Chapter 119: Chapter 117: Mockery... At The Royal Assembly...

(A/N):

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Hearing Prince Shakuni’s words.

Several ministers from the neighboring kingdoms visibly stiffened hearing the blunt remark.

Meanwhile some of Trivenivrata’s court officials quietly hid their smiles.

Because unlike diplomats who carefully polished every sentence—Prince Shakuni often preferred throwing words like knives directly into conversations.

Beside the throne, even one of the divine sabertooths lazily lifted its head slightly at the sudden tension in voices.

For a brief second, the chamber grew heavier.

Then unexpectedly—King Virendra Varma of Suryagarh chuckled softly.

Not offended. Not angry.

Amused.

The sound itself surprised several people.

Virendra folded his hands behind his back calmly before replying.

"Prince Shakuni speaks sharply."

His eyes briefly moved toward the Gandharan prince.

"But not entirely wrongly."

That instantly sharpened attention again.

Virendra’s expression remained diplomatic, yet something calculated lingered beneath his smile.

Then he continued cryptically.

"Every negotiation has two sides."

The words hung heavily inside the throne chamber.

Some ministers immediately frowned.

-Frown!

"...."

"...."

"...."

Others exchanged cautious glances.

Even Mahamantri Vidura silently narrowed his eyes slightly hearing the statement.

Because the meaning was obvious. Negotiations could bring alliance.

Or pressure. Opportunity. Or conflict.

Meanwhile Prince Shakuni let out a quiet laugh.

"-Haha!!!"

"There it is."

The Gandharan prince straightened slightly now.

"I was wondering how long it would take before the real purpose entered the room."

Several neighboring ministers visibly became uncomfortable.

Because Prince Shakuni had openly dragged the hidden tension into the center of the conversation.

But surprisingly—Devara himself remained completely calm upon the throne.

No irritation. No anger. No visible defensiveness.

He simply observed the five rulers quietly.

And somehow—That calmness unsettled the visiting kings more than aggression would have.

Because it felt as though Devara had already expected this meeting long before they arrived.

Beside him, Gandhari too remained composed, though her eyes carefully watched every expression inside the chamber.

The throne room itself had grown incredibly still now.

The sunlight streaming through the carved windows.

The distant crackle of ceremonial fire.

The low breathing of the divine sabertooths beside the throne.

All of it only intensified the tension hanging between the gathered rulers.

Then finally—Devara spoke calmly.

"If there are two sides to this negotiation ...then speak clearly."

His gaze rested steadily upon the assembled kings.

"So we may understand which side you came here carrying."

The chamber fell silent once more.

"...."

"...."

"...."

And this time—Even the neighboring rulers understood clearly.

The young king before them was not someone they could pressure easily.

The silence inside the throne chamber lingered heavily after Devara’s words.

The neighboring rulers exchanged brief glances among themselves.

The atmosphere had fully shed its diplomatic politeness now.

Whatever this meeting truly represented—It had finally reached its center.

King Mahipala of Velanadu finally stepped forward first.

His tone remained controlled.

Measured.

"Your kingdom has grown rapidly, King Devaratha."

"That growth naturally depends upon the sacred river trade routes shared among neighboring lands."

Several ministers behind him slowly nodded.

-Nods!

Then Somakeshi continued the discussion smoothly.

"Trade caravans and river merchants crossing through regional territories traditionally pay taxes. That is neither unusual nor unjust."

Some members of the court visibly frowned slightly.

-Frown!

Because on the surface—That statement itself was true.

Trade taxes for routes crossing foreign territories were normal political practice between kingdoms.

But then the real intention finally emerged.

King Pratapaditya stepped forward with sharper eyes.

"Since the sacred three rivers now generate enormous trade wealth for Trivenivrata... it is only fair that neighboring kingdoms receive appropriate taxation."

The room grew colder instantly.

Still, Devara remained silent.

So the kings continued.

One after another.

Slowly revealing the actual scale of what they demanded.

River taxation. Border route taxation.

Merchant transit taxation.

Military escort taxation.

Additional "regional maintenance contributions."

The list itself kept growing longer and longer.

And with every amount mentioned—The expressions within Trivenivrata’s court darkened visibly.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Because this was no normal trade agreement.

Not even close.

The demanded sums were absurd.

Massive enough to directly bleed the kingdom’s treasury continuously.

It was obvious what the neighboring rulers were attempting.

They had seen Trivenivrata’s explosive economic rise.

Its successful auctions. Its growing trade dominance.

Its military alliances.

Its popularity among merchants.

And now—Before the kingdom could fully stabilize further—They wanted their hands inside its wealth.

Several ministers of Trivenivrata looked openly furious now.

Some warriors tightened their grips upon their weapons instinctively.

Even one of the divine sabertooths beside the throne slowly opened its eyes fully, sensing the tension spreading through the chamber.

"...."

"...."

"...." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Meanwhile Prince Shakuni actually laughed aloud.

Not politely. Not diplomatically.

A genuine sharp laugh.

"-Haha!!!"

"So that’s the game."

The Gandharan prince shook his head slowly.

"You watched a kingdom rise... and arrived with buckets hoping to scoop gold from its treasury before the walls fully hardened."

The neighboring rulers visibly stiffened slightly hearing the blunt accusation.

King Rudrasena finally spoke more firmly now.

"Careful, Prince Shakuni."

"These are lawful negotiations between kingdoms."

Prince Shakuni’s smile widened dangerously.

"Lawful?"

He gestured around dramatically.

"You are demanding taxes upon rivers blessed by nature itself. Next perhaps you’ll tax the wind passing your borders too?"

Several members of the court struggled not to react.

Even Gandhari briefly closed her eyes knowing exactly how unbearable her brother could become during political arguments.

But he always as a point in it. Which made difficult to argue with.

He would always find a way to

But despite Prince Shakuni’s mockery—The reality remained serious.

Because if accepted, the demanded taxes would create long-term dependency upon neighboring kingdoms.

A silent leash around Trivenivrata’s economy.

And everyone in the chamber understood it.

Meanwhile throughout the entire discussion—Devara remained seated calmly upon the throne.

No anger. No visible irritation.

Only observation the not even a little guilt on the faces of the king who were demanding the money.

That unnerving calmness slowly began affecting the visiting rulers themselves.

Because most kings would have reacted emotionally by now.

Yet Devara simply listened.

Studied. Measured.

Like the situation was still under his control.

Finally—King Virendra spoke carefully.

"You are newly crowned, King Devaratha. Surely you understand the value of stable relations with neighboring kingdoms."

There it was.

Not quite a threat. Not quite diplomacy.

But something sitting dangerously between both.

The throne chamber fell silent again afterward.

"...."

"...."

"...."

The sacred flames flickered softly nearby.

The divine sabertooths watched quietly.

And every gaze slowly turned toward Devara once more—Waiting to see how the newly crowned king would respond to the first true political pressure placed before his throne.

For a few long seconds after the neighboring rulers finished listing their demands, the throne chamber of Trivenivrata remained completely silent.

The sacred lamps flickered softly.

The ministers stood tense.

The divine sabertooths beside the throne watched lazily with half-open golden eyes.

And seated upon the throne beside Gandhari—Devara suddenly laughed.

Not a polite diplomatic chuckle. But a genuine loud laugh.

"-HAHAHAHA!!!"

The sound echoed across the chamber unexpectedly.

Several ministers from the neighboring kingdoms immediately frowned.

-Frown!

Even their kings stiffened visibly.

Because that laugh did not sound nervous.

Nor pressured in it.

It sounded amused. Dangerously amused.

Meanwhile Shakuni immediately grinned from the side of the court.

-Grin!

"...."

He already knew that expression.

Someone in this room was about to get verbally dismantled.

Devara slowly leaned back against the throne while the laughter faded from his face.

Then calmly—Almost casually—He asked the kings before him

"Did the five of you truly come up with this idea only recently ...or have you been planning this for a long time?"

The words struck sharply. Not because of volume.

But because of the tone beneath them.

Mockery.

Clear and unmistakable.

The neighboring rulers immediately understood it.

Devara was openly implying that they had gathered together deliberately to exploit a newly rising kingdom before it stabilized further.

And judging by several expressions—He was absolutely correct.

King Mahipala’s face tightened slightly.

Meanwhile Virendra Varma narrowed his eyes carefully.

The ministers behind them exchanged subtle uncomfortable glances.

Because no matter how diplomatically they dressed the demands—Everyone in the chamber already understood the truth now.

This was greed. Simple greed.

Finally King Rudrasena spoke with visible dissatisfaction.

"Your tone insults neighboring rulers, King Devaratha."

Devara’s smile remained faint.

"Does it?"

That answer alone worsened the atmosphere instantly.

One of the sabertooths beside the throne lazily opened its mouth in another massive yawn, exposing rows of terrifying fangs while the kings continued standing there trying to maintain authority.

The visual contrast itself was absurdly intimidating.

Meanwhile Devara continued calmly.

"You speak of lawful trade taxes. Fair regional agreements. Shared river rights."

He slowly gestured outward toward them.

"But the amounts you demand are not negotiations. They are attempts to place chains around this kingdom before it fully rises."

The chamber became deadly quiet.

None of the five rulers interrupted him now.

"...."

"...."

"...."

Because Devara had spoken the truth directly before the entire court.

Even many ministers from neighboring kingdoms lowered their eyes slightly.

Then Devara leaned slightly forward upon the throne.

His voice remained calm. But heavier now.

"The sacred rivers existed long before your kingdoms. They existed long before mine."

"No king created them. No throne owns them."

The words landed heavily inside the chamber.

"And yet ...you come before me demanding payment for water flowing through nature itself."

King Somakeshi frowned deeply now.

-Frown!

"That is an oversimplification."

"No,"

Devara replied immediately hearing the refusal.

"It is the simplest truth in this entire discussion."

Even several Trivenivrata ministers visibly straightened proudly hearing that.

Meanwhile Gandhari quietly observed the neighboring rulers carefully.

She could already see the problem now.

They had entered expecting to pressure a newly crowned young king politically.

Instead—

They had encountered someone completely unafraid of confronting them openly.

Then finally Devara’s expression lost its amusement entirely.

The throne chamber itself seemed colder suddenly.

"If you wished fair trade agreements ...you could have approached as allies."

"But you came together believing this kingdom was still vulnerable."

His eyes moved across all five rulers one by one.

"That was your mistake."

The silence afterward felt crushing.

Even the divine sabertooths had become still now.

"...."

"...."

"...."

And for the first time since entering the throne chamber—The neighboring kings began realizing something uncomfortable.

The young ruler sitting before them was not behaving like a king worried about surviving.

He was behaving like someone already certain his kingdom would endure.

The atmosphere inside the throne chamber snapped tight like a bowstring.

The neighboring rulers who had entered with polished diplomacy could no longer fully hide their anger after Devara openly exposed their intentions before the court.

Several of their ministers looked deeply uncomfortable now.

Because the negotiation had shifted dangerously close toward open confrontation.

Finally King Pratapaditya stepped forward sharply.

Enough of the diplomacy had burned away from his face now that the frustration beneath became visible clearly.

"You speak boldly for a newly crowned ruler."

His voice echoed coldly across the chamber.

Then King Rudrasena added with growing irritation.

"We are not minor border lords standing before you."

"Five kingdoms stand united here."

The ministers behind them nodded grimly.

-Nods!

The tone of the room itself darkened.

King Virendra Varma folded his arms before speaking more directly now.

"We possess armies. Military strength. Resources gathered over generations."

His eyes locked onto Devara.

"Yes, your strength is famous. But can even you stop five kingdoms at the same time?"

The threat finally stood naked inside the throne chamber.

No more hidden meanings. No more diplomatic veils.

The neighboring rulers were openly warning him now. And the final words landed heavily.

"So mind your words carefully, King Devaratha ...if you do not wish us to take your insults as offense."

The chamber instantly became deadly silent.

"...."

"...."

"...."

This was clearly a thread openly in the royal assembly.

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(Author note:)

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Guys I have a new fic which named: Karuppan: King of Openings.