Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Isabel and her sister Maria were looking over at the commencing ceremonies in the coronation of the new Maratha king. Harsha had filled them in about the events and delegates in the ceremony.

She could see separate and higher seating for the Emperor and beside Harsha sat a beautiful woman; she was taller than Harsha and looked muscular but her features were sharp and she carried a regal aura.

Isabel could see them conversing and smiling to each other. Somehow the exchange of pleasantries made her somewhat angry at Harsha.

"Sister, don't stare too much. Other's are looking over at us."

"Fine... who is that woman, though?"

Pedro followed the sisters silently. He was instructed to speak only when necessary.

"Lady, that woman is the current queen of the Yadava kingdom and one of the closest ally of the Empire."

"How do you even know about it?" Isabel glanced back.

"I heard it from traders that deal with the Empire that the current Queen and the Emperor are close allies."

"I see…" Isabel sighed. "Is that the type of woman he likes?" She mutters under her breath.

She felt jealous of Gauri for a brief moment but shook the thought off. 'He didn't want to marry yet.'

She watched the Maratha Prince enter the royal hall.

The king was dressed elegantly.

Maria gasped beside her and whispered. "He is so handsome."

Isabel smirked. "Miss Maria, what about that commander?"

Maria pouted. "It's not like that; I just complimented him but the commander is...different."

Isabel giggled silently, "Sure."

The delegates watched as the prince made his way to the throne. Everyone got up to pay their respects to the prince; even Harsha and Gauri got up as a sign of respect.

Isabel turned to Pedro and asked. "Why are those men staring at us for a while?"

Pedro took a glance around and whispered back. "My lady, they are the Dutch delegates. Our relations with the Dutch are very bad."

"Hmm….I see."

"I recommend my lady not to converse or engage in conversations with those men." Pedro advised.

"I will see what I can do," Isabel said.

Isabel watched as the crown was presented to the prince and a priest was ready to crown the prince with a ritual. She watched as the priest crowned the prince.

The Marathas finally had a new king.

Isabel had been in her fair share of noble events back home, including a coronation ceremony and it was way different from the one on the subcontinent. There wasn't as much as a festive atmosphere during their coronations.

The whole capital was lively and it was a massive event. While back in Europe, it would just take a day for a coronation to happen. It was a big change to witness such a ceremony for her.

The Maratha king, Aadarsha Chauhan, began his speech as the new king to the gathered delegates in the Royal Hall. Instead of focusing on the speech, her gaze wandered to Harsha, who was listening to the speech with a smirk.

'I wonder what he is thinking?'

The king went to address the crowd after his speech in the royal hall. The delegates could see the numerous citizens of the kingdom flocking to hear the address of their beloved king.

She was also filled on the rest by Pedro. There were going to be charity events to help the citizens and a huge feast would be conducted for all the people in the capital.

"Why so extravagant?" Isabel muttered.

Pedro whispered. "It's because of their belief. A king is the father of the nation. He must provide for and protect his children, who are the citizens."

Isabel nodded.

With the end of the ceremony fast approaching after the charity events commenced as soon as the address to the citizens ended.

They were back in the royal court. It was time to pay homage to the new king.

Delegates were ready to shower the new king with gifts from different places to show their respects, while the vassals showed their loyalty to the throne in the form of these presents.

The bigger the gift, the greater the show of might and respect to the new king.

The Dutch wanted to gain the favor of the Marathas with their show of respect; they bought goods like wool textiles, liquor , gold, silver, and weapons to present to the new king. It was a vast array of materials to present to the king.

They were sure to gain the favor just from the sheer amount of gifts.

The person that stepped up to pay homage first was none other than the highest ranking delegate and the Emperor of the Vijayanagara, Harsha Deva Raya.

The European delegates looked out for the Emperor's gift. They knew it would be lavish and massive.

"Your Majesty," Harsha's voice echoed through the halls, silencing everyone else. "On this auspicious day, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to your ascension to the throne. May your reign bring prosperity to the people of the nation." He said it with a smile.

He continued.

"As a sign of our goodwill and enduring friendship, accept this humble gift."

At Harsha's command, a couple of soldiers entered the hall carrying ten large chests and placed them on the floor of the Royal Hall.

"I present you with 500 kg of gold and silver as a small token of respect."

Everyone present in the hall was just a moment away from a gasp. Even Aadarsh's eyes widened at his words.

"Woah!!! So much gold and silver so casually...How rich are they?" Isabel remarked.

The confident face of the Dutch delegation began to crumble after seeing the gift of the Empire.

Everyone thought that was the end of the gift but Harsha continued.

"Also, as a token of your valor against the enemies. I offer you 1000 kg of high-quality equipment." Harsha smiled.

The Dutch delegation looked at each other with a defeated expression. They couldn't match up to the homage paid by the Empire. It just went to show the amount of wealth that the Empire possessed. It could move such a huge amount of wealth casually without batting an eye.

Harsha glanced back and saw the defeated expression of the delegates. A satisfied smirk formed on his face. He relished in their jealousy and defeat in the show of wealth. The gift of Harsha came from his personal wealth assets that were put together during the reign of the former Emperor.

It was his emergency fund in case of an unexpected war or famine. As there were no famines, he decided to splurge a little. Even after gifting this much to the Maratha king. It barely made a dent in the personal assets.

Turning his gaze back to the Aadarsh, he continued. "As for the final gift,"

"I offer you 1000 sacks of the high-quality spices and high-quality cotton and silk textiles from the Empire."

Harsha put the final nail in the coffin. Everyone that follows him to pay homage would look very small.