Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Alfonso\'s job was simple. He had to collect information and communicate with the members, ensuring that the plan would proceed smoothly. He couldn\'t betray in this situation either, since his mom would definitely be under their surveillance if the plan was successful.

Any betrayal of trust or leak of information to the other factions would just mean Lekha and his mother concubine Luisa would be eliminated on the spot, as they wouldn\'t let him off scot-free for betrayal.

Alfonso\'s influence was also minimal in the Empire. The nobles didn\'t like him since he was half-blood, and so most empire nobles didn\'t support him. The ones that tried supporting them were quickly shut down by the other factions.

He was relieved to know that there was a high chance his little brother survived the assassination attempt, as confirmed by Nakul. Although skeptical, he decided to trust Nakul on this one.

Nakul was the direct subordinate of that person. Nakul was the messenger between Alfonso and them for many years. Being the subordinate, he was far from ordinary; Nakul\'s origins were unknown to Alfonso even after years of trying to dig up information on him.

He used to observe Nakul a lot during the initial years of the relationship; he kind of reminded him of his little brother Harsha\'s butler. They both gave off similar energy, loyal and obedient to the person they cherish but cold and cruel to others.

Alfonso meticulously gathered information for the task and relayed it to the members. The messages were sent through a dedicated messenger assigned to him by Nakul as part of the task.

He had no idea of the member\'s identity even after years of working under the person. The only bits of information he had were that the members were present in both factions of the Empire and were preparing themselves.

Sighing and leaning back into the chair, Alfonso was now in an inn near Mangalore. He was released from house arrest in Goa, and he ended up in Mangalore as ordered by Nakul.

\'I wonder who these members are.\'

The initial plan was made as the passtime and later after seeing the candidates for the throne. They went on with the plan. During the search for information, he also began discreetly searching for any information about Harsha.

He wanted to check for any leads for his location and hoped to see his little brother alive. There was a caravan going to the patwardhan\'s region of control. He dismissed the initial suspicions as the patwardhans were in the neutral faction and didn\'t really have the power to interfere.

Although he was a bit skeptical because the Nayaka\'s were supporting Harsha and the patriarch\'s son had visited the patwardhans during his spree of the noble visits six months ago.

He called in his spies and ordered.

"Monitor any movements in Patwardhans and let me know."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Nayakas movements were the hardest to track; the trails of their military movements were unknown and well hidden. After the issue with the assassination in their mansion. They wiped out three of the hidden bases. Although little to no information was compromised due to the bases being low-level hideouts in Thanjavur after they pulled out.

\'Nayakas What are you up to?\'

Alfonso was done working for them right now. But betraying them came with consequences; despite knowing this, he was ready to risk his life and his mother for a move that would seem irrational.

The reason to find Harsha was to give him information about that person. The person that stood the most in his way. It was irrational to betray Bhairava and that person for Harsha. Alfonso always had been a long-term goal-oriented person, which was part of the reason why he joined them.

But ever since he met Harsha. The brother he knew was no more. It disappeared without a trace, as if a new person took his place. Harsha\'s cowardice was now replaced with a cold and calculating demeanor.

The way he spoke, the way he acted, and the way he fought changed drastically. At first glance, Alfonso knew Harsha would take the Empire by storm, and he was the only person who could stand up against that person.

A knock interrupted his thoughts as a man clad in black clothes entered to report.

"We have the report ready! Your Highness."

"Send it to the members then." He dismissed the spy with a wave.

The main job was done, and he was ready to bear witness to the large, intricate plan finally reaching its finale.

\'Now I need to find Harsha as quickly as possible\'

The spy turned back at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Your Highness, we also have a report on some unusual activity in some regions."

"What is it?."

"There have been small caravans from all over the empire slowly coming to the Patwardhan\'s region. The movements have been very discrete; we managed to get the information because of a small slip-up."

Alfonso jolted up with a surprised expression and closed in.

"Have you shared this information with those spies?"

The spy was visibly flustered.

"No, I didn\'t think it was valuable information for the mission."

"Good! You may leave!"

Alfonso finally connected all the dots in his mind.

The Nayakas meeting with Patwardhans and the sudden rise of the wealth of the Patwardhan. New merchant groups popping up all over the empire and the rise of highly guarded caravans through the region. The sudden movement of people during a civil war. Finally, the area of Patwardhans being closest to the Bidar.

All the leads hinted at one thing in his mind.

\'Harsha is at the Patwardhans\'