Ministers, officials and soldiers stood in formation outside the palace, their ceremonial attire arranged with almost obsessive precision as they waited beneath the morning sky. Several carriages drawn by enormous white foxes were lined up beside the palace steps, their polished frames decorated with violet banners bearing the emblem of the Fox Prince.
The Royal Guard stood along both sides of the path, weapons secured at their waists and backs, while the assembled nobles maintained a tense silence.
Everyone understood the significance of today. This was not merely a coronation. It was the day Damian would publicly establish himself as the unquestioned ruler of Velmora, and if the rumors were true, it was also the day Prince Hagrid of Gildreach would attempt to take his life.
