Today, the city of Aurelium was experiencing an unparalleled level of joy and celebration. Everyone in the city—the rich, commoners, and slaves alike—was happy and relieved. The Kingdom of Evrarnis has won a great battle in Cloudehill, the continent's southernmost region, successfully uniting the Lumina continent. It was a difficult victory for the kingdom. Still, despite being located in the northwestern region of the continent, they were able to deploy their forces over the continent, resulting in a magical victory. But the truth was that no magic was involved; instead, the victory resulted from the kingdom's citizens' years of arduous labor, tenacity, and bloodshed.

The city was now welcoming its troops back, and they had spared no expense in preparing a grand triumph to commemorate the return of the forces headed by the king himself, King Marcus Aurelius II. The streets were adorned with colorful banners and streamers, and the air was filled with the sound of triumphant music and cheering crowds.

The road to the city center was jam-packed with marching troops and soldiers returning from the battlefield. People from the city also swarmed the sides of the sidewalk to welcome loved ones and countrymen home. As women and children cheered for the returnees and shed tears of delight, many men were excitedly dancing and screaming.

As the soldiers made their way toward the city center, colorful petals rained from the sky and upon the soldiers, adding to the scene's splendor. The buildings along the road were adorned with decorations, and the capital appeared submerged in color. The city's streets were so congested that people climbed the roofs of buildings to get a better glimpse of their heroes as they returned from war.

The entire army marched into the capital, flawlessly arranged in columns and properly organized. Marching bands accompanied the army, and the rhythmic sounds produced by the combination of the two resonated throughout the city.

***

Although thrilled over the victory, the kingdom's nobility had other ambitions. They were eager to participate in reorganizing and allocating the captured territories, a process that would shape the kingdom's future and their own positions of power. Even though the kingdom had entirely seized the continent's northern half five years prior, the southern section remained disorganized, and immediate administration remained a cause for concern.

Most of the great nobles had wanted an audience with the king since his return, but the royal family had stated that the monarch would not meet with anybody for the next week. The king's decision was shrouded in mystery, leaving the nobles to speculate.

King Marcus, his palm resting on his face, sat upon a colossal throne, a testament to his authority and power. He was an extremely handsome man with brilliant red hair, and despite his slender body, he was a very competent and respected powerhouse. His face was covered with scars due to his clean-shaven appearance. Even by sitting on the throne, he exuded elegance and absolute authority.

In front of him, five men were kneeling, all with the same bright red hair, a striking contrast to their fair skin and piercing blue eyes. Their royal lineage was evident in their regal bearing and how they carried themselves.

"You may rise." The King spoke gently.

The five princes, united in their respect and love for their father, rose with beaming smiles, a testament to the strength of their family bond.

"Father, Marius and his brothers, your children, have come to pay respect to your historic victory. People will remember your legendary name on the continent for a thousand years." The oldest prince, Marius, took the initiative to congratulate his father.

These words caused King Marcus to lower his palm, and a slight smile could be seen on his face.

“This victory is something our nation earned together, and as the royal family, we are just the symbol of the kingdom's people.” The King said gently.

The princes also nodded their heads to the King’s words. This victory meant a lot for the ordinary people of the kingdom but more so for the upper class.

“I trust that everything has been well in the kingdom recently. How are the renovations going on for the walls of the city?”

“Your majesty, the workers are enjoying a few days of holidays on the eve of your triumphant return, but I promise that the work will return to normal when the holidays end.” The third prince, Justus, nervously spoke as he was in charge of the various renovation projects in the kingdom.

“What about my prison? Is my favorite brother still being fed properly and living well?” Marcus suddenly asked the fifth son, Rufus.

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Rufus smiled and said, “Your Majesty need not worry about this. Uncle is living his best life down there.”

Upon hearing his sons' responses, King Marcus’s smile broadened, a sign of his satisfaction with the interaction.

“The kingdom is now at peace and is prospering well. I think it’s about time we talk about the future.” The King spoke casually, but all the princes showed signs of anticipation and anxiety, their faces betraying their inner turmoil.

Ignoring the change of expressions on the prince's face, Marcus continued to speak, “Since you are all here, I have something important to announce!”

He slowly exited his lofty throne and walked towards the kneeling princes.

“I have three things to announce!” The king announced in a loud and majestic voice.

“Firstly, all of the imperial princes are to leave the capital and will be acting governors of the various territories we have gained in the continent.”

“Second, Prince Marius is now designated the crown prince and will ascend the throne after my reign.”

“And lastly, Prince Lucius is to be exiled from the kingdom because of embezzling large amounts of money from the royal treasury.”

This sudden influx of information sent shockwaves through the princes. They were too stunned even to speak a single word. Their father had decided the future of their country in an instant. The weight of his decisions was sure to send shockwaves across the kingdom, leaving the princes in disbelief.

King Marcus then walked past them unhurriedly out of the throne room. It was all too sudden. A minute ago, they were chatting very casually, but the next thing they knew, the world they knew had ceased to exist.

A heavy silence descended as the king's last decree echoed in the throne room. Slowly, all the princes stood up individually. The princes all looked at one another, but none spoke. They all had their aspirations fulfilled and had even exceeded their demands. However, the last mandate was surprising, to say the least.

It was widely accepted that Lucius was the king's favorite son despite being only thirteen years old. He was loved and coddled by the King and was never the subject of hard physical training. Even if he couldn’t be the heir to the throne, he was destined to live a comfortable life.

The second son, Pollux, broke the awkward silence, “Even if he embezzled some money, how can Lou be exiled? That little bookworm is not going to survive the outside world.”

All of them nodded their heads. Nobody steals from the royal treasury and gets exiled just like that. Moreover, a favored prince like Lucius could never get such a punishment. There was something else at play here.

The crown prince, Marius, shook his head and said, “Once our father makes a decision, no one can reverse it. Hopefully, our father will not exile him somewhere too far.”

All of the princes had crestfallen expressions. They were not big fans of their wimpy little brother, but everyone loved him, and even the competition for the throne came second.

***

“Stop whining and get in the carriage!” A white-haired muscular man placed his hand on a whimpering adolescent who was lying on the ground and lifted him by his collar.

“Uncle Ursus, how can you do this to me? I am your nephew!” The teenager cried out, and everyone present on the scene could see his red eyes that were swollen from crying.

The guards and the various servants here all were in a state of mourning. No, the entire palace was in a grief-stricken state. This sharply contrasted to the rest of the kingdom, which was still enjoying festivities and celebrations.

The youngest prince was getting exiled today! A 13-year-old child was banished from the kingdom due to embezzling royal money. Despite being mostly absent from the outside world, Prince Lou was a favorite of the palace staff. His brothers constantly train or travel outside, yet Prince Lou spent all his days in the royal library or getting lessons from famous scholars.

He was physically fit due to regular exercise, but he had never touched a weapon in his life. His father also adored him the most, always spending his free time with him and reprimanded the other princes when they tried to bully him even in the slightest.

Ursus was the king's brother and the teacher for most of the princes. He trained them since childhood and was trusted by the children.

“Don’t even try to leave the carriage! I’ll break your legs if you step out!” Ursus yelled at Lou, dragged him by the collar, and threw him inside the carriage.

Ursus then closed the carriage door and shouted, “On your way!”

The palace staff and the guards watched in disarray as the carriage slowly took off and disappeared outside the palace gate.

Ursus then turned around and shouted, “None shall speak a word on this! If a single word of this leaks, I will end all of you here! It does not matter who leaks it!”

All the people here were terrified and promptly nodded with great intensity. No one’s life was more precious than their own.

On the other hand, the carriage vanished into thin air after some distance from the palace gate. Strangely enough, no one, not a single informant, guard, or ordinary person, caught a glimpse of the carriage leaving the main entrance. It was as if it had never been there at all.

However, the young man inside the carriage had a very different experience. After being thrown inside the carriage by his uncle, he seemed to attempt to get out, but the space inside the carriage suddenly stirred, and he felt like he was falling from the sky. The insides of the carriage also started twisting, and Lou, who was trapped inside, found himself in a whirlwind of strange visions and a myriad of colors. The carriage’s space seemed to expand and contract, inducing dizziness that left him utterly disoriented and helpless.

“Help! Help me! I'm going to di-!” He shouted at the top of his voice, his words echoing in the chaotic whirlwind, bouncing off the walls of the carriage and blending with the strange sounds of the visions around him, adding to his disorientation.

But the hard floor of the carriage was the only thing that greeted him.