As the maiden hurried along the narrow path winding through the dense mango grove, Vandiyathevan followed swiftly behind her. It was no easy task to walk in that darkness without stumbling into the trees and shrubs. At one point, when he hesitated, nearly colliding with a tree, the maiden turned and asked, “Why have you stopped? Have you lost your way? You’re supposed to be the man whose eyes can pierce the darkness!”

In reply, Vandiyathevan pressed a finger to his lips and, just as she had done earlier, whispered, “Hush!” At that very moment, a sound drifted from beyond the wall—a noise that resembled the movement of people. After a pause, both resumed their walk. A little further on, Vallavarayan let out a soft chuckle. The maiden turned and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“I am not laughing at what I see; I am laughing at what I heard!”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“Did you not hear the footsteps of those who were searching for me just now? I am amused at the thought of how they have been deceived!”

With a hint of fear, she asked, “Is someone searching for you? Why?”

“Otherwise, why would I have to sit here in the pitch darkness, bumping into the wall?”

At that moment, a breeze parted the branches, and a shaft of moonlight fell across Vandiyathevan’s face.

The young woman looked at him with a mixture of surprise and astonishment.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“I was just checking if it was really you!”

“If not me, who else could it be?”

“The last time you came, you had a big moustache!”

“You ask a good question! How else could someone like me, who climbs over walls and sneaks in, avoid changing his disguise from time to time?”

“But now you look so much younger than before!”

“Youth comes naturally when one’s spirits are high!”

"Why are you so enthusiastic all of a sudden?"

"When your Maharani’s grace is upon me, what lack can there be for enthusiasm?"

"Don’t mock me. Today, our mistress is only the Young Queen. One day, she will surely become the Maharani!"

"That is exactly what I am saying."

"Is this how you say it? You would even claim that it was by your magical powers she became Maharani! If someone asked for half the kingdom, you would not hesitate to ask!"

Vandiyathevan thus managed to learn, in some manner, what he wished to know. After that, he did not speak further. He walked on, deep in thought.

Whom was he about to meet? Could it be the younger queen of Pazhuvoor? Or perhaps the daughter of the younger Pazhuvettaraiyar, who had married Madurantaka Devar? That woman, thinking him a magician, was leading him away. Whoever this 'Young Queen' might be, how should he conduct himself when he met her? O heart! Do not lose your courage! As long as courage remains, victory will follow! At the right moment, some clever idea will surely arise! So far, in no predicament have we ever been defeated. And now—are we to be defeated by a mere woman?

They approached a grand palace. But they did not head towards the main entrance, nor did they near the back gate. Instead, they drew close to a Shringara Latha Mandapam—a bower entwined with flowering vines—stretching into the garden from one side of the palace. As they came nearer, Vandiyathevan saw that this Latha Mandapam seemed to connect two vast, magnificent mansions, like a bridge between them. The two buildings thus joined were, in some ways, quite different from each other.

The mansion on the right glowed with the brilliance of many lamps burning within. From inside, a variety of lively sounds drifted out. The building on the left, however, was not lit by even a single small lamp. In the moonlight, its tall outer walls loomed pale and high. But within that mansion, silence and darkness reigned.

The woman who had brought Vandiyathevan led him to the Latha Mandapam and, with a gesture, bade him wait there. He did as she instructed. Standing thus, he became aware of the fragrance of the flowers that filled the air around him. Ah! What a scent! What a scent! It rose to his nose like a vapor, making his head spin with its intoxicating sweetness!

As soon as that woman entered the Latha Mandapam, her voice and another sweet feminine voice could be heard. “Tell her to come at once! Do you hear me? She knows I have been waiting all this time, doesn’t she?” These words sent a wave of dizziness through him. That voice—it was the voice of the young queen of Pazhuvoor! There was no doubt! In the next moment, he would be standing before her. How was he going to handle that situation? Instead of the magician she expected, what would she think when she saw the man who had collided with her palanquin now standing before her? Would she be surprised? Would she be angry? Perhaps, would she be pleased? … Or would she, perhaps, show no emotion at all and conduct herself as if nothing had happened?

The maiden who had brought him there stood at the threshold of the Latha Mandapam and beckoned him in with a gesture.

Vandiyathevan reached the spot where she stood and looked into the inner chamber of the mandapam. In the span of a single heartbeat, the scene that appeared before him was imprinted upon his mind through his eyes. The golden lamp’s flame, shining from its pedestal, spread a golden radiance. They must have poured some rare scented oil into that lamp, for the smoke from the flame wafted a rich fragrance through the air. Upon a low couch, strewn with flowers of many colors and scents, a woman reclined gracefully, enthroned in elegance.

She was indeed the young queen of Pazhuvoor. In the daylight, when he had seen her in the palanquin, she had seemed