Gareth looked at him for two seconds, lowered his head, and covered his mouth with a handkerchief as he coughed softly. He did not ask any more questions.
Standing behind him, Giles also didn't ask further. He simply stepped forward to support his brother's arm and took out a spare pill from his sleeve to hand it over.
Seeing that both Francis and General Qi seemed to silently approve of what had happened that night, the commander of the city guards standing nearby grew somewhat anxious.
He quickly walked behind Prince Yu, bent down and said urgently,
"Your Majesty, if we let this pass, tonight's matter will surely affect tomorrow's enthronement. There might even be lingering shadows in the future. Please don't be too soft hearted. We must..."
But before the guard commander could finish, Prince Yu raised his hand to stop him.
"Tonight's event will not spread, or even if it does, it won't turn into fabricated rumors that could stir trouble later. You may rest assured on that point. However, regardless of the reasons behind it, at present, I, Prince Yu, truly do not have a God's Chosen One who has awakened the divine vein. That is a fact. All the people and officials of Dahlia Kingdom must accept it.
Other matters, I will handle myself. There is no need for you to worry."
After speaking, Prince Yu didn't give the guard commander any more chance to reply. He turned and descended the high platform, walking deep into the imperial palace, his figure tall and solitary.
The next day, the enthronement ceremony proceeded in an atmosphere of heavy silence.
Elara and Leif, as friends of Prince Yu and honored allies of Dahlia Kingdom, were naturally seated before the court officials, very close to the emperor's throne.
As soon as they sat down, Elara's sharp senses clearly picked up the hushed whispers among the officials below.
A few people kept asking what had really happened the previous night. The officials who didn't know were guessing, while those who did remained silent. They subtly tried to ask the elder ministers about the secret tragedy from decades ago.
The coronation of the new emperor, which should have been a solemn and expected event, was clearly affected. Many officials looked toward the central altar on the plaza outside the hall and often sighed, as if full of regret and sorrow.
According to the enthronement customs of countries in this world, during the coronation, the Ministry of Rites must prepare a Divine Altar, where the new emperor prays to the gods for blessings.
If the gods favor him and he awakens the divine vein, the gods will bestow their grace, turning the nation into one favored by the divine.
A ruler who awakens the divine vein is regarded by the people as the God's Chosen, gaining their heartfelt support and admiration.
If there is no divine favor, the altar remains silent.
Originally, for Dahlia Kingdom, which hadn't received divine favor for hundreds of years, the ministers didn't expect much from the ritual.
But after what suddenly happened last night, they couldn't help but glance repeatedly toward the altar, their expressions filled with quiet sorrow.
The grand coronation ceremony being turned into such a mess would be unacceptable for most emperors.
But when Elara raised her eyes to look at Prince Yu sitting high above, she saw that he still appeared calm and composed, without a trace of displeasure on his face, completely unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere.
He didn't react to the ministers who were whispering privately, letting them glance at the altar and sigh softly among themselves.
This was a strong display of calmness and confidence. After all, Prince Yu had never relied on titles like "Divine Gift" or "Child of the Gods." It was through his own talent and ability that he had led the Dahlia Kingdom from a weak third-class nation step by step to its current status as a strong second-class country.
He didn't care about those whispers and sighs. He could even tolerate them because he had enough strength and confidence to make sure those sighs remained just sighs. They would never and could never stir up real trouble under his rule.
According to tradition, the coronation consisted of two main parts, the morning coronation and the afternoon divine ceremony.
Back when Elara ascended the throne, she did not perform the divine ceremony. The main reason was that she had just finished fighting against Lord Gregory and others and was busy managing internal affairs. At that time, she wasn't very familiar with the customs of this world, and the officials from the former Ministry of Rites who should have reminded her had mostly been executed by her for colluding with Lord Gregory and embezzling state funds.
At that time, the entire Plumera Kingdom had been overturned by her from its foundation. The remaining old officials were all afraid of her. The new ones who followed her were mostly from humble or criminal backgrounds. They didn't understand the divine ceremony and simply followed her, believing that whatever she did was right.
Because of these reasons, her coronation only included the crowning part. The divine ceremony was quietly forgotten and omitted, and no one cared.
But the Dahlia Kingdom, which had existed for hundreds of years, was different. Although the national strength had risen and fallen over centuries, the long history had made certain traditions deeply rooted.
Throughout the entire morning, Prince Yu completed the solemn coronation ceremony amid the distracted sighs of the old ministers.
As the afternoon divine ceremony approached, seeing more and more old ministers glancing at the altar and sighing with regret, Elara sat high above, lowering her gaze to observe the ministers below for a long time. Her slender, pale fingers tapped gently on the armrest, then she rose and headed toward the imperial chamber where Prince Yu was resting.
Prince Yu was a bit surprised that Elara came to find him at that moment.
He was sitting in the imperial chamber discussing matters with Giles and Gareth. When the attendant came to report her arrival, he immediately allowed her in. The usually calm and indifferent look on his face softened with a slight smile when he saw Elara, and he stood up in his bright yellow and red ceremonial robe to greet her.
"Why are you here now, Miss Bai?"
Elara looked at the unchanged smile on his face, stayed silent for a few seconds, then spoke.
"In the afternoon ceremony, what happens if a divine descent occurs?"
Gareth and Giles also stepped forward. Hearing her question, the three of them exchanged looks. Prince Yu raised his eyebrows slightly at her and smiled with deeper meaning.
"Looks like Miss Bai's coronation six months ago really was unusual. Well this is something the Ministry of Rites always emphasizes. If a divine descent happens, a gift will appear on the altar from the gods, just like the divine items we once found at the Ruins of the Gods, granted randomly by the gods to the altar."
"However, divine gifts in our country are a bit special. The divine talisman containing the divine gift appeared more than ten years ago. Unfortunately, the chosen one who awakened the divine bloodline is gone. That talisman can no longer be activated. The divine gift within it can no longer appear, and since our Dahlia Kingdom cannot use it, it has lost its meaning."