"Hello, Aria. You look absolutely stunning as always." said a noble much to Aria's disappointment.
Aria stopped walking and turned to the noble, forcing a smile. "Hello, Duke Chambers. Need I remind you of formalities?"
Zoltan looked at the noble who was speaking with Aria.
It was a tall man that had black hair, and crimson eyes. This man was skinny and his appearance was contrary to his confident attitude. For a vampire, he looked average at best. This was a person that normally Zoltan would forget about and move on.
However, there was one thing Zoltan saw that made this man a target. It was his lustful gaze on Aria. Zoltan then gave Duke Chambers a subtle glare.
'Oh? This pathetic loser wants to die, eh? Very well.' Zoltan thought as he mentally put Duke Chambers on his list.
Noticing Zoltan's glare, Duke Chambers glanced at Zoltan and greeted him with an unpleasant expression. "Hello young one, I'm Frederick Chambers, Duke of the Vampire Kingdom. It's a pleasure."
Zoltan looked the other way and returned his "greetings". "I wish I could say the same." This earned Aria to chuckle that infuriated Frederick.
'This sleazy brat, he treated me like air! Me, a Duke yet this brat had the gall to give me no face at all!' Frederick thought but forced a smile as he awkwardly laughed. "The younger generation sure is free-spirited, Haha."
Frederick introduced his son as he said. "You must be here for the awakening ceremony, just like my son, Denis. He could be a great rival for you." As he finished, he put on a creepy smile.
Zoltan glanced at Denis, who looked identical to Frederick, and thought he was no better. 'Like father, like son.'
Zoltan believed Denis wasn't even in the same league as him. He could feel that Denis posed no threat at all, but that didn't stop him from putting Denis second on his list.
Denis couldn't help but feel intimated by Zoltan because of his looks and attitude. Normally, Denis loved his father's praises him to everyone, however, that wasn't the case right now.
Frederick wanted Denis to show his usual demeanor, but he had heard nothing from him yet. He looked at Denis and saw his bashful expression.
Frederick frowned. Not wanting to lose any more face, he decided to say their goodbyes.
Zoltan looked at Aria and asked. "Mother, who was that pathetic man?"
Aria sighed as her face looked nauseous. "That pathetic man is Duke Chambers. He was one of my past suiters but failed since I became the head of my family. My strength is also much higher than his.
Having said that, I couldn't touch that eyesore because he has the backing of an Adviser that serves Our Majesty. I'm destined to get pestered by that insect."
Zoltan had an overwhelming rage building up inside him, and his expression became cold. Naturally, Aria felt this as she was standing next to Zoltan and was not blind.
Aria was concerned. "I'm alright. As long as I have my lovebug and daughters, I'm fine. Don't go near that man nor his wretched son."
Zoltan calmed down and assured Aria that he was fine and would heed her advisement. Of course, that was a lie, and he was even more eager to kill them and those supporting him.
After that terrible experience, they shrugged it off and went to their private rooms. Nobles with titles of Marquess and Duke will have their own private rooms, while the rest of the nobles stood together.
The private rooms were located in a room that resembled a throne hall. However, it was different. In the middle of the room, a large plaque could be seen that made it easy for someone to read without any issues. It was unlit, as no information was displayed on it.
Zoltan and Aria arrived at their private room, and it was magnificent. The furniture, décor, and food placed on a table next to the sofa were exquisite.
They were alone and waited for the ceremony to start.
....
In an hour, everyone that was supposed to arrive did.
This ceremony was especially dedicated to the nobles, which made commoners feel unwelcome. After all, the noble vampires were a lot stronger compared to the plebian vampires, so there was no point in attending an event such as this one, leaving just the nobles attending the ceremony.
The lowest nobility attending was Viscounts, while Dukes were the highest. Outside the palace, those unfortunate or unwilling will have a separate ceremony that will take place.
Zoltan, Aria, and the rest of the people attending were waiting for it to begin. As expected, the person who was leading the ceremony was no other than the Vampire Empress.
Through the one-way window of Zoltan's room, he could see the area around the throne being covered by translucent curtains.
No matter how hard he tried to pierce through the curtains with his gaze, it had no effect. The only thing he could see was the throne's silhouette.
There were 3 people who appeared walking toward the throne. 2 of the 3 silhouettes were mature women, while the last one looked like a little girl.
1 of the mature woman sat down, while the other two were standing at her sides. Zoltan could guess that the person sitting on the throne was the Vampire Empress.
Zoltan knew he couldn't use his [Peeping] skill because he wasn't in range of her. So, he had no clues about the personality of the Vampire Empress.
Even if it was something insignificant, like the details shown using the skill, a hint was still a hint.
As soon as the figures appeared, no one uttered a word, not even a single sound. This was because of the domineering aura spewing from the Vampire Empress, although Zoltan didn't feel anything, instead felt comfortable.
A few minutes later, the sound of an enchanting, yet soothing voice could be heard. "Greetings, my subjects."
As she finished, everyone felt as if a mountain was pressed onto their backs. Her voice alone caused the people's bones to tremble. Still, Zoltan felt nothing of the sort.
All the nobles were fearful but also in awe of how powerful their Empress was. They quickly returned her greetings.
""GREETINGS, YOUR MAJESTY!""
The once-quiet place was filled with cheers for a few seconds before they calmed down. If they were in a normal palace, it probably would've been demolished by the cheers from the powerful nobles.
Once everyone was quiet, the Vampire Empress spoke again. "I'm glad that we have many youths attending this year's awakening ceremony. It fills me with great pride.
For the next 2 weeks, prices, and taxes within the kingdom will be lowered. To enjoy this wonderful event, tomorrow evening there will be a royal banquet to celebrate. I hope that everyone attends."
Everyone was excited by this announcement. There were a few who were suspicious of the generosity given by the Vampire Empress. It was only a mundane awakening ceremony, so they thought something else was amiss.
The Vampire Empress spoke again. "Before we start the ceremony, let me explain how we will start it." she paused for a moment before continuing. "The ceremony was designed with a help of an artifact that determines one's talent, affinities, and aptitude for weapons and professions.
Talent is something that a person has that determines their overall growth in one's life. It ranks from Poor, Average, Great, Legendary, and lastly Divine. If one were to be ranked Poor, then they are no different from trash. If one is ranked Divine, then they are destined for great things, and one's achievements will be endless.
If one does rank Poor, it does not mean their journey ends here. There is always something that one is destined to become.
Affinities are elements one awakens when they are born. When one reaches the age of 10, one will manifest these elements by using the mana from one's surroundings and within oneself. The affinities are the basic 5 elements.
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning. Water is the most common for vampires, while fire and lightning are rare, as they are natural weaknesses of vampires. If one does awaken the fire and lightning element, they'll form a resistance to it.
There are rarer elements one can awaken, but those are for the extremely gifted. Even awakening one of the basic elements is something to be proud of.
And finally, aptitude. These are for the people who are not gifted in talent and magic. This will test one's body and find a suitable weapon for oneself so one is not lost. This will also list professions that are suitable for one's destiny."
Another weight has been added, but this time it was for the children taking part in the ceremony. The adults already knew this and told their children, but hearing it from someone like the Vampire Empress was pressuring.
They were afraid of being a failure in front of their Empress, and especially to their parents who took great care of raising them.
The Vampire Empress let the information sink in before she continued speaking. "We will start the ceremony from the lowest rank of nobility present, Viscount. Before we begin, I will also make another announcement that I would like to share with everyone."