Back in the Royal Palace, vijay and Kavya were continuing their discussion about the topic
Kavya’s face froze as she was stunned by the answer. Although she knew this truth, she did not want Vijay to behave rationally in this perticular instance. Deep in her heart, she wanted Vijay to behave irrationally, at least for herself, and scold and rebuke all those military leaders and ministers for ignoring her. But whether fortunate or unfortunate, Vijay was the same man she thought he was.
She felt a little disappointed.
Seeing the saddened expression on Kavya’s face, Vijay felt a little guilty. So, he slowly hugged her back and made her lie on his chest again, taking her in a cradle position with her back to his chest and his hands on her belly. Vijay sensed that Kavya was very disappointed with him, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do what she wanted.
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He tried to comfort her as best as he could while also making his stance clear.
"Listen well, Kavya. I am not a great sage like Lord Rama, who would not hesitate to give up the throne for the word he gave to his father and go into exile, or even send his wife to exile—the same wife he crossed a subcontinent to win back—for maintaining the sanctity of the queen, which led to both of them suffering."
"I would never doubt you, no matter who questioned your existence as the empress. But also, I would not punish someone for actions they had not yet made, especially the most important political and military figures in the empire. So, do you understand? You have to earn their acceptance and respect by yourself."
Kavya, whose head was nestled onto the chest of Vijay, sadly nodded in understanding. She finally knew Vijay’s opinion—he was asking her to stand up for herself.
In that case, Then the choice she made pertaining to the women’s medical personnel was the correct one. She wanted to have a reputation of her own in the Empire. So, she quickly got up and returned to the same position as when she was questioning Vijay and asked, "Okay, leave that aside. I’ll trust you for now. What do you think of my proposal?"
Vijay, who thought for a while, replied with a sombre expression, "It can be done. I’m not against it, and I would even encourage it. But are you ready to bear the criticism?"
Kavya didn’t hesitate for a moment as she strongly replied, "Yes, I will do it."
Vijay asked for the last time, "Are you sure? If you don’t want to bear the criticism, I can draft the bill myself, and the problem of criticism will no longer be applicable."
Kavya, hearing his words, was annoyed again. She responded with a punch to Vijay’s chest. Vijay, who felt the punch, was surprised because it was actually half decent.
"This is why I want to do it. Although if you do it, it’s true that the criticism will be much less, but the result will also be less, and I don’t want that," Kavya explained.
Vijay, taking hold of Kavya’s clenched fist, gently kissed it. As he hugged Kavya again, he asked, "Then for what purpose are you doing this, the matter which brings you so much trouble?"
Kavya buried her head in Vijay’s chest again as she put on a pained expression and replied.
"You have already tried to liberate women by allowing them to start their own businesses and encouraging them to participate in the workforce of the Empire. You have also made it compulsory for all educational institutions, which are not specialized in a certain field, to have a reservation of 40% for women. You were also scolded a lot for this and you had to suppress a lot of riots.
But even after all this, the women of society are still in a lower position than men. Why? Is it not because most families do not want their daughters and wives to go out and do a man’s job, and instead stay at home to cook, clean, marry, and bear children like traditional women? Even though none of those are wrong, can’t we be more than that?
Since we are the other half of society and the sole reason for humankind to be alive, we deserve better," she continued with tears in her eyes.
"I am not asking for women to take over all men’s jobs and to be equal to men. I already know that that task is impossible, as both genders are unequal and have their own responsibility. But taking that as an advantage, it is no justice for men to treat women as trophies and objects."
Kavya’s teary eyes turned crimson as Vijay saw a kind of determination in her that he had never seen before. "I will let everyone know that women are not weaker than men. I will also make women understand that they are much stronger than they think, much stronger than what society believes.
And I will make society understand that the women of the Empire, each and every one of them, are the representations of Maa Shakti herself."
Kavya, with a determined expression, quickly dressed up in the same red saree, but in Vijay’s eyes, she looked entirely different. With her blood-red eyes, her ruby necklace, and the momentum and aura she commanded, she looked like the incarnation of Maa Shakti herself, the deity who even put the god of destruction, Mahakal, under her feet in her rage.
"So what say you, Vijay Deva Raya?" she asked with her head raised high, wearing a brave and ethereal expression.
Vijay, speechless and startled by the question, sighed deeply and resignedly replied, "As you wish, Your Majesty, the Empress of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Kavya Devaraya."
Kavya nodded her head in acceptance and left the room with graceful steps.
As he watched her depart, Vijay finally flopped onto the bed. Surprisingly, he wore a smile on his face as he reflected on Kavya’s determination and her noble goal. He realized that her actions aligned perfectly with his own intentions. No matter how many reforms he implemented, as Kavya pointed out, they seemed to have little impact on the treatment of women in society.
Despite the emergence of strong women, they were still subjected to belittlement by men, and societal attitudes remained unchanged.
Vijay felt appreciative of Kavya’s choice to pursue a military role as her first entry into public service. He understood that it would have a significant impact on society, demonstrating that women could not only survive on the battlefield but also save lives.