Did not the young princess Kundavai Devi and the Kodumbalur princess Vanathi ascend the chariot and set out towards the city of Kudanthai? After that, should we not learn a little of what the women in the boat spoke and did?

“Hey, Tharagai! Look at the fortune that has come to this girl from Kodumbalur! Why is our young princess so fond of her?” said one.

“There is no fondness, nothing of the sort, Varini! For the past four months, that girl has been behaving strangely, almost as if she’s possessed by madness. She keeps fainting and falling down. The princess is worried because Vanathi, a girl without father or mother, has been entrusted to her care. That’s why she took Vanathi to the astrologer, to find out what has come over her! What if it’s some mischief of spirits or ghosts? If so, shouldn’t some spell or incantation be performed to drive them away?” replied Tharagai.

“There are no spirits or ghosts here! What ghost would dare possess her? She herself could chase away a hundred ghosts!” retorted Varini.

“Even Vanathi’s fainting spells are nothing but a pretense! She thinks that by doing all this, she can slowly ensnare the prince in her net!” said another.

“Niravathi speaks the truth! And not just that! Remember the other day, when she dropped the lamp tray? She did that just to catch his attention! Would a tray held with both hands slip and fall so easily? And is our prince a tiger or a bear, that she should be so frightened at the sight of him?” said Varini.

“And then she immediately pretended to faint! How cunning one must be to do that?” added Niravathi.

“More than her tricks, the real wonder is that both Kundavai Devi and the prince were taken in by them!” said Sendhru.

“These are times for liars, tricksters, magicians, and illusionists to thrive!” declared Mandakini. “After the prince set out for war, he turned back to look at this Vanathi before he left—what more could she want? Do you see now how far her enchantment has worked?” said Varini.

“That’s nothing; the prince is a man of such noble character. If a maiden faints and falls, would he just walk away without so much as a glance? Don’t read too much into it!” replied Tharagai.

“What you say about the prince is true. Who else in all the fourteen worlds could possess such virtue as he? Not even in stories or epics can one find his equal. But that’s not what I mean. This girl—this Vanathi—she fainted, but do you know what kind of faint it was? There was no need to consult an astrologer to find out. Had she asked me, I would have told her myself!” said Varini.

“What kind of faint was it? Tell us, at least!” asked Sendhru.

Varini whispered something into Sendhru’s ear.

“What secret did she tell you? Are we not to know?” demanded Niravathi.

“It seems it wasn’t an