Vandiyathevan was hurrying in from one side. From the other side, Manimekalai approached, saying, “Akka! The food is ready!” as she drew near.

Karikalan looked from one side to the other and said, “Nandini, it was not only Vandiyathevan who tried to stop me from coming to Kadambur Palace. That Vaishnavite, Alwarkadiyan, also brought the same message! Even the chief minister Aniruddha, my father’s dearest friend and a man I revere, sent word warning me, did he not?”

“Chief Minister Aniruddha! Your father’s beloved companion! And so, he himself seeks to take your father’s very life. He is a man you revere! And so, he wishes to ensure you never inherit the throne…”

“Why? Why?”

“He thinks you are mad, that you lack divine devotion. His desire is to crown your younger brother, make him a valiant Vaishnavite, and turn this Chola land into a Vaishnavite kingdom. When your brother disappeared in the midst of the sea, a shadow fell upon his hopes!”

“For that, is it necessary to prevent me from coming to Kadambur?”

“Shall I not reveal all their secrets to you?”

“How do you know their secrets?”

“Sir! Have you forgotten that I am the sister of that Vaishnavite, Alwarkadiyan…?”

“Are you truly his own sister? Do you expect me to believe that story?”

“I myself do not believe that story. Nor do I ask you to believe it. I was raised in his father’s house. So he calls me his sister. That Vaishnavite is accustomed to calling me the incarnation of Andal. His wish is that I should travel with him from town to town, singing the hymns of the Alwars and spreading the Vaishnavite tradition!”

“Did he wish to make you a Vaishnavite ascetic, just as those Buddhist monks?” asked Aditya Karikalan.

“Nothing of the sort. His desire was to marry me, to wander from town to town as a couple, singing hymns together. He wished that I should bear him many children, to help spread the Vaishnavite faith…”

“Ugh! Where is that monkey-faced Thirumalai, and where are you? Did he truly wish to make you his wife?”

“Sir! That is my misfortune! Such was the hour of my birth! Every man who draws near to me does so with evil intent…”

“Does that old man, Pazhuvettarayar, speak of others because his own wits have gone astray?”

“Prince! Do not speak a single word against Pazhuvettarayar in my hearing. He cherished me. He married me before the whole world. I, who was an orphaned girl, he raised to the dignity of a crowned queen in his palace…”

“But what is your own wish, Nandini? Do you truly accept him as your husband and worship him? If so…”

“No, no. I am bound to him by immeasurable gratitude. But I have never lived the life of a wife with him. Sir! I was born in a poor family. I was abandoned at birth. Yet I have given my heart to only one person. I have never