Chapter 20

Year 1234 of the Imperial Calendar, July 18, Northern Territory.

The sun was high in the sky of the Dranalian territory, with white doves flying throughout the skies of the capital city of Taijan, further beautifying its splendor.

On a spring day like this, the people of these lands would normally be out, doing their things.

Some would go to the markets, while others would go to the taverns to gossip and get drunk. People would work in the nearby fields as usual, and the knights would patrol the streets relatively casually, confident that their presence would ensure the peace and tranquility of the city.

However, today was a very special day.

People were in a rather festive mood because the Duke recently issued several rather shocking decrees that made their lives easier, allowing everyone to take time to relax from their regular work or celebrate this special day.

And that special event was the birthday of the duchy's second princess, Ekaterina Sophrein von Dranalian.

The event was so important to the Duke that he assured everyone that taxes would be reduced by 20% for the next 6 months and that he would purchase carrots and popular horned rabbit products in large quantities from the citizens to ensure a perfect birthday party for his cute 'baby', who miraculously recovered from her illness.

Thanks to this, everyone was happy and full of energy, especially the merchants who had a surplus of the aforementioned items. They practically seemed to jump for joy when you looked at them, their eyes shining with the money symbol.

And the Ducal Palace of Dranalian was no exception to the joyful atmosphere that permeated the entire city, but was even more lively because it was the special day of its princess.

At that moment, the place was filled with servants coming and going, performing their duties. The knights were making their rounds with more enthusiasm than usual, and the guards were at their vigilant posts, preparing for the important guests who would come to the party.

The duke had sent invitations to many noble families to congratulate his daughter on her special day, just to show off and make her birthday one of the most sumptuous, if not the most sumptuous, in all of Fredonia. Even the imperial family, with whom he had strained relations, was invited; if only out of courtesy.

And at that time, at least 18 noble families from different places arrived at the capital of Dranalian from the north and other regions of the Hazar Empire to participate in the birthday celebration of the second princess of Dranalian.

Not only did the high-ranking nobles come as usual, the Duke also invited lower-ranking nobles such as barons and viscounts to his daughter's party, most of whom looked with longing sighs at the beautiful, peaceful, and vast lands they passed through, feeling the insignificance of their territories in comparison.

Among them was one of Claudia's friends, Chinihira, who was subtly laughing at her parents, who looked on with envy at the impressive scene to which she had already grown accustomed and fantasized inwardly about the amount of money that land provides and how nice it would be to have something like that.

That's what happened when you traveled several times to these magnificent lands to visit your princess friend unlike your busy parents, she thought amusedly with an internal giggle.

Before their eyes stretched a lush valley surrounded by towering cliffs, with a clear, crystalline blue lake, shining in the sunlight, where fishermen in small boats cast their nets.

A vast and beautiful farmland, filled with many shades of green, where numerous farmers worked. And in the distance, a view of the capital city of Dranalian with its many buildings and the great Dranalian Palace with its tall towers.

Dranalian truly has one of the most beautiful and largest territories in our Empire, so much so that it's a shame it isn't a popular tourist destination.

Many thought with some delight as they recalled the strict surveillance of the entrance and exit of Dranalian as they passed through a suspended plaza in front of a high bridge over the aforementioned lake in the long line of carriages.

While the lower nobles were captivated by the scenery that could not be compared to their own territories even in jest, the convoy of chariots of what could only be called a luxurious parade, led by the high-ranking nobles with smaller guard chariots protecting them, moved unhurriedly towards their destination.

They crossed the bridge at a comfortable speed, neither too fast nor too slow, as they made their way across the lake. The bridge was directly connected to an elevated highway that was quite high above the surrounding farmland, while a fairly large river flowed right next to it before emptying into the lake.

The road was paved with fine marbles that formed geometric patterns that were very pleasing to the eye. Just thinking about how much wealth was required to create this road made even the lower-ranking nobles feel dizzy.

There were ramps leading down to the fields below, but the carriages drove straight toward the largest building they could see, a castle built on a natural cliff at the confluence of two smaller rivers, which also served as a natural moat.

Just as they were expected to enter through the castle's southern drawbridge gate, the carriages were guided by guards to turn west along the road and descend a ramp leading to a path that skirts the river surrounding the town and the castle's outer wall.

Soon, they could see tall, orderly buildings, six to eight stories high, with walls painted bright white, yellow, and blue, topped by a dark red or brown tiled roof. The sight of tall buildings like these made the daughters of some lower-ranking nobles, who lived in villages where the tallest building was their mansion and only had two stories, very surprised.

None of these girls expected that the buildings used by the citizens could be so large... They also had no idea that most cities in the Empire didn't have buildings as large as those in the Taijan capital.

Unfazed by the shock of those visiting the place for the first time, the carriages moved along the street in the shadow of the buildings when suddenly a crowd of shouts and cheers was heard as they passed.

Colorful confetti and flower petals fell gently from the sky like the first snowfall, thrown by people through the high windows.

A large group of people lined the side of the road or at the window, men and women, old people and children, people of all races, cheering, waving the flag that had Dranalian heraldry drawn on it, holding a board with something written on it, or waving enthusiastically at the beautiful carriages.

There were those who had magical devices to take photographs of the carriage procession, while gentleman-like people lined the side of the road to keep the spectators in order.

The invited nobles were stunned to be greeted with such enthusiasm. Not even high-ranking nobles would normally be greeted like this, even after returning from a war against the demons... Was the princess's birthday really that important, or was it an order from the duke?

Although it wasn't a bad feeling, some thought with satisfaction as they headed towards the walls of the city center.

The carriages crossed a wide stone bridge over a river and passed through a gate, where spectators gathered on the wall to wave and cheer the carriages. The number of spectators along the road and at the windows was also greater than in the city beyond the walls.

Unlike the previous road and buildings, this main road was much wider, divided into two lanes, and had trees planted at regular intervals on the shoulder and lane dividing line.

The building looked much neater than the simple buildings outside the wall. Most of the buildings were much taller, 10 to 12 stories, and had intricate facades, large clear glass windows, and lavish decoration on the walls and ceilings.

No other city in the empire had such tall buildings for commoners to use. Even high-ranking nobles were somewhat impressed that Dranalian could afford such a thing and still have enough wealth for generations. Not that they didn't already know this, but it was shocking to see it with their own eyes nonetheless.

The procession continued along the main street until the carriages reached the large square in front of the Grand Palace.

Some could see that the Grand Palace had entrances both outside, in the south, and inside the city, in the north. Carriages of various styles and qualities entered the Grand Palace courtyard and then passed through an underground passage before returning once more to another courtyard. Finally, they stopped in front of a large, ornate twin gate, where lines of soldiers, maids, and servants waited.

The nobles and their respective retinues disembarked from the carriages while curiously observing the surroundings.

It seemed this courtyard was located behind the drawbridge I'd seen earlier. So the underground passageway connected the courtyards behind the north and south gates of the palace—a rather peculiar arrangement.

They could see how tall the palace building was, even taller than the buildings in the city. There were even several palace towers so tall they could even be taller than a thousand-year-old Spirit Tree. The entire palace wall was plastered and painted glossy white, giving it a faint sense of sanctity.

As they approached the main door, the maids and servants bowed elegantly and spoke in unison.

“Welcome to the Great Dranalian Palace, honorable guests.”

Some lower-ranking nobles were a little puzzled by this reception, but of course, the higher-ranking nobles, who followed them according to imperial custom, were unfazed and hurried them inside.

Many lower nobles and even some higher ones could not describe the interior with any words other than extremely extravagant.

The entire wall was covered with intricate wallpaper. The floor was covered with granite mosaics forming intricate geometric patterns. Fine silk and linen tapestries hung on the wall, bearing the Dranalian family crest or floral motifs.

High-quality statues and paintings adorned the corners and walls. Even well-tended plants were placed in strategic locations to add a special touch to the room. Many nobles did not think it would be inaccurate to say that this palace was perhaps more luxurious than any royal castle on the continent.

Only the Imperial Palace could compare to that of the richest Duke of all...

While almost everyone was thinking that way, they were greeted by two large twin doors that two guards quickly opened upon their arrival while the spokesman loudly announced their names and titles as they entered each time they took turns.

"Baron Shazarma Merian von Varulia and his wife Bellia Merian von Varulia are entering!"

"Viscount Micti Maun von Lausian, his wife Esteboni Micti von Lausian and his daughter Chinihira Maun von Lausian are entering!"

"Count Solitami Etermi Von Sempres is entering...!"

As each of these nobles gracefully crossed to the other side of the room, they were all greeted by what appeared to be a throne room where a number of people were gathered, possibly important individuals such as vassals, officials, and military personnel under Dranalian's command.

However… that was far from what the noble guests noticed.

Instead, they looked at the enormous circular rug of an unmistakable pink color like the one you would only find in a girl's room if you ignored its size, and they felt strange.

Then, they looked at the gigantic ice sculpture shaped like a horned rabbit that was striking an imposing pose as it looked up at the sky, exuding the arrogant aura of a tyrant, and they felt confused.

And finally... they saw the only two thrones inside the room instead of the four they expected to see, where the birthday girl was accompanied by an arrogant horned rabbit, and they were dumbfounded.

Even Claudia's friends were in disbelief.

What is this!?

♦♦♦♦

In the Hazar Empire, the thirteenth birthday of a noble girl was very special because it was a sacred number that represented the Sanctity of Womanhood.

We won't go into too much detail, but it contributed to the custom of making that number of years precisely the moment to act as the social debut of their daughters in the high society of the Empire as a tradition.

Of course, the scale of this was greatly influenced by the power of the aristocrat in question and those they decided to invite, whether they were allied nobles or those with whom they wished to become allies.

At these celebrations, parents did everything possible to ensure that their daughters were more prepared than ever to appear on the social stage and that they would not dishonor their family name with behavior inappropriate for a nobleman.

In fact, it was the celebration of their birth, but more than that, it was when they were officially presented to the empire as daughters of their parents and members of the aristocracy, so much was required of them.

The day of their thirteenth birthday was a day that could be very stressful for the young noblewomen of Hazar. Since they were making their debut for the first time, all the attention would be focused on them, which also meant that even the slightest mistake would be noticed by the guests due to the amount of attention they would receive.

Therefore, it was not unusual for many mothers to have their daughters practice their etiquette and manners, their way of speaking, and to have them imprint the rules of high society on their bodies and minds so that they would not commit any offenses that would bring them shame and humiliation.

Some would even argue that the thirteenth birthday is the most stressful social event of their childhood, but then again, depending on how well they perform on that special day, it could end up being very rewarding and beneficial for their future.

After all, many highly influential socialites achieved their success this way.

However, anyone could see that Ekaterina's party was very different from what they expected.

All the guests at Ekaterina's party, from those of simple baron rank to the other dukes who decided to come in honor of the princess, were deeply confused by what they were seeing.

The view before them was simply amazing.

The pink circular carpet... certainly was a very feminine thing that wouldn't normally be used... ever, at a social event of this scale where important imperial figures appeared to celebrate a princess's birthday. But that could be ignored considering the Duke had done it at his daughter's request, and it would have merely become an interesting topic of conversation in Hazar's various social circles, nothing more.

Furthermore, the beautiful and exquisite golden embroidery on the carpet in the form of floral patterns made it look very elegant, and those experienced in magic could feel a faint magical fluctuation coming from it, making it clear that the materials it was made with were very expensive even by the standards of marquises and even dukes.

It was evident that it was made solely for this birthday celebration, further demonstrating the wealth and luxury enjoyed by the Dranalian Duchy. On the other hand, it wasn't the only pink decoration.

However, it was disconcerting that it was obvious to many that this carpet was even more luxurious than her clothing...

The ice sculpture designed to resemble a towering horned rabbit? It was extremely disconcerting, but no one would make a fuss about it.

Everyone knew that the second princess of the Dranalian family was a die-hard fan of horned rabbits, and there were rumors among the nobles that the Duke bought many items inspired by this popular magical beast for the sake of his beloved daughter's birthday.

In fact, there were many decorations around the venue that showed that the party theme was designed to suit the princess's eccentric tastes.

Furthermore, the ice sculpture was so lifelike that it looked like a snow spirit manifesting in the mortal world, displaying an incredible beauty that only a highly skilled sculptor could achieve.

Some nobles who had heard the news that Duke Astaroth had contacted a master sculptor for Princess Ekaterina's birthday ended up confirming that it was true after all, showing them how much he valued his daughter and how much he was willing to squander to make her shine brighter than any other young noblewoman in the Empire.

Still... the sculpture of a horned rabbit was truly a rare sight at a noble feast like this, even if it was their daughters' birthday, but they weren't going to publicly question it in front of the birthday girl's family, not at all.

Of course, this is not the first party with eccentric elements in the entire history of the empire.

There have been many precedents of nobles holding parties with strange themes that ended up either becoming the laughingstock of high society or the driving force behind a new fashion that became a social trend throughout the nation and, in some cases, across the continent.

Princess Ekaterina's party was certainly not the first, and it remained to be seen whether the theme designed and organized by Duchess Mireia herself for the sake of her daughter would become a trend among young horned rabbit lovers in the Hazar Empire.

However, what most surprised all the noble guests who arrived at the feast hall was that the only thrones present were only two, instead of six for each family member... And one of them was occupied by a horned rabbit who was quite disdainful of everything!

A throne used by a pet! Whose idea was that?