Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Isabel was seated in the carriage watching the scenery as they passed through the road. The pastures sprawled wide in the distance and the chirping of birds was music to her ears. The cool wind flowed gracefully, pushing strands of her brunette hair to the side.

Maria was watching the scenery from the other side and occasionally stealing glances at Dhruv, who was riding his horse, donning armor.

'This girl…Well... she is at that age after all.'

The Emperor sat right opposite her, reading a book nonchalantly, resting his head on his palm. He had an unreadable expression on his handsome face. Isabel couldn't help but occasionally glance at his thick eyebrows, dark, sharp eyes, and a sturdy neck.

She gulped and looked away. The emperor was certainly attractive. Isabel thought the subcontinental people weren't as attractive since it was discussed in some circles back home that they were dark and unattractive.

Isabel found that it was far from the truth. Even just from a brief glance among the soldiers, there were plenty of attractive men in the group. The Emperor just stood out among them.

'Tch, I will watch the scenery. I have not come here to look at him.'

Time passed and Isabel was bored, given her tomboyish behavior. She wanted to go outside and look for herself but she couldn't, at least till they stopped the carriage.

"So boring, isn't it?" Harsha broke the silence.

"Hmph…" Isabel turned to Harsha. "When will we reach the city?"

"A few hours before the sunset, I suppose."

Maria also turned to Harsha; she had a bit of fear in her eyes. So Isabel did most of the talking.

"You seem to have a lot of questions." Harsha smiled.

"Um…yes." Isabel stuttered out after seeing the sudden smile.

"Ask away; I am bored anyway." Harsha said. "Unless I will answer to my capacity."

"Why were you in the forest?" Isabel asked.

"Forest, eh? I was just sightseeing."

"All alone? Aren't you an emperor?" Isabel talked to Harsha informally because he allowed her to speak informally. The formal Spanish would be sometimes hard to understand for him.

"I am also strong!." Harsha chuckled. "I don't need bodyguards for a small trek."

"What if you get targeted?" Isabel pressed. Read the latest on empire

"Nah!. I have experienced assassination attempts." He shrugged, "As an emperor, you have to be prepared."

"I see….How come you know Spanish?"

"I learned it from a merchant and a few months of practice."

"But you say that nonchalantly. Isn't learning a new language a big deal?"

Harsha tilted his head with a puzzled look. "Is it? I know several languages, and so do my assistants and most of the staff at the palace also know 3 languages, I think."

"Several?" Isabel gasped. "How many is that?"

"I never really counted; it should be close to 10 or so." He chuckled.

"What??"

Maria's eyes also widened at the information; they both looked at him with a wild expression.

'What the hell is this man?'

Harsha turned to Maria and asked. "So, do you not speak?"

"Um…" She stuttered. "I speak." She spoke in a small, soft voice, looking at him like a squirrel.

"Bringing a child to the forest is quite dangerous, Isabel." Harsha spoke.

"Huh? Child?" Isabel asked.

"Her!" Harsha pointed at Maria. "She is a young child, right?"

"Huh? She is almost 20 years old." Isabel looked at Harsha with a puzzled expression.

"Whoa, I was rude, eh." Harsha chuckled. "You are so short and look very young."

"No problem…" Maria replied with a shy look.

"My Maria is a proper adult." Isabel replied proudly.

"Sure… Sure... She is even older than me." Harsha shrugged.

"Wait…What do you mean by older?" Isabel asked.

"I will be turning 19 soon in a few months." Harsha flashed a smile.

"HUH?" Both Maria and Isabel let out a high-pitched gasp in unison.

"You are just 18 years old and an emperor?"

"Hmmm... it's not a big deal, is it? There are young monarchs everywhere."

"No... but you sound like an experienced ruler and you are so strong. I thought you were older." Isabel remarked with a rare glint in her eyes.

"Tell me more."

"I see but you are too close." With her enthusiastic personality, she was right in the face of Harsha; he just pushed her face away with his palm.

Isabel pouted and sat down. "Fine... At least tell me, can I visit those beautiful temples in the cities or am I not allowed as an outsider? "

"Sister, no, we must not," Maria interrupted sharply. "If father and others find out. We may get in trouble with the Church."

"Church this church that…I am fed up with them." Isabel said. "Tch and those pesky nobles sending me invites to marry their worthless sons."

"Seems like you have a lot on your plate." Harsha looked amused.

"And of course, you can visit. Just follow the rules of the temple and don't try to force your ideals on them."

"Oh... I see." Isabel mumbled. "But wouldn't they shun an outsider who comes unannounced?"

"Hm... My father's wife is Portuguese. She had no problems so I doubt it."

"Huh?" Isabel asked. "Which family is she from?"

"Castro, I suppose."

"Oh…so it's that rumored lady that fell in love with an emperor in Asia."

"Is she famous?" Harsha asked curiously.

"She got pretty famous after someone leaked the news about this to the noble circles." Isabel chuckled. "The Castros were pretty furious after that."

"So you are..." She looked up expectantly.

Harsha waved his hand. "No, I am not her son. I am the youngest son of the former emperor."

'He became the Emperor as the youngest?' She thought.

Isabel was a chatterbox and her enthusiastic energy was contagious. Harsha hummed to her conversations, listening intently. It was a great source of entertainment for the boring journey to the Karnavati.

"By the way, Harsha." Isabel already got to a first-name basis with him. "Where are we headed with such a huge army?"

"Army? This is nothing but a small unit." Harsha laughed.

'Really? It looks huge.' She thought.

"We are headed to the neighbouring kingdom for my ally's coronation ceremony." He smiled.

"Um…" She froze. "Shouldn't we leave then? We weren't invited. It's an official ceremony."

"Aren't you a high-ranking noble lady?"

"Well... our family is high nobles."

Harsha's face twisted into a sinister grin. "Then it's not a problem. I can arrange the invite somehow."

He leaned back and smiled to himself.

'Time to show the Spanish friendliness to those pesky Portuguese. Will be a great gift for their upcoming Iberian union.'