Surrounded and escorted by ministers, the group gradually walked into the entrance of the massive stone castle.
Azure lights illuminated the originally dark corridor, yet they could not dispel its cold and lonely feeling.
Whether by sight or by sensation, this gigantic stone castle, sprawled across the earth, gave people a sense of dignity and solemn majesty.
The towering stone pillars even extended deep underground, forming natural structures that looked like barriers.
After stepping through the castle gates, what appeared before their eyes was a grand hall filled with gray mist.
The lighting was dim and fragmented, and even the shadows in the corners flickered restlessly.
The faint candlelight reflected on three enormous steel pillars suspended in the air. That dull orange glow seemed trapped within layers of iron walls, barely managing to illuminate the surrounding darkness.
Encircled by the nobles of the Kingdom of Cant, twelve diplomatic ministers wearing majestic blue-green robes walked into the center of the hall.
Every noble of the Kingdom of Cant carried a longsword at their waist that shimmered with spiritual light.
A silent pressure surged from them like a tide, making all the diplomats feel an immense weight bearing down on them.
Sword banners hung down from the massive steel pillars. The lead-colored flags made this great city appear even more stern and murderous in atmosphere.
The knights and guards were all left behind in the city. They were not permitted to follow along.
Under such an atmosphere, even the twelve diplomatic ministers had solemn expressions on their faces, remaining silent.
Although this was not their first time coming here.
However, this kind of grand display from the Kingdom of Cant was something they were seeing for the first time.
This did not feel like a diplomatic meeting. Instead, it felt more like the royal family was holding some kind of ceremony, welcoming honored guests who had traveled from afar.
So many nobles were present, almost all of them great lords with status and reputation within the kingdom.
And even the legendary grand duke had come here.
Feistan Barlow.
The Grand Duke enjoyed extremely high prestige and reputation throughout the entire Kingdom of Cant.
Not only did he possess countless wealth, but the elite soldiers under his command could cover a hundred miles of land.
Even the territory he ruled was managed in an orderly and peaceful manner.
The capable individuals under him were too numerous to count, and they carried out every order issued by the Grand Duke with full dedication.
Below one man, above ten thousand.
And above the Grand Duke, there was only the royal family.
Although that was the case, even the royal family treated Duke Barlow with the highest respect.
The diplomatic ministers had visited the Kingdom of Cant many times. Naturally, they had been received by the king each time, but they had never once seen this mysterious Grand Duke.
However, the ministers knew clearly that the reason they were receiving such treatment this time was entirely because of the person walking at the very front.
Aurelian Sol.
As the future heir of the Calenica Empire, the Kingdom of Cant would naturally offer the highest level of courtesy.
And there was another reason.
This Grand Duke was also Princess Aurelian's maternal grandfather.
At this moment, Duke Barlow walked at the very front, leading the ministers deeper into the castle.
Aurelian walked together with Viktor.
Looking at the slightly hunched back of the old man ahead of her, she suddenly realized something.
This Grand Duke, renowned throughout the kingdom... was her grandfather.
It gave Aurelian an unreal feeling.
After all, she had never even met her own mother, so how could she possibly have met her mother's father?
Yet at the same time, the old man in front of her simply walked forward at a steady pace.
He did not turn his head, nor did he speak.
Even though the relative he had left in this world was right behind him, he had not looked at Aurelian even once.
Sometimes Aurelian wondered.
Did her grandfather also feel pain because he had lost his daughter?
Watching his daughter marry into a foreign nation, give birth to a child, and then pass away forever.
Would he harbor resentment toward the empire?
Aurelian did not know.
Nor did she dare to speculate about the deep thoughts of this grandfather.
They passed through the enormous hall and walked along the deep corridors, finally arriving at the true palace.
The entire palace was extremely spacious, yet everywhere around them stood towering pillars of cold lead-colored iron, deeply rooted into the earth.
They seemed to connect with the sky, like bridges between heaven and earth.
Those several massive iron pillars supported a silver platform. The pillars pierced through the ground and surged out toward both sides of the palace, twisting together in the air.
The lights on the high ceiling seemed to be formed from stars, gently shining down on the cold iron and giving off a faint halo.
The surrounding atmosphere was so silent that it seemed a needle dropping could be heard, as if time itself had frozen at this moment.
The ministers entered the palace. Looking at the thick gray carpet beneath their feet, they followed the light all the way to the end of the high platform.
The ministers stepped into the palace, the heavy gray carpet beneath their feet like a path leading toward nobility, stretching straight to the end of the high platform.
On the platform stood a throne forged from steel, exquisitely carved. The beast-shaped patterns on it seemed ready to leap out, especially the fierce bear head, baring its teeth and claws as if guarding the dignity of the kingdom.
Around the throne were also embedded many sharp blades, displaying the king's power and authority.
Sitting on the throne was a handsome young man.
He also wore a light-colored, thick robe and a crown upon his head.
Unlike everyone else, three different swords were fastened at his waist.
Just a single glance at each longsword made one feel the presence of danger.
Although he looked very young, no one present, including Aurelian, felt surprised.
August Samuel.
Three years ago, he ascended the throne, replacing the previous king who had died of illness due to old age, naturally becoming the new king of this country.
He slowly stood up from the throne. Gem-like light swept across the crowd in his eyes as he spoke in a loud voice,
"Welcome, honored guests who have traveled from afar."
"Please, take your seats."
As soon as his words fell, countless chairs slowly slid out from the darkness, and the entire hall was instantly filled with seats along its edges.
The diplomatic ministers sat on the chairs along the outer sides, while the nobles of the Kingdom of Cant sat nearer to the doors on the outside.
Below the steps near the king, two distinguished chairs were also placed.
Two chairs, one on the left and one on the right.
Viktor walked to the chair on the left, while Aurelian hesitated for a moment before sitting in the seat on the right.
The young King August nodded at Aurelian with a smile.
Then he turned to look at the Grand Duke and respectfully said, "Grand Duke Barlow, please sit."
That respectful expression seemed to appear only when he addressed Duke Barlow.
Grand Duke Barlow did not say much. He simply walked to the front of everyone and took a seat on the chair beside the massive cold-iron throne.
Leaning on his cane, he sat down steadily.
After the Grand Duke sat down, the entire palace seemed to be pressed down by a massive stone, and the atmosphere finally stabilized.
It felt as if everyone had been waiting for him to take his seat.
It was clear that the entire kingdom respected this old man greatly.
Aurelian secretly observed the Grand Duke from below. On his face, filled with the marks of time and hardship, there was a unique firmness and seriousness.
To be honest, compared to the young king, Aurelian was more interested in this profound grandfather.
The feeling he gave her was like an ancient tower filled with hidden secrets.
She suddenly thought of her teacher, Viktor.
The two of them had astonishing similarities in many aspects. Her teacher seemed not very different from this Grand Duke.
Viktor's reputation and status within the empire had long surpassed many nobles.
He was even almost on par with Duke Barlow.
But there were still clear differences between them.
After all, the Kingdom of Cant had many warriors, but very few people who could wield magic, which was completely different from the empire.
Duke Barlow, as one of the few mages among those warriors, had gained the respect of the entire nation.
In this regard, his position was very different from Viktor's.
At this moment, Aurelian fell into a fantasy.
She imagined herself sitting on her father's throne, with Viktor sitting beside her just like Grand Duke Barlow was now.
The two of them seemed to govern the entire nation together as a matter of course.
Suddenly, the king's voice rang out, interrupting Aurelian's imagination.
"Princess Aurelian, I wonder how you feel about the customs of our kingdom on your first visit here?"
"After all, in a sense, this place can also be considered your homeland."
The king looked at Aurelian with a smile.
Seeing this, Aurelian responded politely, "Your Majesty, the governance of the Kingdom of Cant is meticulous and orderly. I did not see any chaos along the roads, and that is something I truly appreciate."
"Along the way, I saw thriving crops in the wheat fields, and cheerful citizens singing and laughing. Prosperity and peace exist together."
Her answer was very appropriate, leaving no room for criticism.
Finally, Aurelian said seriously, "But what surprised me the most were the powerful lords of the kingdom."
"I believe it is precisely because of their existence that so many territories of the kingdom are able to remain stable at all times."
When her words fell, the noble lords sitting in their seats unconsciously straightened their backs.
Perhaps because these words came from the mouth of a princess of the Calenica Empire, they carried considerable weight.
But what she said was indeed true.
The Kingdom of Cant had an extremely vast territory. It was very difficult to enforce policies and laws in every region, and ensuring that everything was handled perfectly was even harder.
Therefore, the lords needed to be strong enough.
Strong enough to suppress everyone within their territories, only then could absolute stability be guaranteed.
Looking at Aurelian, the king's face was full of joy. Perhaps he wished to continue hearing the young princess praise his kingdom.
However...
Aurelian suddenly changed the direction of her words.
"After all, the empire and the kingdom are different, so I cannot give too many evaluations."
The king nodded and said with a smile, "I see. A very fair assessment."
It seemed that before coming here, Princess Aurelian had indeed prepared thoroughly.
She had not come blindly and then offered meaningless praise for the kingdom.
This gave him a bit of goodwill toward the young princess before him.
So he continued speaking, "I've heard that Princess Aurelian, you are a mage?"
"I'm very interested in mages, so there are a few things I'd like to ask you."
Aurelian nodded.
"Please go ahead."
The king stretched slightly on the throne, straightened his posture, and said, "I would like to establish a mage academy in our country."
"Princess Aurelian, could you offer some suggestions?"