KRISHAVYAYAM

45. Words Of Volume

"My goodness! This is some chaotic madness," Kamalnayani mumbled to herself, covering her mouth with her hand as her honey eyes, honed like her sword, shot daggers at the ministers who were assembled around her. "The policies here are trash is all I have to say. Aishu, look that the new ones suggested by Kanha and Sakha are brought to action. Make taxes uniform for every sector, the clergymen and nobles should also pay them necessarily. And, the unnecessary high rates should be reduced for the peasant sector. How the peasant populace hasn't declared a war upon the royals here is all I wonder." She snorted and put the dossier on the ocherous table, shaking her head.

Raksh drummed his fingers on his thigh, thoroughly agitated, "Kamalnayani, do you realise how this will affect the upper class?"

"Do you realise how much of an idiocy and atrocity in the name of god knows what it is to just charge the ones who can barely afford their bread butter twice a day?" Kamalnayani's eyes bore saltiness and absolute frustration. "Everyone is utilising the state's property, innit? Then how is it that the ones who earn more and afford all kinds of luxury are completely set free from repaying the state? I apologise but I have no reason to appease them, and neither will I torture any of my subjects. Economy will certainly boost up and things will change for the better for the common people once we renew the old policies."

"You cannot-"

Kamalnayani sagely nodded, a smirk barely contained on her nectarine lips, "I can, Maharaja Raksh, I absolutely can. I am the queen and I have handled the finance of Panchala for years. Greetings. The meeting is dispersed for now."

She rose up from her seat, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was not how it should go, she shouldn't have to argue with her Matamaha every now and then. He needed to understand that she wasn't some child who had known nothing of politics. Plus, the pact with Indradeva was to be soon fulfilled as they were helping her with the architecture of the state. Raksh would be so hard to convince in terms of temples, and she was already foreseeing his madness coming. But, if she would decline the help from gods, it would take years for the same development to happen. She did not have so much time, a month has already passed changing everything for the better. Just 2 more months were remaining till she would have to leave for Dvaraka, and once she would be away, Raksh would surely spark some qualms. Kamalnayani found herself slowly sinking in the quagmire of her thoughts once again, what if Vikral denounces a battle on them? The securities were ironclad, but not enough to withstand in harsh circumstances.

"I want to be left alone." Kamalnayani hit her chambers as the handmaids left hurriedly on the behest. The former stood against her balcony, the view of the entire city unfolding before her. The horrific visions of catastrophes and blood moons had once again started haunting her after she was in Saurashtra. Ceasing her sight, she let the cool air deluge over her.

"Putri," chirped a woman at her infant who flailed her arms around and then tried to fit her tiny fists into her mouth, eyes glistening at the sight of a foot tall statue.

The woman clad in garbs hued like the sunrise and rudraksha beads crouched to the height of her daughter and rose up with the latter in her arms, "Come, Dhruvi."

"Maa!" The toddler muttered, giving a wide toothless smile to her mother who gasped, an euphoric chuckle bubbling out of her lips as she whisked around to face her husband.

"Did you hear that, Swami? The first thing she said was my name." Exhilaration laced her vox as the woman cradled her daughter closer to herself.

"This is a straight offence to me. My little one, I thought that I was your favourite one." The bearded man spoke in jest, who was blurred just like any other scene, appearing like a sage to Kamalnayani.