Even though he only had a dozen soldiers with him, even though the name of Cecil had long been estranged from the politics of the kingdom, and even though the clan's last estate in the capital had been absorbed by the kingdom a hundred years ago, Gawain still entered the city flamboyantly, going so far as to fly the clan's colors of seven hundred years ago.
The flag could only be flown in Gawain Cecil's lifetime. Doing so now was not so much as revealing his existence, but sending a signal to the royal family—
"It isn't the seventeen year-old Viscountess entering the city, but the Duke of the South."
Upon hearing this report from his Chamberlain, Francis II immediately understood what this "ancient man" was implying. The old king stepped out onto the terrace of the Silver Castle and gazed in the direction of the entrance into the city the Cecil Clan was taking.
He was unable to make out anything at this distance—this city was now so much larger than it had been before, so large that even standing on the highest point of the Silver Castle could not yield him a view of the city's limits. Would the ancient man who had been asleep for seven hundred years feel surprised when he stepped into this city?
Would he realize that seven hundred years had already passed and everything was not the same as before?
His Chamberlain was still by his side, waiting for his orders. Francis II looked away and turned his attention back to this ordinary-looking middle-aged man. "Receive him as befit a duke, then tell him that I will meet him tomorrow at noon. Invite him to rest a day in Silver Castle to relieve the fatigue of his journey."
The Chamberlain received the order, but before he could retire from the room, Francis II called out to him again. "Also, with the exception of rescheduling the meeting, all of the duke's requests should be fulfilled to the best of our ability—treat him with the utmost respect."
The Chamberlain retreated. A handsome young man with short blonde hair and clad in fine clothes walked up to the King, he had been standing beside a pillar nearby all along. "Father, do you think it's true that the duke has been 'resurrected', or is that a hoax?"
"That's unimportant." Francis II looked at his successor. "Although we have received that letter from Andrew, and we have a lot of evidence, whether or not this ancient duke is for real remains to be determined. For now, I can only say… It doesn't seem like a hoax. That resurrected ancient one is giving us a big 'surprise'."
The young man lowered his eyes and put on an air of humility as he asked, "Why do you think he has come?"
"The purpose of his arrival can only be guessed before the meeting takes place. Judging by the style of rumors he has stirred up on the way here, he will certainly not make his intentions known clearly in advance." The old King shook his head. "You should find an opportunity to interact with him and judge his attitude, but you must be careful. We're dealing with an unprecedented situation, and we don't want to provoke him."
The young man promised this, and turned to leave the room.
Meanwhile, Francis II turned around and continued his observation of the city, but sighed internally.
This heir of his was still too young. He was still inept at hiding his true thoughts. He had shown so much interest in the man who had fallen from the sky—or rather, crawled out from the earth—that he could sense his eagerness with a single glance.
But it was not such a big deal actually. It was better to present this opportunity to him, rather than letting him get in touch with the man privately.
After watching his Chamberlain ride away from the castle, Francis II nodded and said to the air, "Dark Raven, go and survey Gawain Cecil and his party, and report everything back to me."
No sooner had the King spoken then a veil at the foot of a pillar stirred slightly, though no one appeared.
"Also, don't get too close. If he is really that wonder from seven hundred years ago, you will be found out if you venture too close," added the old King.
The veil under the pillar did not move.
...
Gawain and his party entered the city of St. Soniel from its main entrance, riding on the main road of the city on horseback. Almost half the city had gotten wind of the news, and the party met the procession the King had sent to welcome them before they reached the Silver Castle.
The entourage welcoming them was very ostentatious and steeped in extravagance. A red carpet was rolled under Gawain's feet from somewhere deep in the Silver Castle. Costumed attendants and maids strew petals along the way, and a trumpeter and a drummer played music from either side. All this seemed like His Majesty the King had taken more than a day to make these preparations—but Gawain was still certain that if he had come into the city in a different manner, or entered it earlier, the welcome reception would have been different.
Only the Heavens knew how much planning this King had done to deal with such an occasion.
Even though Gawain himself had never interacted with nobility or had any experience rubbing shoulders with the nobility, there were much related knowledge and experiences from the memories in his mind. Although Gawain Cecil was a pioneer of the Anzu Kingdom, he had also lived through the glory days of the Gondor Empire—he could not see what Anzu would be like seven hundred years later, but he knew how the Gondor Empire looked like seven hundred years ago.
At its height, the human empire seven hundred years ago was more complex than any of the continental countries could imagine.
"Please follow me to the Silver Castle. His Majesty the King has already prepared the most luxurious rooms and the best dishes, in addition to spring water to relieve the fatigue of our distinguished guests. The meeting is set for noon tomorrow, so please have a good rest tonight."
A seemingly calm reception official—from an unknown family of the noble court—stood before Gawain, sprouting words of courtesy. Gawain turned to look at Rebecca beside him, but saw that this silly girl was gawking at everything with wide eyes.
Although she had tried to keep her composure along the way, the Silver Castle in front and the grand welcoming ceremony stunned the noble from the countryside. Her sight was no longer sufficient for her, to the point where she did not even know if she should watch the orderly and splendid guards of honor, or look at the majestic palace in the distance, which was layered with silver foil on the entirety of its exterior.
"I'd thought that the King would be dying to see me." Gawain shrugged but did not get off his horse, instead looking down at the reception official. "After all, it is quite difficult to meet a person who has just jumped out of a coffin."
The reception official paused for a moment, probably not expecting the legendary duke to speak in this manner. However, he quickly regained his composure and said, "His Majesty has arranged for the meeting to take place tomorrow in consideration of the difficulties during your travel."
"Is that so…" Gawain deliberately paused for a long while. He waited until the reception official was about to break out in cold sweat before continuing, "I am thankful for His Majesty's well intentions. However, since we're not meeting today, there is no need for me to enter his castle—I'm not used to staying in the Silver Castle."
The reception official's expression changed. "Then, where…"
"I'll be more comfortable in my own home." Gawain smiled. "It's just that seven hundred years have already passed, and I wonder if 4 Crown Street has already been torn down?"
Upon hearing the name "4 Crown Street", the reception official and the officers of the inner court balked at the suggestion. Even though Francis II had instructed them to cater to Gawain's every want, they had never expected him to request such a thing!
That was where Gawain Cecil's mansion in the royal capital had been seven hundred years ago.
Even though Gawain Cecil was the Gawain Cecil of the Southern borders, and spent most of his time in his southern fief, he, like the other pioneers of his time, had his own residence in the capital. The residences were mansions built by Charlie I for every pioneer on Crown Street— the street closest to the Silver Castle.
It was the custom in those days for the pioneers to stay in their own fiefs unless they had consultations with the King in the Capital.
Seven hundred years later, all of the pioneers (with the exception of one who just came back from the dead), had already died. However, every one of the houses on Crown Street still retained their facade from then, with the Crown even funding renovations and repairs for seven hundred years to ensure their permanent existence for years to come.
They had, in reality, become a kind of living fossil, just that this living fossil was still inhabited by people, by the still-living descendants of the pioneers, who had inherited their ancestors' estate and belongings.
That is, with the exception of the Cecil Clan's—ever since the birth of the talented Grumman Cecil, 4 Crown Street had been absorbed by the Crown…
"4 Crown Street…" The reception official stammered, "That indeed does not exist anymore, but it has been renovated many times…"
"Oh, that is for certain. After all, it is just a mansion, which is not as sturdy as a castle." Gawain smiled. "But since it has undergone renovation, it should be quite well preserved right now, isn't it? It won't be a problem for me to stay there, would it?"
"Of course not…" The reception official was about to say that he had to consult the King before deciding, but could not bring himself to say the words after looking at the spurious smile on Gawain's face. "But…"
"I know, it's been absorbed by the Crown, right?" Gawain did not want to put a mere errand runner in a spot of bother, and thus volunteered, "But I've heard that no one is staying there now—in fact, no one has stayed there for a hundred years, right?"
"That is correct. After all, the late King had left… many things behind, which no one has dared to take away. Also, up until today, no one is eligible to inherit anything from it, so 4 Crown Street is still vacant."
Gawain continued smiling. "Since there isn't anyone inheriting the place, it shouldn't be a problem for me to return to stay at my home for one night, is there?"
"It's absolutely no problem at all." The reception official remembered the order the King's Chamberlain had given him and could only nod. "Then, please wait, your Excellency. I will lead you there…"
"There's no need. I still remember the way to my home." Gawain waved a hand. "You can go back and tell the King that I'll visit him punctually in the castle at noon tomorrow."
He then turned his horse around. Before he left, he even patted Rebecca's head. "Silly child, let's go."
It was only then that Rebecca jolted. "Ah? Lord Ancestor, are we not staying in the castle today?"
"What's so great about the castle? The year we erected the castle, I told Charlie that the land he chose to build it on wasn't good. In the end, its roof cracked on its third year. Come on, I'll show you where I used to live. Now, that's a home."
As he watched the retreating figure of the free-spirited Gawain, the cold sweat which had been long simmering on his head finally dripped down. He then grabbed a person beside him and ordered, "Quick, send for Druids who can shapeshift into a bird! Go to 4 Crown Street and make haste on the preparations!"