287 Litmus Test (Part 2)

Royal Palace, Chandragarh

The coordinator finished with his instructions and asked the three contestants if they had any questions. All three of them shook their heads and a conch was blown to indicate the start of the event. The three teams poured out of the tents and made their way to the garden area. They had heard the instructions while sitting inside and were raring to go.

Mriga glanced at her depleted team strength but straightened her shoulders with a smile.

She addressed them in a calm voice, "You guys start choosing our resources from the bowl while I will go and greet our 'people'. I will take Ishani with me."

Nirbhay was mindful of the eyes on them and their conduct.

He murmured in a low tone, "Now is not the time to go gallivanting. We are running against the clock."

Mriga shook her head and said, "In the same way as I trust you to choose the best possible resources, you should trust me to make the right decisions, too. After all, I am the leader in this task, remember?"

Yash placed his hand at Nirbhay's shoulder and steered him away from there gently, giving an encouraging smile to Mriga. Pride was shining in his eyes. In the past weeks, he had mostly been relegated to the position of an outsider and as a result, he could see the slow transformation in Mriga's character clearer than the others. She was deserving and ready for this task.

Ishani had been roped in not so much for help but mainly because to Mriga, her best friend's presence during her most important test was imperative, irrespective of the 'value' she brought to the team.

Since coming here, Ishani had been overwhelmed, first with the palace and its environment and then with the strategic discussions which had been taking place in the group. As a result, she was unlike her usual carefree self and looked a bit cowed down.

Mriga picked up a big bunch of sheaf kept on the side and whispered to Ishani, "Today's success is going to depend a lot on how you perform."

Ishani, who had been nervous till now, went paler when she heard her friend say this. She knew that they were missing Abhirath and Chiranjeev but she couldn't possibly fill their boots!

"Your people skills are the best amongst our group and hence, I have chosen you for this task," she told her friend in a composed voice.

After that, Mriga gave her the instructions for what she wanted her to do and walked to the place, where the people earmarked to be part of 'her queendom' were sitting. She greeted them politely and spoke a little about herself.

"I am here to seek your help and guidance. My communications minister, for the day, would explain the rest to you in detail. I offer my thanks in advance…" with that, she pushed Ishani to the front and left from there.

Mriga didn't bother wasting even a single moment looking at what the other two teams were doing. It was none of her business. When she reached her team, Yash and Vandit were in the middle of a heated argument. In the big vessel, a lot of placards had been placed with a different heading on each of them like –

Rich in agriculture/ Abundance in minerals/ Powerful Army/ Prosperous Economy and more.

Mriga immediately understood the problem. They were fighting about which resources to choose because each of these components would become an important basis for the kind of country they eventually build. After half hour of strong arguments, the three teams were ready with their choices and they handed over the chosen placards to the royal attendants.

The event coordinator instructed the removal of the three vessels from there and asked the attendants to bring in new ones. Both the contestants and the people, were taken aback.

"In real life, for every positive, there is a negative. Keeping that principle in mind, now, your task is to choose two weaknesses of your country from the big bowls kept next to you. Since this is a simulation, we have given you the choice of three advantages and two disadvantages. In the actual world, it could be reverse or worse. It is up to us how to manage and turn it around in our favour. Best of luck," the man standing on the podium gestured to the teams to start.

Everyone in the audience and even the delegates were marvelling at the twist. Had the positives and negatives been offered together, it would have been as easy as cherry picking for the contestants but now they would be restricted by the choices which they had already made.

On this winter morning, the sun had decided to come out in its full glory, as if offering its support to the event. Indrani approached the podium where the queen and the delegates were seated. She looked better than what she had in the morning.

She was followed by a long line of servers who had brought refreshments for everyone. Picking the glass of pomegranate juice, Indrani made her way to Rani Samyukta's seat. As was the queen's routine, she wouldn't eat anything at this hour.

With a distracted smile, the queen took the engraved cup from her hand and murmured a thanks.

"Keep yourself hydrated. It's going to be a long day," Indrani whispered.

Rani Samyukta nodded and waved her away, "You are blocking my view."

Indrani bowed politely and murmured an apology before walking behind her seat to stand. After a few minutes, her eyes wandered and landed on Prince Mithilesh, who was sitting one step below the queen's throne. He gave her a tiny nod in acknowledgement and Indrani's lips drew up in a tight line.

Unfortunately, the interaction was missed by Prithvi, who was no longer standing in the group by the stairs. Instead, there was a person of a similar height and features who could pass off as Prithvi, at least from a distance. He was wearing the same set of clothes and his long hair was covering half of his face.