Chapter 6

The brunet king, Worthington and the British prince went back to the throne room but they just stopped in front of it. Before they do, Ann and George heard suddenly the sound a Kombu, and the Kombu is an Indian instrument in the shape of a long bowed horn. This voice was the official royal calling for habitants of the palace to surround and to listen to their king's announcements.

Indeed, when the king and his guests arrived, people started already coming.

When they did, Krishna raised his hands up, and began his speech loudly, with a smile, confidentially and in Hindi, while Worthington and George were standing behind him:

"My loyal and dear servants and maidens, I called you and interrupted your daily work to announce to you very big and important news: perhaps you've seen today a convoy with white people coming inside our holy kingdom. That's right, this convoy came here for two reasons: the first one, is that this convoy came from Kingdom of Great Britain, with the lead of its prince Prince George, to sign commercial contracts between Great Britain and Michor. And the second one is that Prince George's godmother, Ms. Ann Worthington, came with him because… she's the biological mother of The Adopted Princess…"

The public got shocked, and some whispers and murmurs began between them. Bai raised his hands again to ask them to stop the whispers. Then, he finished his speech:

"I know, my public… Finally, we met Princess Sundarta's mother… All I ask you, my loyal servants and maids, is to take care of our guests, serve them well as you do to me, and be noble and generous with them. And I thank you a lot for your attention.…"

He waved his hand to them and came back inside the palace, followed by George and Ann. He took the lady back to Sundarta's room, then he went with George to the lunch room…

***

The Michorian king and the British prince were sitting in a wide empty room at noon having lunch.

After seconds of silence, Krishna started the conversation with George about the contract. Although that George's godmother was his adopted daughter's biological mother, Krishna didn't trust him 100%; he still was considering him as a stranger who could be a danger for Michor. So, when he started the conversation, he did with precaution:

"So, George, what's the story of this contract?"

George answered spontaneously while enjoying the Indian meal:

"Your majesty, my father the king Edward the third, king of Great Britain, wanted to build a factory and a trade center on your land."

"A factory and a trade center?" Krishna got surprised.

"Yes; as you know, you have a lot of merchandises that we, Europe, don't have, such as silk, cotton, spices, etc. They're expensive and rare. And the British public needs them daily. So, his majesty (his father) decided to collaborate with you to satisfy his public's needs."

"And what made you think that Michor is the perfect kingdom to collaborate with?" Krishna interrogated.

"Its perfect and strategic place in the Indian subcontinent." George replied and then ate a piece of his meal.

"How? Michor is not a coastal kingdom." He reminded.

"I know. But Michor is also close to Great Britain; we can travel by land, much faster and easier." He explained.

"I see… And what will we get from this contract?" He questioned.

"You'll get our European rarities such as jewels, slaves, and means of transport…" He informed.

Krishna kept quiet, thinking about George's words and solving them. Then, he murmured:

"Jewels… slaves… European rarities…"

After, he announced, managing a smile:

"After this lunch, I'll sit with my chancellors and discuss with them about this contract…"

"Good, your majesty… Inform me as soon as you can so I go back to Great Britain." George nicely begged Krishna.

"Oh! By the way; it's March now, like Phalguna in our Hindu calendar; if you start your trip now, it'll be very hot and you and your people will suffer from the dry." Krishna added.

"No… Thank you your majesty for your hospitality. But I think that it'll be too much if we spend my godmother and I about…"

"4 months, until Asadha, like June in the Gregorian calendar." The brunet king interrupted.

"Why 4 months?" The British prince asked surprised.

"Because in these 4 months, the Thar Desert you'll pass by is too hot. At the end of June, it'll be wetter and more humid." He explained, smiling.

George thought about it for a while: he would spend like 4 months with his first-sight love, Sundarta, and he would get the biggest and the longest chance and duration ever to get to know her better. Also, he'll let his godmother spend more time with her beloved daughter.

After he realized that he can just send a letter to his father with the homing pigeon, telling him about his inability of crossing the desert now cause of its super insupportable heat, he smiled and answered politely:

"Your majesty, after thinking about your generous demand of our staying here in your kingdom, I decided to agree and to accept it. I'll talk to my mother more about the stay. And I hope we never disturb or bother you."

"At the contrary, I would like to watch Ms. Worthington getting closer to Sundarta… and you too! Maybe you can both get along with each other and to share the same hobbies…"Krishna suggested.

George got never happier than before. He just heard that Sundarta's father allowing him to talk to Sundarta and to get closer to her.

He tried to hide this happiness by nodding with a smile expressing his satisfy with the generosity of the Michorian king. Then, he stood up, and he excused going to his room with two Indian guards leading him…

***