Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Royal Palace, Vijayanagara Empire.

The Palace atmosphere was back to normal. The desolate palace was back to life with the maids and staff working and maintaining the palace. The bloodied hallways and royal court were cleaned.

The palace guards were in position. The Palace guard, commander Saluva Narasimha, was fired from his position and replaced by Rama Nayaka due to his colluding with the Imperial faction to replace guards with their people during the battle of Hampi.

The scent of the garden flowers was tingling in the air. Blurbs of the fountain could be faintly heard in the distance.

Clear signs of preparations for the coronation ceremony could be seen in the palace. There was no speck of dust in the hallways. The gardens were neatly trimmed. Broken things were getting repaired in the palace and the capital city.

A breeze in the garden that gives you the much-needed coolness in the intense warmth of the afternoon sun.

Amidst this serene atmosphere. A very important discussion was going on in the courtyard in the Royal Complex.

Five people were seated under the small pavilion in the middle of the vibrant garden.

On the wooden table were all sorts of snacks neatly displayed along with cups of tea.

Harsha was sipping his tea and listening to the discussion.

"Father, as I said. I have relinquished the right to the throne." Bhairava said, looking at the Emperor.

The Emperor had recovered well in the meantime. Beside the Emperor sat Concubine Luisa De Castro, who was taking care of the Emperor during his rest period.

"You and your mother were obsessed with the throne. It is true that you may have relinquished the right to rule. How can we trust you, Brother Bhairava?" asked Alfonso.

Bhairava looked annoyed, throwing his hand up in exasperation. His severed hand was covered with a wooden prosthetic.

"See! I don't need to prove anything to you both. I have given my word to Harsha. Let him decide." Bhairava responded.

"Words are not guarantees, Bhairava." Harsha spoke, putting down his teacup. "But I do believe Bhairava doesn't have the drive to go for the throne."

Both Alfonso and Bhairava looked wideyed at Harsha.

"You still don't trust me?" Bhairava asked.

"Trust? I never trusted anyone of you since the start. Your words mean nothing to me. I take decisions based on my own judgement."

Everyone present visibly winced at the cold-hearted statement.

Luisa interrupted with her heavy-accented voice.

"Harsha, having trust in a person is important in life."

"Ugh!!" Alfonso scratched his head in frustration. "Harsha, you have been so cold lately. You have changed a lot."

"I got my senses back! You could say, Brother." Harsha said with a smirk.

The Emperor cleared his throat.

"Ok, so I can assume Alfonso and Bhairava would be relinquishing their right to rule and supporting Harsha."

"I don't need support from you two." Harsha states coldly.

The Emperor sighed deeply.

"Harsha, You need support to lead an empire. Use the trust you have been given to utilize them."

Harsha looked directly into the eyes of the Emperor.

"Son, you may be strong. In the end, you can't do everything on your own."

"I have people that I have raised for this!"

"They will not be enough! A small group with little to no experience in the political sphere will struggle!"

It was true; Harsha knew Viswa and others wouldn't be enough to handle the Empire. The old man Nayakas couldn't work much due to his old age as well. There were little to no experienced people on his side.

But he had the advantage of getting support from most of the nobles in the Empire due to Bhairava and Alfonso publicly denouncing their right to rule.

The Emperor continued with a warm smile.

"Use your brothers help for the time being. I can feel their determination to help you."

Harsha relaxed his posture, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine!! I will do that."

He did monitor Bhairava and Alfonso for a good time to know that they were not plotting behind his back.

Bhairava also didn't have the strength to beat him. The only problem left was the Emperor's presence, as the old man Nayaka mentioned.

It was his fault. His eyes were forced on the Emperor, searching for solutions.

"Are you worried about me going back on my word, Harsha?" The Emperor asked with a smile.

Luisa, who was seated beside him, pinched the Emperor's arm and whispered.

"Querido (Honey), We talked about this!"

She turned to Harsha with a smile.

"Don't mind him, Harsha. He hasn't recovered fully."

"Luisa, don't worry. He is not one to be offended so easily."

The Emperor turned back to Harsha.

"You don't have to worry about me! As I said, I will be giving free reign to you unless you mess up badly."

"How can I trust you?"

Krishna Deva Raya let out a hearty laugh. "I already have things in place for you, Harsha!"

Harsha titled his head in confusion at the statement.

"There will be a rumor circulated soon that I was gravely injured and cannot lead the Empire, so I had to retire."

The Emperor had already assigned Rakthasura to peddle the rumors around the kingdom. He also relinquished the control of the Yamaduts. Harsha was yet to know about it.

He explained the plans to move away from the capital city with Luisa and settle down for his retirement.

Harsha did find it odd that the Emperor easily gave him control over the Empire. Despite this, he already formulated plans to remove Krishna Deva Raya's influence in the Empire.

"I see."

"Don't worry. I will be there to oversee the ceremony as the former emperor."

Everyone nodded.

"Me and my mother will manage the preparation of the ceremony, Harsha." Alfonso suggested with a smile.

Bhairava also wanted to help, but he was told to rest his body after the injury by the doctor.

"I also heard that the delegations from the neighbors have been dispatched already as the news of your victory spread." Bhairava said.

Harsha also had some preparations to do for the ceremony.