Chapter 4 - Banquet (1)

Aegis Empire's Crimson Palace. A place filled with such a coloured history that even mere peasants out in the countryside knew of it.

The palace was a majestic structure, standing tall and proud with its gleaming white exterior.

The walls were made of smooth, polished marble that seemed to glow in the sunlight, giving the entire palace a dazzling appearance.

The roof was a series of domes and spires, each one delicately crafted and adorned with intricate carvings and patterns.

Its tall columns and graceful arches soared high above, the intricately carved details of the palace's history casting delicate shadows on the smooth white walls.

An endless sea of vibrant colours and fragrant scents surrounded the palace. The garden's design was meticulous and deliberate, with each plant and flower carefully selected to create a harmonious and balanced composition.

The garden was home to several charming features, such as quaint gazebos and several rose-covered archways.

Knights in elegant yet robust crimson armour could be seen lining both sides of the main pathway that ushered visitors through the garden into the palace's main foyer.

Instead of swords, these knights each held a long, magnificent halberd at an angle, creating an imposing yet awe-inspiring sight of an archway of blades, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.

The Praetorian Guard did not stand there all day, every day, however, only doing so for important gatherings and events.

Today, such an event had been hosted by the palace, as a shocking revelation had spread throughout the nation last week.

Empress Audrey Aegis had given birth!

This came as a shock to most, as it was not even known that she was pregnant.

She had isolated herself so thoroughly that even meeting her in the past year had become impossible for anyone other than her maids and the Praetorian Guards, and even then only a select few were allowed to.

But that wasn't the only shock, as It had been revealed by those present at the birth that an Archangel had descended personally to watch over the child.

This piece of news was arguably the bigger shock, as Angels, Archangels especially, had become increasingly rare in the world, most only appearing for brief moments to relay the will of the gods or destroy their enemies.

Angels held incomparably more power compared to mortals, and should you be designated as a threat by them, it was not uncommon for one to not know how they died.

For such an existence to become the personal protector of a human, was something that had rarely been heard of before.

With this news, the nation had been in turmoil, as countless figures tried to confirm the validity of these statements, however, information coming out of the Crimson Palace was virtually non-existent.

Luckily for these figures, the palace had been entrusted by the empress to host a banquet, one that would introduce her newborn child to those present, and serve as a marker of her return to power.

Walking through the halberd arches of the Praetorian Guard, Roy Versai couldn't help but fall into thought.

After her seclusion, the empress had given the power to run the state to the senate, and as the head speaker of the senate, he had considerable sway in the senate.

Using his position, he made an untold fortune from lobbyists wishing to influence the way the government was run.

But now, with the return of the empress, the senate would be stripped of its provisional power, and Roy would no longer have the opportunity to further his wealth and status.

This did not worry Roy however, as the wealth he amassed through such actions was more than sufficient.

What worried him was whether or not the empress would mind.

Roy was not stupid, he knew that sooner or later, the empress would return, and the senate's power would be removed. Something that a few senators had failed to grasp.

As such, he had never allowed his greed to blind him, only accepting requests that would not harm the state or its coffers.

He was sure that nothing he did was inherently immoral, or acted in opposition to the interests of the state, however, he could not be too sure.

After all, Empress Audrey held another title.

The Sovereign of Hellfire.

It was well known that ever since she had come of age, Empress Audrey had an unprecedented affinity for flame magic. Not only that but while her face would never show it, all knew of her irascible temperament.

Suddenly, Roy felt a little nervous, not that he wasn't before.

"Ah...will I be Immolated today?" he whispered to himself.

As he stepped into the grand foyer, the sheer scale of the space took his breath away. While he had seen the exterior many times, this was his first time entering the main palace.

The towering ivory walls seemed to stretch upwards infinitely, creating an awe-inspiring sense of grandeur. The bright light pouring in through the expansive windows only served to enhance the magnificence of the space.

As he looked around, he couldn't help but marvel at the striking contrast between the cool ivory exterior and the warm crimson and charcoal tones of the interior. The crimson-tiled floor beneath his feet was perfectly polished and seemed to sparkle in the light, as though it were studded with tiny diamonds.

The porcelain-coloured support arches that lined the walls were intricately carved, adding an air of sophistication and elegance to the space. Above, the onyx-coloured marble ceiling appeared to stretch on forever, its glossy surface reflecting the light in mesmerizing patterns.

Every detail of the foyer seemed to be perfectly curated, from the ornate chandeliers that hung from the ceiling to the intricate patterns etched into the walls. It was clear that no expense had been spared in creating this stunning masterpiece of design and architecture.

A grand staircase, with polished ebony bannisters and steps that glistened in the sunlight, swept up from the centre of the foyer, inviting guests to ascend to the upper levels of the palace.

Of course, two Praetorian guardsmen prevented anyone from doing so.

The foyer was packed with notable figures. While officially, the Aegis Empire did not have an aristocracy, many of the banquet's attendees were of similar status.

They mingled among themselves, creating a subdued yet ever-present atmosphere of excitement and expectation.

Finding a senator with which he was acquainted, Roy began to converse with them.

"Roy! Good to see you, you old fox." the woman said, laughing heartily.

"Who are you calling old? We're the same age." lamented Roy.

"So you admit to being a fox then?" she asked with a smirk.

Roy did not respond and simply sighed.

The woman, Redina, was a senator that hailed from the south. She had enlisted in the Imperial Army before being elected as a senator, and she still retained most of her rambunctious personality.

"Do you think it's true about the Archangel descending?" she asked.

"Would the empress ever spread a lie? Besides, even if It's not an Archangel, an Angel alone would be enough to shock the world." he replied.

"I bet the news of the empress giving birth and the Archangel descending are just making their way towards the southern Kingdoms, it's sure to give those insatiable bastards a headache," she said with a laugh.

"At least with the news of the empress returning, skirmishes along our borders are expected to see a decline..." Roy said, sighing.

"That or a full-scale war, who knows how she'll react if another skirmish happens before those reptilian bastards get the news of her return." Redina said while grabbing a drink from an attendant that was passing by.

"Aye, I hope not, we already have enough problems within the country, the Eastern Territory is still threatening to secede, and the plague in the west has barely been contained," Roy said, while politely stopping an attendant for a drink.

"I get a headache just thinking about it," he added while rubbing his temples.

Redina and Roy continued conversing until a loud voice echoed throughout the hall from the top of the staircase.

There, Praetorian Guard commander, Eric Alsbringer, announced with a voice filled with reverence;

"Presenting! The 305th ruler of the Aegis Empire, The Sovereign of Hellfire, The Saintess of Hostomel, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Audrey Aegis, and Enoch's blessed, Child of the God of War, His Imperial Highness, Prince Adam Aegis II!"

Immediately, all murmuring and conversation ceased, and all eyes turned to the top of the staircase.