Inside the carriage, Caleb appreciated the city view as the Captain and his men led him towards the Royal Castle.
The entourage was especially catchy as many passing pedestrians looked on with curious faces. Although news of Caleb’s arrival would spread, it would take some time.
"Sir Knight," Caleb turned away from the window, focusing his gaze on the knight sitting across from him.
"Yes, Mr. Zane?" The knight captain, Edward, was pulled out of his thoughts, focusing on Caleb.
"Tell me something," Caleb began calmly, one leg crossed over the other. "Do you believe the word going around?"
"Word?" Edward echoed, not sure what Caleb meant.
"I’m talking about myself..." he added calmly. "Although the nobles want me dead or imprisoned, the king says otherwise. What do you think the people believe?"
The knight captain was not sure why he was suddenly put on the spot. Like everyone else, all he knew were the rumours going around.
However, he was more inclined to believe what His Majesty said. "I believe the crimes pitted against you are unfounded. I don’t dare say I know everything, but I believe in His Majesty and what he says."
"I see..." Caleb nodded, looking out the window once more.
The knight captain just stared at Caleb, wondering why Caleb asked such a question. Regardless, something else came to the Captain’s mind.
’He has this presence to him that feels so overwhelming.’ Edward swallowed imperceptibly. ’What’s even more baffling is the lack of energy signature. It’s like he’s not even here.’
"Is there an issue?" The Captain snapped out of his daze when Caleb caught him staring.
"Ah, I apologise for my rudeness, Mr. Zane." He bowed slightly to show his sincerity.
"Mm,"
The journey towards the Royal Castle would take less than half an hour. While Caleb could have made the journey quickly, there was no point.
After all, the Royals were definitely making arrangements to receive him. He couldn’t just pop above the castle; there had to be an order to things.
***
When word reached the castle about the arrival of Caleb Zane, the servants and knights scrambled to get things ready.
The king was promptly notified, and despite being in a council meeting with his officials, he did not linger. Moreover, the meeting was about his officials trying to convince him otherwise.
Some were opposed to his granting of a royal pardon to Caleb, arguing that the circumstances surrounding his case were unclear. Of course, they didn’t dare say his investigations were wrong; they simply expressed how his actions would trigger the nobles.
"This meeting is adjourned."
King Gray made his stance clear, getting to his feet. Without delay, his officials did the same and watched as he walked out of the meeting chamber. However, before he completely stepped out, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"You best be present to receive our guest. I will not have disrespect shown in my court."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The councilmen bowed in acknowledgement, staying that way until the king disappeared with the Royal Commander.
"Hah...this is going to be a mess," one of the councilmen said with a heavy sigh, standing up straight.
"What did you expect?" Another said with a scoff. "This has been brewing for some time now. There was no way His Majesty was going to forget the attempt on his life and his family’s. I’m only surprised that he held on for this long. Woe to those involved in this mess."
"..."
Silence settled among the Councilmen. Regardless of who they were, they knew that any one of them involved would definitely be outed once the time came. For now, however, they could only keep up appearances.
"Come on, we can’t fall too behind." Jefferson, one of the closest councilmen to the king, muttered as he walked towards the door, his colleagues following suit.
They needed to be presentable to receive the man they had heard so much about, but never had the chance to meet —a man said to possess strange abilities.
After all, it was through this man that the princess was healed of her ailment. They might not show it, but they were burning with a desire to meet the man; to know his secrets.
Meanwhile, King Gray was met by his son, Osbourne, as they made their way towards the throne room. Since the three men had been expecting Caleb’s arrival, they were already dressed for the occasion.
Behind them was a procession of selected knights accompanying the trio to the throne room. Their job was mostly ceremonial. Even so, they were handpicked and personally grilled by the commander.
Although the entire knightage in the Royal Castle was cleansed of any demonic signatures, these men had more than proven their loyalty to the king and his family.
"Father...!"
Princess Celine suddenly appeared out of nowhere, cutting off the three men. Her expression was a mix of excitement, nervousness and anticipation.
"Easy there, Celine." King Gray caught Celine before she flew past him. "You don’t want to hur—"
"He’s really here, isn’t he?" Celine cut her father short, unable to stop herself from asking. "Please tell me what I’m hearing is real."
"Yes," King Gray couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his lips. "As eager as you are, you don’t expect to see him dressed like this, do you?" he lowered his gaze, prompting Celine to do the same.
"Ah... I’m in my training gear!" Realising that what she wore was not presentable, the princess swiftly took off once more, heading straight for her room, her aides following behind her closely.
"I still don’t get how she’s excited to meet someone she hadn’t ’seen’ before," Osbourne commented on the side, both father and son watching as Celine disappeared from view.
"Let’s go," With a soft laugh, the king and his entourage continued towards the throne room. Although Caleb was not a person of importance to receive such a welcome, the Royal family did not care.
Caleb was their benefactor. He saved their kingdom without the citizens even knowing what had happened. Furthermore, he saved the king’s life and healed the princess. If that didn’t warrant such a welcome, then nothing in the kingdom did.
Arriving in the grand chambers of the throne room, King Gray made his way to his throne, with Osbourne moving to sit at his right. His wife, Queen Anastasia, would be joining them, seated to the king’s left.
The throne room was vast and imposing, with towering pillars lining each side and a high-arched ceiling that echoed with every step. Rich banners hung between the pillars, bearing the royal crest.
At the far end, atop a raised dais, sat four thrones, each carved from dark polished wood and trimmed with gold. A long royal carpet stretched from the grand doors to the foot of the dais, marking the path of power.
Commander Lance took his position a step below the dais, slightly out of the prince’s line of sight. The knights, meanwhile, moved to stand along the walls, flanking both sides of the Royal Family.
With the grand pillars inside the throne room marking the boundary between the official space before the king and the area behind, the knights were all but invisible. A few remained outside the throne room, tasked with ushering in those permitted to enter.
Some time later, the doors opened to admit the queen and princess, both dressed for the occasion. Then again, the queen was always presentable.
Walking toward the dais with confident strides, mother and daughter embodied true sovereignty, the princess doing her best to put into practice all she had been learning.
Dressed in a breathtaking ceremonial gown of soft lavender and silver trim, Princess Celine looked every bit the royal heir.
The delicate patterns across the fabric shimmered under the hall’s lighting, accentuating her graceful steps. A modest tiara rested on her head, completing the look with quiet dignity.
Following a few steps behind them were the court officials, including the council members who had recently met with the king.
Taking their places on either side of the royal carpet, the officials arranged themselves by rank, with Jefferson closest to the right side of the king and prince.
Princess Celine sat beside her mother, her throne the smallest among those in the chamber. Everything was as tradition dictated.
The master of ceremonies took his place by the entrance, awaiting the honoured guest. After a few minutes of soft conversation, all attention shifted to him as he leaned in to receive a whisper.
The time had come to receive the king’s guest—Caleb Zane. With a voice that echoed through the grand chamber, the master of ceremonies announced and ushered Caleb into the hall, gesturing toward the doors as they opened to reveal his presence.
For a moment, almost everyone stopped breathing. Finally seeing the man who had stirred so much across the kingdom stirred a wave of emotions.
Even from a distance, the officials could feel his aura—and he wasn’t even trying. Just as the posters described, he was dressed entirely in black, the collar of his inner shirt folded neatly around his neck.
Step.
He took a single step, and like magic, the sound echoed through the chamber, louder than anyone expected.
At her side, Queen Anastasia noticed her daughter’s breath catch. With each step the tall, handsome man took, Celine swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her composure.
’Hah... She’s so far gone...’ the queen thought silently, shifting her gaze back to the man who was now nearly at a stop.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!