***
On the same day in the city of Emberhold, Marquess Lucien arrived at Duke Crimsene's residence, along with Princess Eloria. They were welcomed by the Duke Crimsenne's family. Lucien and Eloria stepped down from the carriage and greeted Duke Crimsenne.
"Greetings, my lord." Lucien said.
"Greetings, Duke Crimsene," Eloria added.
Duke Crimsenne bowed his head. "Greetings, Your Highness Princess. I hope your journey was uneventful."
"Not at all, Duke Crimsenne. Sir Roussanne has treated me very well," Eloria replied.
"That's a relief," Sir Crimsenne said with a smile.
He then introduced his family. "You may have met them already, but allow me to introduce them again."
Duke Crimsenne introduced his wife, three sons, and daughter.
"This is my wife, Seraphina."
Seraphina bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. You are even more beautiful than the last time we met."
Duke Crimsene continued, "This is Eryon, my eldest son; Kaelen, my second son; Rhaecor, my third son; and this is my daughter, Lyssira."
Each of the Duke's children greeted Eloria.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I hope you enjoy your stay here," Eryon said.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Kaelen greeted briefly.
"Greetings, Your Highness. If you wish for a companion to chat with, I'll always be available, Princess," Rhaecor said, with slightly flirtatious face.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I hope we can become friends," Lyssira said with a warm smile.
Eloria responded respectfully, "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
Then Duke Crimsenne said, "Well then, let us head inside, Your Highness. I've prepared a special room for you."
"Thank you, sir Crimsene," Eloria replied.
Duke Crimsene looked at Lucien and said, "Let's go inside, Lucien. We have much to discuss."
"Yes, my lord." Lucien responded.
In a few minutes they arrived in front of the sitting room, and Duke Crimsenne asked his wife to escort Eloria to her room.
"Seraphina, please show Princess Eloria to her room. I have some important matters to discuss with Lucien," Duke Crimsenne said.
"Of course, my lord." Seraphina replied, turning to Eloria. "Please follow me, Your Highness."
Eloria firmly replied, "Sir Crimsenne, I wish to join the discussion with you."
Everyone was taken aback. Duke Crimsene glanced at Lucien, who also looked confused. Seeing their confusion, Eloria spoke again.
"You intend to discuss the incident that happened to me, don't you? Wouldn't it be better for those involved to be part of the conversation?"
Duke Crimsene paused for a moment, deep in thought. "What happened to the princess? She was once an elegant, quiet, and gentle young lady. Why is she suddenly so bold?" he wondered.
Finally, he responded, "Very well, Princess, as you wish."
He looked at his family and ordered, "You may leave."
Duke Crimsenne's wife and children nodded.
"Please, Your Highness," Duke Crimsenne said to Eloria, leading her into the sitting room.
They sat on the sofa, and soon a servant arrived to serve tea and light snacks on the table. After a moment of silence, Duke Crimsenne began the conversation.
"Lucien, please explain your report from earlier."
Lucien replied, "Of course, my lord. The hero's presence has been confirmed, and this information is known only to myself, my family, and the involved organization."
Duke Crimsenne asked, "Can this information be trusted?"
Lucien responded, "It can, my lord. As I mentioned before..."
Lucien paused, then glanced at Eloria. "Your Highness, I must ask that what I say here remains confidential."
Eloria noticed the anxiety on Lucien's face and responded, "Understood, Sir Roussanne."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Lucien said, then continued, "As I mentioned in my letter, my lord, the information is accurate, as it was provided by the hero's friend it self, who is also my nephew, the son of my late sister Alinda."
Lucien's expression shifted to one of anger. Both Duke Crimsenne and Eloria were shocked by his words, one is shocked by Alinda death's and one is shocked by the fact that Tristan is Lucien nephew.
Then Duke Crimsenne slammed his fist onto the table and said, "What happened? Please explain in detail."
Lucien looked at Duke Crimsenne, filled with anger, and thought to himself, "No wonder he's angry. After all, my older brother was Duke Crimsene's mentor, helping him gain enlightenment and become the strongest person in this kingdom."
Lucien then explained, "Very well, Your Grace. I will explain what my nephew told me. You see, the Ciyane family is..."
Lucien proceeded to explain the details to Duke Crimsenne.
"The Lavindra family scoundrels, how dare they interfere," Duke Crimsenne muttered, his voice seething with anger. Lucien and Eloria were silent.
Duke Crimsenne continued, "So all this time, they've been deceiving us about Gran and Alinda's whereabouts?"
Lucien responded, "Yes, my lord. They've hidden the truth, and we naively allowed Gerrad to rise as the next head of the family."
Duke Crimsenne muttered angrily, "We've made a grave mistake. We didn't even know that the kingdom's strongest magic swordsman and grand mage had already passed."
Lucien lowered his gaze, and Eloria lost herself in thought.
Duke Crimsenne spoke again, his voice firm, "We must make your nephew the next head of the family. I will not ally with a coward like Gerrad."
Lucien looked at Duke Crimsenne and said, "I fear that may be impossible, Your Grace."
Duke Crimsenne stared at him and asked, "What do you mean impossible? With me, the Duke, supporting him, there's nothing to fear."
Lucien replied, "I am certain we can defeat the Ciyane family, but the problem lies with my nephew, Tristan. I am ninety percent sure that he does not want to become the next head of the family because of everything that's happened, my lord."
Duke Crimsenne fell silent, deep in thought. "You're right. He must be traumatized by what occurred, especially since even the knight raised by his own father turned against them."
Lucien nodded, "Exactly, my lord. And I wish to ask something of you."
Duke Crimsenne leaned back on the sofa and replied, "What is it, Lucien?"
Lucien hesitated for a moment, then gathered his resolve. "I ask for your protection of Tristan, my lord."
Duke Crimsenne raised an eyebrow. "What kind of protection do you ask exactly?"
Lucien explained, "I've seen that boy's eyes. They do not reflect the innocence of a child his age, my lord. He has no time for games or play like other children. He only focuses on becoming stronger and seeking revenge against the Ciyane and Lavindra families."
Duke Crimsenne responded, "You know me, don't you? I value talent and skill. So if someone doesn't meet my standards, I won't event looking at them, even if they are the child of the mentor who enlightened me."
Lucien replied, "Don't worry, my lord. If you meet him, you'll immediately want to adopt him as your son."
Duke Crimsenne raised an eyebrow and looked at Lucien. "Is he really that impressive?"
Lucien nodded. "Yes..."
Before Lucien could finish his sentence, Eloria laughed and said, "Hahaha, impressive, you say?"
Both Lucien and Duke Crimsenne were confused by Eloria's sudden change in behavior compared to their previous memory about her.
Eloria continued, "He's not impressive, he's extraordinary. He is a hero among heroes..."
While Eloria rambled on, Duke Crimsenne whispered to Lucien, "Did you brainwash the princess?"
Lucien was taken aback. "I-I would never do that, my lord. It just so happens that she was saved by Tristan when she was kidnapped by demons."
Lucien and Duke Crimsenne watched as Eloria continued her chatter.
"He is the one who will protect this world..."
"Eh-hem, Your Highness," Duke Crimsene interrupted.
Eloria, realizing her behavior, fell silent and quickly returned to her usual demeanor. "Eh-hem, my apologies, Duke Crimsenne, Lord Roussanne."
Duke Crimsenne and Lucien laughed awkwardly, and Duke Crimsene turned to Eloria.
"So, why do you hold that boy in such high regard, Your Highness?"
Eloria replied, "Alright, before I explain, I'll ask you a question, Sir Crimsenne. How many knights would you need to defeat a demon? Let's say a Lowest-Class Demon. How many knights would it take to subdue it without killing it and make it obey?"
Duke Crimsenne responded, "Hmm, if I deploy my elite knights, five might be enough. And my knight commander could handle it easily."
Eloria asked, "Are you sure about that, sir Crimsenne?"
Duke Crimsenne answered, "Yes, Your Highness. Why do you ask? Could it be...?"
Eloria smiled and said, "Exactly as you're thinking, sir Crimsenne."
Duke Crimsene was stunned. "No way..."
Eloria continued, "It wasn't just a demon he faced, but five awakened ogres as well."
Duke Crimsenne was shocked. "No way, how could that be?"
Eloria stood proudly. Duke Crimsenne and Lucien exchanged confused glances, both thinking, "Why is she the one proud?"
Duke Crimsenne then asked Lucien, "Is what she's saying true, Lucien?"
Lucien replied, "From what I heard from the knight commander I assigned to accompany Tristan, it's true, my lord."
Duke Crimsenne couldn't help but smile widely. "Interesting, truly interesting. So, what do you know about that boy's strength, Lucien?"