It has been a few days since then.
My father—the King—has visited me a handful of times. My mother, on the other hand, is almost always with me unless her duties force her away.
For now, my brother is being kept at a distance.
Apparently, my mana—while dense and rich—is still unstable and leaks out more than it should. Adults can handle it without much trouble, but Garuda is still just a normal child. His mana hasn't even begun developing properly yet, and exposure could actually harm him.
Of course, he doesn't understand any of that and has been throwing tantrums nonstop because of it.
Now on the bright side, I'm finally allowed to eat normal food again.
Surprisingly—and at the same time, not surprisingly—the food here is very different from back on Earth, even compared to Indian food.
For starters, there are no potatoes or tomatoes. A lot of vegetables and fruits that felt normal back home simply don't exist here. Meat, on the other hand, is far more common. Even beef is eaten openly. It seems like almost all meats are fair game, except for horses, which are reserved strictly for rituals.
Vegetarian food is similar, but it's very seasonal.
Since this region appears to be in the north-west, wheat is common, just as I expected. But there are also many other grains—millets and things I don't fully recognize yet. Rice is eaten too, but mostly after the rainy season.
I'll go into more detail about all that later.
Right now, I want to eat the steak in front of me.
With that thought, he took a bite and enjoyed it far more than I probably should have.
After finishing, I considered getting up and walking around a bit—even if I was still restricted to my room.
That was when Mahadevi Bhadra entered, as she usually did.
Though this time, Rajkumar Garuda came with her.
She looked down at the boy and spoke gently, though there was no mistaking the firmness in her voice.
"You promised not to go near your elder brother or touch anything around him, remember? It is not good for you right now. Once the healers say it is safe, you may play with him again."
Garuda lowered his head, his shoulders drooping.
"Yes… I understand," he said, clearly disappointed.
Damn. This kid is way too cute.
"Well then," I said with a smile, still seated on the bed, "How are you, Garuda?"
"I am fine, big brother," he replied. "How are you? When will you get better so we can play again?"
"I'm fine," I said. "And we'll play very soon. Uncle Vasu even said he'll take us on a tour of the city once I'm fully healed."
Garuda's eyes widened.
"Really? You promise? We'll really go?"
"Yes," I said, nodding. "But first I need to rest properly. Okay?"
He nodded quickly, clearly satisfied with that answer.
For a while, they talked like that—Garuda excitedly telling Hamsa what he'd been doing lately, while Hamsa listened, asked questions, and responded when he could.
Eventually, Mahadevi Bhadra stepped in.
"Garuda," she said softly, "I promised to bring you to see your brother. Now it is time to return."
He looked up at her pleadingly.
It didn't work.
Soon after, Lata gently led him back to his chambers, leaving the room quieter than before.
"Mother… how is your work going?"
Rajkumar Hamsa asked softly.
Yeah. I decided to just accept it and call her that.It was way more embarrassing constantly tripping over my words and correcting myself.
Mahadevi Bhadra took a seat beside his bed before replying. Her tone carried a hint of tiredness, though her posture remained composed.
"It has been going well, I suppose," she said. "Which only means I have been given even more work."
At first, when she came to see him, she tried what any mother would with a five-year-old—reading stories, bringing toys, asking him to play or rest.None of it really worked.He was polite, calm, and distant in a way no child should be.Eventually, she realized that her first son was simply… different.
"That sounds awful," Hamsa said with a small laugh.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" she replied. "Are you finding amusement in your mother's workload now?"
"No—no," Hamsa said quickly. "Why would I ever make light of your work? It's just as important to the kingdom as Father's."
She huffed softly, though there was a faint smile at the corner of her lips.
"Well, if you say so." She paused, then added, "By the way, Hamsa… why do you still call your father His Majesty every time you speak to him?"
Hamsa stiffened slightly.
"He keeps complaining to me about it," she continued. "And I will admit—though I probably should not—I find it somewhat amusing to tease him about it."
Hamsa hesitated before answering.
"I… try to call him Father," he said honestly. "Like Garuda does. But just making eye contact with him makes me feel… intimidated."
She nodded slowly.
"I understand," she said. "It was the same for me when I first met him."
She leaned back slightly, her expression turning distant.
"That was near the end of the war with the Dharmaraj Empire and the Ranga Kingdom—right before it turned into a civil war. Things were… uncertain. Anyone could have won."She smiled faintly, almost nostalgic.
"He was far more intense back then."
"Is that so?" Hamsa said, curiosity flickering. "Then—"
Before he could finish, the door opened.
Raj Valangar II entered the room.
With a single motion of his hand, he dismissed the attendants and guards. Without question, they bowed and withdrew, leaving the room quiet once more.
Then the Raja turned his gaze toward Rajkumar Hamsa.
Hamsa twitched and instinctively stiffened.
"There is no need to be so rigid, Hamsa," the Raja said. His tone was calm, though still carrying a trace of authority."I am here as your father—not as the Raja[1] of Valangar."
Hamsa still found his presence intimidating. The distance in his father's voice reminded him too much of his own father from his previous life.Still, before answering, he paused—remembering what his mother had said earlier.
If that was true… then let's try this.
"…Alright, Father," Hamsa said carefully. "If you say so."
For a brief moment, the Raja's expression softened—just slightly.
"I see," he replied. "Good. Then tell me—how are you now? The physicians informed me that you should fully recover in forty days."
"I am doing well," Hamsa answered. "I have even begun learning to control my mana. Grandma Durga visits occasionally and teaches me."
"Matha Durga is visiting you?"The surprise was clear in the Raja's voice. "And she is teaching you as well?"
Before Hamsa could reply, Mahadevi Bhadra spoke from her seat beside the bed.
"It was I who ordered that you not be informed of her visits."
The Raja turned to her. "Bhadra, why would you do such a thing?"
She answered coolly, a hint of irritation beneath her composure.
"You already know why, Indra. The moment you learn that Matha Durga is within the palace, you abandon all duties to greet her. Left unchecked, you would escort her everywhere yourself."
The Raja coughed lightly and looked away. "Well… if that is all, then I shall take my leave."
"Leaving already?" Mahadevi Bhadra said, her tone sharpening."Do you not wish to spend time with your son—as you so often claim? Or are you simply embarrassed now that he calls you 'Father'?"
The Raja faltered, clearly on the back foot.
A brief back-and-forth followed, with Indra steadily retreating under his wife's pointed remarks.
Hamsa watched the exchange, stunned.
What… am I even looking at?I thought they'd be distant. Formal. Cold.But they're almost like a normal couple… just without the teasing and casual touching.
He shook the thought aside.
They're human too. I should stop forcing my weird expectations onto this world.
Still… there was something he wanted to ask.
And asking it now would put the Raja in his debt.
Hamsa cleared his throat, deliberately.
"Father," he said, "what of the man we captured? Has he revealed anything yet?"He paused."And… what methods have been used on him so far?"
The room went quiet.
Both the Raja and the Mahadevi stopped at once.
Under normal circumstances, such a question would have been dismissed—brushed aside as the curiosity of a child.But Mahadevi Bhadra knew better.And Raj Valangar, clearly grateful for the change of subject, seized the opportunity.
Soon, they were discussing the incident—what had been uncovered, and what still remained unknown.
[1] It means king. As for why I am not using it, honestly I forget it while writing and I am too lazy to go back and change it. Though from now on I will try and use it instead of king.