The royal court meeting concluded, and a flurry of whispers permeated the air.

"This is absurd! How can a girl from Grenwade be the second most important person in the Kingdom of Renox?"

"That poverty-stricken kingdom surely cannot produce a queen with grace. We will become the laughing stock across the 9 seas."

"I heard the former king did not even consider the princesses from other kingdoms; he directly chose this girl."

"At least former King Renold could have selected a lady from one of the noble families in Renox. Why did he have to ruin his grandson's life?"

"You better shut your mouth before it leaves your head. You're still on royal ground."

These were some of the murmurs among the noblemen who had attended the meeting. The majority were in shock and disbelief, as no one expected such a surprising decision from former King Renold, who had abdicated the throne to his grandson.

Renox was renowned across the 9 seas as the most powerful, richest, and strongest kingdom. This reputation was built by the former rulers, including King Renold, and had been elevated even further under the current king, Arien.

Meanwhile, King Arien strolled through the palace gardens with his grandfather, discussing the unprecedented event in the courtroom. Arien, too, was taken aback by his grandfather's decision. The throne of the Queen of Renox held significant power, known to few nobles and the public. This was one reason why the former king passed the throne directly to his grandson, Arien, with the condition that he would choose Arien's bride.

Arien had anticipated his bride would come from neighboring kingdoms or close associates of his grandfather. However, no one could have foreseen that the chosen girl would hail from Grenwade. It appeared there was more to the decision than met the eye. King Arien and his grandfather only discussed the noblemen's reactions, and the former king did not reveal the identity of the bride, only her name, Astelle.

After returning from the court meeting, Reginald, the father of King Arien had a dark expression on his face. His father, former king Renold had made such an unexpected move. He had already began soliciting and making unnecessary relations with people because he thought that his father would choose a bride of people that were close to him. He would have nethought that the old man had other plans. Ever since he was young, he was already aware that he would become king but it seemed as if life had other plans for him. His father never liked any of the decision he took when he was the crown prince. Back then, the former king always favored his own son Arien over him. He thought that since his father and son were very close during Arien's childhood, it wasn't a big deal until Arien was being invited to all the high level meetings that were held and lastly, Arien becoming king instead of him. That was the final blow for him.