Meanwhile, the celestial chariot flew eastward, cutting through the sky like a golden spear.
Below them, rivers glimmered like silver threads. Villages passed like tiny clusters of dust. Forests stretched wide, green and endless. The wind was strong at this height, rushing past them, whipping at cloth and hair.
Karna stood at the front, holding the reins loosely, his eyes fixed ahead.
Mrinalini stood beside him.
Silent.
Too silent.
Even the wind could not hide it.
She had spoken so fiercely in battle. She had shouted, roared, condemned, and commanded. But now she stood with her hands gripping the railing, her gaze locked on the horizon, as if she was trying to avoid looking at Karna at all.
Karna noticed it early.
At first, he thought she was simply tired.
But the silence continued.
Minutes passed. Then more.
She didn't ask where they were. She didn't comment on the land below. She didn't speak even once.
And Karna could feel it.
Something was wrong.
He hesitated for a long time.
Karna was not a man who spoke unnecessarily. He was not someone who questioned emotions easily, especially not a woman's emotions. But Mrinalini's silence was loud enough to make even him uncomfortable.
Finally, he spoke.
"Princess…" Karna said.
Mrinalini did not look at him.
"Yes?" she replied quietly.
Karna stared at her for a moment, then took a slow breath. "Since morning, you have been awfully silent," he said. "You haven't said a thing. You urged me to return you home as soon as possible."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "I can sense that you are displeased about something," he said calmly. "Is there something troubling you?"
Mrinalini's fingers tightened on the railing.
Her voice came out low. "Nothing."
Karna did not respond immediately.
He kept staring at her, studying her face, the stiffness in her jaw, the way her eyes refused to meet his.
Then he inhaled again, deeper this time, as if preparing himself for something. "Princess…" he said slowly. "There is something I wish to tell you."
Mrinalini's voice remained quiet. "What is it?"
She still didn't look at him.
Karna's grip on the reins tightened slightly.
His gaze shifted toward the sky ahead, as if he needed distance even while speaking.
Then he said it.
"After dropping you at the palace, I wish to ask your brother, Maharaj Indraverma… for your hand in marriage."
Taking a pause, he added, "That is if you are willing to accept and give me the permission."
Mrinalini's breath caught.
Her body stiffened as if the words had struck her like an arrow.
Her head turned sharply toward him, eyes widening.
"What?"
Mrinalini snapped her head toward Karna so suddenly that her hair whipped across her cheek.
"What did you say, again?"
Her eyes were wide, as if she had misheard him, as if the wind itself had played a cruel trick with his words. The same woman who had faced rakshasas without blinking now stood frozen, her grip tightening on the chariot railing.
Karna met her gaze calmly.
He didn't look playful.
He didn't look nervous.
He looked serious, as if he had just spoken a truth he had been carrying for a long time.
"I meant what I said, Princess," Karna continued, his voice steady. "To be honest, I have never met a warrior like you. When I saw you fighting the asuras, you truly felt like Goddess Kali's human incarnation. And then I thought… how nice it would be if I had someone like you by my side."
He gave a brief pause for her, and then continued, "Not just as a queen sitting behind palace walls but someone who can walk with me into battlefields."
Mrinalini's heart pounded.
The words struck something deep inside her, something she had buried beneath grief and duty.
Karna continued before she could respond, his voice becoming quieter, almost reflective.
"Princess Dhavani enlightened me," he said. "She made me understand the path I must walk."
Mrinalini's expression flickered at the mention of Dhavani's name.
Karna spoke with calm honesty, not hiding anything. "She taught me that my love for Roshini can remain pure," he said. "Untouched. Unmixed. Forever separate. But she also taught me that another part of me must still act as Dakshina Kalinga's king. And a king who can have multiple wives, give them all love, fulfill all duties of a husband…"
He paused, his voice lowering.
"…and still remain detached from the outcome."
Mrinalini felt her chest tighten.
She understood those words more than she wanted to admit.
Karna continued. "That is why I accepted Princess Sumedha's proposal," he said. "I did not accept it lightly or do it on a whim."
Mrinalini's fists clenched unconsciously.
Karna's voice remained steady, almost cold in its logic.
"A scholar like her will not only bring peace to Mathura," he said, "but will also become an advisor to me. Someone who can help me establish dharma all over Bharatavarsha."
Mrinalini's eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking.
Karna did not stop there. "As soon as I drop you at Kashi," he continued, "I also plan to visit Magadha."
Mrinalini's breath caught slightly, he said, "To propose marriage with Princess Dhavani. Jarasandha is someone I treated as a friend, and I do not want Kamsa's death to create enmity between us."
Mrinalini's lips parted, but no words came.
Karna's voice became softer, almost respectful.
"Moreover," he said, "Princess Dhavani is the one who enlightened me to walk on this new path."
He glanced at her briefly.
"And Maharaj Jarasandha once proposed marriage to me," he added. "He intended to establish relations with Dakshina Kalinga. I did not accept back then… but things are different now."
The chariot flew forward, the seven horses neighing softly, their golden manes flowing like fire.
Karna's expression remained calm, but his next words carried weight.
"I do not know what the future holds," he admitted. "But on this path I walk now… There is a high chance that fate may force me to take in more wives as well."
Mrinalini's chest tightened again.
Karna did not sound proud.
He sounded as if he were accepting the nature of kingship and destiny.
Then he looked at her fully. "You may think about what I said on the way and give me your answer by the time I leave you."
For a while, only the wind spoke.
Karna returned his gaze forward, holding the reins as the chariot sped across the sky. He expected anger. He expected rejection. He expected Mrinalini to lash out, to call him shameless, to accuse him of treating women like political tools.
That was what most people would do.
But when Karna finally turned his head again, wanting to see her reaction…
He froze.
Mrinalini's eyes were shining.
Tears had welled up, trembling at the edges of her lashes, catching the sunlight like tiny pearls. Her lips were pressed together tightly, and her face looked as if she was fighting something inside her, something too strong to hold back.
Karna's calm expression cracked instantly.
His eyes widened slightly.
He became uneasy.
Almost panicked.
"Princess…" Karna said quickly.
His voice softened, urgent. "I'm not forcing you," he said. "I'm not taking advantage of the situation."
Mrinalini's tears rolled down her cheeks, carried slightly by the wind.
Karna's words rushed out, as if he feared he had wounded her. "Even if you say no," he said, "it would not matter. I will still protect Kashi. I will still protect your brother until he becomes an able king."
Mrinalini lifted her hand and wiped her tears quickly, as if embarrassed that they had fallen at all.
Then she spoke.
Her voice was shaky, but honest.
"No," she said softly. "I'm just… happy."
Karna blinked.
Once.
Then twice.
His expression turned confused, as if his mind refused to accept what he heard.
"H-happy?" he repeated.
Mrinalini nodded lightly, her cheeks faintly red, her gaze dropping downward.
Karna stared at her for a moment longer.
Then his lips parted slightly, his voice suddenly careful, almost boyish despite his usual dignity.
"So…" he asked quietly, "I have your permission?"
Mrinalini didn't look up.
She only nodded again, shyly, her fingers tightening on the railing.
Karna's face softened.
A small smile appeared on his lips.