delicate that they resemble flowers woven from sunlight."

"The experience cannot truly be conveyed through words alone."

The ladies around the queen exchanged interested glances.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Even the queen herself appeared genuinely intrigued.

"So highly do you speak of your homeland."

Devara smiled hearing her words.

"A merchant naturally wishes to praise the land that nurtured its craftsmen."

The queen gave a soft laugh.

"-Fufu!"

"A fair answer."

She looked toward the necklace one last time before turning back to him.

"Very well."

"I shall postpone my judgment until I see those gold ornaments with my own eyes."

Her tone carried quiet confidence.

"Bring me the finest examples you possess."

"I wish to compare them personally."

"If the craftsmanship truly matches your description..."

"...then perhaps your words are not exaggerated after all."

Devara bowed respectfully.

"As Her Majesty commands."

Without another word, he stepped back.

Shakuni, who had remained respectfully silent throughout the entire conversation, followed him.

As Devara and Shakuni stepped out of the royal pavilion, the curtain gently fell back into place behind them.

They had barely taken a few steps when another figure approached from the opposite direction.

Princess Indhumati.

Accompanied by two of her personal maids and the same female guard who had earlier been with her during the... rather unforgettable incident involving the hay shed and the cobra.

The moment her eyes landed on the departing merchants, she paused.

Her gaze naturally settled on Devara.

"Merchant Deva..."

Before she could call out to him, the two had already continued walking away with Shakuni quietly discussing something beside him not paying attention to her.

Her curiosity immediately surfaced.

Turning toward the guard standing outside the pavilion, she asked,

"What were those two doing here?"

The guard respectfully folded his hands.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty summoned Merchant Deva earlier."

"My mother summoned him?"

"Yes, Princess."

"The meeting concluded only a few moments ago."

Indhumati looked once more at Devara’s departing figure until he disappeared behind another row of royal tents.

’Mother summoned a merchant? That too him...’

That alone was unusual.

The Queen rarely called ordinary merchants into her private pavilion unless the matter genuinely interested her.

As she wondered what could have been important enough for such a meeting, another memory suddenly forced its way into her thoughts.

The wooden shed.

The towering bundles of hay.

The ridiculously cramped hiding place.

Her own hair brushing against his face.

The awkward silence.

"...."

And...

The cobra.

She unconsciously touched one side of her hair.

A faint warmth slowly crept onto her cheeks.

’Why am I remembering that now?’

She immediately shook her head.

"No."

"It was simply an unfortunate situation."

"Nothing more."

She silently repeated those words to herself as though trying to convince her own heart.

The guard standing beside her noticed the brief change in her expression.

"Princess?"

Indhumati quickly regained her composure.

"It’s nothing."

Without saying another word, she pushed aside the entrance curtain and stepped inside the royal pavilion.

The atmosphere within had changed considerably since Devara’s departure.

Instead of chatting casually as they usually did during the festival, the Queen and nearly every noble lady present had gathered around a low wooden table.

The necklace still rested upon it.

Alongside it now lay several small objects.

A polished stone.

A tiny weighing balance.

A magnifying lens commonly used by royal craftsmen.

Even one of the elderly ladies appeared to be examining the clasp with remarkable seriousness.

Indhumati stopped just inside the entrance.

For a moment...

She genuinely wondered whether they were discussing matters of state.

Only after looking closer did she realize...

They were all studying the jewelry.

"...Mother?"

The Queen looked up and smiled.

"There you are."

Indhumati slowly walked over.

"What is everyone doing?"

One of the Queen’s companions laughed.

"We’ve become goldsmiths."

Another lady gently turned the necklace over.

"No..."

"I believe we’re investigators."

A third woman added playfully,

"We’re trying to prove whether a merchant exaggerated the quality of his goods."

Soft laughter spread through the pavilion.

Indhumati looked completely confused.

She sat beside her mother before asking,

"Would someone kindly explain?"

Queen Devayani handed the necklace to her daughter.

"Take a closer look."

Indhumati examined it carefully.

"It is beautifully made."

"So I thought."

The Queen replied.

"This ornament belongs to one of my attendants."

"I noticed it earlier today."

"The workmanship caught my attention."

"It looked every bit as elegant as jewelry crafted for noble households."

Indhumati slowly nodded.

"It certainly does."

"I assumed it was made of gold."

"So did everyone else."

The Queen smiled knowingly.

"But after having it examined..."

"...I discovered it wasn’t gold at all."

Indhumati looked up in surprise.

"It isn’t?"

"No."

"It is made from a specially prepared alloy."

She gently tapped the necklace.

"The merchant explained everything."

Then the Queen began recounting her entire conversation with Devara.

How he had immediately admitted the ornament wasn’t made of gold.

How he had explained the differences in weight.

The distinctive sound.

The hidden craftsman’s mark beneath the clasp.

The techniques used by the artisans of Trivenivrata.

As the Queen spoke, Indhumati unconsciously turned the necklace over.

After searching carefully...

She finally spotted the tiny engraved symbol hidden underneath.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"It’s actually there..."

The elderly noblewoman beside her smiled proudly.

"We all had to search for nearly five minutes before finding it."

Another added,

"The merchant wasn’t exaggerating."

"He explained every detail exactly."

The Queen nodded in agreement.

"What impressed me wasn’t merely his knowledge."

"It was his honesty."

She looked toward her daughter.

"I deliberately concealed the fact that I already knew this wasn’t gold."

"I wished to see whether he would attempt to deceive me."

Indhumati immediately understood.

"A test."

"Exactly."

"But instead of inventing stories..."

"...he openly admitted everything."

The Queen leaned back slightly.

"Such merchants are difficult to find."

"They usually praise their own goods until the customer no longer knows what is true."

"But this young man..."

"...answered every question without hesitation."

One of the ladies smiled.

"He even invited Her Majesty to visit Trivenivrata just to appreciate their artisans."

Another laughed softly.

"I almost wanted to travel there myself after hearing him describe it."

Indhumati remained unusually quiet.

"...."

Her fingers absent-mindedly traced the tiny craftsman’s mark once again.

For some reason...

The image of Devara smiling calmly while explaining everything returned to her mind.

Then another memory followed.

’I didn’t steal your pouch.’

’Are you certain? Princess...’

She almost smiled.

’Such an irritating man...’

Yet... The more she thought about him...

The more curious she became.

There seemed to be something different about that merchant.

He was knowledgeable without sounding arrogant.

Playful without becoming disrespectful.

Even when standing before the Queen...

He had remained perfectly composed according to what she could piece together from the conversation around.

Almost...

Too composed for an ordinary traveling merchant.

The thought lingered in her mind long after the conversation inside the pavilion had shifted to discussing the famous craftsmen of Trivenivrata.

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(Author note:)

I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.

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Guys I have a new fic which named: Karuppan: King of Openings.