"Hahahaha! It's a pleasant occasion! Pleasant indeed! Let's drink to our heart's content today. No rules. No restrictions." Duke Cassius raised his cup of wine, downed it in a gulp and slammed it on the table.
"Yes. We'll be busy tomorrow with the wedding preparations and receiving guests from other duchies. Only this day, we can drink our heart's content." Lord Jorand nodded with a bright smile and drank his own wine.
With the two taking the lead, the entire banquet hall was filled with cheers and a heavy round of drinking began.
A few tables away, Varian drank a few cups with the Imperial Guards and returned to his quarters. He came just to confirm a few things.
Things seemed bad. But not out of control.
[Lord Jorand: Peak Rank 4]
[Great Admiral: Peak Rank 3]
[Chief Counsellor: Peak Rank 3]
These three were the central figures of the Barix Province. Much stronger than what the rumors said. But compared to the Duchy, they're still incomparably weak.
On the bright side, the Duchy had two rank 4s. But at least three rank 4s in total. The total number may be even four or five.
Even if Akira betrayed, it's not easy for Lord Jorand to win against the remaining rank 4s. And all of this was under the assumption that Duke Cassius wouldn't make a move. Once he entered the battle in person, everything would end in minutes.
'That's why the medicine…' Varian exhaled lightly.
It was snowing now. A controlled, desirable snowfall which painted the surroundings pure white. The trees, plants, flowers…everything looked so calm and beautiful. Even the small ponds and fountains on the way had a thin layer of snow on them.
"Tomorrow, everything will be decided tomorrow." Varian inhaled in the cold weather and his footsteps left a deep impression in the snow.
Compared to the dull quarters he was going to, the banquet hall and surroundings were brightly lit up and colorfully decorated.
The drinking had been going on for a while now and people loosened up. There were fewer restraints and words, good or bad, were no longer minced.
"I have a…story to tell you, Duke." Lord Jorand raised a cup and clinked it with his in-law.
"Of course, stories! Tell me stories!" Duke Cassius laughed with a flushed face. "Life is stories."
"There's a Duchy, not unlike Centaurus, which suffered greatly from a war against the subordinate races of the Jai Empire." Lord Jorand's voice was low but calm, heavy but steady, and serious but not grave.
Duke Cassius noticed he was being earnest in whatever story he was saying and paid full attention to it.
"The Duchy was supposed to be inherited by a young prince who made great contributions in war. He was in love with a princess from a nearby province. Everyone was happy with their pairing.
The members of the Duchy cheered their war hero getting his heroine. The members of that Province blessed her for getting a prince charming." Jorand chuckled.
"You know how it goes with these stories, there's always someone screwing things up." Duke Cassius laughed.
Lord Jorand narrowed his eyes but nodded. "The prince and the princess had a son. The son didn't show the characteristics of his father's race."
Saying so, Lord Jorand pointed to the beautiful purple scales on his forehead. "He had these scales like a snake, he was a Naga. Like me."
"Hm."
"Then someone was really upset with this." Lord Jorand leaned forward and filled his cup again. "The prince had an elder brother, you see. That man had no problem with his brother inheriting the throne. But he couldn't stomach that a foreign race kid would be a prince.
He wanted his brother to marry more women and give birth to his own race's children and let them become the heirs. But the prince was lovestruck and loved only that one woman."
Now, the people surrounding them were also captivated by the story and kept listening.
Lord Jorand didn't care about their reactions and his eyes remained on the Duke's face.
From the initial curiosity and ignorance, there was something brewing on the old man's face. Something he desperately tried to cover.
"So the elder brother killed the young brother and the woman he married. The child was also killed or so he thought. Thanks to a loyal spy, the child survived and escaped from the Duchy."
Duke Cassius' face was pale and he was trembling. Looking at Jorand with a horrified face, he muttered "You…are…"
Lord Jorand continued the tale regardless of the Duke's response. "The boy spent a hundred years of his life living like hell, he only had one thing in his mind and that's power. Power for revenge against his own uncle.
It's impossible for a Province to win against a Duchy. Even he knew the possibility was slim. Luckily, he got what he wanted. And more than what he dreamed of.
The boy back then had grown into a man. He who fantasized about the throne now despises it and wants to burn it down."
Lord Jorand took the last sip of wine and stood up. A heavy tension filled the room and everyone stared at the Lord of Barix.
His lips curled up eerily as he looked down into the Duke's old eyes. "And I want you to witness the death of your dream. The revival of Centaurus? No, it won't be Centaurus anymore."
"Zed, Yaras, Akira, catch him!" The Duke yelled and three rank 4s aura erupted.
— — — — — —
The veiled woman opened her eyes and her silver eyes reflected the Imperial Palace.
"I should…" As she was about to take a step forward, a message flashed in her mind and she frowned. "So she knew I was here?"
That was bad news. But there's nothing she could do now.
A rank 9 infiltrating the border was impossible without a lot of preparation. Regardless, if allowed to run amok, the damages would be massive.
The woman's body blurred and a strand of hair fell from her head and flew towards the palace.
Then she disappeared from the Duchy and into the far distant regions.
The hair transformed itself into a woman beautiful beyond measure but her face was quickly covered by a veil and she slowly glided towards the Palace Complex.
At the same time, the red-robed man walked into Palace Complex in steady steps. Wherever he passed, the soldiers collapsed with a thin red line on their necks.
"Hurry up!"
"That'll expose us! Act calm! Stay cool! I have recorded all your memories and got verifications for them. If I show it to Father, we still have time to act before tommorr—"
Princess Catherine and Prince Theoron stopped in their tracks. The soft lights of the garden shone on their faces, showing their eyes that remained frozen.
The pure snow was now overflowing with warm red and blue liquids. The joyful music played in the background slowly faded away. The strong breaths of the people he passed by turned into fading gasps.
The Palace Complex which was brimming with vitality just a few moments ago was now whimpering on its last breath.
It was an eerily beautiful sight.
