A trio of soldiers catch sight of you as you draw closer to what must be the main gate—a pennanted drawbridge with conical crenelations, as well-washed as everything else inside the grounds. Mother-of-pearl flagstones line the white cobblestone road that extends from the main gate up to an elegant staircase and the doors of the palace itself.
They note your steps and look up, frowning. One of them makes fit to challenge your approach.