The throne that Anastasia was currently sitting on was newly designed by Maris as well. Its towering backrest resembled a blazing sun rising over the horizon, radiating authority and rebirth alike.
William had been genuinely furious when he discovered that the original relic throne of the Solaris Clan had been destroyed by Winston years ago.
The thought still filled him with disgust.
At one point, he had nearly regretted allowing Winston to be killed by Lux’s descent into his body before he could do it personally. The man had left behind little more than scraps in terms of relics and treasures that William was supposed to inherit.
Still, none of that mattered now. William had returned from death, and now he intended to rebuild everything.
Suddenly, William’s attention was caught by the silence that spread throughout as the drums and trumpets stopped playing.
Seated upon the throne, Anastasia allowed her gaze to sweep across the hall before addressing the continent once more.
"People of Aris," she began calmly, "forgive for extending this broadcast. However, before this ceremony concludes, so declarations must be made in front of everyone today."
Her voice echoed steadily throughout the throne hall and across to every connected broadcast crystal.
"First... this State shall no longer bear the na of the Luminous Empire, nor will it continue as the so-called Holy Sun Empire."
Nobody spoke much since they had expected it from the start.
"Neither," she continued, "do I intend to restore the forr title of the Solaris Empire."
This revelation surprised nearly everyone.
Most people had assud the empire would simply reclaim its previous identity. Yet Anastasia’s words made it clear she intended sothing entirely different.
"The sun upon the legacy of the Solaris Empire set sixteen years ago, with so many of the honorable individuals from the Solaris clan now resting in peace and absent from our lives. I don’t dare to bring that na in their absence; our ancestor had set a benchmark that we might never be able to reach with that na again."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And so, I have chosen a new beginning for both this empire and its people."
"A beginning that honors the footsteps of our ancestors... while never again repeating the mistake of misplaced rcy."
Her voice gradually grew stronger as she continued.
"Today, I, Anastasia Luneia Solaris, rightful Empress of this land stretching from the frozen peaks of Sunspire in the north to the warm forests of Dawnhold in the south, from the serene western lands of Aurelia to the endless unexplored frontiers of Solre in the east..."
"...hereby proclaim the birth of a new empire."
"From this mont onward, this land shall be known as the Eternal Sun Empire."
The words reverberated like thunder.
But Anastasia did not stop there.
"This na carries far greater aning than re symbolism."
"It is a promise."
"A promise that the sun over this land shall never set again as it once did sixteen years ago."
"The people of this empire shall prosper beneath an everlasting dawn."
"Our lands shall flourish once more. Great cities shall rise again. And the light of the natives of this land shall shine eternally... like the undying sun itself."
"Just like no one can extinguish the fla of the sun, absolutely no one would be able to extinguish the fla that burns in our hearts and our blood."
By the ti she finished speaking, goosebumps had spread across the bodies of countless listeners throughout Aris.
For the people of the newly established Eternal Sun Empire, especially, her words struck deeply. For sixteen years, they had lived isolated from the rest of the continent beneath religious oppression and manipulation.
Now, for the first ti, hope had begun returning to them.
Yet before the audience could believe the declarations had ended, Anastasia continued once more.
"Now," she said calmly, "I shall declare the major authoritative positions of this empire and the individuals who shall bear their weight under my reign."
This ti, surprise spread even among those standing within the throne hall itself.
William blinked.
It beca imdiately obvious to him that Anastasia had not consulted anyone regarding this part beforehand, not even him.
Then suddenly it clicked for him.
He had publicly forced the title of empress upon her without prior discussion during the broadcast earlier.
Now she was simply returning the favor. After all, she was the empress now.
William looked toward her with an amused but wary smile. Anastasia returned the smile gracefully for the audience to see.
But William imdiately recognized the hidden aning behind it.
He was absolutely going to suffer for his earlier decisions.
"William Kaiser Solaris," Anastasia declared with the commanding voice of a ruler, "step forward."
William, though scared, imdiately obeyed. He marched toward the center of the throne hall before lowering himself into a formal knight’s kneeling posture.
In the next instant, Anastasia descended from the throne platform and appeared directly before him. She raised the imperial scepter and held it several inches above his bowed head.
Then, before the eyes of the continent, she spoke:
"Let all those who stand beneath the Heavens bear witness to this decree."
"William Kaiser Solaris is hereby recognized as the rightful heir to the Eternal Sun Empire, successor to the imperial bloodline, and future sovereign of this land."
"From this day onward, he shall bear the title of Crown Prince of the Eternal Sun Empire."
Her voice softened slightly as she continued.
"May his na forever walk alongside the everlasting blessings of his ancestors, the radiance and blood of the sun and moon that birthed him... and the light of the Kaiser family who nurtured him into the warrior he has beco. May every blessing in his life beco a guiding force."
William’s breath hitched, and his hands trembled as he heard those words, and a tinge of emotion crept up in his heart as he rembered the grandparents who raised him.
His heart was filled with warmth as he heard Anastasya respect them and na them during the oath. His breathing quickened as he felt a deeper respect towards the woman in front of him, respect beyond the boundaries of mother and son.
He could not express the imnse gratitude he felt from anesthesia; he had never expected sothing like this from his mother, and he was embarrassed about the fact that he had misunderstood the depth of his mother as a person.
This small gesture from his mother’s side had left a deep impression on him.
Now that the conferring of title was over, he was about to stand up and leave; after all, it was only expected that William would just be the crown prince, right? But suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine; he could sense a sudden playful smirk on his mother’s face. William did not feel right, as if he were about to get paid for the mistake he had made earlier.
"I am sorry, Mommy!!" was what he wanted to say, but before that could happen through the ntal link, the empress spoke.
"Now that the title of Crown Prince has officially been conferred upon you," she declared calmly,
"you shall also prepare yourself to bear several ministerial responsibilities according to your talents so that you may contribute fully toward the betternt of the empire."
William’s eyes twitched violently.
In that brief mont, he could almost see endless mountains of paperwork, reports, docunts, administrative etings, and political disputes flashing before his eyes like a nightmare descending from the heavens themselves.
His forehead strained imdiately.
An absolute administrative catastrophe was about to fall directly onto his shoulders.
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