The next morning, Emperor Sundara Chozha summoned his beloved daughter to his presence. He ordered all attendants, nurses, and physicians to withdraw far from his chamber. Seating Kundavai beside him, he lovingly stroked her back. Kundavai sensed that her father was struggling to express what he wished to say.

“Father! Are you angry with me?” she asked.

Tears glimmered in Sundara Chozhar’s eyes.

“Why, my dear, should I be angry with you?” he replied.

“For coming to Thanjavur against your command, of course!”

“Yes; you should not have come here against my orders. This Thanjavur palace is not fit for young women to reside in. You yourself must have realized that after last night’s incident.”

“Which incident are you referring to, Father?”

“I am speaking of that woman from Kodumbalur fainting. How is she now?”

“She is perfectly well today, Father! Even in Pazhayarai, she often loses consciousness like this. She recovers completely after a short while.”

“Did you ask her, dear? Did she say she saw or heard anything unusual in the palace last night?”

After thinking for a moment, Kundavai replied, “Yes, Father! When we all went to the Durga temple, she tried to go alone to the upper floor. There, she said she heard someone weeping in great sorrow. That frightened her, she said.”

“I thought as much. Do you understand now, child? There are spirits haunting this palace. You must not stay here. You must leave at once!” declared Sundara Chozhar.

As he spoke, Kundavai noticed his body trembling and his eyes staring wildly into some distant void. “Father! If that is so, why should you alone remain here? Why should Mother stay here? Let us all go to Pazhayarai! Coming here has not even improved your health, has it?” she asked.

The Emperor, with a smile tinged in sorrow, replied, “Will my body ever recover now? I have no such hope left in me.”

“Why should you lose hope like that, Father? The physician at Pazhayarai says he can cure you.”

“I have heard that, trusting his words, you have even sent someone to Lanka to fetch herbs! My dear, that shows the depth of your affection for me.”

“Is it wrong for a daughter to love her father, Father?”

“There is nothing wrong in that. To have a daughter with such devotion is my good fortune. There is nothing wrong in sending someone to bring herbs from Lanka either. But even if the herbs come from Lanka, or from the island of Java, or even if nectar itself descends from the heavens, my body will not be cured in this lifetime…”

“Oh no! Please do not say such things!” the princess cried.

“You have come here against my orders, child! Yet, I am truly glad for it. I have long wished to open my heart and tell you the truth one day. Now the time has come. Listen! If it were a bodily ailment, medicines and herbs might cure it. But my illness is