Early in the morning, the capital seemed a bit chaotic, like a baby whimpering after waking up early.

One carriage after another lined up in formation, advancing uniformly towards the palace.

People opened their shop doors to see carriage after carriage speeding by, kicking up dust as they went.

Passersby retreated to the sides, only able to enter shops to look around casually, avoiding the carriages.

"What's happening?"

"Not sure... but it looks like something big is going on."

Soon, the last to stop in front of the castle gates was an exceptionally luxurious carriage.

Duke Levi lightly stepped down from the carriage, looking around.

Most of the mages had already arrived, but without exception, all of them were staring at him with hostile gazes.

If looks could turn into bullets, Duke Levi would probably have been riddled with holes.

Duke Levi's reputation had plummeted to the extreme in mage circles after that volcano incident.

There were no rumors, no slander; everyone had seen it with their own eyes.

No one came forward to greet the Duke, not even Baron Beck, who had a relatively close relationship with him, could only shake his head helplessly.

He stood alone at the entrance, neither humble nor arrogant.

After a while, the towering gates of the castle slowly opened, and a strong wind burst out from within, making the clothes of all the mages present flutter loudly.

Like a ferocious beast, it seemed to want to devour the pride of everyone present.

A knight escorted a noble man with silver-white hair out.

The man looked to be under thirty, still quite young, dressed magnificently and with an extraordinary bearing.

Seeing this face, many recognized him, and all bowed in salute.

The Duke, standing at the forefront, faced this man, one of the most noble in the empire, and likewise bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince."

The Second Prince nodded to the Duke, raising his hand to indicate that everyone should rise and not be overly formal.

"Since everyone has arrived, please enter first."

After receiving permission, the mages gradually entered. When it came to the Duke's turn, however, he was stopped by the Second Prince.

He smiled at Duke Levi and said:

"Duke Levi, shall we chat somewhere else?"

Duke Levi looked at the Second Prince's insincere smile and responded:

"Your Highness, I don't want to keep His Majesty waiting."

The Second Prince shook his head and continued to persuade Duke Levi:

"Father Emperor is elderly and needs more rest."

"If you go in now, you'll have to wait for a while anyway."

"Besides, I really do want to talk with you."

The Second Prince leaned closer to Duke Levi. He covered his mouth with one hand and whispered in his ear:

"Perhaps I can help you out of your current predicament."

Duke Levi listened to his words expressionlessly, without replying.

At this, the Second Prince relaxed and smiled.

The Duke's lack of response naturally meant agreement.

He said to Duke Levi: "Duke, please follow me."

Under the protection of the knights at his side, the two didn't enter through the main gate, but instead took a side path to a palace.

"This is my place, Duke. You can speak freely here."

The Duke glanced at the guards beside the Second Prince.

"These guards are naturally our own people."

He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to bring a seat for Duke Levi.

The Duke didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly, the two facing each other.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Hearing this, the Duke laughed and said: "Your Highness, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to start developing your own confidants so early?"

"His Majesty... isn't dead yet."

The Duke's inquiry carried a hint of chilling coldness, making the Second Prince shudder slightly.

He put on a helpless expression and smiled in response:

"Duke, I don't want to die inexplicably at some point."

"Sitting in my position, whether to compete or not isn't something I can decide on my own."

The Duke fell silent, not replying.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly dropped to freezing point, both silent.

The Second Prince was the first to break the deadlock:

"Let's not talk about that. Duke, the current situation is unfavorable to you."

"There are too many people impeaching you, Father Emperor might not be able to withstand the pressure."

"To be frank, this is what I wanted to discuss with you."

Before Duke Levi could respond, the Second Prince picked up a teacup, took a sip, and continued:

"I hear the Duke's daughter will come of age in a year."

Hearing this, the Duke slowly raised his head, his eyes somewhat cold, with a hint of mockery.

"So what?"

The Second Prince put down his teacup, looked at the surrounding guards, and smiled elegantly.

"Duke, you really want me to speak plainly."

"If I were to be betrothed to your daughter, the Duke would have a kinship with the royal family. Then, Father Emperor would naturally have reason to protect you..."

Crack!

Before the Second Prince could finish speaking, the teacup in his hand suddenly shattered.

The knights panicked, drawing their swords and pointing them at Duke Levi.

The Second Prince wasn't afraid, but clapped his hands, brushing off the fragments, and quietly looked at Duke Levi, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement:

"Duke, this is the palace."

"You wouldn't want your daughter to lose all her prospects because of your rashness, would you?"

Duke Levi stood up, the powerful magical pressure dissipating instantly as he rose.

The smile in the Second Prince's eyes faltered slightly, inwardly marveling.

What precise control of magical power.

Suddenly, Duke Levi spoke up:

"Your Highness, how old are you this year?"

"Twenty-nine, why? For your daughter, my age is quite suitable."

"Is that so? Twenty-nine, huh."

Duke Levi muttered this number, as if comparing something.

Soon, he suddenly asked:

"Your Highness, I've watched you grow up. But in these twenty-odd years, have you made any progress?"

The cold words pierced the Second Prince's heart like daggers. He suddenly felt vexed, his head feeling as if pressed by a huge stone, his smile freezing on his face.

"Indeed, you're very clever, knowing how to utilize surrounding resources, and understanding how to gauge people's hearts."

"But you're not strong. The resources you can utilize are merely reflected in your bloodline advantage."

Duke Levi didn't say it explicitly, but the Second Prince understood.

The implication was that he was relying on his father's protection.

Without this blood relation, you would be nothing.

The Second Prince's smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a cold and mocking expression.

"So what? I'm a prince. Besides me, is there anyone more suitable, more excellent?"

Suddenly, he froze, because he thought of someone.

There really was.

Duke Levi also smiled and looked at him, his eyes carrying obvious contempt.

"I suggest you say that to the head of the Kravina family in person."

The Second Prince slammed the table and stood up, waving his hand and shouting:

"He's just a viscount! And he's already dead! Do you understand? He's dead!"

The Second Prince became more and more agitated as he spoke, finally almost wanting to grab Duke Levi's collar fiercely, pointing at his nose to tell him the truth harshly.

But he didn't do so. As the Second Prince, he had to maintain proper etiquette. Even if he wasn't calm, he couldn't act like a beast. This was the last dignity of being a member of the royal family.

He took a deep breath, then said to Duke Levi:

"He has disappeared forever in that volcano. This is something everyone knows."

"Dead?"

Duke Levi laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke, shaking his head and looking at him with pity in his eyes:

"In my eyes, your arrogance doesn't match half of his excellence."

Having said this, Duke Levi walked out the door without looking back.

The Second Prince's face darkened. He smoothed his silver hair, took a deep breath, and adjusted his emotions.

"Let's go, we'll also go to the great hall."

"I look forward to seeing if he can remain so calm when everyone is pointing at him."

......

The palace was already full of people, with knights in heavy armor holding long swords, guarding the surrounding order.

Gwen stood near the throne. As the captain of the Royal Knights, the person she needed to protect was the Emperor.

Kneeling at the forefront was Duke Levi.

Seeing the Duke, Gwen's expression was somewhat complex.

She certainly knew the experience this high-ranking minister had today.

It definitely couldn't be called good.

But it had to be said, he really loved his daughter.

Gwen quickly averted her gaze, scanning among the mages.

He hadn't come.

She couldn't find Viktor's figure anywhere.

"He... hasn't returned..."

For some reason, her heart felt a bit heavy.

Perhaps because Viktor was someone she had been familiar with since childhood.

Suddenly, amidst the announcement of the eunuchs, the Emperor, surrounded by his entourage, sat on the throne.

Aubrey Sol, the eighth Emperor of the Carencia Empire.

He looked very old, with a full head of white hair.

Although this Emperor was only sixty years old, not much older than Duke Levi.

Seeing the Emperor, all the mages knelt on one knee, showing their highest respect to the Emperor.

Emperor Aubrey waved his hand, allowing everyone to stand up.

Only Duke Levi didn't move, still kneeling in place.

The aged king looked at Duke Levi, closed his eyes, and sighed.

Quietly looking at him, he asked:

"Levi, did you stop the magic array when the volcano was about to erupt?"

"Yes."

Duke Levi answered without any hesitation.

The Emperor asked again: "Levi, they say you wanted to kill all the mages, including the residents at the foot of the mountain, to accompany your daughter in death. Do you have any explanation for this?"

"Your Majesty, I have no explanation."

The Emperor silently looked at him, sighing heavily,

"Ah..."

He looked at Levi, his gaze full of reluctance.

Once, they were the best of friends, comrades.

And now, Levi still looked so young, while he had already stepped into the journey of life and death.

He had wanted to protect his old companions who had been with him for so long in his last few years.

But Levi's actions had affected the credibility of the royal family.

If he didn't punish him severely... it would only dishearten others.

"Levi, understand me, forgive me."

He closed his eyes, preparing to make the final judgment on Levi.

Suddenly, all the knights outside the door drew their swords.

A towering flame vortex rose from outside the hall out of thin air, attracting everyone's attention.

The intense heat wave made them unable to open their eyes. After the heat wave dissipated,

The mages present slowly opened their eyes.

A figure appeared from the light.

Gwen stared at that spot, a glint flashing in her eyes.

"Viktor!?"

Viktor appeared before everyone, his red-striped trench coat moving with the heat wave.

He looked towards the Emperor, not kneeling, merely bowing in salute.

"My apologies, Your Majesty."

"I'm late."