Chapter 198: Chapter 196: Demand For Princess... Don’t Overestimate Yourself....

(A/N):

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Only a short while later, Devara and Shakuni returned to the royal pavilion.

This time, Shakuni carried a finely crafted wooden chest wrapped in thick cloth,

While Devara held a leather satchel slung over one shoulder.

Judging by the care with which they carried them, it was obvious the contents were valuable.

The guards standing outside recognized the two merchants immediately.

After announcing their arrival, they stepped aside and allowed them to enter.

As the entrance curtain was lifted, Devara paused for a brief moment.

"...It seems we’ve returned to a much larger audience."

The pavilion was noticeably more crowded than before.

News had spread quickly among the noble ladies that the merchant possessed ornaments crafted by the famous artisans of Trivenivrata.

Naturally, curiosity had done the rest.

Several noblewomen who had been visiting nearby royal tents had quietly made their way here.

Close companions of the queen.

Ladies from influential noble families.

Senior attendants.

Even a few elderly women who were well known for their love of jewelry had arrived carrying magnifying lenses of their own.

The atmosphere resembled less of a royal meeting...

...and more of an exhibition.

Queen Devayani smiled upon seeing the two merchants return.

"You were quicker than I expected."

Devara bowed respectfully.

"I did not wish to keep Her Majesty waiting."

Shakuni carefully placed the wooden chest upon the table before stepping back.

As Devara opened it, soft murmurs immediately spread through the pavilion.

Inside rested several pieces of jewelry.

Necklaces.

Bracelets.

Hair ornaments.

Armlets.

Rings.

Each one had been carefully separated using layers of fine silk to prevent even the slightest scratch.

Unlike the imitation ornaments shown earlier...

These possessed a completely different brilliance.

The gold carried a warm, natural glow that no alloy could truly imitate.

Tiny emeralds, rubies and sapphires had been set into intricate floral patterns so delicately that the flowers almost appeared alive.

Even before touching them, the noblewomen could tell that these pieces belonged in a royal treasury.

Meanwhile...

Princess Indhumati sat quietly beside her mother.

"..."

The moment Devara entered, her eyes instinctively shifted toward him.

Devara noticed.

He politely bowed toward the queen before beginning his explanation as though nothing unusual had ever happened between them.

Indhumati narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.

’He’s pretending nothing happened.’

Her lips pursed into a tiny pout.

’After everything that happened in the hay shed...’

’After accusing me of stealing his pouch...’

’After making me scream because of that snake...’

’Now he’s acting as though we’ve never met?’

She let out a tiny huff through her nose.

Devara happened to glance in her direction just then.

Their eyes met briefly.

Princess Indhumati deliberately turned her face away.

"Hmph."

The tiny sound escaped almost unconsciously.

One of her maids standing behind her immediately noticed.

Trying very hard not to smile, she leaned toward another maid and whispered,

"Our princess still seems upset over the banter in the shop."

She had clearly misunderstood the situation.

The second maid quickly nodded.

"I noticed."

Devara merely smiled faintly before returning his attention to the queen.

Shakuni, standing beside him, noticed everything.

Without changing his expression, he quietly muttered,

"You seem to have earned Her Highness’s displeasure."

"I have no idea why."

Devara replied with remarkable innocence.

Shakuni looked at him.

"...Truly?"

"Absolutely."

"I find that difficult to believe. For some reason..."

The minister wisely chose not to continue.

Meanwhile, the queen gently lifted one of the necklaces.

"This workmanship..."

She slowly rotated it beneath the light.

"...is indeed extraordinary."

Several ladies immediately gathered closer.

One admired the tiny gemstones.

Another examined the clasp.

A third couldn’t stop praising the floral engravings.

The pavilion gradually filled with cheerful discussion.

Even Princess Indhumati eventually found herself leaning forward to examine one of the bracelets.

"I must admit..."

she murmured in low voice.

"...they are beautiful."

Devara smiled since he had already sold few to the princess earlier.

"Our craftsmen take great pride in their work."

"They believe ornaments should carry stories rather than merely beauty."

"What do you mean?"

the queen asked.

Devara picked up a delicate golden hairpin.

"The flowers engraved here bloom only during spring."

"The birds symbolize prosperity."

"And these vines..."

He pointed toward the tiny carvings.

"...represent the unbroken bond of family."

Several noblewomen looked at the ornament with renewed admiration.

Something that had appeared merely beautiful moments ago suddenly possessed meaning.

The queen nodded appreciatively.

"No wonder you spoke so highly of your homeland."

Just then...

Without warning...

The entrance curtain of the pavilion was violently pushed aside.

The pleasant atmosphere disappeared instantly.

Several masked men rushed inside.

Everything happened so quickly that the guards stationed outside barely had time to react.

The man at the front tightly held a frightened young boy before him.

The child couldn’t have been older than eight.

His expensive silk clothes immediately revealed that he belonged to the royal family.

One powerful arm restrained the child.

In the other hand...

The masked man held a sharp dagger pressed firmly against the boy’s throat.

The child’s terrified eyes overflowed with tears.

He struggled weakly but dared not cry loudly.

The entire pavilion froze.

"...."

A noblewoman screamed.

Another immediately covered her mouth.

Princess Indhumati shot to her feet.

"Rohan!"

The frightened child looked toward her.

"D... Didi1..."

Queen Devayani’s expression changed instantly.

The warmth vanished from her face.

Only a mother’s concern remained.

Several royal guards instinctively reached for their swords.

"Don’t!"

The masked leader roared.

His voice echoed throughout the pavilion.

The dagger pressed even closer against the child’s neck.

A tiny line of blood appeared beneath the blade.

The boy whimpered in fear.

Every guard immediately stopped.

The masked man’s eyes slowly swept across everyone present.

"Throw down your weapons."

"No one moves."

"No one acts brave."

"If even a single person attempts anything foolish..."

He pushed the knife just enough for everyone to see how easily it could cut.

"...the child dies first."

Silence swallowed the entire pavilion.

The laughter from only moments earlier had completely disappeared.

Every noblewoman stood frozen.

Several maids had begun crying.

Princess Indhumati clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Queen Devayani slowly raised one hand, signaling everyone to remain calm.

"...."

The royal guards reluctantly obeyed.

One after another...

Swords were lowered.

Throughout the entire chaos...

Only one person remained strangely composed.

Standing beside the table displaying the jewelry...

Devara quietly watched the masked men.

"...."

His expression hadn’t changed.

Neither had his breathing.

His calm green eyes slowly observed every detail.

The number of attackers.

Their footing.

The position of the child.

The distance between each man.

The exits.

The weapons hidden beneath their cloaks.

To everyone else...

He still appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary merchant who had frozen in fear.

Only Shakuni, standing beside him, noticed the almost imperceptible change in Devara’s eyes.

The minister immediately understood.

His king...

Had already begun calculating hix move.

The cheerful atmosphere inside the royal pavilion had vanished completely.

Only moments ago, the tent had been filled with laughter as noblewomen admired the craftsmanship of Trivenivrata’s jewelry.

Now...

Not a single person spoke.

Even the musicians outside seemed impossibly distant.

Devara remained where he stood, his expression calm as though he were simply observing another business negotiation.

"...."

But behind those calm green eyes...

His mind was already working.

Without moving his head, his gaze slowly swept across the pavilion.

One... Three... Seven...

Fifteen... Twenty... Thirty.

Exactly thirty masked men.

Some stood near the entrances.

Others had already positioned themselves around the queen and the gathered noblewomen.

It wasn’t random.

Every position had been chosen beforehand.

’Thirty... Enough to create confusion...’

’But not enough to fight the royal army head-on.’

His attention shifted toward the entrances of the pavilion.

Not a single alarm had been raised.

No sounds of battle. No guards shouting.

No clash of steel outside.

That alone told him everything he needed to know.

The royal encampment wasn’t an ordinary place.

Hundreds of elite soldiers surrounded it.

Every entrance was guarded.

Archers occupied elevated watchtowers.

Patrols constantly moved between the tents.

For thirty armed men to walk all the way into the queen’s pavilion without anyone raising an alarm...

...was impossible.

Unless...

Someone inside the royal camp had deliberately allowed them through.

A faint smile almost appeared on Devara’s lips.

’So... My suspicion wasn’t wrong. There truly is a mole somewhere within the royal camp.’

He remained silent.

"...."

This wasn’t the time to expose that thought.

The masked leader slowly looked around the pavilion before finally fixing his gaze upon one person.

Princess Indhumati.

His eyes narrowed behind the cloth covering his face.

"We are not here for treasure."

"We are not here for gold."

His grip around the frightened child tightened.

"We only want one person."

He pointed the dagger toward the princess.

"You."

The entire pavilion turned toward Indhumati.

Several of her maids instinctively stepped in front of her.

The masked leader laughed.

"If the royal family wishes this child to live... The princess will accompany us willingly."

The frightened boy began crying softly.

"Didi1..."

"Please..."

His trembling voice echoed painfully through the silent pavilion.

At that instant...

Everything connected inside Devara’s mind.

The scroll.

The coded message he had recovered from the dead cultist.

The final sentence written upon it.

"The princess is the key."

Until this moment, he hadn’t fully understood what it meant.

Now...

The meaning stood right before him.

’So that’s it... Their objective was never the queen...’

’Nor the king...’

’It has always been Princess Indhumati.’

The question was... Why? What made her so important?

Before Devara could think further...

Queen Devayani slowly rose to her feet.

There wasn’t a trace of panic on her face anymore.

The warmth of a caring mother had disappeared.

Standing before everyone now...

Was the Queen of the kingdom.

Her gaze became sharp enough to make even the masked leader hesitate for a fraction of a second.

"You have courage."

she said calmly.

"Walking into my pavilion... threatening my family... inside the royal encampment."

Her voice remained perfectly steady.

"But courage and foolishness are often mistaken for one another."

The masked leader tightened his grip on the child.

"Do not test me."

The queen ignored the threat completely.

Instead...

She looked toward the royal guards surrounding the pavilion.

Her next words stunned everyone present.

"Do not overestimate yourselves."

The guards blinked hearing the queen.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The queen continued,

"Or these men."

Then she slowly turned back toward the masked leader.

"You believe threatening one child grants you authority over this kingdom."

"You believe I shall obediently hand over the Crown Princess."

A cold smile appeared upon her face.

"You think far too highly of yourself."

Even the masked men exchanged uncertain glances.

This wasn’t the reaction they had expected.

The queen took another step forward.

"The princess of this kingdom is not merely my daughter."

"She carries the honor of our royal house."

"The future of this kingdom."

"The hopes of countless people."

"You ask me to exchange all of that... for one hostage."

Silence filled the pavilion.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Then Queen Devayani’s voice became colder than ice.

"If you kill that child... you will indeed succeed in taking one precious life from this family."

Her eyes never left the masked leader.

"But hear my words carefully."

"If even a single drop of that child’s blood falls because of you from now on..."

"I swear upon this crown..."

"...every person involved in this crime shall meet a death so painful that generations yet unborn will remember your names only with fear."

Several of the royal guards unconsciously tightened their grip around their swords.

The queen slowly raised one hand.

"Royal Guards."

Every soldier immediately straightened.

"If these men choose murder ...show them no mercy."

"Hunt every one of them. Whether they flee to forests ...mountains ...or foreign kingdoms."

"I want every accomplice found."

"And when they are..."

Her voice remained frighteningly calm.

"...their deaths shall serve as a warning to anyone who dares threaten this kingdom again."

The masked men had expected pleading.

Negotiation.

Fear.

Instead...

They found themselves being calmly sentenced to death.

Queen Devayani folded her hands behind her back.

"I shall, however, offer you a choice."

She pointed toward the child.

"Release him. Walk away. And I may consider showing mercy."

The masked leader remained silent.

"...."

The queen’s eyes hardened.

"But if you refuse... then you will leave this pavilion only one of two ways."

She paused.

"Either carrying the child’s body... or your own."

"The decision... is entirely yours."

The pavilion fell into absolute silence.

Even the masked men found themselves unexpectedly shaken.

Standing quietly near the display of jewelry, Devara couldn’t help looking at the queen with newfound respect.

’Interesting... No wonder this kingdom has remained stable for so many years. The queen understands something many rulers forget.’

’If you negotiate from fear... You surrender before the battle even begins.’

She was dealing the situation very calmly.

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(Author note:)

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