The royal palace, within the Tulip Garden.
Angie led the brother and sister from the Hammer Guild—Cardinan and Amy—through a corridor draped in enchanted roses that glimmered with faint magical light.
The floral archways opened onto a pavilion of white jade, intricately carved with divine motifs.
There stood Aurek, garbed in a simple yet incomparably fine robe of white velvet. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing across the garden where an endless sea of "star-flowers" bloomed eternally, never withering, shining like fragments of the night sky.
His tall, broad-shouldered figure seemed like a sacred mountain that radiated a natural aura of majesty.
The pressure was so great that Amy instinctively held her breath, her chest tightening with awe and unease.
"Your Majesty, the two from the Hammer Guild have arrived," Angie whispered respectfully, bowing low.
Aurek did not turn around. He merely lifted his hand slightly in acknowledgment.
