Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

A ship was headed to the Port of Goa, in the Vijayanagara Empire. It bore the flag of the Spanish Empire. A cargo ship with a fleet of a few warships to protect themselves from the pirates in the Arabian Gulf.

The Spanish merchants did trade in the region a bit. They also had multiple bases in the Philippines, like Manila and Cebu. Currently, the merchant vessel was headed to Goa for trade and visiting purposes.

Isabel Silva was a noblewoman from the Spanish Empire, the eldest daughter of the Silva noble family, an influential group in the Empire. She was a 24-year-old brunette woman with light blue eyes. She was wearing a bodice with a long skirt and a high, structured neckline, her long hair braided and adorned with pearl ornaments.

She had some gloves on and a cap with a little veil to cover her face from the scorching heat in the region.

"¡Válgame el Cielo! This heat is killing me."

"Yes, Sister... It's too hot." Maria Silva added, She was the younger daughter of the Silvas and looked a lot like Isabel but she had shorter hair and dark eyes.

"Ah….But it's better than this journey on a ship. She sighed. "Finally we can sleep in an inn."

Isabel was fed up with travelling on a ship. It was hard to sleep and the air was salty. The sun ruined her skin so she spent her days indoors to protect her supple, milky skin.

"Pedro, do we have an inn?" Isabel called her assistant and bodyguard.

"Not yet, my lady. We can arrange it when we reach the port. Pedro said with a smile.

Isabel sighed. "Do it quick; I want to get out of this filthy heat."

After they reached the port. Isabel got down from the ship to see the vibrant port city of Goa. The stalls were filled with merchants from the different parts of the world.

Isabel's eyes twinkled.

"My lady, please behave. We can't have you run away like last time." Pedro frowned.

"Fine, fine…." She pouted.

"Yes, Father told you to stay put this time." Maria also warned.

"Hey... you are too young to warn me. You brat." She smacked the head of Isabel.

"I won't do anything wild.…." Isabel assured them. She looked around with sparkly eyes. She liked places like these and she was a bit wild for a noble lady. Her family never understood her passion.

Isabel didn't want to live like the other women, following strict standards and watching every step in the noble society.

She looked around like a bright child while walking to their inn; the city was colorful, the ladies wearing traditional clothes and minimalistic jewelry, their wheatish skin glowing in the sunlight and Isabel silently envied their long hair tied up beautifully.

'Man! I want to get out of this dress and tour the city!' She thought.

In the end she sighed and clicked her tongue, knowing it wasn't possible since the security was stricter since the issue at Manila before. Her father strictly took action for her behavior at that time.

After they were given a luxurious inn in the port city. Isabel bathed and changed into some loungewear she wore during her time alone with Maria, since the noble attire was stiff and tiring to wear.

She stretched her muscles a bit. She learned a bit of martial arts thanks to her elder brother. The heir of the Silva household.

"So... boring." She sighed and opened the windows to look outside at the city.

"Sister…"

"What is it, Maria? I don't want to wear that dress…Don't nag," she said.

"Eh? It's not that. Let's go and visit some stores." She said.

Isabel's eyes brightened. "Really, we can?"

Maria poked Isabel's forehead with her finger. "Only if you behave, Sister."

"No going off alone."

Isabel nodded.

"I shall let Sir Pedro know about this." Maria said. "You go and change clothes."

Isabel changed her clothes into not those stiff noble clothes but into some of the practical clothes. She had some comfortable clothes tailored to her needs. She couldn't wear it to social gatherings but it was more than enough for visiting stalls and other things.

Maria and Pedro were waiting for her as they began to go around the city. Pedro brought 3 more guards dressed in cloaks and swords on their waists.

"Let's go," Isabel said.

They went around stalls, looking at textiles like sarees and silk. There were various types of ceramic materials like pots, vases, and hundreds of dyed and antique pieces for sale.

Empire's patrol guards passed through the market districts.

Upon spotting them. The leader among the guards approached. He looked at Pedro and ignored Isabel and Maria.

Pedro knew the local language and was her guide to the tour of the city.

"You... why do you have weapons?" The guard captain asked. "It's forbidden to have weapons in public."

Pedro looked puzzled. "It's bodyguards for the lady," he explained.

"There are no exceptions to this; surrender the weapons," the guard captain ordered. "It's the rules."

"But… what if we are attacked?"

"Attacked?" The guard captain asked. "There are multiple patrol units in the city at the same time. The city is safe."

"There is no need for the weapons."

Pedro thought and glanced back at the worried face of the noble lady.

Isabel didn't understand anything and asked. "What is it?"

"He wants us to surrender our weapons." Pedro explained. "He says they are not allowed in the public areas."

"Then do it." Isabel said nonchalantly.

Pedro sighed and obliged. They were foreigners with no influence in the Empire. He had no choice. They surrendered the weapons.

"You can pick them when you leave the city." The guard captain said. "Have a nice day."

Isabel noticed there were a lot of patrolling units in the city and quickly understood the reason behind their words. The city seemed safe and was brimming with activity.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She and Maria went around buying clothes, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry they never found in their home country and Manila.

They passed a few temples in the city playing devotional hymns. Isabel looked awestruck by the difference in the architecture of the temple. It was very different from Church.

There were little lamps lit up near the entrance and inside the temples. There were sounds of bells and hymns. It seemed like a serene atmosphere.

Unfortunately, it was only true for her.

They were all Roman Catholic and saw the temples as worshippers of Satan or infidels.

Being near the temple didn't sit right with Pedro.

"My lady, let's move away from this infidel place of worship." Pedro whispered.

Isabel didn't reply, although she wanted to visit the temple and explore more of the Empire. She knew very well that Pedro wouldn't allow this to happen.

They moved around the city till the evening sun began to sink in the horizon and the darkness slowly consumed the orange lights. Little oil lamps lit on the stalls and residences in the city. A faint smell of flowers and incense wafted through the air.

The temple bell rang and the evening hymns played.

As they were returning to the inn, Isabel sighed.

'I want to explore the Empire….'

Traveling around places like these seemed fun to her. Especially the vast lands of the Empire intrigued her. She wanted to see the different cultures and practices.

She was curious how the other places in the Empire would be like. She was disappointed as they had to leave in a week from this place. There was no guarantee she would be able to visit the Empire again.

Her chances of exploring it would be close to zero.

Just then, a ship crew member came running to Pedro. He was huffing and sweating a lot.

"I was searching for you for a long time…Pedro."

Pedro straightened and looked puzzled. "What is it?"

"Did something happen with the locals?"

The guy took a deep breath and said.

"There is a problem with the ship…." He huffed.

"Problem? Now? We have plans." Pedro said.

"There are problems in the hull and the other parts of the cargo ship." He said. "The captain said it's not ready to sail."

"Can you repair it here?"

Isabel eavesdropped on their conversation with her sister.

"Maybe no idea. We need a place."

Pedro sighed. "Can it sail to Manila?"

"No…."

"Damn it…So we should ask the locals for help? Are you saying that?"

"Yes and it will likely take 2 months to fix everything."

Pedro frowned. "2 months? The Silva head won't like this."

"But it's better than endangering the ladies." He said. "I will ask a noble for support."

"Yes, Sir Pedro."

Isabel's eyes quickly lit up. "2 months. We are stranded here?"

"It seems so, my lady."

"My... My... What should I do? I will be so bored... and maybe..." She smirked with a wicked intention.

"My lady, please…." Pedro pleaded.

"I will behave if you let me explore the Empire."

"Rejected…"

"So….Do you want me to escape?" Isabel asked.

Maria and Pedro looked at each other. They both knew it was tough to control the impulsive behavior of Isabel. Maria blinked and sighed.

Pedro also nodded in return with an expression of defeat. Both of them knew talking wouldn't help them much.

"Fine…You can explore, though under supervision." He sighed. "But first let me talk to the authorities."

Isabel jumped up in joy. "Yes… Yes… Yes… I can finally do it…." She giggled heartily.

Maria and Pedro watched Isabel and let out a huge sigh of defeat in unison.