Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Harsha got ready for the coronation ceremony. He wore an elegant dark blue tunic and pajamas coupled with a white overcoat. His golden earrings reflected the morning sunlight. His long hair was combed and styled with oils.

He liked minimalistic jewelry so Harsha wore only a golden ring and a thin golden necklace. The assistant did their best to make him look as good as possible for the ceremony. Harsha smelled faintly of jasmine. Looking in the mirror, he remembers the coronation ceremony. His current look was similar.

The ceremony was starting in an hour and he headed to Isabel and Maria's room to talk to them before they entered.

The guard at the door of Isabel's room bowed at Harsha's presence. He knocked on the door; there was no response.

He looked at the soldier. "Is she in there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He knocked again and this time a maid opened the door. She looked flustered seeing Harsha and reluctantly let him enter.

Harsha, upon entering, saw the other maids help Isabel wear the saree. Maria sat on the bed, dressed in a long skirt and blouse.

Isabel didn't notice him yet.

"Eh…Wait.." Isabel finally noticed Harsha in the room. She got flustered and almost fell on her back. "Why are you here?"

Harsha looked puzzled. "I am here to talk."

"Get dressed first." Harsha sat down on the sofa with his legs crossed, taking out a small book from his tunic's pocket to read.

Isabel just blushed; her pale skin turned red like a cherry. The maids continued draping the saree on her.

'This guy…' She stole some glances at Harsha; her face turned even redder as she saw Maria smirking as she was staring at the Emperor.

'Gosh…Why is he so handsome….'

Harsha waited for a while for Isabel to get fully ready for the ceremony. She was finally done after a few minutes. She wore a red saree, golden necklaces, and earrings; her brunette hair was braided beautifully and properly kept with a hairpiece. Her blue eyes looked sharper with the Kajol.

She came closer and asked. "How do I look?".

Harsha glanced up at her indifferently. "Hm…You look good, i guess."

Isabel pouted. "What do you mean, I guess?"

"Hm…You look good. It was a compliment." Harsha looked puzzled.

"That's a half-hearted compliment. Do you not like foreign women?" She asked.

"Like? Why should I?" Harsha said. "I look mor–"

"Forget it!!" Isabel sighed and sat down. "What did you want to speak about?"

Harsha also let out a defeated sigh and continued. "Alright. I came to speak about the ceremony."

"What about it?"

"I have arranged some attendants and a translator for you." He said. "We will be going our separate ways till the ceremony ends."

"Huh? What do you mean?" She asked. "Why can't we come together? Isn't that the best thing?"

"No…An Emperor coming with a foreign woman in this kind of ceremony can create big headaches later." Harsha sighed. "It will create another flurry of marriage proposals threatened by your appearance."

"I want to avoid that." He admitted.

Isabel stifled a laugh. "Ah…I see."

"Well…I will try to help you if there is some trouble." Harsha shrugged. "Your guard, that rude one from before. I have released him to guide you for now."

"Really?" Isabel exclaimed.

"If he causes any trouble, everything will be on you." Harsha warned. "I will not be generous with the punishment once again."

"Dhruv has already warned him to keep himself in check."

"I will do my part as well." She nodded.

Harsha got up. "If you need some help, look at me." He smiled. "See you at the ceremony then."

He left towards the Royal Hall, where the ceremony was going to commence.

Aadarsh was in the temple doing his Abhishekham; the crown will be presented to him as per tradition in a few minutes. Harsha walked into the Royal Hall of the Maratha, wide and luxuriously decorated.

The soldiers announced his arrival with a huge drumbeat. Everyone's attention turned to Harsha as he walked inside.

Harsha looked ahead; the throne was decorated and ready to be assumed by the future king. He could feel the stares of the delegates and he didn't pay any heed to them.

As the Emperor of the Vijayanagara, Harsha was granted a seat in the royal hall beside the Queen of the Yadavas, while the other delegates and nobles were made to stand during the whole ceremony.

He made his way towards his seat; it looked like a throne but was less lavish than the king's. He didn't care about these formalities but it was nice to look down on the delegates like the Dutch general Mark Hendriks from above.

Gauri Seuna was already present in her seat. Harsha's gaze went to her. She was dressed in a blue saree; her tall figure stood out a bit. Yet her face looked soft and glowing for some reason. Harsha's attention went towards her beautiful eyes.

Her posture was elegant and she carried herself with the same aura that he witnessed previously.

Harsha greeted her with a smile. "Greeting, Queen Gauri." He said it in his usual formal tone.

Gauri also returned the greetings with a bright smile. She was eagerly waiting for Harsha to arrive. Her heart was beating faster as soon as she saw Harsha walk into the hall.

'He looks so good, so handsome.' She thought. 'Clear your mind, Gauri. I have to ask about that foreign woman.'

She noticed that those women entered after a while, separate from Harsha.

'To avoid rumors, I guess.' Gauri Deduced.

Gauri looked expectantly at Harsha. Before she could muster up the courage to ask him the question. He broke the silence.

"You look very beautiful today, Queen Gauri." Harsha whispered softly to her.

Her mouth felt open and she furiously blushed for a moment. She cleared her throat and calmed herself down as they were in the ceremony.

"You also look handsome, Harsha." She whispered back.

'Yes. He liked my outfit and appearance; the time taken for it was worth it.' Gauri screamed internally in joy.

She took a deep breath and asked away. "Who were those foreign women?"

Harsha raised his brow at her sudden question. "Oh, you saw them?"

"Yes, while I was on my walk." She remarked.

"Just two Spanish noble women that I picked up during the travel."

"Picked up?"

"That's a long story." He smiled at her."They are useful!"

"Useful? How so?" She asked.

"Just look at the face of the Dutch delegation." He smirked.

Gauri looked down from her seat. The Dutch's delegation members were staring down at the woman and her delegation with disdainful looks.

She turned quickly to Harsha. "That was your plan?"

Harsha chuckled softly, "No… I just got lucky."

"So I decided to use it to my fullest."