Karna answered simply. "During this journey, I married the Naga Princess of the Samudra Naga Clan."
At once, both Duryodhana and Shakuni looked toward one another.
Vidura spoke first.
"I have heard of them," he murmured thoughtfully. "They had a treaty with the Anartha kingdom and reside near Dvarika. The rumors say Nagaraj Varunaksha was said to possess tremendous strength, as strong as Nagaraj Takshak."
Karna's expression did not change.
"He is no more. As per their tradition, I married Nagaraj Varunasha's daughter."
The room fell silent.
The calmness with which Karna spoke those words somehow made them heavier.
After a brief pause, Karna continued politely. "Though I would like to converse further, I apologize for my impatience, Maharaj."
Dhritarashtra immediately replied, "Why not rest in the palace tonight? There is no urgency that requires such haste."
Karna shook his head gently.
"My Queen is not the only one waiting upon the cloud, Maharaj Dhritarashtra," he explained patiently. "If I bring her inside the palace, then naturally, royal customs will require us to remain until tomorrow. I might arrange camps for the Matsya soldiers outside your city walls, but there are seventy thousand cattle above the city at this moment. Keeping them suspended there endlessly is not possible."
Even Vidura inhaled slowly at the sheer scale of what he was hearing.
Seventy thousand.
And before anyone could fully process it, Karna added calmly, "And my mother's blessing will not last forever either."
That sentence alone made the atmosphere even stranger.
Because everyone understood who he meant.
The Goddess of Clouds, Sangya.
Dhritarashtra slowly nodded afterward. "Very well," he said. "I will not trouble you further."
Then he turned his face slightly toward Duryodhana. "Prince Duryodhana will escort you along with a unit of our army toward Kashi."
Duryodhana looked mildly surprised but accepted silently.
Then Dhritarashtra continued, "Also, my daughter, Princess Dushala, will accompany the journey if you do not mind. She is traveling toward Prayag for the pre-swayamvara blessing ritual of our Kuru's ancient tradition. She was after a royal female born after four generations in our clan."
Karna listened quietly before nodding.
"I do not mind, Maharaj," he replied respectfully. "I promise to protect every individual traveling with me toward Kashi. The Princess shall be cared for safely."
Then after a brief pause, he added with practical concern, "However… will the Princess be comfortable traveling amidst such enormous numbers of cattle and horses?"
Dhritarashtra hesitated slightly.
Before he could answer, Shakuni smoothly intervened. "Why not?" he said with a smile. "Everything done for a blessing before marriage naturally requires some inconvenience. A small amount of hardship only strengthens auspiciousness."
Karna studied him briefly before smiling faintly.
"Very well."
Then he stood up from his seat.
"We shall depart as soon as possible," he announced. "Please gather the horses and cattle outside Hastinapura. I will wait there."
With that, Karna took his leave.
The others watched silently as he exited the chamber.
Yet before he could ascend back toward his chariot outside the palace… He encountered Yudhishthira walking through the corridor.
The Crown Prince immediately folded his hands respectfully.
"Maharaj Karna."
Karna returned the greeting calmly.
Yudhishthira's face carried genuine warmth as he spoke.
"I heard of your valor in Dvarika," he said sincerely. "Protecting people from asuras is a deed worthy of great praise."
Karna corrected him immediately. "I did not battle an asuric army there and saved Dvarika, Prince Yudhisthira," he replied. "I only fought Narakasura to rescue Princess Subhadra. Dvarika soldiers protected their people by their own strength."
Yudhishthira smiled softly.
"A life protected is still dharma fulfilled," he answered. "Whether one saves a kingdom or a single person, the value of protection remains the same. A lamp may illuminate only one room, but darkness still retreats before it."
Karna remained silent for a moment before nodding faintly.
Yudhishthira then thanked him again.
"Also, Subhadra is my maternal cousin through blood," he added. "For her safety, our family remains indebted."
Their conversation continued briefly afterward.
Through it, Karna learned that Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva had already been sent toward distant regions and border territories to remove Rakshasa and Asura threats troubling villages under Kuru authority.
Karna listened thoughtfully.
Then, finally, the time for departure came again.
He bid farewell to Yudhishthira and ascended his divine chariot once more.
Soon afterward, the radiant vehicle rose into the skies and returned toward the massive floating cloud waiting outside the city.
When Karna landed upon it, Ratnaprabha immediately moved closer toward him, almost instinctively, her serpent-like eyes briefly scanning him carefully as if making sure nothing had happened during his absence.
"We need to wait a while longer," Karna told her calmly.
"More time?" Ratnaprabha asked quietly.
Karna nodded.
Eventually, three hours passed.
During that time, the soldiers upon the cloud rested and ate while the cattle shifted restlessly across the vast mist-covered surface. The strange floating island in the sky at a lower altitude had already become the greatest topic of discussion among every soldier stationed at the walls of the city.
And finally…
The Kuru procession arrived.
From the outskirts of Hastinapura emerged long columns of soldiers, cavalry units, cattle handlers, and horse escorts. Thousands of powerful Gandharan war horses were brought forward, while additional cattle accompanied them.
Then, under everyone's stunned eyes…
The massive cloud slowly descended toward the earth once more.
The reactions from Hastinapura's soldiers were no different from Matsya's earlier reaction.
Mouths opened.
Weapons lowered.
Eyes widened.
Some soldiers even forgot their discipline entirely while staring upward.
One by one, the horses, cattle, soldiers, and supply carts were guided upward onto the cloud's surface.
Meanwhile, Princess Dushala finally arrived as well.
The moment she stepped onto the floating cloud and saw Karna standing there beneath the open sky, surprise briefly appeared across her delicate face.
But only for a moment.
Because her eyes quickly shifted toward Ratnaprabha.
The Beautiful Naga Princess remained standing very close beside Karna, almost unconsciously attached to him like a young bird remaining beside its sheltering tree. Even amidst so many unfamiliar humans, her fingers lightly held part of Karna's armcloth as though his presence alone grounded her.
The brightness inside Dushala's eyes dimmed slightly after seeing that.
Elsewhere, Duryodhana approached Karna with visible satisfaction.
"Maharaj Karna," he said with a grin, "congratulations on your marriage."
And surprisingly…
He truly seemed happy.
In fact, happier than before.
Because in Duryodhana's mind, one important realization had already formed.
Karna's first three marriages had all happened years ago.
But now…
He had married again.
Which meant one thing clearly.
Karna was not opposed to accepting more wives in the future.
*
By the time the final groups of cattle and horses were properly arranged upon the massive floating cloud, the golden light of the afternoon had already begun turning softer.
The sun was slowly descending westward, painting the skies above Hastinapura in deep shades of orange and crimson while long shadows stretched across the outer plains.
The cloud itself looked almost unreal beneath the evening sky, carrying armies, cattle, horses, supply carts, and warriors like a moving fragment of heaven drifting above the mortal world.
Many people from Hastinapura still remained gathered near the outskirts even now, staring upward in disbelief.
Children pointed excitedly.
Old priests whispered prayers.
Even seasoned Kuru soldiers continued glancing toward the cloud with expressions filled with awe.
And finally…
The departure began.
Karna stood upon the front of the divine cloud beside his chariot while the wind moved through his hair and cloth garments. Ratnaprabha quietly remained close beside him while Duryodhana and Dushala stood nearby observing everything carefully.
Karna slowly closed his eyes once more.
He joined his palms toward the heavens and silently prayed to Goddess Sangya again.
Moments later, the enormous cloud trembled softly beneath everyone's feet.
A deep rumbling echoed from below.
Then slowly…
The entire floating mass rose once more into the evening skies.
Gasps spread below again.
The cloud drifted eastward.