Three days passed in the blink of an eye and Alea set off with the rest of the meritorious soldiers, as well as the officers and generals. A deputy general remained in Kaesan with the army awaiting the orders to dismiss them so they could return home. Raya followed the long line of carriages belonging to the families. The guards of all of them pooled together to escort the entire convoy. The trip was uneventful. Probably because of the huge number of soldiers and guards. Even if the bandits were greedy for the riches of the convoy. The aura of death was heavy. They knew this convoy was full of the families of those soldiers and didn't want their lives to end because of some temporary carelessness.
When entering the capital, General Sentad was in the lead, with Rodan and a few generals behind her. Alea just happened to be placed among the front row of soldiers behind the generals. She would also have the chance to see the emperor. She didn't really want this chance, she knew that the court was a dangerous place, but she didn't dare to show dissatisfaction.
The people of the capital lined up and cheered as the victorious generals returned to court. They had watched the winnings of the war be escorted into the treasury for the last few months,as well as the captured omega and beta royal family members. Now they can witness the soldiers that made this victory possible. Why wouldn't they be here cheering? When they saw the soldiers they seemed to understand. Looking at these calm faced armoured gargantuans, they also felt breathless. The armour of the soldiers rattled and clanked at every step of the horse. Their weapons were shining and sharp. They exuded fearlessness and indifference. The people were in awe of these soldiers.
The team marched all the way to the palace where the generals and a few of the chosen soldiers dismounted. The rest followed a commander to the central barracks where they would receive their rewards, as well as have a feast.
The group that stood at the palace handed over their weapons and followed the eunuch to the courtroom. Taking off their helmets they waited to be announced to enter.
It didn't take long to hear the eunuchs high pitched voice asking them to enter. General Sentad led the way and the rest followed her as she knelt down on one knee giving the emperor a military salute.
The emperor quickly asked them to rise. His majestic voice filling the courtroom.
"Welcome all my Treiss Empires heroes. You have all worked hard and brought a great victory to your country".
General Sentad quickly replied "It was only with his majesty's grace that we were able to return victoriously. Long live his majesty".
The emperor was very happy to hear the praise from his strongest general. He then began to reward them one by one. General Sentad was already a first rank General, and with this victory the emperor had no choice but to make her a duke. However he still had trust for Sentad so he wasn't stingy with the appointment. Rodan as the general in charge of the cavalry was promoted to a general of the first rank, and the rest of the generals received smaller promotions.
When looking at the few soldiers behind, the emperor decided to ask for their opinions. Some asked for places in officialdom, others asked for marriages. The emperor agreed but it could be seen that he wasn't very happy with these soldiers.
When it was Alea's turn she simply asked for a mansion in her home city. After the emperor heard Alea's name he knew that this female alpha was one of the most powerful soldiers of the war. Reports that were sent back were covered in her name and her accomplishments. So he was surprised she simply asked for a mansion in a city far away from the capital. With her merits she was the one most worthy of a position in officialdom.
"A mansion is not enough to reward your bravery. So I'll grant you the title of marquis, as a thank you for all you have done for the empire".
Alea quickly bowed down and shouted "long live your majesty".
The emperor was happier with Alea because of her calm and humble attitude. He mentioned that a banquet would be held and they were all invited as today's guests of honour.
As a marquis Alea was gifted a mansion in the capital. So after she left she was taken to familiarize herself with it. Handing over some silver to the eunuch she thanked him gratefully. The eunuch who had just received the silver felt a lot better about this knowledgeable new marquis. So when she asked where the convoy of the generals family would be, he happily told her. After hearing the answer she rushed over to where the eunuch had said and she did find the carriages belonging to her family.
Raya didn't know where she should go. She thought of buying a house here, so that she didn't have to worry about this problem again, when she heard the clanking of armour coming towards the carriage. She opened the curtain and found Alea jogging over so she quickly opened the door and got out.
"Why are you in such a rush? Aren't you tired?" she nagged.
Alea could only smile helplessly "Aren't I worried that you wouldn't know what to do here? Let me tell you, my love. I got a house".
Raya was amused by her sly little grin and followed her words "What house did you get?"
"Well really, I was rewarded two houses. One here in the capital and another in Candor City".
She knew that Alea wanted to go back to her hometown as much as she wanted to. That month together was where they shared their first memories as wives and it obviously had a lot of sentimental value.