The realization that underneath his outward show of power he was a helpless creature, nagged constantly at his mind. It was Seero who, in reality, held all power and status. As Seero’s husband, he remained the nobleman next in line to succeed the President of Madra. Without her, he was only the son of a slave who had so far forgotten his origins as to aspire to receive the same respect as was given to the high-born.

Prithusen took to the dulling effect of heady wines to numb his mind. He tried to drown the voice of his conscience in the tinkle of the anklets of dancing girls and prostitutes. Yet he did not attain any peace of mind. He could not forget the reality of his situation. He would sometimes say to himself, ‘This is only self-destruction, the behaviour of a weakling.’ But then, another voice within him would cry, ‘Power! Absolute power! On the advice of my father; with the force of my sword!’

He began to neglect Seero, but continued to behave as the privileged son-in-law of the President of the Republic. When he downed bowl after bowl of strong wine in the palace gatherings, when he ordered that nubile maidens be presented for his enjoyment, he did so merely to distract himself, and as something a man of his position and status was obliged to do. In his heart he remained as indifferent to these things as a Buddhist ascetic aspiring for Nirvana. Just as a bhikshu cares for his body only insofar as it is a means of achieving redemption, in the same way Prithusen looked upon all these physical pleasures as a means of attaining an ulterior objective. Power, and to be the absolute ruler of Madra, that was his only ambition.

In recognition of his services in the war, Prithusen had been granted an estate of ten villages by the Republic. In his own right, he was the commander of five hundred soldiers kept for the defence of Madra. He maintained another one thousand for members of the Council who enjoyed the patronage of his father. His command of this force of fifteen hundred trusted veterans was more satisfying to him than all other pleasures.

The people of Sagal were used to bowing before power and authority. While submitting to the mighty, they felt assured of protection. In the absence of King Milinda, the people had begun to pay their homage to President Mithrodus. Since the President suffered a stroke and became paralytic, the people were deprived of the occasion of offering their obeisances to him. So they began to hail the Pure of Soul, the Defender of the People, the Blessed of the Gods, the Son of the Chairman of the Council, the Son-in-law of the President of the Republic, the Destroyer of the legions of Darva, the all-conquering Commander Prithusen, addressing him as Commander-in-Chief and regarding him as the representative of the power of the state. And Seero felt that she deserved this public adulation more than Prithusen.