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Govind Rao, a young man engrossed in a book, and the patriarch of the Rao Noble family chuckled. "Isn\'t it funny how hard they\'re trying to gain an upper hand they never had in the battle for the throne?" he said, glancing up with a smirk.

Raghav stopped pacing and turned to him. "Govinda, never underestimate the Cochin Nobles," he warned. "There\'s that snake in their midst."

Balaji Mudaliar, a man in his late forties sipping tea, leaned back in his chair. "There is also that demonic woman. She is a real nuisance," he spat. "She\'s been trying to interfere for a long time, and she does have the authority to back herself up."

Anand Jadhav, the current Patriarch of the Jadhav Noble Family, sighed and rubbed his temples. "Of course," he warned. "We can\'t just go deal with her. That woman is strong, don\'t underestimate her because she is a woman,"

"All of you, shut up!" Gopala Shastri, a pot-bellied man in his early fifties, interrupted. He looked around the room, his expression stern. "Let\'s not talk about useless things. We have more important matters to handle. The prince will be here soon."

"Eh... Old man, don\'t be so stiff. Hahaha, relax!" Govinda Rao laughed out loud, stretching his arms above his head.

The room\'s tension was interrupted by a new voice. "Haa... All of you have gathered pretty early today, huh?" A figure emerged quietly, taking the host\'s seat at the table. It was the First Prince of the empire, Chandra Deva Raya.

The First Prince had, as usual, brought both his trusted retainers to the meeting. Ram, standing tall on his left side, carried a talwar and wore armor, his presence imposing. On the other side, Neelakanta, shorter than Ram but elegantly dressed, held a book ready to note down important points during the meeting.

"So, let\'s start the meeting. Any unusual movements from the second prince?" Chandra Deva Raya asked, his eyes scanning the nobles seated at the table.

Anand Jadhav, with a frustrated expression, spoke up. "Yes, Your Highness. Considering the new open seat in the council, they are trying to make the Nairs of Travancore head Ashokan Nair, the new member of the council."

Gopala Shastri leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "Your Highness, I suggest we push Govinda Rao here as a candidate for the new position."

Govinda Rao raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Eh... The old man is being nice to me for once! I am so happy," he exclaimed sarcastically, shifting his gaze to Gopala with mock appreciation.

Gopala rolled his eyes. "Don\'t get used to it," he muttered under his breath.

Chandra Deva Raya looked at both of them indifferently, shaking his head. "Alright, enough banter. Let\'s focus. Govinda, do you think you can handle the council seat if we push for it?"

Govinda straightened up, his expression turning serious. "Of course, Your Highness. I am ready for the challenge."

"Good," the Prince nodded. "We need someone of your caliber in that position. Let\'s make it happen."

"Me and Mudaliar here have been pressuring the Patwardhans to join the Imperial Faction as you instructed, but they seem to be holding out despite the second prince also pressuring them at the same time," Raghav Reddy mentioned, frustration evident in his voice.

"Of course, they\'re holding out well. The elders of the Patwardhans have recently gotten involved and are helping the current patriarch. But even if we can\'t sway him to our side, we\'ve managed to topple him from the council since he hasn\'t made any significant contributions anyway," stated Balaji Mudaliar, sipping his tea.

Govinda Rao chuckled. "Well, unless he makes a comeback with some groundbreaking contribution, the Patwardhans won\'t be able to crawl out of this hole."

"What about the youngest prince? Should we be doing something about him?" Raghav Reddy asked, leaning forward.

"Harsha?" The Prince mused. "Hmm. He has made a name for himself lately with the trade deals and the new road development projects." Chandra Deva Raya reached for a report that Neelakanta handed him.

Raghav Reddy folded his arms, frowning. "Yes, but isn\'t that a potential threat? Shouldn\'t we be cautious?"

"Your Highness, don\'t you find it suspicious? He used to avoid everyone in the palace, and now, after his injury, he\'s changed, I have heard reports of his great martial prowess," Govinda said, raising his concern about the youngest prince.

Chandra thought about the possibility of the youngest prince becoming a threat to his ambition for the throne. "It is suspicious, but he\'s always been unpredictable. We can deal with him if necessary, but right now, his influence is negligible."

Chandra continued, "We can eliminate him if I think he will become a threat to me,"

Govinda pondered the situation, thinking, \'Are we underestimating the young prince? That report on the battle at Gulbarga was extraordinary. What if he\'s changed and is already preparing by biding his time? \' Then he recalled their first meeting two years ago and how unimpressive the young prince had seemed to him.

"Anyway, let\'s move on to our plan. We need to secure the throne before Cochin makes a move. We can\'t let them gain more power," Chandra said, shifting the focus.

"And has Cochin tried to block any trade routes yet?" Chandra asked, his curiosity piqued.

"In Mangalore, there\'s a chance of a blockade. Our informer reports that the Nairs have begun some unusual activities there," Govinda Rao explained.

"Mangalore? Does it fall under their control?" Chandra asked, furrowing his brow.

"Your Highness, the Nairs bought the land from a merchant. Now they control the route connecting to Mangalore," Balaji Mudaliar answered.

"Hmm... Prepare to tariff their goods and block them from moving through our territories. We\'ll act once they start any blockades or economic warfare. Understood?" Chandra commanded after a moment\'s thought.

Although he didn\'t want to ignite a civil war, it was becoming evident that a conflict might be brewing between the Imperial Faction and Cochin.

\'Would Father intervene if there was a civil war? He wouldn\'t be happy to see civilians die, so there\'s a chance he might step in...\' he thought

"Your Highness, there is a new merchant in the capital expanding rapidly to all cities," Anand Jadhav said, concern in his voice. "It\'s an independent group led by someone called Nakul. They\'ve recently secured a road construction contract and have dipped their hands into textiles, ceramics, and metals."

"You mean the merchant group led by that young man who rose quickly?" Chandra asked, leaning forward.

"They started with nothing and grew fast. I\'ve tried to monitor their movements, but they have a very well-oiled system. There\'s hardly any relevant information about their trade secrets. Even their caravans are well-protected," added Raghav Reddy fiddling with his notebook.

"Do you think we should try to get them on our side? They possess enough wealth to rival that stingy old man Prabhakar from Goa," questioned Gopala Shastri.

"They\'re a powerful force," Govinda Rao replied with a scowl and stretching his limbs. "The fact that they remain independent in this tense atmosphere suggests they\'re fence-sitting, waiting for the battle to play out so they can swoop in and declare support for the winner."

Chandra considered the possibility of gaining a potential ally and said, "Gopala, I\'ll leave the negotiations to you. Try to get them on our side. We can\'t afford to let Cochin snatch another powerful merchant from under our noses."

"Understood, Your Highness," Gopala said with a slight bow of respect.

"Also, Your Highness, Harsha has been invited by the patriarch of the Nayakas. This is a big deal. That old man is quite a force," Balaji added.

"Oh... Hmm... That old man is so whimsical. I wonder why he invited Harsha," Chandra gestured to Ram to lean down and whispered to him "Try to find out the reason behind the invitation. Is it just because of the road project, or is there more to it?"

"Anything else to report? If not, I guess the meeting is over," Chandra said, looking around to see if anyone had more to report before he left for the royal palace.

Later, as Chandra sat in the carriage, enjoying the scenery, Neelakanta, who was sitting beside him and reviewing reports, spoke up. "Your Highness, we might have a problem."

"What problem now?" Chandra asked.

Neelakanta handed a file to the prince containing documents gathered by the First Prince\'s spies. Chandra skimmed through the report, his face souring at the contents.

"Is this true? This is another trouble brewing," he muttered.

"The report has been verified. It\'s the truth, Your Highness," Neelakanta replied.

Chandra called Ram, who was riding a horse beside the carriage as his bodyguard, and said, "Ram, take care of this mission. It is very important."

"Understood, Your Highness," Ram replied confidently.