The day of the Third Prince's birthday had finally arrived, and the entirety of Caelhart was celebrating it.
The streets were festooned with banners bearing the royal crest, and music echoed from every district. Stalls lined the roads, offering sweetmeats, pastries, and toy soldiers modeled after the Crown's elite. Children laughed, nobles paraded in their house colors, and even the stone-faced guards looked slightly less grim today.
But within the heart of the capital, within the towering palace walls, a very different atmosphere reigned. It was no longer just a child's birthday. It was a gathering of power.
Inside the palace's grand ballroom, gilded with gold filigree and enchanted chandeliers, Lucen adjusted his cuffs as he stepped onto the polished marble floor beside his father. With them were Sir Thalos, Robert, Harlik, and Mark, who were carrying the banner of the Thornehart household as well as the banner with Thornefang insignia.
