It was as pretty as the structured landscape she was painting. All the sights around her were designed to give the impression of perfection—well-trimmed hedges, neatly lined trees and the grand palace that arose from the green bowels of that garden. Urmila knew that this was not the truth. In the last few months, she had seen the ugly cracks in the facade. They were deep and cavernous, hiding a lot more than they showed. The beautiful palace held a host of not-so-beautiful intrigues. There was the wicked old Manthara who was spreading her poison, the king was old and worried having a spate of nightmares he was terrified about. The four princes, however, remained unaffected by the guessing game of who the crown prince would be. They were their usual loving, laughing, lively selves, brightening up the palace, helping their father with the royal duties and administration. The most unhappy person in the palace seemed to be Kausalya… She did not miss a chance to complain loudly about her plight.
