276 Gluttonous Monster

And that's why, Bela had dressed as an old man and now stood with a deliberate humped back, waiting for permission to enter. She was apparently playing the part of a famed vaidya who was here to examine an 'old ailment' of the queen.

The opening of royal gates saved Prithvi from having to give an answer to Bela's question. They made their way slowly inside the cobbled courtyard which was lit with burning torches and fat lamps on either side of the path with lush lawns beyond them.

This was Bela's first time meeting the queen and even though she was going in after a successful mission, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She had really hoped to be able to see her daughter on this trip but Prithvi's earlier message told her to keep this visit an absolute secret. Bela didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, but as an active agent in the field, she couldn't help but follow his orders. From here, she was going back to rest and then make a return trip to Himprayag with the foreign minister who would carry the stamped decree.

"Welcome Belavati or would you prefer being addressed as Charulata?" the queen greeted the younger woman with respect.

Bela was surprised but didn't give any outwardly reaction. The room had been 'sanitized' already with the queen ordering the entire room to be vacated few minutes ago.

She shrugged her shoulders and replied without much inflection, "I am a humble servant of Chandragarh. My name holds no significance."

Rani Samyukta smiled. She was the one who had insisted upon this meeting but realized later that even that crafty Suraksha Chakra head wanted her to meet this agent for some secret purpose of his.

"Thank you for coming here despite a long, arduous journey. I wanted to personally congratulate you on your successful handling of such an important mission in Himprayag. Also, I am really impressed with your parenting skill and values. Your daughter has been impressing the people of Chandragarh in the past month or so. I have high hopes about her future," the queen settled in her comfortable chair and indicated that Bela should do the same.

Bela's heart swelled with pride as she heard about her daughter's performance from Rani Samyukta's lips. It felt as if the entire fatigue and stress of the past weeks slipped out of her body and evaporated continued to maintain her stoic expression. Except for a polite thank you, she didn't give any further reaction.

Rani Samyukta asked her for a brief summary of the events in Himprayag alongwith her personal impressions about the king and the princess.

Even though their objective of collaboration with the other country had been achieved, the queen wanted to have a first-hand account of the partnering country. As Bela finished speaking, the queen was quiet for a few minutes.

After a beat, she said, "Please pass on a message to Princess Ahilya on my behalf. Tell her that I said - winds howl around the highest peaks".

Bela immediately understood that the queen was asking princess Ahilya to be a little low key in the coming days, at least till the time she was crowned as the next monarch. It was the perfect message to send to a young woman who stood on the brink of a significant development. One wrong step could send her hurling back down. She only hoped that the princess would be wise enough to understand and appreciate the same. Bela's next thought was that whoever won the QIT contest would be really lucky to mentor under Rani Samyukta.

She was awesome!

Himprayag

Shaurya had never felt this 'clean and fragrant' as he did at this moment. Standing uncomfortably in the silk clothes which had been provided to him, he longed for his worn out and comfortable cotton kurtas. He was waiting for the princess who was yet to make an appearance since the past hour or so.

"The princess will be delayed by another hour or so. You can go ahead and have your breakfast in the meanwhile," Gayatri opened the door and came in, followed by a line of attendants carrying steaming bowls with various delicacies.

Shaurya's stomach grumbled at the sight of the food but looking at the expression on Gayatri's face, he felt as if a fish bone was stuck in his throat.

What exactly was the problem of the princess? Did she want him to die in the hands of this military general? No matter how obedient Gayatri looked on the surface, he was sure that she hated his guts. If she chose, she could find a hundred ways to kill him and not leave a trace. In fact, when he was captured the previous night, his first thought after regaining consciousness had been that it was the lover's handiwork. But then he had realized that she would not dare to bring him to the official jail.

Giving her a polite nod, Shaurya got up and helped himself to the food. Since he couldn't change the situation, he might as well make the most of it. This was the principle which he had recently learnt from someone. He could feel the woman's intense gaze boring a hole in his back but he continued to eat in a nonchalant manner.

For him, food had become a way to remember Mriga. Every time that he would eat something different during the past month, he would imagine that hungry monster's reaction to it. That gluttonous eater could forego almost anything in front of her favourite dishes. During their early days of mentoring, when she had come to stay at the shop, he had submitted a preliminary report about all the trainees to Prithvi post their training. When it came to her, he had specifically made a remark to this effect.

He had warned Prithvi that this girl's biggest negative point as a spy would be – 'high possibility of being lured by the enemy through delicious dishes'.