Damien and Yuria bowed as they stood before him, "Your Majesty."
The Gale Emperor slightly nodded his head and saw how entrancing Yuria's beauty was despite the veil on her face, making him think that it was no surprise she was titled as the most beautiful moon in the Gale Empire.
"The rumors have done you injustice, Princess Yuria. You deserve far more praise in the poems that describe your beauty," The Gale Emperor said in an appreciative tone.
Damien subtly glanced at the emperor as he inwardly swore, 'Some day I am definitely going to pluck out your leering eyes, you old lecher.'
Yuria slightly smiled and humbly said, "I thank Your Majesty for having such a high opinion of Yuria. We have also heard stories about your great conquests around the empire, and there is no shortage to the number of people who sing your name…"
'...with malice and hatred…' Yuria mentally added.
The Gale Emperor gave a pleased smile and said in a veiled tone, "Is that so? I guess I must pay a visit to the Krisen Kingdom later on and strengthen my relationship with the people."
"Of course. We will be well ready to receive you and make your journey an unforgettable experience," Yuria said in a polite tone.
The Gale Emperor narrowed his eyes as he nodded with a smile, "Good."
Damien inwardly smiled in pride, seeing how Yuria was able to stand toe-to-toe with the Gale Emperor himself. He once again realized why this woman of his was so tenacious and brave, making him remember again how she stuck to him no matter how many times he tried to push her away.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Still, I am curious, what made you choose my son to be your fiance?" The Gale Emperor asked as he momentarily glanced at Tristen, who had a slightly awkward expression.
"Even though I haven't spent much time with him, over the last week, I realized that there was much more to him than what he shows. For one, he is very talented and knowledgeable about certain things, especially alchemy, and is a worthy rival for Prince Maximus of the Lancaster Kingdom. Secondly, despite being so powerful, he is very down to earth and couldn't be more kind and gentle," Yuria spoke in a smitten tone on purpose.
The Gale Emperor inwardly scoffed and looked at Tristen, wondering what all he did to fool this girl. Still, he had to admit he was impressed that Tristen was able to pull off the feat of bringing Yuria away from her father, whom he knew how protective he was of his daughter.
He could already detect the ripples of ethereal energy emanating from various protective talismans on her body which could even deal a serious blow to a Mid Level Profound Ethereal Realm practitioner if he was not careful and wondered what kind of astonishing treasures her father had.
Damien couldn't help but inwardly smile in amusement, seeing Yuria trying to look like a naive princess who got beguiled by the charms and talents of a debauched prince.
Of course, usually for someone of her age brought up in the way she was would usually dream of marrying a powerful prince and enjoying their life.
"I see. I then officially welcome you to our imperial city and hope you two have a good time here and strengthen your relationship," The Gale Emperor with the mannerisms of a dutiful father and emperor.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Yuria did a courtesy bow again.
"And Tristen, since you have made me proud and also the empire, I know you are worthy of becoming the crown prince in every way. But there is something I would like to say which might make you think twice about this." The Gale Emperor said in a narrowed gaze.
Damien knitted his brows, wondering what this emperor was up to and why he was trying to stall him from getting the title of the crown prince, and asked, "Of course, royal father. I am all ears."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The Gale Emperor nodded with a slight smile and said, "I have discussed with my ministers about the matter of making you the crown prince. But there have been some objections from their side stating that the eldest prince deserves another chance. And since these ministers are coming from powerful families that are pillars of our empire, I can't take their advice lightly as it might give birth to discord, and even if you become the crown prince, you won't have their support to later lead the empire."
'Damn...this crafty fox is definitely stalling,' Damien inwardly felt frustrated, wondering what could be the reason for the Gale Emperor to hesitate so much. But then he thought that the Gale Emperor must be getting a bit wary of him, considering his recent accomplishments.
But Damien knew only because of his achievements was he able to even have a face-to-face talk with the emperor. Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't even have bothered to look at him, and Kale would have long become the crown prince.
Still, Damien asked candidly, "Does royal father have any advice for me to gain their support?"
"You would have to directly prove that you are better than your brother in handling the matters of the empire," The Gale Emperor said in a fixed tone.
Yuria's brows slightly creased, seeing how the emperor was trying to make things difficult, and wondered what Damien was going to do.
Damien could guess where this was going and thought he might have to spar with Kale.
But to his surprise, the Gale Emperor said, "I want you to lead a corps from my army to recapture one of our kingdoms from the band of traitors and rebels known as the Forsaken."
His words made Damien's expression a bit complicated since he had ties with the Forsaken, and if he were to lead an army against them, then even they would have their limits of patience and wouldn't take it kindly.
But suddenly, he inwardly smiled, thinking that maybe this was not a bad thing after all.
