The royal capital had never known a day like this.The sky was gray… and the entire capital stood still.
From the city gate to the massive gates of the palace,the Royal Guard stood in a straight line,their swords reflecting the morning light,their faces firm and unmoving…while behind them, thousands of commoners gathered,awaiting the arrival of the sixteen families who had formed the roots of the kingdom through the ages.
At the palace gates,Gray stood beside an officer of the Royal Guard,both watching the road that would witness one of the heaviest moments in political history.
Behind them… thousands of commoners,shoulders pressed together…tense faces waiting for the arrival of families whose presence only gathered at times of great collapse—or the change of an entire era.
The officer looked at the crowd, then spoke to Gray in a low voice:
"Remember this well…what you will see today are not merely nobles.These… are the roots of the kingdom… stretching back four hundred years."
A powerful rumble emerged from the distant end of the road,then a black carriage appeared, drawn by fully armored horses,each bearing massive armor engraved with the emblem of a crowned black lion.
People whispered:"It's… Vaidor!"Gray swallowed:"What is this aura?"The officer replied:"Military power.Each of them is a soldier before being a noble.Their entire history is war…and the finest knights of the kingdom came from their bloodline."
The duke stepped down from the carriage—Duke Roderick Vaidor.Broad shoulders, a face as hard as stone, a bald head.A murmur spread through the people:"Th-the Duke… Vaidor…!""The Lions of the North…!"
The next carriage was impossibly luxurious;gold gleamed along its sides,and three golden stars stood boldly upon its door.Two merchants standing behind the guards whispered:"The gold has arrived…"The officer said to Gray:"If you wished to buy the capital… the Threestar duchy's carriage would be enough to begin."
The duke descended calmly,plump, with a light beard and blond hair,his gaze steady… like one who knows he does not need a sword to make his voice heard.
Another carriage followed—a carriage like a mass of light.Its golden paint reflected the sun as though it were its source.A golden sun adorned its emblem.A woman from the crowd gasped:"How magnificent…"The officer said:"They need no weapons… the Solaris duchy.Their presence alone is enough.Their wealth makes them a blade without an edge."
A woman in her mid-forties stepped down,her footsteps soft yet steady,drawing behind her an aura of elegance and pride.
Only minutes later,a white carriage with silver lines appeared,bearing a sky-blue falcon emblem on its door.
The officer said:"The Valerian duchy…Authority.A long history of governing major cities.Their heirs dominate royal positions.Highly skilled in diplomacy and protocol."
Another arrived—a silent gray carriage,bearing no decoration… nothing remarkable but a silver shield emblem.
The captain spoke calmly to Gray:"Those of diplomacy do not adorn their carriages.The Elethor duchy."
The duke descended steadily.Gray murmured:"I feel as though his face is frozen—neither smiling nor angry…"
The next carriage bore the emblem of a massive oak tree.A commoner said to his companion:"Our bread… our vegetables… our harvests—all thanks to this family."
Gray was surprised when the duke descended,his face simple, cheerful, and seemingly ordinary.Gray said:"Why does he seem so… ordinary compared to those before him?"The officer replied:"The Rafelorn duchy.A family that never competed for power… wealth… or politics.Their dukes devoted themselves to farmland, finding joy and integrity there.It is said that some of their dukes were seen plowing the land—not out of financial hardship,but purely for enjoyment.They possess vast lands, green fields, and farms."
Emblem: A black raven above an inverted crescent.
A carriage dark as night approached…bearing the black raven emblem.Gray felt a chill:"No… I don't like their presence."The captain replied:"No one does.The Shadowmere duchy.A lineage that inherited the blood of spies and assassins."
Emblem: An astral circle with a six-pointed star.
A sky-blue carriage advanced lightly,its door marked by an astral circle with a hexagram.The captain said:"The Astrian duchy.Not warriors…I mean, warriors—but through knowledge."
The next carriage arrived, black with thin red lines…its horses moving slightly faster,bearing the emblem of a red dragon's head on both armor and carriage.The captain said:"If you see a war begin suddenly…ask about the Phoenixar duchy.Impulsiveness, courage,and military power no less dangerous than Vaidor."
Gray swallowed unconsciously:"So these are the ones wars are ignited by."
The following carriage—a red one,bearing the emblem of a phoenix glowing like a blazing flame.The officer said:"Their weapons are masterfully crafted, focused on equipment… not like Vaidor or Drakonis.Their power is less than Vaidor and Drakonis, but… they do not die easily.The Phoenixar duchy."
A blue carriage followed,its door bearing the emblem of a grand maritime ship.The officer said:"They command the sea.The Ordraft duchy.You could say the kingdom's naval defense and trade routes lie beneath them."
A heavy carriage arrived,as if carved from mountain stone.The captain said:"Without this family…the Stonehedge duchy…the palace would have no walls,and the cities no fortresses."
Another carriage arrived—slightly luxurious, but nothing remarkable.A white lotus emblem…An elderly woman descended in a white dress, accompanied by a young girl and a maid.Gray whispered in surprise:"Why do I see nothing special…?"The officer replied:"What is special… is the family itself.The Sirinthia duchy.Neither the richest nor the strongest, but the oldest in noble lineage.Their bloodline has passed through half the royal court…"
Finally, arriving in a heavy silence unlike any before—a carriage bearing the emblem of a red flower with five petals.A beautiful carriage…but the faces were clouded.Whispers spread among the crowd:"The flower… the Milflor duchy… looks wilted today."The officer said softly:"The stars of high society…"Gray whispered:"Today, they are distinguished only by… their crime."
Emblem: An ivy branch wrapped around a dagger.
The officer said:"The Veridian duchy."
Emblem: A glowing crystal with an eye at its center.
An elegant carriage,but tense faces,and the eye painted on the doorseemed to watch itself rather than those before it.The captain said:"They were once the symbol of ancient wisdom…"Gray watched in silence.
When the last of the families entered the palace courtyard,the commoners exhaled as one—the most dangerous procession in Orvalis's history had ended.
As for Gray…he stood staring at the closed palace gates,thinking to himself:
"What an overwhelming aura passed through today…if their mere arrival carried such weight…then what will happen inside the court?"