Chapter 10 : The Arrival (1)
The morning of the gathering arrived.
Leon woke up in his bed as the entire House was already loud with the sound of orders being shouted, servants running and heavy security drills.
At that exact moment, far away from the Hayes territory, a grand royal palace stood within the center of Aurorus, the capital of Aurelis Empire. The city was home to the royalty.
Deep within the palace, inside one of the private chambers, Prince Asher Aurelis stood in his dressing area. He wore a fine black coat with fine gold linings, paired with blue shirt and polished black trousers. The servants pinned a gold sun and lion filigree on his shirt, a symbol of Aurelis.
He had golden hair and golden eyes, a symbol of House Aurelis. He was about 6 feet tall with a thin and muscular build.
He was watching his wife, Sofia, who was selecting which dress to wear since morning. "We are leaving now, my love, not tomorrow," he said as he let out a long sigh, shaking his head.
Sofia turned away form the wardrobe, holding a blue travel gown. A genuine smile broke across her face. "I need to look good otherwise Marcus will mock me in secret if I arrive looking bad. You don’t know him that much."
Asher smiled back as he stepped up forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Your brother will be glad just to see you."
His tone was warm and entirely genuine. He loved his wife and also had a deep respect for the martial reputation of her family.
But as they prepared to step out, the reality of the capital weighted heavily on his mind. The succession race against his older brother was turning brutal. In the imperial court, losing the throne didn’t just mean losing power, it meant death for him and his wife. He also had his own plans for going there.
Back at the Hayes estate, the final preparations were falling into place.
Leon had also freshened up and was sitting in his chair, inside of Vera’s dressing chamber, waiting for his mother to select an outfit for him.
Vera, after finding a suitable clothes, went towards Leon. She picked him up from his chair and dressed him in a noble blue tunic made from heavy cotton paired with baggy black trousers.
As Vera finished dressing Leon up, she went inside dressing room to change. Hanna, who was standing behind them stepped forward and she pinned the Hayes crest to his tunic.
After finishing dressing up, he stepped in front of a mirror. He had a fine and sharp face, with some baby chubbiness in his cheeks and paired with dark hair and blue eyes, it was a striking combination.
While Leon was looking at his reflection, the door swung open as Marcus walked in. He wore a long blue coat, paired with a black shirt with fine silver stitching and fitted gray trousers. With sharp facial features, a neatly trimmed beard, black hair and intense navy blue eyes his look perfectly complemented his 6 feet and 3 inches broad and muscular build.
Marcus smiled warmly as his eyes locked onto Leon. He stepped forward and scooped up Leon up into his arms.
"You look good, rascal, today you will surely be surrounded by noble women," Marcus chuckled as he lightly tapped Leon’s cheek before looking towards the closed door of the dressing room. He raised a brow, turning towards Hanna. "Hasn’t Vera dressed up yet?"
Right as the words left his mouth, the dressing room’s door clicked open as Vera walked out. She wore a long velvet and deep blue gown, paired with crimson linings along the cuffs and collar. She stood at 5 feet and 9 inches with a graceful build and her emerald green eyes and silky black shoulder long hair perfectly complemented her dress.
Marcus eyes softened as a smile broke across his face. "You look spectacular, Vera," he said softly while sliding his free hand around her waist.
"Save the flattery for the guests, Marcus. We have more pressing matters to attend to before the guests come." Vera said while letting out a soft chuckle.
She stepped away from Marcus’s grip and went towards her vanity table. She pulled out a small silver pendent from a drawer and walked back over towards Leon and took him form Marcus’s arm and sat him down. She gently put the silver pendant around his neck.
The moment the pendant’s stone rested on his chest, a heavy and invisible force wrapped around Leon, warding off any external forces. Leon felt a familiar essence from this pendant.
"Father, I feel your familiar aura from this necklace. Is this your essence?" Leon asked in a questioning but warm tone as he turned towards his father. He linked the essence to his father because he felt that everyday sharp aura wash over him as he wore this pendant.
Marcus smiled, a proud but serious look appeared oh his face as he nodded. "Yes, Leon. You have sharp perception. I personally injected my compressed elemental essence with a bit of soul essence into the pendant. It will force any intruding eyes towards you with a bit of warning. And also it allows me to track your location instantly and teleport there."
"Soul essence? Father you are in fifth stage of essence progression?" Leon asked as he pieced together the subtle wording of his father.
Marcus’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second as he was caught off guard by his son, before returning to a calm composure. He slowly went towards Leon and crouched down and smiled looking towards him.
"You shouldn’t focus too much on things beyond your age, Leon," Marcus said smoothly, his voice carrying a casual tone. He stood up and turned away, keeping his hands behind his back and walked towards the window to check the courtyard.
"The world is wide, Leon. Progression isn’t just about reaching a stage, it’s about holding a foundation. Let’s just say your father has traveled far enough to ensure that no ordinary people can lay a hand on the House Hayes," Marcus said as he deliberately tried to change the topic and he was sure Leon would understand his intentions.
Leon listened to his father, keeping his face blank. ’He didn’t confirm my question and is avoiding this conversation. He is also keeping his powers hidden, but from what? Is this world truly this dangerous? I should also avoid this topic till I learn about this naturally,’ he thought as he also avoided this conversation further.
Before Marcus turned away completely, his gaze shifted sideways, locking onto Hanna. Hanna who was standing nearby felt the visual weight of Viscount slam into her.
Her breath hitched as her legs started trembling. ’Why me? I didn’t even say a word, Young master figured that on his own. Why am I everywhere at the wrong time?!’ she thought incomplete terror, her hands trembling beneath her aprons. ’Please don’t execute me. Please. Please.’ she started wishing as she wanted to fade into the shadows.
"That is enough talk about cultivation for today," Vera interjected softly to smooth the atmosphere. She went towards Leon. "The gathering starts exactly at noon and will run late till night. We must see if anything is missing or not."
Vera let out a soft sigh as she crouched down and smoothed the collar of Leon’s tunic to completely hide the pendant beneath the clothes.
Just then, the chamber’s door pushed open. Roland and Iris walked in.
Roland wore a high collared dark gray coat with silver buttons, with a Hayes crest and a neat fitting black trousers which complimented his black hair and black eyes. His outfit complimented his young and sharp look that befitted the eldest son of House Hayes.
On the other hand, Iris, wore a similar gown like her mother. It was long, deep green gown which complimented her black hair and emerald green eyes and it had fine blue linings on it’s edges. Her face was of a child with a hint of chubbiness on her cheeks.
"Look at Leon! He look tiny and good!" Iris giggled as she stepped near Leon. She leaned down and poked his chubby cheek. Roland stood beside her wearing a proud grin on his face as he looked over Leon.
"Everything is ready downstairs, Father," Roland said, turning towards his father. "The captains are waiting for your orders and Uncle Thomas is overseeing the kitchen."
Marcus gave a firm nod as his boots thudded against the floor. "Let’s move out. Soon guests will start arriving and I don’t want to miss greeting my friends and especially the Royalties," Marcus said as he smiled wide, thinking about the reunion with his friends and especially his sister.
Meanwhile, far away in the capital city, Aurorus, the late morning sun began to hit the white marble with hint of gold hues structure of the Royal Palace.
Sofia turned away from the mirror completely dressed. She wore a set of elegant golden gown with blue linings at the center and edges that was cropped at her waist, falling into two sides.
A royal crest was knitted at the chest side of the gown. The gap revealed a fitting blue trousers underneath, beautifully blended with the gown. The dress perfectly blended with her mature lady face with black hair and blue eyes.
She gave a final look onto the mirror and looked towards her husband who was sitting at the side. "We shouldn’t keep my brother waiting, Asher. We noon to arrive at the Hayes territory before noon starts."
Asher stood and stepped beside her, offering his arm. "Then let’s go, my love. The teleportation gate has been ready since ages but you took your ample time to dress up," he teased as they walked out together.
As they came out of their private chambers, the royal guards waiting at the door followed behind them.