Ignatius Dukedom
The day of Damian Ignatius's 12th birthday, the beloved son of Duchess Victoria Ignatius, had finally arrived.
Duchess Victoria had arranged a grand banquet in celebration of her son's milestone and invited leaders of major organizations, renowned merchants, counts, dukes, and even the royal family, as if to proudly flaunt her son to the world.
The banquet was set to begin in a few minutes, and the guests had already started making their appearances.
The first to arrive were the prominent figures from within the Ignatius Dukedom itself.
One of them was Ryan Joshling, one of the wealthiest merchants in the entire Kingdom of Astoria and the primary business partner of the Ignatius Dukedom.
He was responsible for selling goods and other resources produced within the lands of the dukedom, ensuring its economic prosperity.
The second was General Zod, the captain of the knight order serving the Ignatius family.
He was the second-strongest warrior in the dukedom, surpassed only by Duchess Victoria herself.
Under his command were twelve elite knights, each highly skilled and experienced in the art of battle.
Beneath these thirteen knights was a formidable army of over a thousand soldiers, comprising both mages and martial artists, though the majority were martial artists.
These men were tasked with maintaining order and ensuring the safety and livelihood of the citizens within the vast territory of the Ignatius Dukedom.
In light of today's special occasion, Duchess Victoria had instructed the knights to increase security around the castle where the banquet was taking place.
The knights could be seen in every corner of the castle, strolling casually, chatting, and appearing relaxed, but they were far from fooling around.
They were constantly keeping an eye on the people coming in and out while also looking for anything suspicious.
After a few minutes, the VIPs began to make their appearance.
The eight counts arrived with their families.
The kingdom of Astoria followed a feudal system, with the kingdom divided into eight counties, four dukedoms, and a royal capital.
In addition to these, there were areas where private organizations, like the Twilight Academy, held power, though they still fell under the kingdom of Astoria.
The eight counties were Reacher County, Yulong County, Fushimi County, Eichenwald County, Volga County, Jinju County, Rudra County, and Omenshire County.
Following the counts, the remaining three leaders of the dukedoms made their entrance.
First was Freya Everhart, the Duchess of the Everhart Dukedom, accompanied by her only daughter, Fiona Everhart.
As soon as she appeared, everyone noticed the broad smile on her face—a smile that had been absent for decades.
Many were surprised, not expecting her to attend, especially after her older brother had been excommunicated by Victoria herself.
However, it seemed they had been mistaken.
Upon her arrival, the three daughters of the Ignatius Dukedom—Elizabeth and the twins Isabella and Annabella—went to greet her, following the reception of the eight counts.
"I guess it's no wonder I saw them together in that vision of the future," Countess Irina Omenshire thought to herself as she silently observed everyone, trying to mingle with the other counts.
She was eagerly waiting for the man of the hour, curious to know if he was the boy she had seen in her vision of the future.
But for now, she had no choice but to wait, as he would only arrive after the king.
And, as always, the king was expected to be the last to arrive.
The second to arrive was Ronan Ironcliff, the Duke of the Ironcliff Dukedom.
Accompanying him were his two sons: the eldest, Rogan Ironcliff, and the youngest, Rokan Ironcliff.
The moment he appeared, the expressions of several people changed.
There were multiple reasons for this.
Firstly, everyone was aware of the ongoing conflicts between the Everhart and Ironcliff Dukedoms, particularly how Duke Ironcliff was sabotaging the economy and opportunities for the Everhart Dukedom.
Many were concerned about what might happen if Duchess Everhart and Duke Ironcliff found themselves in the same room.
At the same time, they knew that no one would dare act rashly, as they were standing in the territory of the strongest duchess.
Even other dukes would think twice before making a move.
Then, the fourth duke arrived.
Adrian Vespera, the Duke of the Vespera Dukedom, was accompanied by his only daughter, Anastasia Vespera.
There was something peculiar about the father-daughter duo—their skin was pale white, but strangely, it only made them appear more beautiful.
The Vespera Dukedom didn't elicit the same reactions as the other dukedoms had.
This was likely because the Vespera Dukedom hadn't been involved in many high-profile incidents compared to the other three.
However, that didn't mean they were weak. In fact, they were one of the strongest.
In their current state, they were likely the second strongest dukedom, especially since the Everhart Dukedom had weakened considerably.
A few minutes after the arrival of the three dukes, the flying carriage bearing the symbol of the royal family appeared.
The door opened, and King Luthor Von Astoria, the ruler of Astoria, stepped out, followed by Princess Catherine Von Astoria.
Every single person in attendance—the counts, dukes, and even Duchess Ignatius, who had arrived just moments earlier—bowed in respect upon seeing their king.
As the strongest person in the kingdom entered the castle, the entire banquet fell silent, until the king waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to relax.
Amidst the gathering of such important figures, Countess Omenshire, who had seen glimpses of the future in her visions, couldn't help but chuckle.
"Why is mother laughing for no reason? Did she hit her head or something?" Iridessa thought, her expression puzzled.
Then her eyes shifted to Princess Catherine Von Astoria, and confusion filled her mind.
She hadn't told her mother some things.
One of those things was that she had accidentally used her [Fate Vision], and in her vision, she had seen herself standing beside a man and a woman.
She couldn't recognize the man, but the woman—she recognized her instantly.
It was Princess Catherine Von Astoria.
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{Author's Note: If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote with some POWER STONES. It would also really help me if you could rate this book. Thank you for reading!}