"Your majesty, I cannot in good conscience escort Prince Mukund back to Anga. He is innocent and would face certain death if he were returned."

The queen looked up at Vedavalli with a hard expression. "Vedavalli, you know that the kingdom's alliance with Anga is of the utmost importance. We cannot risk that even for the prince. The new king…" her voice trailed.

Vedavalli knew the previous’s King and Queen’s sudden demise affected Malla. The two Queens Mahadevi and Padma were best friends.

"I understand that, your majesty, but we cannot simply throw an innocent man to the wolves. He has been falsely accused and we have an obligation to protect him."

The queen looked at Vedavalli for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Very well. Prince Mukund may stay in the palace guest lodgings until we can figure out what to do"

Vedavalli breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, your majesty. I will see to it that he is taken care of."

She began making arrangements for Prince Mukund's stay in the palace guest lodgings. She wanted to ensure that he was comfortable and had everything he needed. She knew that this would be a difficult and dangerous journey, but she was determined to help him clear his name and uncover the truth.

As she was making her rounds, she received a message from the palace guard that Prince Mukund had been injured while on the run. She immediately rushed to the palace infirmary, where she found the prince lying on a bed, his arm bandaged and his face pale.

"What happened?" Vedavalli asked the palace physician.

"He was injured in a fight with some of the neighbouring kingdom's soldiers. He's lucky to be alive," the physician replied.

Vedavalli's heart sank as she looked at the prince's injuries. She knew that this was not going to be easy, but she was determined to help him. She stayed by his side, holding his hand and talking to him softly until he fell asleep.

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As she was leaving the infirmary, she ran into Ojayjit. The chief strategist looked at her with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "How is he?" Ojayjit asked.

Vedavalli looked at him with suspicion, wondering why he was showing concern for the prince. "He's injured, but he'll be okay," she replied.

Ojayjit nodded and then said, "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." Vedavalli was surprised by Ojayjit's offer, but she didn't say anything. She knew that she could not trust him easily, and she didn't know if his offer was genuine or not.

As Vedavalli left the infirmary, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She knew that she had to keep a close eye on Ojayjit and that she had to be careful. She couldn't let the prince's fate be decided by someone who had their own agenda.

On that night, as she sat alone in her room looking at a drawing of Ojayjit in the daily column, the light in the room dimmed and the shadows on her face deepened.

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. She quickly hid the drawing and composed herself. She called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and Ojayjit entered. As he holds a lamp, the light shines directly on his face, creating a contrast with Vedavalli's shadows.

Vedavalli was growing increasingly suspicious about Ojayjit's intentions and his offer to help Prince Mukund. She knew that she couldn't trust him and that she had to be careful. She decided to call upon her spy in the local community to find out if there was any unusual activity going on.

Her spy came back to her with a report that there was a girl who had recently arrived in the kingdom, and that she seemed to be hiding something. Vedavalli immediately ordered her spy to trail the girl and find out who she was and what she was up to.

"Ojayjit, I don't understand why the queen is so opposed to helping Prince Mukund. He's innocent."

"Vedavalli, I understand your concerns. But the queen is just trying to avoid conflict with Anga. There is nothing more to it."

"Nothing more? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. The queen is doing what she thinks is best for the kingdom."

"I see. But I still can't shake the feeling that there is something more going on. Something that we don't know about."

"I assure you, there is nothing more to it. Trust me, Vedavalli. I have the kingdom's best interests at heart."

Vedavalli looks at him, her expression unreadable. "I hope you're right, Ojayjit. I truly hope you're right," she said.

Ojayjit nodded and then turned to leave. As he did, the light from his lamp shone into Vedavalli's eyes, and she blinked, momentarily blinded. The door closed behind him and Vedavalli is left alone in the darkness again.