Chapter 53: The Throne Transition
That night, with everyone’s spirits soaring, the new emperor of the empire, Skarlij, the legitimate heir of Alsas Failing Winter Moon, protector of the North, and king of cunning soldiers, stood alongside the Black Mandala Flower of Ethanbel, Queen Elizabeth, to officially announce an alliance between the two nations at the banquet.
They also declared that in a month and a half, Winter City would be established as the imperial capital, Shanter Castle as the royal fortress, and starting tomorrow, notifications would be sent to the cities across the North and South. On that day, the treason of Keynes would be judged at Shanter Castle, and the following day would see the grand coronation of the new emperor, inviting nobles to pledge their loyalty.
That night in the old palace of Chielis, the festivities continued well into the night with laughter and clinking glasses, brightened by the flickering firelight.
Under the starry sky, a woman named Bella stood in the military camp, gazing into the distance where the sounds of celebration faintly reached her ears. Her long, grayish-white hair danced freely in the night, and as she watched for a long time, her eyes sparkled with a complicated mix of yearning and something else entirely.
In the end, Bella did not attend the banquet. Instead, after gazing into the distance, she turned and walked in the opposite direction of the noise, stepping into the dark and gloomy entrance of the dungeon.
For her, such a place was at least more comfortable than donning a cumbersome gown to the splendid palace, mingling with others while pretending to enjoy empty pleasantries.
Outside the city, on the snowy ridge, the Sword Demon Miss, who shared similar sentiments with Bella, was clutching a sack of breadsticks bought from the newly established market of the Northern Army. She found a shallow melting cave that could shelter her from the wind and cold, planning to make it her temporary refuge for the night.
She started a campfire by the cave, pulled out some leftover snow rabbit meat from yesterday, washed it in the snow, roasted it, and munched on it while looking towards the city.
From there, she could clearly see almost the entire massive bustling city, its heavy outlines illuminated by firelight in the deep night.
She watched the Northern Soldiers patrolling the city walls, some sipping wine, some rubbing their hands to ward off the cold, some laughing heartily and chatting about who knows what, while others leaned against the battlements, dozing off. One of those dozers was promptly roused by a sergeant’s shout and jerked awake, looking like a scolded puppy, head hanging low in defeat.
The Sword Demon observed all their antics, relishing the scenes even if she couldn’t hear their words.
She always liked this, watching others’ gaiety from a distance, quietly enjoying their festivities without ever wanting to join in.
…………
The day after that night, the royal army began its grand withdrawal from Chielis City.
As Queen Ethanbel, crowned and noble, mounted her majestic horned horse beast and led her troops out of the city, the Northern warriors sent her off with cheers. The Winter Moon royal family bid her a heartfelt farewell, exchanging a multitude of cautions, but the promise made by Lady Catherine to let Queen Elizabeth host the banquet was something that went unmentioned. Oddly, that was the only matter no one brought up.
Perhaps only Lady Catherine and Her Majesty the Queen understood the truth.
This was a matter that could never truly be settled.
Lady Catherine did not see resignation in the Queen’s eyes, and the Queen understood well the unwavering persistence of Peipei’s mother.
The “struggle” unique to the two women was perhaps only just beginning from here.
“I’ll come find you once this is over.”
At the last moment of their farewell, the little hero girl named Peilo stepped in front of King Ethanbel’s towering horned horse beast, looking up at her and saying, “Please take care of Grandma Claire and Barry for a while longer. We’ll see you in the royal city.”
“Sure.”
No need for pleasantries or sentimental farewells. They didn’t need any of that; a simple “we’ll see you in the royal city” sufficed, worth more than a million empty words.
In the days following the army’s departure from the royal city, everything progressed step by step.
Thanks to the efforts of the Northern Army, order in Chielis City was quickly restored, food and drinks were gradually becoming plentiful, and the various chaotic scenes began disappearing at a visible pace. However, returning to the prosperity that existed before the war was a dauntingly complex and lengthy process.
The entire Southern Realm was facing similar challenges.
During those two or three days, word reached them that the knights who had fled from the Fourth Knights Order had some new developments. It was said that a captain led his men further south to attack a snow bandit camp, using the camp as a base to rally the scattered brothers and had sent letters to some lords in the southern empire requesting assistance in food and supplies in the name of the church, with threats that refusing would be tantamount to opposing the entire church, just as Skarlij had done.
Upon reviewing this matter, Skarlij merely chuckled and said, “Leave it to Lafael to handle,” before busying himself with other tasks.
That night of the banquet, the new emperor’s edicts were sent to cities throughout the empire, and responses were expected to take time. A few days later, the Winter Moon royal family and their trusted commanders were ready to make their way back to the North.
After leaving Lafael and Bella to guard the old imperial city, Skarlij, Catherine, and the little girl Peilo boarded a black war chariot. Behind them were Firebird Annie and her Red Cavalry, the Iron Cavalry from the New City of Kaliye, and the most elite hunters from the Northern Lion Hunting Army, including Hoover, Pagos, and a bunch of other commanders, along with the ever-distinguised Sword Demon Miss trailing at the end. Hundreds of troops marched out of the city, heading north towards the colder lands.
…………
On October 11, 1189, the former Emperor Keynes was charged with treason and was executed at noon in the square outside Shanter Castle, before the grand statue of Alsas.
Alongside his demise was also his beloved consort.
During the execution, it was said that only Skarlij showed up to pay his respects inside the massive Shanter Castle.
The corpses of Keynes and his consort were ordered by the new emperor to be buried solemnly at the foot of the Snow Mountain, in the Winter Moon family cemetery. According to later accounts, this was Skarlij’s greatest act of forgiveness towards his brother.
On October 12, the coronation ceremony formally commenced.
Lords and nobles from both the North and South, along with the savvy “hyenas” who knew how to flutter with the wind, crowded into the hall of Shanter Castle, pounding their chests and swearing fealty to the new emperor.
Because before this, the most stubborn, dangerous, greedy, and powerful “traitors” who had infested the North had already been dealt with by the newly returned Skarlij without raising a single troop.
In fact, it was said that only Skarlij’s little daughter acted alone.
Thus, on the first day of sitting confidently on the throne, Skarlij declared across the empire, bestowing his beloved daughter, Peilo Guniver Winter Moon, the title of National Princess. From then on, her name resounded throughout the land, and many were shocked to discover that Skarlij had an incredibly talented daughter who had excelled at the Royal Academy and returned home.
As for Lafael, he would soon receive news of his ascension as the first heir to the imperial throne.
Winter was coming.
Though for the Valen Empire, every season was a gleaming white snow.
But the arrival of winter signified the end of the year.
For those aware of the “truth of the world,” once this year passed, they might face the toughest year since history began recording.
Or perhaps, the darkest year of all.
