Rewari Kingdom, Khera Vilge, 15th March 1557

  The next morning, Aditya met with the vilge sarpanch in a rge hut which was not inhabited yet as it was reserved for vilge ceremonies. Aditya walked inside, inspecting its corners. It was a simple hut structure with a vast space capable of holding 20-25 men.

  Inside, there was an arrangement of an earthen kiln with an iron pan above it. Nearby, extra pan, neat rows of hardwood, a turban cloth full of jasmine flowers, empty earthen pots, and two rge vessels filled with coconut oil and castor oil were pced.

  "Perfect!" Aditya excimed, impressed by the quick arrangement. He looked at the sarpanch, who felt relieved, then caught sight of the police guard chief standing just outside.

  Aditya stepped out and saw five vilgers assembled beside Police Guard Chief Bu.

  Bu said, "Your Highness, these are the most loyal and skilled woodcutters of this vilge. They are ready to work as per your orders."

  Aditya scanned them from top to bottom.

  Nervousness was etched on their faces, but they maintained their straight demeanors with expectant gazes. To their surprise, Aditya addressed them like it wasn't a big deal.

  "You all are selected. Follow my instructions, and if it works out, you will all be hired. I'll send someone from the company to supervise."

  A wave of gratitude flushed over them. They rushed over to him to find his feet, but Aditya flinched back, "It's all right. There are more instructions that you must adhere to with care."

  They halted their tracks, looking at him intently. Aditya continued, "First, the process I will expin must not leak out, or you will be repced."

  Aditya crified, "I meant, I will hire someone else for this."

  They all pleaded in unison, keeping a respectable distance, as it was clear that their necks were not on the line but the job was instead.

  "Please no, Prince,"

  "It will not leak out."

  "Believe me, Prince, I won't even share with my wife."

  "Not even God can make my mouth open."

  "Please don't repce us, Prince."

  Aditya nodded and led them inside the hut for a demonstration. He expined the process:

  First, burn the hardwood to get ashes. Boil the ashes with water to get the lye solution (potassium hydroxide). Cool the solution, then mix it with oil in another pot and stir continuously until it thickens to a pudding form. Add crushed jasmine petals for fragrance, put the mixture in wooden molds, and let it cool and set. Polish the finished product to smooth its surface, and they will have their soap.

  Everyone nodded, understanding the expnation.

  Aditya assigned the tasks among them. One person was to handle chopping of wood as per the requirement, other two were tasked with making wooden molds, and the remaining two were to crush petals using the traditional cy grinders.

  Meanwhile, a girl around 18 years old approached them with a tray of gsses (vessel of brass) filled with ssi (buttermilk). Despite her cheerful look, she had severe scarred marks visible on her limbs and neck, which indicated horrors of the past. Aditya skeptically took the gss of ssi as he looked at the sarpanch for answers.

  Sarpanch Madhav replied with teary eyes, "Your Highness, meet my daughter Jaya. She was sold to bandits by the st zamindar. Thanks to Your Highness's rescue, I am able to see her face again."

  Realization dawned on Aditya as he recognized her as one of the survivors rescued on the night of the ambush. Fortunately, the bandits had escaped in a hurry, leaving behind the survivors who were ter rescued. He had not anticipated such a coincidence. He sipped the ssi and enjoyed the buttermilk taste.

  He observed the shy eyes of the girl as she offered the ssi to his rumored lover. Bu, however, was too shy to receive it in front of them. Under the fierce gaze of the sarpanch, the police guard chief took the gss and made his excuse to leave. Aditya felt amused by the undercover love between a low-caste butcher and a higher-caste Brahmin girl.

  'Smash!'

  However, a loud noise distracted his attention that dampened his mood. The noise came from the broken grinder that had been used to grind the jasmine petals. The worker, clearly horrified, looked at Aditya with wide, apologetic eyes.

  Aditya offered a reassuring smile. "It's alright; mistakes do happen. Just use the other grinder."

  'Smash!'

  But before the words had fully left his mouth, another crash echoed through the air. This time, it was the second worker's attempt at grinding that had ended in disaster. The noise startled everyone, and Aditya's patience began to wear thin.

  Before he could respond, the girl who had brought the ssi took the lead, and scolded them with authority. "Are you both brainless? A bull's strength won't do here; it requires a precise touch."

  She looked at the prince with earnest apology," "Your Highness, I apologize for speaking out of turn, but please forgive them. They ck experience in this type of work and are primarily woodcutters. With a little more time, they will surely get the hang of it."

  Aditya considering her words, responded. "Thank you for your understanding. If you're familiar with the process, would you be willing to take over the task and show them how it's done? It might be beneficial for them to learn from someone more experienced."

  The girl's eyes brightened with relief. "I'd be happy to, Your Highness. I can teach them the proper technique and ensure the grinding is done correctly."

  Aditya agreed, "Very well. Please show them how it's done. I appreciate your assistance."

  The girl moved to the next grinder with flower petals and showcased her skills with precise movements. Aditya watched with interest as she began instructing the workers.

  The sarpanch was speechless. Everything happened in a few moments. Nonetheless, it soothed his heart to see his daughter working with respect and authority. Not willing to disturb them further, he too took his leave while shedding tears of joy.

  Aditya, on the other hand, understood that leaving them alone would be a mistake. So, it was time to take action into his own hands. After the ingredients were gathered, he observed the workers setting up the remaining tools.

  Jaya's expnations seemed to resonate better with the workers, a fact he brushed off as a familiarity issue rather than a fault of his own.

  He began by lighting the earthen kiln beneath the empty iron pan, adding more chopped hardwoods as he observed the fmes. The process was methodical and required patience. Nearby, the workers, including Jaya, watched intently as if their lives depended on it.

  After repeating the process a few times to gather the required ashes, Aditya directed the workers to collect them separately into a rge earthen pot. He added water to the pot, stirring the mixture until it reached the desired consistency, then used two yers of cloth to filter out the impurities and poured the resulting lye solution into another pot. The lye solution, resembling a cloudy liquid, was still hot and set aside to cool in a safe corner.

  Aditya instructed, "Remember, always store it in cy pots. If you store the solution in other metallic or wooden containers, it will decompose them. Handle with care."

  Everyone nodded their heads like a gathered family of owls but were soon put to work to change the pan. This time, they poured the oils and heated them until they reached their boiling temperature.

  With the lye solution cooled, Aditya poured it into a separate rge pot filled with coconut oil and castor oil. His hands moved with practiced ease, stirring the mixture continuously to ensure the oils and lye combined evenly. The mixture gradually thickened, reaching the consistency of thick pudding. Aditya narrowed his gaze as he checked the texture, ensuring it was just right before proceeding.

  Jaya was given a new role that needed a precise touch. She was instructed to add the crushed jasmine petals along with slimy juice to the thickened mixture. The fragrance of the flowers filled the room. Aditya and Jaya worked side by side, stirring the blend until the petals were fully incorporated.

  Next, Aditya poured the fragrant mixture into the wooden molds, smoothing the surface with a wooden spatu. The molds were lined up neatly, and each was filled with the mixture, leaving no air bubbles. Aditya gave it his all as the process required care and attention to detail.

  Once the molds were filled, he covered them with cloth to insute the soap as it cooled and set. The team watched intently.

  As the soap began to solidify, Aditya turned his attention to the final step of polishing. This time, it was the woodcutters' time to shine. They skillfully removed the wooden molds to procure the brick-sized soap.

  The surface was irregur, with some cracks evident. However, Aditya took a dagger and showed Jaya how to cut the soap into regur pieces, the size of a palm, which gleamed under the light.

  With the task accomplished, Aditya took a moment to inspect the final product. He asked Jaya to help him with water as he cleaned his limbs. The feeling was smooth, and the anticipated foam formed with rubbing. Finally, after washing the foam from his hands, Aditya felt a familiar non-sticky sensation that eased his mind. He smelled his hands and was pleased with the pleasant fragrance.

  His satisfaction was evident as he nodded approvingly.

  Jaya asked with hope, "Your Highness, can I take it?"

  Aditya replied sharply, "No! never use anyone's soap. There are extras for that."

  She happily took the new soap and rushed back to her house. The other workers were expectant. He allowed them to pick one for use but reminded them to continue the job.

  Then his gaze fell on the shadow, which was perpendicur, indicating it was the afternoon.

  A realization dawned on him, 'Damn! I am te.'