The audience ended soon afterward.
Nobles departed the Hall of Crowns in uneasy silence while whispers spread throughout the palace. The appearance of the Royal Guardian had overshadowed everything else that had happened during the eting.
So nobles looked troubled while others looked frightened.
A few looked openly furious.
But none of them dared voice their thoughts while still within the royal palace.
As Lucien exited the hall alongside Malen and Gandalf, a royal guard approached and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Lucien."
Lucien stopped.
The guard lowered his head.
"His Highness requests a private eting."
Malen imdiately narrowed his eyes.
"His Highness?"
"The Crown Prince."
The guard straightened.
"Prince Cassian Vaelthron."
For a brief mont silence lingered.
Then Gandalf smiled.
"Interesting."
The old wizard folded his arms.
"Either this is politics."
He paused.
"Or politics."
Malen looked at him blankly.
"That is the sa thing."
"Exactly."
The guard continued.
"His Highness awaits in the western observatory gardens."
Lucien considered for a mont before nodding.
"I’ll go."
The western sections of the palace were far quieter than the ceremonial halls surrounding the throne room.
The further Lucien walked, the less political noise remained.
Servants beca scarce.
Guards fewer.
The atmosphere shifted from royal grandeur into sothing more personal.
Ancient stone corridors stretched beneath softly glowing mana lamps while snow drifted beyond towering windows overlooking the capital.
Eventually the guard stopped before an open archway.
Beyond it waited the observatory gardens.
Cold winter air greeted Lucien imdiately.
Snow covered stone pathways and frozen flowerbeds while magical lanterns floated above the grounds, illuminating the garden with soft golden light.
At the far end stood a lone figure overlooking the capital.
The young man wore simple royal clothing rather than ceremonial attire.
The figure turned as Lucien approached.
Sharp gray eyes studied him calmly.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"You managed to anger half the court in less than an hour."
The young man’s smile widened slightly.
"Father will consider that a successful first impression."
Lucien stopped beside him.
"So the audience was a test."
The prince chuckled.
"Partly."
Snow drifted around them while the lights of the capital glittered below.
Cassian leaned slightly lightly against the balcony railing.
"The Old Coalition wanted to challenge you."
"And father wanted to see how you would respond."
"So did I pass?"lucien asked
"you responded better than most expected."
Lucien looked toward the city.
"Most expected failure?"
"No they expected arrogance."
Cassian shrugged.
"Or anger."
"A few probably hoped you would insult the throne."
His smile beca more amused.
"Instead you embarrassed several powerful nobles in front of the entire court."
The prince looked genuinely entertained by that fact.
"They won’t forget it."
"I don’t expect them to."
"Good then"
For a few monts silence settled between them.
Unlike the silence inside the throne room, however, this one felt comfortable.
Eventually Cassian spoke again.
"The Warhound is that what you call it"
Lucien wasn’t surprised.
Every discussion within the capital eventually reached that subject.
The prince’s eyes sharpened with genuine curiosity.
"The reports are contradictory."The prince continued
"So call it a siege engine."
"Others describe it as a mobile fortress."
"A few generals believe it represents an entirely new category of warfare."
Lucien folded his arms.
"The generals are closest."
Cassian nodded imdiately.
"I suspected as much."
The prince stared out toward the city.
"You should know that military academies across the kingdom are already debating your tactics."
"Machine guns."
"Industrial logistics."
"Armored warfare."
"The younger officers cannot stop talking about Elarion."
"And the older ones?"
Cassian laughed softly.
"They’re trying very hard not to."
That answer told Lucien everything he needed to know.
The prince continued.
"The old military establishnt spent generations perfecting cavalry warfare."
"They understand knights."
"They understand fortifications."
"They understand traditional campaigns."
His gaze shifted toward Lucien.
"They do not understand factories."
The word lingered in the air.
"Factories scare them."
Lucien nodded.
"Because factories change power."
Cassian’s smile returned.
"Exactly."
The prince pointed toward the capital.
"Every noble house in that city understands power."
"Most of them simply fail to realize power evolves."
Snow continued falling quietly.
After several monts Cassian spoke again.
This ti his voice carried more seriousness.
"Asterion has enjoyed stability for centuries."
"Many nobles mistake that for permanence."
His gaze beca distant.
"Kingdoms don’t fall because enemies beco stronger."
"They fall because they refuse to adapt with tis"
Lucien studied him carefully.
Interesting.
Cassian understood more than most nobles.
Far more.
The prince wasn’t rely politically educated.
He genuinely understood history.
And perhaps more importantly—
He understood change.
"The Coalition War accelerated everything."
Cassian continued quietly.
"People don’t realize it yet."
"But the kingdom future that existed five years ago no longer exists."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The mont industrialization appeared, the future changed."
Lucien remained silent.
Because there wasn’t much to add.
The prince was correct.
The introduction of mass production alone would reshape the entire continent eventually.
The Warhound was rely the most visible symptom.
After a mont Cassian laughed.
"You know what terrified Duke Halvorn most?"
Lucien glanced toward him.
"The artillery comnt."
The prince shook his head.
"I genuinely thought the old man would collapse."
A grin appeared.
"’Artillery does not respect noble blood.’"
He laughed again.
"Half the younger officers nearly applauded."
For the first ti a faint trace of amusent appeared on Lucien’s face.
Cassian imdiately noticed.
"There."
The prince pointed dramatically.
"You actually can smile."
"I was beginning to suspect Elarion manufactured its nobles from steel."
Lucien ignored him.
Which only seed to amuse Cassian further.
Eventually the laughter faded.
The atmosphere beca quieter.
The prince looked across the city once more.
"The old nobles think you’re dangerous."
Lucien remained silent.
Cassian nodded.
"They’re right."
The snowfall continued.
The lights of the capital shimred beneath the winter night.
Then Cassian straightened slightly.
"There is one more thing."
Lucien looked toward him.
The prince’s expression beca noticeably more serious.
"The Royal Guardian wishes to et you."
For the first ti since arriving in the garden, the conversation shifted completely.
The Royal Guardian.
The ancient mage who had appeared in the Hall of Crowns.
The man who sohow sensed sothing unusual about Lucien.
Cassian watched him carefully.
"Most people would consider that an extraordinary honor."
His smile returned briefly.
"Most people would also be terrified."
"Should I be?"
The prince actually considered the question.
Then shrugged.
"Probably not."
That answer earned a slight narrowing of Lucien’s eyes.
Cassian continued.
"The Royal Guardian is my grandfather."
That revelation explained several things imdiately.
The imnse authority.
The respect.
And almost unquestioned position of House Vaelthron.
A legendary mage supporting the Crown for generations was a foundation few kingdoms could challenge.
The prince folded his arms.
"My grandfather rarely takes personal interest in anyone."
"Especially nobles."
His gaze sharpened.
"Yet he appeared during your audience."
"He then ignored half the court."
"And then focused entirely on you."
Snow drifted between them.
"I don’t know what he sensed."
"I don’t know what he wants."
Cassian paused.
"But I know this."
His voice beca firm.
"You should et him."
Lucien remained silent.
The prince smiled faintly.
"You strike as a man carrying more questions than answers."
The words lingered.
Questions.
Lucien certainly had those.
Questions about his mother assasination
Questions about this world.
Questions about why the Royal Guardian sensed sothing unusual.
Questions about the future itself.
Too many questions and too few answers,so much to seek answers for.
Cassian looked toward the tallest tower of the palace visible above the snowy rooftops.
"If anyone in Asterion possesses answers you seek..."
His gaze returned to Lucien.
"...it would be my grandfather."
Silence followed.
Then the prince extended a hand as soone proposing cooperation.
"And regarding the Crown and Elarion..."
A confident smile appeared.
"I believe we both seek the sa thing."
Lucien looked at the offered hand.
A stronger kingdom.
A stable future.
And a path forward rather than backward.
Cassian’s smile widened slightly.
"The cooperation we seek."
"The future my father desires."
"The future you are building."
The prince’s eyes glead with certainty.
"You will not regret this arrangent."
For several monts neither moved.
Then Lucien clasped the offered hand.
Far above them, hidden sowhere within the highest tower of the royal palace, an ancient mage waited.
And for the first ti since arriving in the capital—
Lucien felt that he was finally approaching answers rather than rely gathering questions.
The next move had already begun.
Just then a knock interrupted both the prince and Lucien.
"Co in"
A royal guard entered,this one different from all others, a golden mark on his helt representing supre authority.
At this the prince suddenly smiled and said "it seems my grandfather is more eager to et you than I expected"
"Follow him to the tower and you will get your answers"
I have got my inspiration for next Chapters today be releasing few more Chapters to fill the past gap of few days:) Thank you for the support.
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