Virtually everyone in Grandis knew who its ruler was. The legendary Emperor Grandis, the only hexa-folder in the continent. Save for the gods and the Chromatic Lords, he was undisputedly the most powerful man on the continent. Everyone heard of his name, knew the numerous legends and laws he passed down to protect them all.

Few, however, had seen his appearance.

That statement, however, was now about to be inaccurate.

A slender man, wearing a gold crown, had appeared on stage. Instinctively, everyone knew that this man was Emperor Grandis, the ruler of his namesake continent, but Dia couldn’t even make out his appearance. Some mighty power was clouding her senses, preventing her from actually making out the Emperor’s true appearance. She could only make out the nine-coloured robes he wore and nothing else.

The Emperor stood on-stage for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping across the infinitely vast hall. Dia trembled as his gaze swept past her, but fortunately, the Emperor didn’t seem to notice her.

After a minute of hushed silence, the Emperor turned on the spot and vanished. The repressive presence that he brought along faded at the same time, but no one dared to speak anymore.

Her heart beating madly, Dia forcibly calmed her mind. It would not do for her to break down or lose control on the spot, even if she wanted to scream at him. It would do nothing to prove her innocence, while inviting a catastrophe upon her family and the Moon Lords. Besides…it wasn’t indignation she was feeling — it was utter dread, through and through.

The Emperor was a man to be obeyed.

“Was that Emperor Grandis?” Nero asked, breaking the silence.

Dia stared at him, scandalised, as did everyone else, but the only thing he did was to roll his eyes at the others.

“What? The Emperor’s gone. Why are you all staring at me like this?” Nero shook his head, before a touch of seriousness infused his next words. “But we shouldn’t oppose that man. At all.”

Schwarz nodded. “I suppose the Emperor’s still lingering here, though. In disguise this time, perhaps. After that stupendous showing, no one’s going to associate him with some low-profile fellow.”

“You sound experienced,” said Farah.

“Well, it’s not too different from the things that happen in Triple-D, whenever a merchant drops by. Some guy walks in, all huge and imposing, before trying to purchase something at a low price. Naturally, he’s denied, so he leaves, changes his outfit, and returns looking like an entirely different man. He then offers his actual price, which becomes more palatable to the merchant.”

“It would be best if you do not compare ruffians to the Emperor,” said Lumine. “You might make a habit out of this.”

Schwarz glanced at Dia’s aunt, and then composed himself. “Thank you for your advice.”

“You are a promising child, to take my advice this easily.” She chuckled. “It seems that you are also a leader of sorts in the Moon Lords. I find that reassuring.”

“Thank you for your praise.”

“It is me who should be thanking you and everyone else present,” Aunt Lumine replied. “My little niece has been living a…life of a body double from young. She isn’t experienced with the outside world, so—”

“It was nothing, really,” Schwarz replied.

“Yeah,” Claud chimed in. “The four of them are great learners. It didn’t take long for them to pick up the basics. Nothing much to us, really. Just some noble arrogance at the start, but we smoothed that over quickly enough.”

“Good to hear, good to hear.”

The maternal smile on Aunt Lumine’s face was a bit disturbing to Dia, but there was no way she could turn away from that or do anything else to distract her mind.

“It’s starting,” Farah abruptly said. “Shush.”

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A tall, well-built man appeared on stage, and Dia narrowed her eyes. As usual, the duke was clad in his favourite golden suit of armour, which was inlaid with all kinds of precious gems. An embellished sword hung at his left, a red cloak billowing dramatically in the windless hall.

“As crass as usual, eh?” Aunt Lumine chuckled.

Her remark made everyone’s lips twitch. It was clear that the others thought the same, but it was likely that the others didn’t know that this was actually the Duke’s preferred style of dress. It was indeed crass and emanating an air of opulence, but Dia had been told by her father that all this was just a disguise.

The real duke was a schemer through and through. In fact, this attire of his, which made him look silly, was designed to lower the guards of others. By dressing himself up as a wealth-chaser, his political opponents — even if they knew about his true nature — would be more inclined to lower their guard somewhat. It was a cheap and effective way of disguising himself in plain sight…and it also helped that this armour was actually a very powerful artefact.

Reportedly, this whole get-up could allow him to trade blows with even penta-folders for a few minutes, buying him enough time to call for support and reinforcements. No one knew the true details, but Dia was reasonably certain that this rumour had some truth to it…especially since it was her father who told her that himself.

A resonant baritone rang out through the hall. “Today marks the day I take up my father’s mantle. Though it might seem like a joyous occasion, the reason behind it is anything but joyous. My father passed away from old age, the hope for renewing his lifespan stolen away by a despicable knave.

“He was a giant, who left behind huge footsteps that I have to now fill. He was a great man who oversaw an unprecedented peace in his reign. He was a great father, who now leaves behind a grieving family. Today, I swear, here and now, to continue his great legacy of protecting the Istrel Sovereignty, and may the Moons smite me if I fail. Today, I declare myself Ruler—"

The blurred figure of Emperor Grandis abruptly appeared to Duke Istrel’s side, and his words cut out. Wheeling to his left, Istrel fell onto one knee, lowered his head and faced the ground.

Emperor Grandis glanced down at the prostrating Istrel as two shadows appeared behind him. With a jolt, Dia realised that these two shadows were almost certainly the other two rulers, Voidum and Nihila, and she recalled some old rumours. It was said that the three rulers and the Emperor were close brothers that had fought together at the end of the Third Godsfall; their appearance here was probably proof of that and more.

Dia didn’t know what to make of this interruption, but this was definitely not something Istrel had planned for.

The Emperor raised his left hand once, and all eyes turned to him. “Umbra told me, long ago, that he had no wish to pass down his family name, which is why his children all bore their maternal surname. Now, I shall fulfil that vow in its entirely. Henceforth and forevermore, the name Umbra shall only refer to my brother, Elysis Umbra, the first and only of his name.”

Dia’s head dipped on its own accord, and words forced themselves out of her mouth. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The same thing happened to the others too, and when she next looked up, the Emperor and the two rulers had vanished, leaving behind Istrel, who was now on his feet. A spotlight had fallen on him alone, the rest of the stage dark.

“Today,” said Istrel, his words noticeably deflated, “I declare myself to be Ruler Istrel, first of my name. My position as Duke Istrel will be handed down to my eldest son…in-law. A ceremony will soon be held for his ascension.”

He took a deep breath. “My courtiers. To me.”

Farah abruptly vanished, reappearing on stage with more than thirty other people and forming a circle of people around the newly-inaugurated Ruler Istrel. She knew quite a few faces there. From the Istrel Dukedom, there were Count Nightfall, Countess Farah, and Count Daybreak. From Lustre, there were Count Stadtfield, Holtman, and Countess Clause, and…

Her thoughts blanked out at that moment, as she caught sight of her father. She hadn’t internalised it back then, but this gathering had made it clear to her. Things had changed.

The blood rushing in her ears drowned out the perfunctory words Ruler Istrel spat out next, and Dia found herself clenching her fist. Once all these was over, a war would follow, and—

A hand fell upon her shoulder.

“Aunt?”

“Don’t worry, dear child.” Aunt Lumine patted her gently. “There will be no war. Trust me on this. Ruler Istrel will not be able to do anything funny to your home…and if Schwa’s cards are as numerous as Lustre’s, the same thing will happen too. Besides, Emperor Grandis is very displeased. That sudden interruption…carries a lot of meaning.”

Dia forced down a lump in her throat and turned back to the stage, where Istrel was concluding his first decrees in his capacity as Ruler Istrel.

“…a manhunt for the Thief of Time.”

The nobles around him bowed, their voices ringing out as one. “Yes, my liege.”

“Good. Dismissed.”

That last word rang out through the hall, which began to quake on its own. The sensation of falling gripped Dia firmly, and before she could say goodbye to the other Moon Lords, her awareness had returned to the interior of Farah Palace, where they had been seated at earlier.

This ceremony, which was the first of its kind, had concluded. There were many irregularities to it, but before Dia could pick out any implications from it, her thoughts were disrupted by Farah.

“It’s done, then,” said Farah, whose face was pale. “Ruler Istrel…”

“He’s visiting tomorrow evening, no?” Lumine abruptly asked.

“Y-yes.”

“Good.” She smiled. “I must prepare for it. You two…go and sleep or something. You guys look like a right mess.”

Patting Dia’s head, she got up from her chair and left.