I'm sorry for the abysmally short chapter. I will rectify it in a few hours
Even though it was an official ceremony on short notice, all the important nobles and ministers were there for Natalia's appointment. Due to Princess Temara's interference, she was able to get a suitable official attire and speech ready. It was a relatively short ceremony and soon, it was over. After it was the meeting to discuss the conference that was only a few weeks away. "With all due respect, your majesty, I don't think we should be allowing a newly appointed duchess to attend such an important meeting, especially since she's originally from another kingdom," the Minister of rites said. She was annoyed with the impromptu appointment of a new duchess and the fact that the officiation ceremony wasn't set up right. Since she was very religious, it didn't sit well with her. "Honourable minister, I made the decision to appoint Duchess Natalia and to invite her to this very important event based on my judgement. Are you trying to say my judgement is wrong?" "Of course not, your maj
As the horses of the holy knights passed in the capital, people began to bow. Where there was an abundance of holy knights, the Saintess or the Pope weren’t far away. Soon enough, the carriage carrying Adelie soon passed by. She looked at them and turned to the Captain of the Holy knights with a smug look, her eyes clearly telling of her victory. “Captain Yeri, could you please tell me what those people outside the carriage are doing right now?” “They’re….bowing, your holiness.” “And they’re bowing because?” “We’re passing through, your holiness.” “And who made this possible?” “You, your holiness.” “That’s right. I did this. I remember the doubt you all had and the looks of disbelief you directed at me when I told you I was going to restore our lost honor. Who’s on top now, Captain Yeri?” He chose not to respond, directing his gaze anywhere but her face. “Captain Yeri, that was not a rhetorical question. I would like you to answer it.” “You, your holiness.” “That’s right. B
“Do you really have to go? There’s always a place for you here.”“I have duties, okay? Since my castle is completed, I’m going to live there now. Take good care of your wife and give birth to lots of healthy children, alright?”“Set up that teleportation circle as promised, okay?”“Yes Bastian. Now, may I leave?”“No.”“Coachman, start the carriage.”“Nooooooo!”“Stop being dramatic. You’re embarrassing your wife.”“No, please by all means continue. This would be used for the future” the Princess snickered. The carriage moved past the crying prince consort and started to journey towards Graviscera. Unlike Ducroft, Polivia wasn’t very big so it wouldn’t take more than a day to get to the north. She could’ve taken a teleportation circle but she wanted to see the sights as she went. “I’m excited to be working with you, Duchess Adamantine. Please command me as you please, your grace.”A man accompanied her on her journey. He was one of the few male nobles in Polivia. They were usually ver
Even though Natalia was happy to have finally arrived after a long day, she couldn’t forget the air of depression that blanketed the north as a whole. It was cold, it was a stretch of barren, barely occupied land and it came with a plethora of problems. If anything, she felt scammed. “Let’s go in, your grace. Your servants are waiting to see the face of their new master.”“I should’ve known not to trust your enthusiasm. Let’s just go in. It has been a long day.”Walking through the beautiful yet virtually empty castle with only a few servants, Natalia was definitely regretting her choice to arbitrarily move to the north. She couldn’t let it show on her face. As soon as she saw all the servants gathered, she introduced herself. “I am Natalia Adamantine and I was recently appointed Duchess of Graviscera. Obviously as you can tell, I am here for the first time but Count Brenn has filled me in on what kinds of difficulties you are facing here. Frankly, it cannot be done in a day or a fe
“Madaline, can we talk?”Madaline turned around to see she was standing in the shadow of another goddess. She could recognize the voice of one of the oldest ascended gods so she turned around to face Uriel. She could only wonder what she was trying to do while the other harbored the same level of suspicion. “I’ve been hearing some unsavory rumors in the heavenly court, specifically about me. I’m not trying to say you're behind those rumors but I would appreciate it if you said something to clarify them.”“Since when did the heavenly court become a common human kingdom where gods are concerned about their reputation? If I recall correctly, you’re always busy, Uriel. I don’t have time to entertain your whims.”“Madeline, I respect you as the familiar of Nataroth. No one denies your position here. I can't understand why you hate me. Did I do something wrong?”“When Nataroth died, the control of the heavenly court landed in your hands. It’s not a position you deserved but one you got non
They made it to the entrance of the mines and Natalia found nothing to be wrong as the path was open and lined with torches that could withstand the air pressure from outside because they were also made from Mythril and could be lit up with magic. Natalia snapped her fingers and the torches all lit up. “Lead the way, Grecia.”“Yes, your grace.” She quickly overcame her surprise and led Natalia through the mountain. There was a ladder leading higher up into the mountain. They didn’t need to go too far to see the rocks blocking the rest of the path and how unsteady it was for any normal person. Natalia assessed the damage and asked Count Brenn to write them down as she spoke. “Thank you for leading me here. Now, I want to hear about your village’s general expenses.”Natalia spent an entire afternoon in the mining town. When she was done, she dropped a pouch that contained 50 gold coins and left while the chief thanked her profusely. There was an awkward silence in the carriage until
Three weeks went by and by some mysterious force of nature, the North started to develop at a steady rate. The construction of the sky tube rails extending to the mining Town drew people’s attention to the North. The mining town had begun expansion and another town was being built in the barren expanse of land in the north. The money inflow was particular and it started to draw investors both from inside and outside of Polivia. Natalia’s ball also drew the most attention. The guest list was extensive and the location was particularly attractive, the newly built castle on the hill in the North. Many were intruiged and it became the single most talked about event of the year. The conference instantly bounced to the back of people’s minds and everyone began planning what to wear to the event. The very first guests she received were her brother and his wife. It was the first time Princess Temara was seeing the castle and she marveled endlessly. She also marveled at the fact that the sib
“Your grace, please, have mercy!” “Why? They’re the ones who wanted to destroy your mines. Why should I save them? No, I’ll send their decomposing bodies as a warning to their families.”“Please, your grace……”“They trespassed MY land and attempted to attack MY people and I’m not supposed to take that as a declaration of war? Letting them slowly die is already mercy. I refuse to show mercy to those rude enough to ignore my authority.”“Your grace, I know they have offended you. But we will not be the reason your grace has to fight against the kingdom. Please, your grace, we plead for mercy,” they cried, falling on their knees. Natalia could see their sincerity and knew they were doing this for her.“Fine, I won’t let them die. However, they will not have their legs either.”“Thank you, your grace! Thank you!” She got them out with a snap of a finger. Their legs resembled twigs, unable to keep their weight up. One of them sauntered up to her and pointed an accusing finger at her face.