Night had descended over Westirifer, wrapping the vast Ducal Palace in a serene veil of darkness.
Above the palace, twin crescent moons shone brilliantly in the heavens. Their silvery radiance descended upon the colossal palace complex, bathing its countless towers, walls, courtyards, gardens, and waterways in a soft, otherworldly glow.
Under the moonlight, the Ducal Palace looked even more magnificent than it did beneath the sun. The palace seemed almost alive beneath the heavens.
Moonlight spilled across the vast gardens surrounding the courtyard, turning the leaves of the numerous orchards silver. The many ponds and freshwater lakes reflected the twin crescents above, their tranquil surfaces appearing like fragments of the night sky scattered across the palace grounds.
Along the countless pathways and near every entrance, sunstone bulbs burned brightly. Their warm golden radiance stood in beautiful contrast to the cold silver of the moonlight. They illuminated the entrances and surrounding pathways while their gentle magical warmth pushed away the chill of the night.
Golden light fell across the ancient stone walls.
Silver light rested upon their rooftops.
Together, they created a sight of extraordinary beauty.
At every important position, palace guards stood attentively, their figures illuminated by the soft glow of moonwood flames. Their visages occasionally caught the moonlight, producing faint flashes of silver as they remained vigilant over the enormous grounds.
Beyond the palace, the distant Gigori Mountain Ranges rose against the night sky.
A gentle breeze descended from their foothills, carrying with it the intoxicating fragrance of countless flowers. The scent travelled through the palace grounds, drifting over the gardens, along the pathways, between the towers, and through the courtyards.
The entire palace seemed to breathe that fragrance.
The night was filled with soft sounds.
Leaves rustled gently in the breeze.
Water moved quietly within the ponds.
And from somewhere among the gardens came the delicate chirping of night birds, their calls echoing faintly through the immense grounds before disappearing into the darkness.
For such a colossal place, the palace felt strangely peaceful.
Seeing the beauty of this magnificent Ducal Palace of Westirifer, the guests from all three noble families felt envious and jealous toward the Velmora family.
Baron Denford from Redbarn Barony was the only one who was envious… because he also wanted something this beautiful and magnificent for himself and his own family.
On the other hand, Duke Gelvin from Wielhiem Duchy and retired Count Goccrek Ironheart both felt jealousy toward Lucifer and the Velmora family… but their reasons for this jealousy were very different.
Duke Gelvin was thinking:
"What did this Velmora family even do to deserve to live in a place like this?
Leave this Ducal Palace aside… why is the Velmora family even able to rule over Westirifer?"
But then he remembered what Lucifer had said some moments ago about giving face to the Lustbound Kingdom… and he found that, in reality, he was not even able to meet Lucifer's eyes.
Not because his own achievements were insufficient or because he lacked power.
The main reason was that Duke Gelvin did not have the confidence to face Lucifer.
His insecurity had begun on the day when Baldwin came to Wielhiem Duchy with his delegation.
Although Duke Gelvin had behaved well toward Baldwin and the others, he ultimately did not support Baldwin in taking action against the Church of Toxara and Purefield Duchy.
Gelvin's answer had been vague because he did not want to get on the bad side of the Lustbound Kingdom, yet he also did not want to get on the bad side of Westirifer either.
Although it was a small, unremarkable duchy… what made Westirifer most dangerous was Lucifer and the power level of the unknown beings who followed him.
After the departure of Baldwin and the other delegates of Westirifer, only a few days had passed when Gelvin heard the news of the complete purge of the Church of Toxara as well as the complete annihilation of the City of Death—Morthveil.
This single incident caused Duke Gelvin's fear of Lucifer to soar to another level.
Besides Gelvin, those who felt jealousy toward Lucifer and the Velmora family were none other than the guests of Ironford County as well as the noble family members of the Ironheart family.
From the beginning, Ironford County had not had an amicable relationship with Westirifer.
In the eyes of Ironford County, Westirifer Duchy was a group of ragtags—simply meaning that the ruling party, or rather the Velmora family, was just a collection of random people who had banded together. What was most unacceptable about this duchy was that it stood against the Royal Family and considered itself free from the Lustbound Kingdom's rule.
Then the biggest question that arose was: what relationship did Ironford County have with the Lustbound Heaven Kingdom that made Ironford County so loyal toward them?
The answer was simple. Toward the far southwest of the Royal Capital—Virexion—there was a duchy called Siremount Duchy.
Siremount Duchy had been founded by the descendants of Lady Annabeth Sire… and Lady Annabeth Sire was one of the Thirteen Pillars, or rather one of the thirteen wives of the Lustbound Kingdom's founder.
Then what relationship existed between Ironford County and Siremount Duchy?
The relationship between Ironford County and Siremount Duchy was very significant… because the founder of Ironford County—Draven Sire Ironheart—was one of the grandchildren of Lady Annabeth.
So this was the very significant reason for Ironford County to dislike Westirifer and remain loyal toward the Royal Family.
And today's earlier argument had only added another layer of fuel to this resentment.
Seeing a Ducal Palace as large as the Royal Palace, the young lady of Redbarn Barony—Fiji Redlife—came forward from her group.
"Young Master, your Ducal Palace is truly magnificent… I wish I had one like this too.
How much time did you spend constructing such a beautiful palace?"
Lucifer smiled.
"My lady, I am not the one who constructed this palace… but I did modify and renovate it.
Originally, I acquired this palace after purging the Asher noble family… and previously this territory was not called Westirifer but Asher Duchy."
"Asher Duchy… I am hearing this name for the very first time. Well, it is a matter of the past; now it is Westirifer.
But Young Master, what I want to know now is this: if your family name is Velmora, then why is your duchy called Westirifer and not Velmora Duchy?
And secondly, why did you annihilate the Asher noble family?" Fiji continued asking.
Hearing her words, Lucifer gave her a charming smile.
"I can give you the answer to your first question, but the latter one is hard for me… it is not that I do not want to tell you about it.
Actually, never mind. Just follow me inside the palace and I will try to satisfy your curiosity."
Saying this, Lucifer turned around and started walking toward the grand entrance hall gate.
Hearing his words, Fiji began following him with steady steps.
Not only Fiji, but her elder sister, Young Lady Aelema, and the daughter of Duke Gelvin—Young Lady Lorisa—also started following Lucifer.
Meanwhile both Duke Gelvin and Baron Denford wore expressions of disbelief in their eyes.
And why would they not? Their delicate, flower-like daughters were following another man.
But now they could do nothing about it… all they could do was follow Lucifer just as their daughters were doing.
As Aelema, Fiji, and Lorisa followed Lucifer from behind, Aelema said,
"Tell us about it now."
Lucifer replied with a question.
"Before hearing my answer, all three of you ladies… tell me, do you know why your territories' names are based on your family surnames?
Redbarn Barony has the Redlife noble family… and Wielhiem Duchy has the Wielhiem ducal family… Why is that? Does it have any special reason behind naming them that way?
Or is it simply to show who holds the most power in your territory?"
Hearing Lucifer's question, all three ladies contemplated it, but unfortunately they did not know why their barony or duchy names were based on their own surnames.
They truly did not know whether there was any special reason behind the naming of their territories or not.
Lorisa replied,
"I am unable to answer your question, Young Master, as I have never contemplated this topic before today."
Aelema and Fiji both reached the same conclusion as Lorisa.
Lucifer continued walking forward.
"Naming something is a very important concept. It shows our feelings toward that particular thing or person."
Just then Lucifer crossed the doorway of the palace entrance gate.
His steps halted as he turned around; a serene smile rested on his face.
"Ladies, do you know the meanings of your own names?"
Lucifer's sudden question made Aelema answer,
"I never thought about it."
Lorisa added,
"Me too… I never asked anyone."
Fiji also shook her head.
Lucifer continued forward.
"Mind if I tell you the meanings of your names?"
Fiji smiled.
"Then, Young Master, start with my name."
Lucifer smiled.
"Fiji… it is a beautiful name. It means 'daughter of the rising sun' and 'bearer of the first light.'"
Next Aelema asked,
"What about mine?"
Lucifer continued,
"Lady, your name befits your personality. Your name means 'the wise woman,' 'scholar,' 'an intellectual person.'"
After Aelema, Lorisa asked,
"What about my name, Young Master?"
"Your name, Lady Lorisa… it has two meanings.
Those are: 'she who protects' and 'she who wears the crown of victory.'"
"Now back to the main topic—why is your duchy not called Velmora Duchy but Westirifer?" asked Fiji.
Lucifer answered, leading all of them toward the Ducal Throne Room where the guests of Florence County and Livingstone Duchy were also present.
"I named this duchy by taking the name of my dearest wife's name as its base… this is my love and commitment to her.
Her name is Westeria… she is my Wess. That is why this duchy is called Westirifer."