Chapter 203: Chapter 201: Both Are Different... One Talks Non Stop... Another Rarely Speaks...

(A/N):

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Princess Indhumati remained standing in the clearing, her gaze fixed on the sea of flowers where the mysterious masked man had disappeared.

The gentle breeze continued carrying flower petals through the air, but the figure was nowhere to be seen.

It was as though he had simply merged with the forest itself.

Her thoughts wandered back to those striking green eyes.

"...."

She immediately shook her head again.

"No..."

She whispered softly.

"It can’t possibly be him."

The merchant she had met earlier was carefree, talkative, and forever finding ways to tease people.

The man who had rescued her...

He hadn’t spoken more than a few words.

His movements had been silent.

His presence alone had terrified an entire group of hardened warriors.

The two couldn’t possibly be the same person.

...Could they?

Before her thoughts could wander any further—

"Princess..."

A weak voice called out.

Indhumati blinked and quickly turned around.

"...."

The young royal boy had finally regained consciousness.

He slowly rubbed his head before looking around in confusion.

His eyes wandered across the unfamiliar clearing before finally stopping on her.

His frightened expression immediately relaxed.

"Princess..."

He called again, this time with relief.

"You’re safe..."

His voice snapped Indhumati completely out of her thoughts.

She hurried over and knelt beside him.

"Easy."

She gently helped him sit upright.

"How are you feeling?"

The boy touched the back of his head and winced.

"It hurts..."

He looked around once more.

"...Where are we?"

"I don’t know exactly."

Indhumati admitted honestly.

"But..."

She looked toward the trees surrounding the clearing.

"...whoever rescued us left us somewhere close to the village."

She could already hear faint voices in the distance.

The sounds of soldiers calling to one another drifted through the forest.

The camp couldn’t be far away.

She helped the young boy to his feet.

"Can you walk?"

He nodded bravely.

"I think so."

"Good."

"Stay close to me."

Together, the two slowly made their way through the forest.

The path was surprisingly short.

After barely a minute of walking, the dense trees began thinning.

Soon, the familiar sight of the royal encampment appeared before them.

Rows of tents.

Royal banners fluttering in the wind.

Mounted soldiers riding in and out of the camp.

The entire place remained in a state of high alert.

Patrols constantly moved around the perimeter, searching every nearby path.

One of the guards happened to glance toward the forest.

He froze.

"...."

For a heartbeat, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Then his eyes widened.

"Princess!"

His shout immediately attracted the attention of the nearby patrol.

Another guard turned.

Then another.

Within seconds, several soldiers were staring toward the edge of the forest.

"It’s the Princess!"

"They found Her Highness!"

"And the kid too!"

The excitement spread through the camp like wildfire.

"The Princess has returned!"

"She’s alive!"

"Quick! Inform His Majesty! Inform the Queen!"

One of the younger guards didn’t even wait for orders.

He sprinted toward the royal pavilion at full speed, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"The Princess has returned!"

"We’ve found the Princess!"

More guards rushed toward Indhumati, but unlike before, they maintained a respectful distance, making sure not to overwhelm her.

The captain of the patrol hurried forward before dropping to one knee.

"Your Highness..."

His voice was filled with visible relief.

"Thank the gods... You are safe."

The other guards bowed as well.

Many of them had spent the entire evening searching every inch of the surrounding forest.

Seeing the princess return unharmed lifted a tremendous burden from their hearts.

Indhumati smiled faintly.

"I am unharmed."

She gently pushed the young boy forward.

"Please see that he receives medical attention first."

"He was unconscious for quite some time."

Immediately, two guards carefully escorted the child toward the royal physicians.

The captain looked around cautiously.

"Your Highness..."

"Where are the kidnappers?"

Indhumati instinctively turned toward the forest behind her.

Only flowers swayed gently beneath the evening breeze.

"...."

"...."

"...."

There was no sign of the mysterious masked man.

No footprints. No broken branches.

Nothing.

It was as though he had never been there.

She remained silent for a long moment before quietly answering,

"They... won’t be returning. For now..."

The captain looked puzzled but wisely chose not to press the matter.

"Please..."

He gestured respectfully toward the royal camp.

"His Majesty and Her Majesty have been worried beyond words."

"They’ll be overjoyed to see you safe."

Princess Indhumati nodded.

As she began walking toward the royal encampment surrounded by relieved soldiers, she couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder one last time.

The Flower Forest stood peacefully beneath the fading evening light.

Countless blossoms danced gently in the wind.

Hidden somewhere beyond those flowers...

A certain merchant with emerald-green eyes unexpectedly surfaced in her thoughts once again.

This time...

She didn’t immediately dismiss the possibility.

Instead, a small smile unknowingly appeared at the corner of her lips.

"...Just who are you, Merchant Deva? Why are my inner feeling’s drifting towards you?"

she murmured so quietly that even the soldiers beside her failed to hear it.

Several hours had passed since Princess Indhumati’s return.

The panic that had swept through the royal encampment had gradually subsided, but no one had truly relaxed.

Outside the royal tents, soldiers continued patrolling with twice their usual vigilance.

Every visitor entering or leaving the festival grounds was questioned, and messengers rode in and out of the camp carrying fresh reports from search parties combing the surrounding forests.

Inside the royal pavilion, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

Princess Indhumati sat quietly upon a cushioned seat.

Fresh bandages had been wrapped around the minor bruises on her wrists where the ropes had rubbed against her skin.

Other than the soreness at the back of her head, she had escaped remarkably unharmed.

Queen Devayani sat beside her, gently embracing her daughter.

For all the composure she had displayed earlier while facing the kidnappers...

She was still a mother.

The moment she had seen her daughter walk safely back into the camp, every ounce of strength she had shown before the soldiers had nearly disappeared.

She gently stroked Indhumati’s hair.

"You frightened me."

Her voice was soft.

"So much."

Princess Indhumati rested her head against her mother’s shoulder.

"I’m sorry, Mother."

"I never wished to worry anyone."

Queen Devayani smiled faintly before placing a kiss upon her forehead.

"You returned safely."

"That is all that matters."

Standing a short distance away, King Padmanabha Varman watched the scene silently.

"...."

Anyone who knew the king well could immediately tell he was furious.

Not with his daughter. Never with her.

His anger was directed entirely elsewhere.

His fists remained tightly clenched behind his back.

The veins along his forearms stood out clearly.

Beside him stood the Crown Prince, equally furious.

Although still young, the prince’s face carried none of its usual brightness.

"They dared..."

he muttered through clenched teeth.

"They actually dared to kidnap Akka1..."

His hand instinctively rested upon the hilt of his sword.

"If I ever find them..."

The king slowly placed a hand upon his son’s shoulder.

His own voice remained calm. Almost too calm.

"Anger without patience clouds judgment."

"But..."

The prince lowered his head.

"They threatened our family."

"I know."

Padmanabha’s eyes hardened.

"And they shall answer for it."

His gaze shifted toward the commanders gathered nearby.

"For the past several hours, every available patrol has searched the Flower Forest."

"Scouts have inspected every trail."

"The surrounding villages have been informed."

"We even questioned travelers attempting to leave the festival."

His jaw tightened.

"And yet... they vanished."

The commander lowered his head.

"We found no trace of the kidnappers, Maharaja."

"Only abandoned footprints that disappeared near the forest."

The king nodded slowly.

"I expected as much."

He turned toward his daughter.

"Indhumati."

She lifted her head.

"Tell us once again."

"From the moment they separated you from the child."

The princess calmly recounted everything.

The underground passage.

The strange tribe.

Their conversation about Pushpasura.

The eerie whistling.

The terrifying laughter echoing through the tunnels.

The screams.

The mysterious deaths.

The masked figure.

Every person inside the pavilion listened without interrupting.

By the time she finished...

Complete silence filled the room.

The Crown Prince frowned.

"So... one man defeated all of them?"

Indhumati nodded slowly.

-Nod!

"As far as I could tell..."

"...yes."

One of the generals couldn’t hide his disbelief.

"Twenty armed warriors..."

"...eliminated by a single individual?"

"It sounds impossible."

The princess looked directly at him.

"I saw the aftermath with my own eyes. There wasn’t a single survivor nearby."

She paused briefly.

"Only one thing... I never actually saw him fighting."

"I only heard..."

She hesitated or a second.

"The screams."

The pavilion became noticeably quieter.

Queen Devayani gently asked,

"This man... The one who rescued you."

"Can you describe him?"

Indhumati closed her eyes for a moment, trying to recall every detail.

"He wore a mask."

"A very strange one."

"I couldn’t see his face."

"He spoke very little."

"And..."

She unconsciously smiled.

"He had green eyes."

The king exchanged a glance with the queen.

"Anything else?"

She slowly shook her head.

"He never told me his name."

"He didn’t ask for anything."

"He simply rescued us... brought us near the camp... freed my hands and feet..."

"...then left."

The Crown Prince let out a disappointed sigh.

"A hero who refuses recognition."

The king folded his arms.

"Such people are rare."

He looked toward the generals.

"Nevertheless... I intend to reward him."

Several officers nodded in agreement.

"No reward can truly equal the life of a princess."

Padmanabha continued.

"If this masked warrior is ever found... I shall personally honor him before the entire kingdom."

"He has not merely rescued my daughter."

"He has protected the dignity of our royal house."

The queen smiled softly.

"I would also like the opportunity to thank him personally."

The king nodded.

"So would I."

He looked back toward Indhumati.

"Are you absolutely certain you cannot remember anything else?"

"His voice? His clothes? His weapon?"

The princess thought carefully.

Then... She slowly lowered her eyes.

"There is... one strange thing."

Everyone immediately looked toward her.

"For some reason... The moment I saw his eyes..."

She hesitated.

"They reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

asked the king.

Indhumati remained silent for a moment before answering.

"...Merchant Deva."

The room fell quiet.

The Crown Prince blinked.

"The merchant?"

She immediately shook her head.

"I know it sounds ridiculous."

"It can’t possibly be him."

"The merchant talks too much."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"The masked man barely spoke."

"The merchant smiles all the time."

"The masked man hardly showed any emotion."

"And..."

She laughed softly at herself.

"...there are countless people with green eyes."

"I must simply be imagining things."

The king smiled faintly.

"Traumatic experiences often confuse the memory."

"Do not trouble yourself over it."

Indhumati nodded.

Even so... Deep inside her heart...

The image of those calm emerald-green eyes refused to disappear.

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(Author note:)

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

Elder sister