Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

It was a bright day in the capital of the Maratha kingdom. The tensions were finally relaxing as the ceasefire was effective. Although the ceasefire was done. Aadarsh's responsibilities didn't finish. He was taking care of the aftermath of the war as the regent of the kingdom.

He was yet to be crowned king. The ceremony was postponed due to the war aftermath. Aadarsh decided to finish the aftermath first before proceeding with the coronation ceremony.

Even though the ceasefire was signed. Their worries were not over with the Daman takeover by Vasant Pawar. The Portuguese were kicked out of that place. They would react.

He didn't have any plan to deal with that onslaught. The Daman base had good fortifications but he knew the might of the Portuguese ships. They could easily break through the fortifications.

Moreover, the fortifications were done by their engineers. They would know any weak parts or exploits to be targeted in them.

There was the Empire that gave them three regions of the Sultanate. Aadarsh couldn't wrap his head around their intentions.

'Are they trying to help or drown us?'

He thought.

'What should I do now?'

'The portuguese will soon retaliate at this rate.'

He couldn't afford another battle. The finances of the kingdom were at an all-time low. They also had very little manpower in the army to work. They had to recruit more as soon as possible.

"Take some rest, Your Majesty," said Naveen Shinde. "You have been working non-stop since you returned to the capital."

"There is no time for rest." He glanced up from his paper. "I have to plan and resolve all the issues."

He needed to get used to the kingdom affairs. He couldn't slack off; there was no one to rely upon. The pillars of the kingdom fell in the war.

"Did you call Vasant? I have to ask the details about the deal with the Empire."

"Yes," Naveen said. "We can meet him at the courtyard garden."

Naveen Shinde became his assistant to guide him through the affairs after the death of his father. He was a very versatile man, although his main strength was diplomatic. He stepped up into the manager role to help ease the burden from Aadarsh.

"Do you have any idea about the deal?" Aadarsh asked as they walked to the courtyard.

"No!" Naveen said. "He didn't relay any information yet."

"I have also heard. He took in two kids from Daman." Naveen said, scratching his chin.

Aadarsh raised his brow.

"Foreigners?"

"Yes!"

They reached the garden pavilion at the same time as Vasant, who stood there with two kids.

A little girl dressed in neat and luxurious clothes in his arms. Her blond hair was braided and pinned up neatly. The boy stood with a kurta and pajama, his expression a little smug and in awe as he scanned the garden.

Vasant lightly bowed at Aadarsh's entrance. "Your Majesty." He greets him.

Aadarsh looked at the kids and back at Vasant.

"I couldn't help it. She doesn't want me to leave." Vasant shrugged. "Her brother insisted on coming where she went."

"Fine." He sighed. "Take a seat. I have a lot to discuss."

Vasant put Gloria down from his arms and pulled Victor close. He already instructed them to behave in the palace. After a few days of bonding, they managed to communicate a bit through expressions and gestures.

He gestured for them to play in the garden. He also gestured for Victor to look after Gloria.

Victor patted his little chest with a proud grin and ran behind Gloria.

"Your Majesty, sorry for the delay."

Aadarsh looked at the kids playing. "They seem to be a handful."

Vasant chuckled like a proud father. "They sure are."

"Moving on." Aadarsh expression turned serious. "You have some explaining to do."

Vasant looked confused.

"It's about the deal with the Empire." Naveen sighed and explained.

"Oh…"

"I contacted them as they were annexing the territories of the Sultanate."

"They annexed the Qutb sultanate?"

Vasant grimaced. "Yes, it was very swift as well from my research."

"The remaining garrisons couldn't even react to the quick annexure."

"So why did they offer you three regions? Were they underequipped to fight you?" Aadarsh raised his brow in doubt.

"It could be a possibility." Naveen chipped in. "Since they were quick."

"No, they were ready for war." Vasant stated. "The commander I talked to just gave me three regions on a whim because the Emperor told them to be friendly with our kingdom."

"Huh?" Both had their eyes widen in surprise. "What the hell?"

"Are you sure there wasn't any other intent?" Naveen asked. "Are you sure they were equipped to fight?"

Vasant sighed. "I can't picture defeating that commander. Each one of their soldiers was strong."

"That strong?" Aadarsh asked.

"Yes and his senior commander was close too. It would be a one-side massacre if I fought them."

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"Fine, so they wanted an amicable relationship?"

"I suppose."

"There might be another intention to this gesture, Your Majesty." Naveen said.

"Even if there is, we can't disagree that the deal helped us a lot."

"Your Majesty, it would be a nice thing to have the Empire on our side." Vasant said. "The Emperor seems to be very clever. The way they orchestrated the whole annexure just adds to it."

"They are strong." Vasant declared.

"But they didn't want an alliance." Aadarsh shrugged. "We can't do anything about that."

"Maybe in the future. It might change." Vasant sighed.

Just then a soldier came running with a letter. He huffed heavily and handed it to Naveen. It seemed urgent.

Naveen went silent after seeing the seal on the letter.

It was from the Empire.

"What is it?" Aadarsh asked.

"It is a letter from the Empire." Naveen said with a nervous look.

Aadarsh's eyes widened and his expression changed. He grabbed the letter and broke the seal to read.

He skimmed through the letter.

Both Naveen and Vasant looked expectantly at him as he read the letter. They were also curious about the contents of the letter. It was also at the right time after the end of the war with the Mughals. It was as if the Empire was waiting for the war to end.

Aadarsh glanced at both of them and muttered.

"The Emperor wants to meet for an alliance."

"WHAT?" Both of them screamed in unison.

"Is this real?"

"Should we accept this? Or at least meet him."

"We should definitely. Your Majesty." Vasant got up. "Ask Naveen to accompany you as well."

"This is a huge opportunity for us." Naveen chipped in.

The letter was the first step to forging a successful relationship with the Marathas. Harsha's plans were just starting for the subcontinent. He needed allies and wealth for his ambitions.

Trade was the best way to increase wealth in the subcontinent. Getting access to the trade in the Maratha kingdom would be a much bigger golden goose for the Empire than the Yadavas. The magnitude of the Marathas was incomparable to the Yadavas.

Moreover, Harsha knew they would have to accept the alliance request at all costs. There was a potential chance of Portuguese retaliation. It would destabilize them once again, which the new regent would want to avoid at all costs.

It seemed like the best time for him to capitalize on their desperation.

"But what are the contents of the letter? .It seems long." Vasant asked with a curious expression.

"Oh right,"

"He offered to help us with the Portuguese."

"Huh? This is a big deal, Your Majesty." Naveen said. "Dealing with the Portuguese would help us a lot but what about them?"

"Naveen, calm down; I won't do anything that would put our kingdom in danger." Aadarsh calmed him down

They discussed more about the proposal by Harsha. They wanted to reach a consensus before Aadarsh set out to discuss with the Emperor. The location of the discussion would be Surat. It was rather unusual for Harsha to venture into the unknown land for discussion.

"With the Qutb sultanate under their belt. It would be wise to accept this." Vasant advised. "We will be sharing borders with the Empire."

"The stakes are different than last time, Your Majesty." Naveen agreed. "They can help for sure this time."

Aadarsh nodded.

"The Emperor would be coming to Surat for discussion." Aadarsh grimaced. "There might be some sort of deal he wants in that place, like the Portuguese."

"Unlike the Portuguese. The Empire is trustworthy; they are a better fit to give a chunk of the port revenue."

"Are you sure?" Aadarsh turned to Naveen.

"If they can save us from the Portuguese. It would be a fair trade." Naveen nodded. "Lastly, the negotiations would be up to Your Majesty's discussion with the Emperor."

"You are right." Aadarsh got up with a determined expression.

"Send a favorable response to the Empire."

"We are ready to negotiate an alliance."

Naveen smiled warmly.

Vasant was reminded of the former king in Aadarsh.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

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