Their conversation flowed effortlessly. They compared bridal customs, festival celebrations, perfumes, hair ornaments, and embroidery patterns from different kingdoms. Every so often, Dhavani would suddenly remember another beautiful object hidden somewhere within the room and hurry off to retrieve it. Watching her excitement, Subhadra couldn't help smiling.
She's exactly as Sumedha described. And she is also more fun to talk with, well, atleast compared to the other two. She was quite easy going.
Eventually her eyes wandered toward several framed paintings displayed upon the far wall. She paused. "…Did you paint these?"
Dhavani glanced over. "Oh." She sounded almost casual. "Yes."
Subhadra slowly approached them. One depicted a quiet mountain lake beneath moonlight. Another showed a field of blooming lotuses. One captured the evening sky in brilliant shades of crimson and gold. She studied each one carefully.
"They're wonderful."
Dhavani folded her arms. "I've been painting since I was little."
"It shows." Subhadra looked genuinely impressed. "I especially like this sunset."
Dhavani's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "That's my favorite too."
Subhadra turned toward her. "…Would you teach me sometime?"
Dhavani blinked. "You paint?"
"Not as good as you, but just a little."
Dhavani looked at her for another moment before walking toward a nearby pavilion overlooking the lotus pond. "Come. How about you join me?"
Subhadra blinked in surprise. She didn't expect this. Dhavani was acting slightly different from what Sumedha told her.
Regardless, Subhadra followed.
Several attendants quickly prepared brushes, pigments, and fresh sheets of parchment before quietly stepping back. Dhavani picked up a brush. "I'll paint the pond. You paint the swans.""
Subhadra smiled. "I'll try."
For the next hour, the pavilion became surprisingly peaceful. Brushes glided across paper. Pigments blended together. Only occasional conversation broke the silence.
"So…" Dhavani asked without looking up. "How is your relationship with your siblings and cousins?"
Subhadra fell silent for a moment and then said, "Well, they all love me for sure, but I miss childhood, when we spent time running through the fields, pranking the villagers, stealing the mangoes and guavas. All of us used to be very close. As we grew up, they became more and more distant and became busy with state affairs. Especially Elder Brother Balarama… Now, the relationship has reached a state where I might not be able to see his face again."
Dhavani fell silent for a moment. She paused the painting and then patted her shoulder and said. "This lotus doesn't look right, by the way."
"Eh?"
Subhadra was taken aback.
She expected Dhavani to speak some consoling words or something that is related to human relationships.
As Subhadra was caught off guard, Dhavani then added with a chuckle, "Focus on the present, not the past, Princess Subhadra. And I think it needs a little more blue."
"Uhh… okay?"
Subhadra was confused for a moment. Was Dhavani trying to lighten up the mood or was she just insensitive?
But she didn't stay in those thoughts for long and focused on the painting instead.
A few moments later, while Dhavani reached for another bowl of pigment, Subhadra quietly dipped her own brush into dark paint. With one swift, careful stroke, she added two tiny little horns atop one of the elegant swans swimming through Dhavani's painting. Then she calmly resumed her own work.
Several attendants noticed. Not one dared make a sound.
Completely unaware, Dhavani continued painting. She adjusted another lotus leaf, added a few ripples to the water, then leaned back to admire her masterpiece.
"Princess?"
"Hm?"
"…Why…" She leaned closer. "…does my swan have horns?"
Subhadra blinked innocently. "Does it?"
Dhavani slowly turned toward her. Then back toward the painting. Then back again.
For several long seconds… silence. The attendants held their breath.
Suddenly…
Dhavani laughed.
Not the restrained laugh expected of a queen. A genuine burst of laughter escaped her so suddenly that she nearly dropped her brush.
"Oh, by the gods…" She covered her face, still laughing. "What have you done to my poor swan?"
Subhadra could no longer hold back either. "It looked far too dignified."
"It is a swan!"
"It has personality now."
"It has horns!"
"Exactly."
Dhavani shook her head helplessly as another wave of laughter overtook her. "Fine, I'll keep it."
Subhadra blinked. "Really?"
"Drawing or painting isn't about elegance, Princess." She smiled. Her eyes drifted toward Subhadra. "Did you have fun? Or did you feel like you wasted time? That's more important."
For a brief moment, Subhadra didn't speak. The attendants also quietly smiled among themselves.
When Princess Subhadra had first entered the residence, they had expected little more than a formal exchange between two royal ladies. Instead, hours had slipped by unnoticed.
***
Ratnaprabha was perhaps the hardest to approach among Karna's queens.
Not because she was cold or unkind, but because she spoke very little, especially to people she did not know well. Subhadra was not a complete stranger, yet even during the time they had spent in Dvarika they had barely spoken at all.
Most of the time Ratnaprabha stayed in her own quiet world. She often rested in her serpent form inside her chambers, or she spent long hours eating, praying, and meditating at the Shiva temple. The only real chance Subhadra had to talk with her was when Ratnaprabha was cooking a dish for Karna. Even then the conversation never lasted long. Ratnaprabha's natural shyness and reserved nature made every exchange short and gentle.
Because of this, Subhadra could not bond with her as easily as she had with the other queens.
When Karna's personal attendants quietly shared these observations with him, he often remained silent. But inwardly he felt a quiet satisfaction. There was no jealousy. No palace conspiracies. No bitter competition between the queens even after Subhadra's arrival. He could already see the peaceful future of the inner palace — at least for now.
Eventually, after consulting the stars and the sacred calculations, the Rajguru fixed the wedding date for exactly four weeks later.
Invitations were prepared at once. Messengers left for Dvarika, Kashi, Magadha, Mathura, Matsya, Uttara Kalinga, Kosala, and Chedi.
Then, at last, Karna paused while looking at one final invitation scroll — the one meant for Hastinapura.
For several silent moments he simply stared at it thoughtfully. Not only because of Duryodhana, but also because Subhadra herself carried ties to the Kuru clan through blood and relations. In the end he sealed that invitation as well and handed it to the royal messenger.
The following week the replies began arriving at the royal palace of Kanipura one after another, like waves returning to the shore after a storm.
Every morning royal messengers dressed in the colors of different kingdoms entered the palace gates carrying sealed scrolls, gifts, or spoken responses from their rulers. Ministers and attendants quietly gathered in the assembly hall to hear which kingdoms were willing to attend the marriage of Karna and Subhadra… and which kingdoms still carried bitterness toward the way that marriage had come into existence.