Chapter 44 (2 of 2) The Eternal Empire. (Patreon)

“Emperor Rodrigue Vilentasar Saphirus Eterial has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne. Kneel Before the Emperor of the Eternal Empire!”

As soon as the announcement was made, everyone did so, their eyes looking at the ground respectfully. The Emperor and Empress sat down in their thrones, and a wave of mana washed over everyone within the room. The gems within the crowns and thrones increased the intensity of their glow, elemental mana streaming from them. Then, the glow faded, and the Emperor hit the base of his sceptre against the platform of the throne, letting it make a loud thud.

“You may all rise and be seated,” he stated with authority, his voice low and commanding, and the magic of the throne allowing everyone to hear him.

Everyone stopped kneeling and returned to their seats. Nobody dared to speak, waiting for the Emperor to begin his speech. The doorkeeper in a unique uniform who had announced the Emperor’s entrance walked in front of the throne to bow to the Emperor, then turned around to address the hall.

“Emperor Rodrigue Vilentasar Saphirus Eterial will now begin his opening statement of the Eternal Empire’s End-of-Year Banquet,” the man announced, revealing himself to be the Master of Ceremonies for this event. He stepped to the side, off the centre of the red carpet.

The Emperor stood up, hitting his sceptre base against the platform again. “Today marks the beginning of the 101,073rd End-of-year Banquet after the Mystical Realm joined the Tower,” he announced loudly. “And marks our 201,073 End-of-year Banquet since the establishment of the Empire. It is a matter of celebration that the Empire has had yet another successful year.”

The Emperor gestured to the assembled nobles with his free hand. “There are many things I could say, but there are also many things I won’t. After all, you have all heard me say this at every single Banquet without fail for the past 927 years, have you not? Surely you must have tired from all this, as I certainly have,” he said with a hint of a wry tone in his voice. His audience of nobles smiled at his joke, well familiar with the manner of the Emperor.

But then he continued to say something else, his tone still level and authoritative. “Perhaps when the successive Emperor takes up their position you may all enjoy having a renewal of the script recited each year.”

They were still all staying silent, which allowed them to hear the Emperor’s words very clearly. Quite a few members of the audience struggled to hide their amused coughs, and many eyes sneakily glanced at the green and gold-plated Templar sitting on his elaborate chair. The Templar showed no outward reaction, although the Paladins standing behind him didn’t seem so unfazed. The Emperor continued speaking.

“But I must come back to the main reason for my speech,” he said. “As the Emperor of the mighty and ancient Eternal Empire, the ruling power of the Mystical Realm, I welcome you all, you who have demonstrated your loyalty and commitment to the Empire by being here today, and welcome those who have come to bring their good wishes from the other realms as well. On behalf of the Empire, I thank you for your presence and intentions to enjoy celebrating this grand event with us.”

With that, he sat down. There were a few murmurs of assent and calm nods from the lesser members of the realm delegate entourages standing off to the sides, as the lead representatives would be called up soon. The Master of the Ceremonies stepped back onto the red carpet.

“To give greetings to the Emperor of the Empire, may the realm representatives of the four realms enter the hall in the order of the realms, as has been a tradition for 101,073 years.”

The man stepped to the side once more. A door below the balcony Lucille had been introduced from opened up loudly, allowing 30-ish people to walk forward, individuals from the royal beast bloodlines, their partial beast forms activated to show furred, scaled, and feathered limbs, tails, or ears. Their powerful mana swam about in auras of different strong colours, restrained tightly around them to prevent their bestial presence from pressuring the nobility of the hall.

A young male individual in front, with two large white scaly wings, scales on the back of his hands and cheeks, and two curved horns that extended over the back of his white-haired head came forward to stand on the red carpet in front of the throne and bowed, but didn’t kneel.

“On behalf of the Sovereign beast race and all magical beasts I bring greetings and our wishes for the Empire’s continued prosperity,” the man stated simply, short, and to the point as most magical beasts normally were.

The Emperor nodded and gestured with a hand for the man to straighten up. “I accept the dragon race and the bloodlines of the Beast Realm’s wishes and greetings,” he replied. Then he held his chin. “I must confess, however, I do not recall having met you before, lead representative of the Beast Realm.”

The dragon in human form smiled. “My name is Airras, the 3rd son of Wiferal, the Dragon King of Wind.”

“Then the Empire is honoured to have a pure bloodline member of one of the five most powerful dragon clans here with us for this event,” the Emperor said. “I look forward to meeting the rest of the Beast Realm’s representatives during the banquet.”

Airras nodded and understood that was their cue to leave. The beasts all bowed again and walked off to take up their seats. As soon as they had done so, eight people walked through the door below the balcony. The four in front let their aura freely wash over all the nobles, the rough energy grating at the minds of all present.

In the lead was an unbelievably attractive individual who looked like a young man with dark eyes and long dark brown hair, coiling black demonic script covering any exposed part of his body. Behind him were three others, all equally attractive. A female with wavy black hair and orange-red eyes glowing dimly like smouldering embers. A male with strange grey hair that flickered and switched between black, dark grey, light grey and white at varying intervals, the air distorting strangely around him as dark and light mana danced upon his skin. A third male with two massive red-black draconic wings behind him and a ferocious rampant aura being released, two large curled horns on his head. There were four others with weaker auras behind them, who showed no emotion and only followed closely behind the people in front, their auras restrained.

“The four Demon Duchies of al’Abyssus, Nefas Infernalis, Lux-Tenebrae Khaoticus and Draco Bestia send their regards,” the lead demon said with a wide smirk. None of them bowed.

All the surrounding nobles scowled at the demon’s attitude and blatantly disrespectful behaviour, but the Emperor just narrowed his eyes. Then, without a sound, a ripple of the air moved out from him and over the demons, an overbearing presence descending upon them. They strained against the pressure as it forced them to their knees.

“You attempt to withstand my aura every year, demon, yet you never succeed,” the man with sapphire eyes stated with a frown.

A feral grin appeared on the face of the leading Abyssal demon, blood dripping from his clenched hands, squeezed tight enough that his fingernails had dug into flesh.

“Only an individual who has proven their strength is worthy of having personages of the great Archdemon lineages bow before them,” the demon replied, still trying to stand up against the weight pressing down on him.

The Emperor seemed to let out a slight sigh as he snapped his fingers, the pressure being released from them. “Do not allow yourself or your fellows to begin trouble at my banquet, demon Dovatocus al’Abyssus, or you may all find your astral soul shards very greatly reduced in power by the time they return to your main bodies.”

Dovatocus just smirked as he stood up, the four leading demons withdrawing their demonic aura. “Don’t trouble yourself in worrying over that, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t dare create or allow an upset when our time to play will arrive in only a few years. It would spoil the fun.” The demon brushed off any dust from his clothing with his already-healed hands and gestured to the other demons, so they all followed him off the carpet to their designated position.

Then, with uncanny silence, the next group of representatives came in. Their steps left only silence as they crossed the carpet, they walked in perfect timing to each other, ten individuals equally split between male and female with dark hair and dark eyes, and sickly appearances, dressed in black and silver-adorned military uniform. No sign of any aura was released from them, but while they seemed human in looks, the strange silence of their movements and unnerving presence indicated they were not what they appeared. The male at the front came forward and bowed to the Emperor, while the males and females behind him kneeled all single file.

The dark-haired male gave an Empire salute, one clenched hand on his chest. “Vsakoxuth, 1st Sector Vigil of Tartarus,” he introduced. “On behalf of my race and behalf of the entire realm of Tartarus, I bring our greetings and congratulations to the Empire for the progress it has made this past year.”

“I accept and thank you for your words towards the Empire,” the Emperor stated. “And has your… lord found it in himself to comment on the Empire’s success?” he continued seriously. The nobles paid close attention to the Tartarus Realm representative’s words.

Vsakoxuth shook his head calmly. “He has shown no such intentions for us to relay anything, as has been the case for the past 101 millennia. We can only surmise he is content with the progression of the Empire, which we have assumed since his first and only message.”

“Yes, as we assume as well,” the Emperor replied, moving on. “Then I am glad to have all of your realm’s representatives here with us today. It is infrequently that the Empire gets to entertain members of the death race and ones with such high status as yourselves.”

Vsakoxuth smiled and nodded, and then the people behind him stood up. They followed him off the red carpet.

The door below the balcony opened a final time to let ten individuals in colourful oriental robes walk out. Seven men and three women followed behind a beautiful woman arrayed in pale green clothes. Appearing in her early thirties, her dark hair was half tied up into a bun, held in place by a green jade hairpiece in the shape of a blossoming lotus, with small pink stones and gold embellishments providing additional detail to it.

Her layered pale green dress shimmered with flickers of colour, with each semi-translucent layer embroidered with the pattern of a different kind of plant, all of them flowering in shades of pink. The dress trailed behind her along the ground, and she wore a transparent white mantle across her shoulders, unusual characters that seemed to shift every few seconds painted down the mantle.

The other people were walking in two rows behind her. Besides one woman in green robes walking directly behind the woman in front, the rest of them walked in pairs, matching Sect robes of the same colour for each pair. Directly below the two women in front was a pair of men, one older one with silver hair and a younger one with brilliant gold hair, dressed in exquisite robes of purple and white colouration. Behind them was another pair of men, one older and another younger with scarlet red hair. Their robes were a vibrant red, burning itself into the eyes of all who saw them.

The third pair were of a white-haired man and young woman, both of them wearing clothes of white, blue and in some places, black. The bearded old man had eyes of deep blue. The final pair were once again a pair of men, dressed in searingly bright yellow and light grey robes, with them both having statures that rose above the rest of their entourage.

With a gentle smile on her face, the elegant woman in the very front stepped forward and gave a bow, hands clasped together. “As has been a tradition instituted since the Five Heavenly Sects were first invited to this event, we have taken our turns to represent our realm. I, Leng Xiuying, have come as the lead representative of the Heavenly Sects for this event.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly. Lucille knew he probably wasn’t surprised, however. “I wasn’t expecting you to come in person, Sect Leader Leng.”

Sect Leader Leng’s smile widened as she straightened up. “It has been a while since one of us Sect Leaders have come to the Empire’s End-of-Year Banquet, yes. I hope my presence here does not cause you issues?”

He shook his head with a faint smile. “Not at all. Please, enjoy the banquet to your heart’s content.”

She nodded. “Then let us represent our Sects in relaying their messages.” She stepped forward and bowed again. “The 5th Heavenly Sect, the Profound Emergent Jade Lotus Sect, offers the Empire our highest congratulations and hopes your continued reign is as prosperous as the Empire’s growth this year. As do I personally, the Sect Leader of the Profound Emergent Jade Lotus Sect.”

Then she stepped to the side and gestured with a hand for the next people to step forward. Rather than the two men dressed in white and purple, it was the two men at the very back of the row, dressed in yellow and grey, who came forward. They bowed before the Emperor, and the older man stepped forward.

“The 4th Heavenly Sect, the Earthly Immensity Impartation Sect, congratulates the Empire for another successful year while under the rule of Emperor Rodrigue Vilentasar Saphirus Eterial. Sect Leader Yue Qiqiang wishes for the fortune of the Emperor and Empire for the coming years as well.”

The two yellow-robed men stepped to the side. The man and woman dressed in white, blue, and black came forward, then bowed. The older white-haired man straightened up.

“The Vast Longevity Flowing Glacier Sect, the 3rd Heavenly Sect, likewise congratulates the Empire on its prosperity this year and has divined that the future of the Empire under its current Emperor will remain as or have even greater prosperity. Sect Leader Zhang Bojing gives you his regards on behalf of his Sect, an ally of the mighty Eternal Empire.”

The two white and blue-robed Sect members also stepped to the side, making way for the two men in vibrant red robes who came forward and then bowed. They also gave the Emperor their Sect’s messages, the older man standing up straight to announce the message.

“The 2nd Heavenly Sect of the Supreme Nine Hells Descension Sect commends the Eternal Empire on their expansion into the lesser planes this year, vanquishing the inferior nations with their immense might. Sect Leader Diao Xiaotong gives the Empire his wishes for its successful military conquests to continue.”

Then, finally, after those two had stepped aside, the two men dressed in white and vivid purple came forward, both bowing and then the older man with silver hair straightened up to announce the final message.

“And the 1st Heavenly Sect, the Worldly Origin Extinction Sword Sect, applauds all the successes mentioned before, and all the successes the Empire is bound to make in the future, as is only right of an ally of the Five Heavenly Sects,” the man announced grandly. “Sect Leader Wu Weisheng of the Worldly Origin Extinction Sword Sect asks that the relationship between the Five Heavenly Sects and the Eternal Empire stays as firm and steady as always with Emperor Rodrigue Vilentasar Saphirus Eterial continued honoured rule over the Eternal Empire.”

With that final statement, they rearranged themselves into the order they entered the room, standing behind Leng Xiuying who stood in front of the Emperor again. She spoke, “Our words are not without substance, of course. The Heavenly Sects look forward to presenting you with gifts from our realm during this banquet.”

The Emperor nodded. “And I look forward to seeing what your realm will show me this year. I give my thanks to your Sects for these words you have all said.”

With a calm smile, Sect Leader Xiuying bowed again, then walked off the side of the red carpet to find the section reserved for the Heavenly Realm delegates. Then the Master of Ceremonies walked down the red carpet to stand in front of the door below the balcony.

The Emperor gave a slight nod, so the Master bowed, then straightened up and took a breath.

“As has been a tradition since the first of their conception, the Seven Duchies of the Aeternus plane must travel directly from their Duchies to the Imperial Capital and march around Imperialius Aeternia to demonstrate the might of the Empire,” he announced loudly, the hall silent around him in waiting. “It is now time for them to finish their march, beginning the conclusion of this ceremony.”

Trumpets sounded again before the Master of Ceremonies revealed his next words. “Let the first of the Eternal Duchies enter the Hall of the Eternal Throne, beginning the completion of the grand march of the Seven Duchies!”

This was one of the most important parts of the banquet. Lucy hadn’t seen all of the Sovereign Dukes before, only three of them, from the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Eternal Duchies. Lucille and the rest of the nobles paid very close attention as two large side doors of the hall opened up, revealing darkness beyond. Then, ten people on either side of the hall marched out of the doorways, their auras oppressive and turbulent, leaving the sensation of a metallic tang on the tongues of those within the hall as the energy rolled over them.

The 20 armoured men turned to form two lines and walked down the scarlet carpet to kneel before the Emperor. Then the door the realm representatives entered through opened.

"Duke Deimos Antaris Haevaph of the Sky Razing Duchy of Haevaph, the 1st Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

With silver and gold armour, and the symbol of a white thunderbolt and storm engraved on his chestplate, the intimidating man in his mid-50s marched down the carpet, an immense, glowing greatsword on his back. His wild gold hair that framed his solemn face was accompanied by a beard, and his grey eyes flashed with bright light every few seconds, stormy clouds circling within his irises. His searingly bright aura crackled and thundered with flashes of lightning and electric energies, sending shivers down the spines of those he walked past as the hair lifted from their skin. He walked between the two rows of knights and planted his luminous greatsword on the ground in front of him, then kneeled, bowing his head.

“I, Deimos Antaris Haevaph, bow to the Emperor of the Eternal Empire,” he stated loudly.

The Emperor nodded, and the armoured men dispersed to stand on the sidelines while the Duke withdrew his aura. The sound of footsteps coming from the two side doors was heard again. This time, knights armoured in purple and grey with designs of stars on their armour streamed into the hall and kneeled before the Emperor.

"Duke Ladeleus Exeor Medolin of the Star Fall Astrum Duchy of Medolin, the 2nd Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

Out of the end door came a man in his late thirties, dressed in long robes of pale purple and dark grey. On his chest was a brooch depicting a nine-pointed star, indicating his status as a 9th circle wizard. He had no beard and his wavy dark hair reached his shoulders, with his eyes a brilliant silver-blue. Embroidered on the back of his robe were a twelve-pointed star and two crescent moons, the robe decorated by small stars and moons elsewhere. His elemental manifestation summoned small stars of silver light to orbit around him, his presence emanating a palpable sensation of mystery and awe. His staff was solid silver and likewise shaped in the form of a twelve-pointed star at its end.

He came forward and planted the staff in front of him then kneeled next to the Duke of Haevaph, bowing his head as well.

“I, Ladeleus Exeor Medolin, bow to the Emperor of the Eternal Empire, may the stars forever align in a way favourable for him.”

With another nod from the Emperor making him withdraw his aura, the knights moved to the sides of the carpet, leaving only the two Dukes kneeling. A third time the sounds of footsteps echoed from the side doors, and the lights in the hall seemed to flicker as a dark and malicious aura descended upon the room. 20 armoured knights in heavy dark plate armour marched into the hall and knelt behind the two Dukes. A heavily built figure appeared in the doorway beneath the balcony.

"Duke Morberos Ragnis Genest of the Ever-Present Shadow Duchy of Genest, the 3rd Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

The sensation of the dark aura increased tenfold as the man with wavy black hair who appeared in his early 40s stepped into the hall, an arrogant smirk on his face. Fully plated in black heavy armour with an even darker howling wolf engraved on the front, he stood taller than the Duke of Medolin was when standing and gripped a massive war axe in one hand. What looked like a black tattoo of a wolf was on the side of his neck, and his eyes were dark blue. A twisted scar cut across his face from the right of his forehead down to his jaw on the left. He slammed the end of his Waraxe into the ground with a thud and kneeled, the smirk still on his face as he bowed his head to the Emperor.

“I, Morberos Ragnis Genest, bow to the ruler of the mighty Eternal Empire, Emperor Rodrigue Vilentasar Saphirus Eterial, my sovereign and lord.”

The man had gone off script, making the other nobles watch the Duke closely, but the Emperor just nodded, and the dark knights stood to the side like the rest of the knights while the dark aura retreated. This time, a wave of heat seemed to fall upon the room as a fiery glow appeared on either side of the hall. 20 crimson knights marched out to kneel before the Emperor, their armours glowing with orange light.

"Duke Celadion Lumenor Solarmane of the Allblaze Duchy of Solarmane, the 4th Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

With a cold and aloof gaze, the man with a mane of luminous red and orange streaked hair marched into the throne room, wearing the same scarlet armour as his knights. He looked to be in his late 50s, and a large spear was held in his hand. Engraved on the front of his chestplate was the symbol of a flaming sword, glowing with the same orange light as his eyes. The heat increased as he stepped past, the temperature warping the air around him that flickered with the embers and sparks of his fiery aura. He kneeled next to Duke Genest.

“I, Celadion Lumenor Solarmane, the ruler of the Allblaze Eternal Duchy of the Aeternus plane, bow my head to the Eternal Empire’s Emperor,” he stated indifferently.

Many nobles in the audience scowled when they heard the Duke emphasizing how he was a ruler in his own right. The Emperor narrowed his eyes but eventually gave a nod. The scarlet armoured men moved to the sides as the heat dispersed. Armoured footsteps sounded again and this time, a sharp and cold aura, like the sensation of a metal blade, released itself through the room. Twenty knights releasing the sharp aura marched from their respective doorways and kneeled before the Emperor. Their armour appeared to be a light-coloured metallic grey, like that of polished steel.

"Duke Feidhlim Skallagrim Isærnelghen of the Steelheart Duchy of Isærnelghen, the 5th Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

A man in his mid-30s with steel-grey hair and eyes and a stern expression marched into the hall with purpose, a sheathed longsword belted to his waist. A symbol of a silver bleeding heart shone on his chestplate, his silvery armour lightweight compared to that of the other armoured Dukes. His movements were rigid and militant as he saluted, drew his sword, planted it on the ground and knelt next to the other Dukes, forming a row of five.

“Feidhlim Skallagrim Isærnelghen of the Steelheart Duchy bows his head to the Emperor of the Eternal Empire,” he said, his words curt and without excess.

The Emperor nodded to allow the knights behind him to position themselves on either side of the carpet with the others, the Duke withdrawing his aura like the sheathing of a weapon. 100 knights now bordered the scarlet carpet leading up to the throne.

Then, a dreadful, overbearing presence rolled out over the room, the glowing lamps fizzling and crackling in response to the aura. A sensation of doom and imminent destruction swam about the hall, laced with the red hue of thick killing intent. 20 more knights wearing dark grey, brown, and bronze armour marched in sync to kneel behind the five Dukes. Their auras flickered through varying shades of brown, red, grey and slivers of bronze. The symbol on their chestplates was a red-bronze and grey flame.

"Duke Harpax Dorripan Extermina of the Havoc-Reaver Duchy of Extermina, the 6th Eternal Duchy, has Emtered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

With a vicious grin on his face covered in scars of battle, the heavily built man marched into the grand hall, his arms from the elbows down covered in heavy dark-iron gauntlets, which were splattered by fresh scarlet blood, dripping from the metal armaments. Wearing heavy plate armour from the neck down, he had unruly dark-brown hair accompanied by reddish-brown eyes, which perhaps might have been only brown if not for the thick killing intent emitted by him causing his irises to gain a red hue. Appearing in his mid-30s, he slammed his two armoured fists together with a clang and then knelt with his ferocious grin still on his face. His bloodied gauntlets dyed the carpet a darker red.

“I, Harpax Dorripan Extermina, bow my head before the Emperor of the Eternal Empire, may his glorious battle prowess as a warrior never be forgotten!”

But the Emperor only showed anger at his statement. “Harpax Extermina, withdraw your aura!” the Emperor commanded harshly.

The man smirked but did as asked, letting many in their seats release sighs of relief. The Emperor frowned at him. “Extermina. What made you dishonour yourself by participating in violence just before you entered this room to represent your Duchy?”

The bloodthirsty grin returned to the man as he replied, “I don’t believe I dishonoured myself, Your Majesty. I caught a member of the Royal Guard attempting to steal from the Royal Treasury just a few minutes before I was due to enter.”

The nobles in the hall let out gasps of shock, which only made the grin of the Duke widen.

“As is only right by someone of my status, I executed him on the spot,” he said, followed by a short bark of laughter. “A Royal Guard should not dare to touch the possessions of his only lord, the Emperor of the Eternal Empire.”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, looking stern. “Duke Harpax Extermina,” he stated shortly. “Do not be mistaken that I would accept this as adequate justification for your actions in disrupting the opening ceremony of the banquet. You will be called to explain your behaviour to me in more depth at a later date.”

Duke Extermina shrugged, looking relaxed and not worried in the slightest. The other Dukes had varying reactions, from indifference or mild curiosity, all the way to anger.

The Emperor sighed and waved a hand. “Nonetheless, we have stalled this ceremony for too long. Our last Sovereign Duke and only Archduke have been made to wait, and we cannot let that continue. Let the knights of the Aethereal Duchy enter the Hall of the Eternal Throne,” the Emperor commanded.

At his words, the knights of the 6th Duchy stood on the sidelines, and the march of more footsteps echoed into the hall. Lines of knights armoured in light blue armour marched into the hall, their armaments letting off soft light. A white circle of runes was engraved on their chestplates and embroidered on their flowing blue cloaks. Their sky-blue auras were rigid and unified, almost giving off the sensation of being solid, yet they were perfectly translucent. Many nobles watched the knights curiously, as the 7th Eternal Duchy was much more reserved and let less information flow out of their borders compared to the other Duchies.

"Archduke Stolas Septamere Eterial of the Aethereal Duchy of Septamere, the 7th Eternal Duchy, has Entered the Hall of the Eternal Throne!"

And this was when Lucille paid very close attention to the person who would exit the door at the other end of the royal carpet. She had never seen the Archduke before, and she was supposed to be meeting him in a few days, so she looked to see who would exit and…

She stared as the man with long white hair and sky-blue eyes came forward. Appearing in his mid-20s, he wore a light blue and silver imperial uniform in the style only worn by the royal family.

What is with that hair colour?! It’s like someone found a way to bleach reality to even the smallest atom so no colour is left at all and what’s left is the brightest white the System limbo can summon! I swear it looks like it glows. That’s weird. Aether’s colour is light blue, not white, so how did he end up with that hair?

Also…

She frowned slightly and put a hand to a temple.

I… feel like I’ve seen him before, but… no, I’m certain I’ve never met him, so… what is this the reason for… feeling like this?

Lucille took another glance at the man who knelt in front of the Emperor.

In fact… he looks like an exact replica of that… that portrait I saw in…

She put another hand to her other temple and rubbed them both, feeling a headache beginning to emerge.

But, but… no! That portrait was supposed to be a picture of… of-f him, not of-

Her thoughts cut out as she winced, the headache increasing in intensity for a split second. But something was off.

Wait… why am I feeling a headache? I haven’t used my soul for a while, so it’s not unstable enough to cause a headache. That shouldn’t be happening. I shouldn’t be able to feel a headache, because I can tell there’s nothing physically wrong with my body using my spiritual perception.

The headache’s even gone now like I never had one at all. But what instigated the feeling of a headache in the first-

She paused to stare at her hand as she removed it from her temple, feeling like she was missing a very, very important idea or detail of some sort.

What was I… thinking… before this…?

“Lucy?” she heard Vincent whisper behind her, leaning closer with a questioning look on his face.

I… I’ll check my soul later. For now, I have to watch the rest of the ceremony.

“It’s nothing,” she whispered back to him.

“I, Stolas Septamere Eterial, bow before the mighty Eternal Empire’s Emperor, the ruler of the most powerful nation in the Mystical Realm,” the Archduke said with a calm smile on his face.

For some reason, that expression on his face gave Lucille an intense sensation of incongruity, although she had no idea why.

“All seven of my Dukes have assembled themselves before me once more,” the Emperor stated, rising from his throne. Then he looked at the Archduke. “Duke Extermina owes you an apology for the delay, Archduke Septamere. It seems he caught a member of the Royal Guard attempting to steal from the Royal Treasury, and thought it appropriate to enter the Hall of the Eternal Throne with fresh blood still dripping from his fists.”

Duke Extermina glanced sideways at the white-haired man, watching him carefully, but then scowled as the Archduke didn’t even bother to look at him, replying to the Emperor with his calm smile still present.

“The delay matters not. All that matters is that the seven sovereign Dukes of the Aeternus plane have finally gathered in the Palace of Nine Pillars, so the entertaining part of this event, the banquet, may commence,” he stated smoothly.

The Emperor let out a laugh. “A fine answer, and a far better one than what Duke Extermina tried to excuse himself with.”

Duke Extermina’s expression turned dark, while the other Dukes showed different reactions to this show of favouritism. Duke Genest watched the show the narrowed eyes, while Duke Haevaph and Duke Isærnelghen ignored them. The Emperor gestured to the kneeling Dukes.

“The mighty Eternal Duchies of the Aeternus plane have protected the Empire for millennia, no matter their number. As the Emperor of the Eternal Empire, I thank the Eternal Duchies for this and their future protection and support.” He spread his arms. “Dukes, you may all rise, and take up your seats as the right and left hands of the Empire.”

All the Dukes bowed their heads and stood up, then saluted. After that, they walked over to their sections, their knights following them, and stood directly on either side of the throne. The Archduke and Duke Haevaph stood closest to the Emperor, followed by the others, with four Dukes on one side and three on the other. But the rows weren’t uneven, because the fourth spot was filled by Marquess Ashthrope.

The Master of Ceremonies stepped onto the carpet and faced the hall. “It is now time to hear the chosen member of the royal family recite the founding words of the Empire. Please stand.”

Lucille and the rest did so, as she internally shelved her troubled thoughts and prepared for the last few hours of the ceremony. She could analyse her thoughts another day, as she still had a few days before she had to meet the Archduke, with the entitlement from the Emperor being her priority right now. She needed to be given her Title of Honorary Count.

But she couldn’t help but glance at the blue-eyed man standing near the Emperor’s throne, feeling deeply uncomfortable about something.