Arthur finally stepped into the throne room.

The vast hall opened up before him, lined with towering marble pillars inlaid with gold and glowing mana-crystals. A crimson carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the raised dais, where an ornate throne of white stone and gold sat beneath a massive banner bearing the Ashford crest.

Seated upon that throne was Eliana Cael Ashford, Queen of the Ashford Empire.

Even seated, her presence filled the hall. Her magenta hair and violet eyes seemed sharper here, framed by a crown that gleamed under the chandelier light. A quiet, absolute authority radiated from her, like a blade sheathed but ready—calm, but with a weight that made people instinctively want to bow.

Beside the throne stood two of her bodyguards.

They were fully armored from head to toe, silver-and-black plate glinting under the light. Their visors hid their faces, but the suffocating pressure coming from them was proof enough of their strength. Standing too close felt like standing next to a pair of drawn swords.

Most of the other seats along the sides were empty.

Only four were occupied.

On one side sat Evangeline, legs crossed, chin propped lightly on her hand. When she spotted Arthur entering, she winked at him and silently mouthed, "Thank you."

A small smile formed on Arthur’s face.

On the other side, he saw Ravina Crown, Elizabeth’s mother, sitting with composed grace. Her platinum-blond hair was styled perfectly, and there was a hint of amusement in her brown eyes as her gaze landed on Arthur. She offered him a gentle smile.

Next to her sat Yuichi Takahashi, whom Arthur had recently met. Yuichi met Arthur’s eyes and gave a simple, acknowledging nod.

Farther along, on the southern side, sat Joan Cael Ashford, the First Prince.

He glared daggers at Arthur the moment their eyes met and clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly still offended.

Arthur walked down the carpet until he stood before Queen Eliana. He bowed his head slightly.

"I greet the Queen," he said. "The sun of the Ashford Empire."

One of Eliana’s guards immediately stepped forward, voice ringing out.

"Commoner," the guard barked. "Bow your head properly and pay proper respect to your Queen."

Arthur kept his head lowered just a fraction more.

"Apologies, Your Majesty," he said calmly. "There is an injury in my right leg, so I am not able to pay proper respects."

"INSOLENT BUFFOON—" the guard began.

"It’s alright."

Eliana’s voice cut cleanly through, firm and authoritative.

The guard froze, then bowed his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He returned to his place beside the throne without another word.

A small smile touched Eliana’s lips as she watched Arthur.

’Now there is no doubt in my mind,’ she thought. ’He really is Sylvia’s son. I could never mistake those red eyes and that degiant attitude.’

Her gaze slid toward Evangeline.

’But did that daughter of mine truly bring him into her service,’ she wondered, ’or is this some ploy from the Imperius family itself? I’ll have to look into it further.’

She looked back at Arthur.

"What is your name, young man?" she asked.

"My name is Arthur Celestian, Your Majesty," he replied.

Eliana nodded lightly.

"Let me ask you one question," she said. "A moment ago, I received a message from my friend Sylvia, saying they were leaving due to some important matter. Do you know anything about it?"

The room went still.

Everyone was surprised the Queen was asking something like that... from Arthur.

Arthur shook his head.

"Why would I know anything about powerful people like them?" he said.

Eliana chuckled softly.

"Right," she said. "Why would you know something about them?"

Before anyone could dwell on that, the doors to the throne room opened again.

Two more figures entered—Jasmine and Aiden.

"Hey are you deaf?!" Jasmine shouted the moment she saw Arthur. "Don’t you understand the meaning of the word ’stop’?"

Every gaze in the hall turned toward her at once.

Jasmine’s face turned bright red as she realized where she was and how loud she had just been.

Eliana’s calm voice broke the silence.

"Jasmine," she said, looking at her eldest daughter. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing, Your Majesty," Jasmine replied quickly, forcing her expression into something neutral. "I just had a few questions for the commoner."

Her eyes flicked to Arthur, who was very clearly trying—and failing—not to laugh.

Jasmine’s gaze turned even colder.

"But that can wait," she said.

She bowed her head respectfully to Eliana, then moved to take the empty seat beside Joan.

Aiden stepped forward, bowed to the Queen, and then went to stand behind Evangeline, taking his position at her side as her knight.

Eliana leaned back slightly on the throne, studying Arthur.

"So, Arthur," she said, "let me ask you something. You would know."

Her gaze shifted toward Ravina and Yuichi.

"You know these two, don’t you?"

Arthur followed her gaze, then smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "Both of them are my benefactors. They helped me when I was struggling financially."

Eliana nodded slowly.

"Both of them come from some of the most renowned and wealthy families in the world," she said. "And do you know what happened next?"

Arthur tilted his head.

"Sorry," he replied. "I’m not good at guessing."

Eliana’s lips curved.

"Both of them offered major deals to the Ashford Empire," she said, her voice echoing faintly through the hall. "Deals regarding the resources found in the Night Sanctuary—and the rights to mine them."

She glanced around at the few people present.

"They offered massive wealth and advanced technology," she continued, "to be shared equally between all three parties." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Evangeline’s achievements, Yuichi’s and Ravina’s presence—everything clicked neatly into place for the nobles listening.

"Needless to say," Eliana went on, "these agreements will help the Ashford Empire immensely. Our economy is in a crunch, and we could be at war with our neighbor, the Velmora Kingdom, at any time."

Images flickered through Arthur’s mind as she spoke.

The Velmora Kingdom—one of the three major and most powerful countries in the world. Their northern borders touched the Ashford Empire’s, and in the past, many wars had broken out between the two over territory and resources.

"A year ago," Eliana said, "a vast mana stone mine was discovered in the Sahara Mountains, right at the center of our shared northern border. Now both countries are fighting for control.

Currently, about seventy percent of the mine was occupied by Velmora, and only thirty percent by the Ashford Empire. On paper, there was no official war... but that was only because of one factor."

"The only reason a full war hasn’t broken out yet," Eliana said, "is because the Imperius family intervened, urging both sides to settle the matter peacefully."

"The Imperius family had heavily invested in both countries. A war between them would mean enormous losses for them too. So peace, for now, was held by a single fraying thread.

Tension along the northern border was at its peak. One misstep and everything would explode. "

"And at a time like this," Eliana said, "Evangeline secured the Night Sanctuary by defeating the vampires and bringing back valuable resources."