Chapter 176: Chapter 174: Curiosity Of Princess... Questions About Devara... To Devara?..
(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...
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The princess blinked stunned hearing where these products were from.
"Trivenivrata?"
Devara nodded his head.
"Indeed."
He picked up one of the carved pieces.
"The craftsmen there are exceptionally talented."
His voice carried obvious appreciation.
"As long as they are provided the proper materials and support, they can create wonders."
Princess Indhumati examined the item once more.
The quality certainly supported his claim.
Devara then glanced toward Shakuni.
"Show them."
Shakuni immediately understood.
The minister stepped forward and began placing additional items upon the table.
Some had been stored beneath the stall specifically because they were more valuable.
The moment they appeared, several ladies gasped.
Beautiful hand mirrors.
Delicately carved combs.
Decorated storage boxes.
Necklaces crafted using unique techniques.
Small artistic sculptures.
The display instantly became the center of attention.
The princess’s companions hurried closer.
One noblewoman immediately picked up a mirror.
Another became fascinated by a jewelry box.
Several maids began excitedly discussing which items they liked most.
Meanwhile, Princess Indhumati remained thoughtful.
Trivenivrata.
The name itself carried weight.
Like many nobles, she had heard countless stories regarding that kingdom.
Stories that traveled from merchants.
Travelers.
Pilgrims.
Visiting nobles.
And occasionally wandering bards.
A kingdom that had risen with incredible speed.
A kingdom whose prosperity was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Most importantly...
A kingdom ruled by a rather unusual king.
King Devaratha.
The princess had heard dozens of stories about him.
Some described him as a brilliant ruler.
Others claimed he was an unmatched warrior.
Some stories insisted he could converse with sages as an equal.
Others claimed divine beings themselves favored him.
A few stories became so exaggerated that she found them difficult to believe.
One bard had even claimed Devaratha once stood before celestial beings without fear.
Another claimed he fought creatures that ordinary men could not even comprehend.
At first she had dismissed most of those stories.
After all...
Travelers loved exaggeration.
Especially when speaking about famous people.
Many rulers became legends simply because storytellers enjoyed making their tales more dramatic.
Yet the stories persisted.
Again and again.
From different sources.
Different travelers.
Different merchants.
Different regions.
And strangely enough...
The core details rarely changed.
The princess gently placed the lotus lamp back onto the table.
Her curiosity grew.
"Have you visited Trivenivrata personally?"
Devara nodded his head.
"Many times."
Shakuni immediately looked away.
A dangerous smile was already forming on the minister’s face.
The princess continued.
"Then you must know much about the kingdom."
"A little."
Devara answered with a little cough.
A little.
Shakuni nearly choked.
Even Sage Veenadhara, who was sitting nearby, looked at Devara with disbelief.
’A little?’
He clearly knew they were from that kingdom due to his over hearing power he has cultivated.
The princess seemed unaware of the absurdity.
"Then tell me."
Her eyes brightened.
"Is it true?"
Devara tilted his head confused.
"Is what true?"
The princess exchanged a glance with her companions.
Then lowered her voice slightly.
"As people say..."
"The king of Trivenivrata."
"King Devaratha."
The surrounding ladies immediately became interested.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Even a few nearby customers pretended not to listen while very obviously listening.
The princess continued.
"Is he really as extraordinary as the stories claim?"
For a brief moment, silence filled the stall.
Shakuni immediately folded his arms.
A grin appeared on his face.
Sage Veenadhara slowly leaned forward.
Several maids looked curious.
Princess Indhumati waited patiently.
And standing in the center of all this...
Was the very person they were discussing.
Devara rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
As though genuinely considering the question.
Then finally he nodded.
"Some stories are exaggerated."
Princess Indhumati nodded.
That sounded reasonable.
Then Devara continued.
"But many are not."
The princess blinked.
Shakuni immediately coughed to hide his laughter.
Meanwhile, Devara calmly continued arranging merchandise as though he had not just indirectly praised himself in front of half the market.
And for some reason...
Princess Indhumati found this strange merchant from Trivenivrata far more interesting than any of the expensive goods displayed before her.
Princess Indhumati tilted her head slightly after hearing Devara’s answer.
"Some stories are exaggerated, but many are not?"
There was obvious curiosity in her eyes.
The princess was no longer looking at the merchandise.
She was looking at Devara.
Or rather, at the merchant who somehow seemed unusually familiar with the affairs of Trivenivrata.
"What exactly does that mean?" she asked.
"Which stories are true?"
For the first time since the conversation started, Devara looked genuinely uncomfortable.
Not because of the question.
But because answering it himself would essentially mean praising himself.
So he immediately looked toward Shakuni.
The minister recognized that look instantly.
"...."
For a brief moment, a dangerous smile appeared on his face.
One that made Devara regret looking at him.
"Oh no,"
Devara thought.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Shakuni stepped forward.
"Well..."
He folded his arms.
"If Her Highness truly wishes to know..."
Princess Indhumati immediately nodded.
-Nod!
"So it is true?"
The ladies around her leaned closer.
Even a few nearby customers pretended to browse while secretly listening.
Shakuni chuckled.
"Which part?"
"The warrior king part."
The princess answered immediately.
"The stories say King Devaratha defeated several famous warriors."
Shakuni nodded.
"That part is true."
The princess blinked.
"Really?"
The minister pointed casually toward one of the displayed pottery pieces.
As though discussing the weather.
"Several kings challenged him."
"Several warriors challenged him."
"Several champions challenged him."
"And most eventually discovered that challenging him was a terrible idea."
A few ladies giggled.
Princess Indhumati became even more interested.
"What kind of warriors?"
Shakuni thoughtfully rubbed his chin.
"There was one who carried a mace heavier than most men could lift."
"He lost."
"Another was famous for defeating dozens of opponents in tournaments."
"He lost."
"A swordsman who considered himself unbeatable."
"He lost as well."
The princess’s companions exchanged surprised looks.
One maid whispered.
"Are these actual stories?"
Another nodded eagerly.
"I’ve heard similar ones."
Princess Indhumati looked back toward Shakuni.
"What about the stories saying he defeated dangerous beasts?"
Shakuni laughed hearing her.
"Those are actually among the less unbelievable stories."
Devara immediately coughed.
Loudly. Very loudly.
-Cough!
The minister ignored him.
The princess noticed the reaction.
A suspicious smile appeared on her face.
"You seem very knowledgeable about your king."
Shakuni answered without hesitation.
"I admire him greatly."
Technically true. Not the entire truth.
But true.
The princess seemed satisfied.
For now.
"What is he actually like?"
That question caused several ladies to become interested again.
Stories about battles were one thing.
Stories about the person himself were far more entertaining.
Shakuni glanced toward Devara.
The king immediately shook his head.
A warning.
A very clear warning.
"...."
The minister chose to ignore it completely.
"He is strange."
The answer stunned everyone.
Even Devara looked offended.
"Strange?"
Princess Indhumati repeated curious.
Shakuni nodded.
"Very strange."
"How?"
The minister pointed directly at Devara.
"Imagine someone capable of sitting in a royal assembly discussing matters of state."
Then he pointed toward the pottery stall.
"And then spending the next day happily selling pots."
Princess Indhumati laughed.
The image sounded ridiculous.
Who would do that.
The ladies around her laughed as well.
Meanwhile, Devara continued organizing pottery with the expression of a man questioning why he brought Shakuni anywhere.
The minister continued.
"He enjoys speaking with common villagers."
"He listens to farmers."
"He listens to merchants."
"He listens to children."
The princess seemed surprised hearing the words.
"Children?"
Shakuni nodded with a smile.
"He once spent half a day listening to a child explain why mangoes were superior to every other fruit."
Several people nearby laughed.
Princess Indhumati covered her mouth.
"Half a day?"
"He lost the argument."
Shakuni added with a sigh.
The princess laughed openly this time.
Even her attendants struggled to maintain proper composure.
Meanwhile, Devara simply sighed.
Sage Veenadhara was enjoying the conversation immensely.
The sage moved closer.
Far closer.
Then suddenly joined in.
"I knew it."
Everyone turned toward him.
The sage pointed dramatically at Devara.
"This merchant knows too much."
The princess blinked.
Shakuni froze.
Devara remained calm.
The sage narrowed his eyes.
"You speak about Trivenivrata like someone who has lived there."
The princess immediately looked interested again.
"Oh?"
The sage continued.
"You know military matters."
"You know political matters."
"You know village matters."
"You know noble matters."
Then he pointed at Shakuni.
"And this one talks about King Devaratha like they knew each other."
The ladies looked between the two merchants.
Suddenly the atmosphere became interesting.
Very interesting.
The princess smiled.
A smile filled with curiosity of what is happening here.
"Now that Sage Veenadhara mentions it..."
Her eyes moved toward Devara.
"Who exactly are you two?"
For a brief moment, silence filled the stall.
Shakuni looked toward Devara.
Devara looked toward Shakuni.
Both knew revealing the truth would cause chaos.
Fortunately, Devara had years of experience dealing with difficult questions.
The king smiled.
A calm merchant’s smile.
Then he pointed toward the displayed goods.
"We are merchants."
The princess raised an eyebrow.
Devara continued as he pointed at the all their products.
"Successful merchants."
Several nearby villagers immediately nodded.
Their stall had indeed been one of the most successful in the market.
The answer was technically correct.
Which made it extremely difficult to challenge.
Princess Indhumati stared at him for several moments.
Then slowly smiled.
"...."
She wasn’t convinced. Not even slightly.
But she decided to let it go.
For now.
The conversation continued for some time.
Princess Indhumati found herself enjoying it far more than she had expected.
The merchant stall had somehow become more entertaining than many of the performances taking place elsewhere in the festival.
The princess glanced between Devara and Shakuni.
The more she listened, the more curious she became.
These two were clearly hiding something.
What exactly?
She wasn’t sure.
But there was definitely something unusual about them.
Then suddenly a thought entered her mind.
A simple question.
She turned toward Devara.
Her finger pointed directly at him.
"Can you fight?"
The question came so unexpectedly that even Shakuni blinked.
Devara paused.
For a moment, everyone waited.
The princess looked genuinely curious.
The ladies around her leaned forward slightly.
Even Sage Veenadhara looked interested.
Then Devara slowly turned his head toward the princess.
His expression became surprisingly serious.
Very serious.
The kind of expression one would wear while speaking of a painful memory.
Then he sighed.
A deep sigh.
One filled with apparent regret.
And said,
"No."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Shakuni immediately looked at him.
The same way one might look at a man who had suddenly declared the sky green.
The princess blinked.
"No?"
Devara nodded sadly.
"My talent in the art of fighting is extremely poor."
Another silence followed.
This one even longer than the first.
The princess looked confused.
Her companions looked confused.
The nearby villagers looked confused.
Even a customer holding a clay pot looked confused.
Only one person wasn’t confused.
Shakuni.
Because he knew.
He knew with absolute certainty that Devara was lying.
Lying so smoothly that it would make professional politicians jealous.
Devara lowered his head slightly.
As though recalling painful memories.
"It was truly unfortunate."
The princess unconsciously asked,
"What happened?"
Devara sighed again.
"My family gave up on me."
Several ladies gasped softly.
The king continued.
"They believed I had no future in combat."
Shakuni nearly choked.
A maid covered her mouth.
The princess looked sympathetic.
Devara shook his head sadly.
"I was completely hopeless."
At that point Shakuni had to look away.
Because if he looked at Devara for one more second, he was going to burst out laughing.
Completely hopeless?
The man had fought warriors that entire kingdoms feared.
The man who had made kings nervous.
The man who had survived things that should have been impossible.
Hopeless?
The minister felt physical pain from holding back his laughter.
Meanwhile, the princess had no reason to doubt the merchant.
His expression looked completely sincere.
Almost tragically sincere.
"I am sorry."
She genuinely meant it.
Devara smiled weakly.
"It happens."
Several of her companions immediately looked at him with pity.
One even whispered,
"Poor man."
Shakuni turned away entirely.
His shoulders began shaking.
The princess misunderstood the reaction.
She thought the other merchant was emotional because of his friend’s tragic story.
How touching.
Meanwhile, Shakuni was desperately trying not to collapse from laughter.
Nearby, Sage Veenadhara was having an entirely different crisis.
The sage stared at Devara.
Then blinked.
Then stared again.
His mind was struggling.
Very badly.
Because none of this made sense.
Not even a little.
The sage had personally witnessed the confidence with which Devara dealt with his problems.
He had seen the way tribe warriors listened to him.
The way tribal hunters respected him.
The way he casually announced his intention to fight Pushpasura.
And now...
The merchant was claiming he couldn’t fight.
The sage felt as though his brain had hit a wall.
’If he can’t fight...’
’Then why was he planning to confront those worshippers?’
’Was he going to challenge them to a riddle contest?’
’Throw pottery at them?’
’Convince them to surrender through conversation?’
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
Eventually, he decided not to ask.
Because experience had taught him that whenever Devara did something strange, there was usually a reason.
Or several reasons.
Or something involving gods.
At this point, all three possibilities felt equally likely.
Meanwhile, Princess Indhumati continued looking at Devara.
The sympathy remained.
But now there was something else as well.
Interest.
The merchant clearly wasn’t a warrior.
At least according to his own words.
Yet somehow he carried himself with remarkable confidence.
He wasn’t intimidated by royalty.
He wasn’t intimidated by soldiers.
He wasn’t intimidated by sages.
Or anyone else.
It was strange.
Very strange.
The princess found herself smiling looking at the way he was speaking.
"You don’t look like someone who was abandoned."
Devara raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
She shook her head.
"No."
The princess folded her arms.
"You look like someone who simply refuses to worry."
Devara chuckled with a sigh.
That was probably closer to the truth.
Nearby, Shakuni finally managed to regain control of himself.
Barely.
Though he silently promised himself one thing.
The moment they were alone again...
He was absolutely bringing up this story.
Repeatedly.
For years.
Possibly decades.
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(Author note:)
I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.
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