As Ethan and Anne approached the main checkpoint, the air seemed to thin. The guard, who had been brisk and efficient with the previous leaders, suddenly felt a chill crawl down his spine as Anne presented her pass. It wasn't bronze, silver, or gold. It was a matte black card with a blood-red crest—the mark of a Great House.
Ethan reached into his pocket and produced his own. It was identical in texture, bearing the gilded "R" of Royal.
The guard's hands trembled as he scanned them. His voice caught in his throat before he managed to speak. "M-Matriarch Blackwood... and the Supreme Leader of Royal, Ethan. Welcome, sirs. Please, enter at once!"
The announcement rippled through the courtyard like a shockwave. Even Miss Valentine of Red Bloody Lake, with her golden card, paused and looked back, her eyes wide with genuine shock. In this hierarchy, those with the black cards were the true architects of the nation.
