As they continued walking through the palace corridors, the conversation gradually moved away from politics. Duryodhana had spent enough time discussing the Crown Prince's responsibilities, the Swayamvara, and the strange circumstances that had brought him to Kampilya. Now, perhaps because he had not seen his sister for some time, his thoughts naturally turned toward Kanipura.
"How are Dushala and my niece?"
Karna's expression immediately softened. "They are both well."
There was a noticeable change in his voice when he began speaking about Dharani. Duryodhana noticed it almost immediately.
"Dharani has grown quite a bit in the last year. She is only one year old, but that little girl already runs everywhere. The moment she sees me, she refuses to stay still. Her tiny legs simply keep moving until she reaches me."
Duryodhana smiled.
Karna continued, almost forgetting that he was speaking to someone else. "And she has started speaking a few words."
"Already?"
Karna nodded proudly. "She called me 'Father' first."
There was unmistakable happiness in his voice. Duryodhana laughed. "I can imagine."
"You should have seen her. I had been sitting with the others, and she was playing nearby. Suddenly she looked at me, came running, and said it. I thought I had misunderstood her at first, so I asked her to say it again. She did. After that, I could not stop smiling."
Duryodhana watched him quietly. Karna continued talking about the little girl—about how she followed him whenever she saw him, how she had begun exploring everything around her, and how she seemed incapable of remaining still for more than a few moments. He spoke about her first attempts at walking, her curiosity, her habit of reaching for anything within her grasp, and the way she became excited whenever she heard his footsteps.
Eventually Karna admitted something he did not often say aloud. "I think I have slightly more affection for Dharani than I do for my other children."
Duryodhana's face brightened. He did not hear anything troubling in the statement. Instead, he felt pleased. *My sister's daughter is special to him.*
He had always wondered whether Dushala had truly found a place of importance in Karna's enormous household, surrounded by queens who came from powerful kingdoms and by children born from different marriages. Hearing Karna speak this way reassured him.
"My brothers miss Dushala," Duryodhana said. "All of them also want to meet their niece, even my father. After all, Dharani is the only child of our family among the next generation."
Karna nodded. "They will meet her."
"When?"
"Later this year. Some of our trade agreements with Hastinapur will expire around that time. We will need to renew several of them and discuss new arrangements as well. I will come personally to Hastinapur for those discussions. I will bring Dushala and Dharani with me."
Duryodhana seemed genuinely pleased. "That will make my brothers happy."
Karna nodded. The conversation then shifted naturally toward the responsibilities Duryodhana had recently acquired.
"As Crown Prince," Duryodhana said, "I have been thinking about several changes I want to make in Hastinapur."
Karna looked at him with interest. "What kind of changes?"
"Village administration, especially. At present, whenever a village has a dispute or a problem, the village elders carry it to their vassal lord. If they cannot solve it there, it goes to the provincial officials, then the ministers, and sometimes even to the royal court. A small problem can travel through half the kingdom before anyone actually decides what to do."
Karna nodded.
Duryodhana continued. "I want to establish a council in each village. Perhaps three to five respected elders. They would have authority to settle ordinary disputes and make decisions concerning the village itself. Only serious matters would need to go beyond them. We could also give each village council a fixed fund. They could use it for repairs, development, wages for workers, maintaining basic facilities, and perhaps establishing a small group of guards to protect the village."
Karna remained silent for several moments. He considered the idea carefully. It was sensible. More importantly, it addressed a problem that appeared in almost every kingdom. Central authority could not personally manage every dispute, broken road, irrigation channel, local theft or village disagreement. The farther a matter travelled from the people who actually experienced it, the slower and more expensive the solution became.
"I think it is a good policy," Karna finally said.
Duryodhana smiled. "But?"
Karna glanced at him. "But it will be difficult to establish in Hastinapur. The kingdom can amend existing policies, but changing the entire administrative structure is different. You are not simply introducing another tax regulation or changing the duties of a minister. You are creating authority at the village level where the existing system may not recognize it. And as long as Mahamahim Bhishma remains the strongest voice in the court, such a change will be difficult."
Duryodhana nodded. "I know." There was no frustration in his voice. Instead, he seemed to have already considered the obstacle. "That is why, before Grandsire opens his mouth, I will have to convince Mahamantri Vidura that the policy is sound. Then I can present it before the council, and if Mahamantri Vidura supports it, I will use my father's authority to implement it. Because once Grandsire gives his opinion first, everyone treats the matter as settled."
Karna chuckled. "That is a good strategy. Mahamantri Vidura is wise and righteous. If he believes the policy is beneficial and just, you will have a much better chance of getting it accepted."
Duryodhana nodded. "I intend to speak with him."
They continued discussing administration, trade, provincial governance, and several smaller matters until they eventually reached one of the palace training grounds.
The sound of weapons reached them before they even stepped into the open space.
Several princes and their attendants had already begun training after arriving in Kampilya.
Some stood in careful lines with bows drawn, the fletching of their arrows brushing their cheeks before they released.
Others tested spears, the long shafts whistling as they cut through the air, or worked with swords and shields, the clash of metal ringing out in irregular bursts.
A group of warriors was engaged in mace exercises; each swing carried the weight of the weapon through the air with a low whoosh before the iron heads met with a solid, bone-jarring impact that sent small vibrations through the ground.
Duryodhana stopped for a moment. His eyes moved across the training ground. He instinctively watched the mace fighters first, noting the way their shoulders and arms absorbed the recoil of each strike. Then he looked toward the archers, where the repeated snap of bowstrings continued without pause.
"I heard something on the way here."
Karna turned toward him.
"There is a rumor that the Swayamvara challenge is related to archery." Duryodhana frowned slightly. He looked again at the bows being practiced with across the field, listening to another string snap and another arrow thud into its target. "Don't you think that is unfair to warriors like us who specialize in close combat?"