Jamie loved festivals.
The food.
The music.
The decorations.
The people.
The streets of Aethelberg were almost unrecognizable compared to only a week ago. Every road seemed to shimmer beneath waves of white clothing as though the city itself had become a field of blooming hydrangeas.
Families walked together carrying paper flowers.
Street performers balanced atop ribbons stretched between rooftops while children cheered below.
Musicians filled every corner with lively melodies, their instruments competing with the laughter of merchants calling customers toward stalls selling roasted meat, sugar pastries and brightly colored sweets.
Blackhaven's celebration was modest compared to the spectacle that unfolded in Aethelberg. Last year, however, Jamie had not been able to enjoy even Blackhaven's smaller celebration. The Sapphire Salamander attack had left the town in chaos, and her father, Roric, had grounded her for the entire week.
She had spent the days trapped in her house, listening to the distant sounds of laughter and music that drifted through the windows, unable to join in. The memory still stung—the frustration of being so close to something beautiful yet completely unable to touch it. This year was different. This year, she was in Aethelberg, surrounded by the full glory of the festival, and she intended to savor every moment.
From within the carraige, Jamie's blue eyes wandered across the sea of white.
Everyone wore the festival's ceremonial colors, but each region added its own identity. The people of Blackwood stitched crimson embroidery into their sleeves and collars.
Visitors from other places wore greens, golds or silvers.
It made the city feel alive.
Jamie herself wore a simple white coat trimmed with Blackwood's deep crimson.
Beside her...
Elias wore nearly the same thing.
Nearly.
She looked at him.
Then at the frilly maid headband still resting on top of his hair.
'...'
A snort escaped her.
She covered her mouth.
Failed.
Elias glared at her which only caused her to burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry, its just that headband really brings out your eyes," she said.
"I'm going to burn it." Elias retirted
"Gyan would just get you another one."
"Then I'll burn that one too."
"I still can't believe Aunt Gyan actually made it part of your punishment."
"It is temporary."
Jamie snickered. "You know, the more you glare, the funnier it looks. It's like a very angry flower."
Maria walked on Elias's other side, her white dress unadorned by any regional colors. She too failed to hold back her own laughter.
"I'm sorry..."
She wasn't sorry at all.
"It just..."
She pointed at him.
"...doesn't match your face. At least try to smile."
Elias sighed.
"Why should I smile?Whats so funny?"
"You are."
Jamie pointed at him.
His eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Don't point at me." Elias swatted their fingers away.
Araba sat at the other side beside Maria carrying herself with effortless elegance despite it just being only them,though the exchange among the children made her smile. Her white robes accented with orange embroidery that marked her as the Lady of the Amber Region. Her son, Junior, was conspicuously absent—Lord Kingsley Amberose had insisted that his son sit with him among the Lords on the balcony.Araba would have joined her husband and son, but she had refused to leave Elias and Jamie to their own devices.
"Someone has to keep you two out of trouble," she had said.
Jamie had not been pleased by this. She had wanted some alone time with Elias so they could explore together before she left to meet up with the others. But she knew Araba was stubborn, and Jamie knew better than to argue. Gyan was probably watching as well.
Now they passed through the festival, past vendors selling grilled meats and candied fruits, past musicians playing ancient melodies, past children laughing as they ran. The air was thick with the scent of flowers and food and laughter.
The teasing continued within the vehicle and Elias chose silence over retorts. Which somehow made the headband even funnier.
Maria wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"It was worth sneaking back just to see this."
Jamie tilted her head.
"Are you seriously okay being here? Aren't you going to get punished?"
Maria shrugged. "It'll be fine."
"You don't sound convincing."
"I told Father I'd leave after he did."
"..."
"I simply neglected to mention I'd stay another day."
"So you lied." Elias finally spoke.
Maria smiled innocently.
"I omitted. That's different from lying."
"It's are not."
"Technically it is." Jamie grinned.
Elias stared between Jamie and Maria for several seconds before quietly looking away. He had decided arguing wasn't worth it. Jamie almost laughed again. It was strangely satisfying whenever Elias simply... gave up.
Araba shook her head disapprovingly and looked at Maria.
"Maria. You really should return to school tomorrow."
"I will."
"I mean it."
Maria placed a hand over her heart dramatically.
"I promise."
Araba studied her for another moment before nodding.
"Good. I'll personally make sure you leave."
Maria just chuckled.
Their conversation faded as the enormous palace gates finally came into view. Jamie looked out the window with wide eyes.
The Royal Palace.
The heart of Aerthos.
Seat of the Zeppelins.
Home of the King.
Base of the Enforcers.
The white marble walls had been transformed by countless hydrangea of every color, blossoms climbing pillars and wrapping around balconies in carefully arranged displays.
White flowers cascaded from stone railings like waterfalls.
Flags representing each of Aerthos's sixteen regions hung from the balcony, snapping gently in the warm summer breeze. The Zeppelin banner—a crown with a sword and sceptre crossed beneath it—hung at the center, its golden thread catching the morning light.
Jamie whistled.
"They really went all out."
"They always do," Araba replied.
Festival officials guided nobles and their families through separate entrances away from the growing crowds below.
Common citizens filled the enormous courtyard while specially prepared seating surrounded the raised platform before the palace.
Araba led them toward the section reserved for officials' families on the ground.
Jamie sat down in one of the chairs, her eyes fixed on the balcony above. Rows upon rows of nobles had already begun taking their seats.
Something...
Felt wrong.
She closed her eyes.
Not with Flow.
Simply...
Instinct. Synesthesia.
The balcony was filled with smiles.
Polite greetings.
Noble laughter.
Elegant conversation.
Yet underneath...
Something ugly crawled.
Hostility.
Suspicion.
Greed.
Jealousy.
The emotions pressed together so densely they almost became tangible.
Even from here...
"I wonder what it would be like to sit up there," Jamie murmured.
Elias followed her gaze. "Probably boring."
"Probably," she agreed. "All those people pretending to be friends while secretly hating each other." She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I can feel it, you know."
"Same." Elias said.
"But its not our problem to deal with. Let the wolves fight among themselves."
Far above...
Lord Rivas Oberoi walked away from the assembled nobles with measured steps.
The noise of the festival echoed faintly beyond the palace walls.
Laughter.
Music.
Cheering.
A kingdom celebrating.
wore white like everyone else, but the purple embroidery and the crest on his back of his robes marked him as the Lord of House Oberoi and ruler over the Suryan region. His expression was calm, composed—the face of a man who had nothing to hide.
He found Cardinal Ljudevit standing inside one of the drawing room, his white robes unadorned except for the blue sash with the churches crest that marked his rank.
"Oh, Lord Oberoi. What a beautiful morning."
Rivas inclined his head.
"Your Eminence."
The Cardinal's accompanying sisters bowed respectfully. So did Rivas' guards.
"Cardinal," Rivas said, his voice smooth and pleasant. "A word?"
Cardinal Ljudevit returned the smile with one of his own. Rivas dismissed his guards with a glance, and the men bowed and retreated. The sisters accompanying the Cardinal also bowed and backed away with a signal from him, leaving the two men alone.
They walked in silence in the corridor leading towards the balcony where the other officials were. Outside, the crowd murmured and laughed, the sound a distant hum that seemed to come from another world. The wind carried the scent of hydrangeas and roasting meat.
Eventually Rivas spoke.
"I was surprised not to see you earlier."
"Whatever do yo mean?" Ljudevit's expression didn't change.
Rivas brandished a ring—a simple silver band set with a dark gemstone. The world around them shimmered, and the sounds of the festival faded, replaced by a muffled silence. The palace's countless surveillance artifacts simply... slid past without noticing. It was a grade four artifact he purchased from the Rustmark Trading Company specifically for this
"Drop the act," Rivas said. "It's just the two of us now."
The Cardinal chuckled.
"You truly leave nothing to chance."
Ljudevit's smile slowly disappeared.
"I cannot. My god demands excellence and I will leave no stone unturned in realizing their vision." Rivas replied.
Ljudevit studied him for a long moment.
"This devotion. This faith." He placed a hand on Rivas's shoulder.
"Have you ever considered joining the Sacred Orthodox Church? We could use people like you. The Sacred Orthodox Church can offer far more than whatever forgotten deity whispers in your dreams."
"I will not bind myself to a system that uses religion as a pretense in an attempt to rule the masses." Rivas calmly removed the Cardinal's hand from his shoulder.
Ljudevit's eyes narrowed.
"And yet...You follow a god I follow truth. You follow faith I follow purpose."
Neither blinked. The air itself seemed to tighten.
Finally Ljudevit sighed.
"I have no desire to debate theology."
"A wise decision." Rivas answered.
A pause.
"Let's talk about why you were absent." Rivas stepped closer. "Do you know the outcomes of the meeting?"
"I neither know...nor care." The Cardinal smiled again and stopped walking, turning to face Rivas.
"I support this Revolution by lending you Igor Patrovski because it serves my goals, nothing more. As far as I'm concerned, you and the rest of the so-called Hidden Patrons are heathens. A man of my station will not be unevenly yoked with you. You may have also given me the same title but do not get it twisted. I will gladly use you but I will never stand beside you. When this kingdom is saved...It shall kneel beneath the Church."
Rivas stared at him for a long moment. Then he laughed—a sharp, incredulous sound that echoed in the muffled silence of the artifact's field. He looked at Ljudevit's robes with genuine pity.
Ljudevit said nothing.
"You know," Rivas said, shaking his head, "I don't know what I was expecting. Really, I should have known."
Rivas removed the ring and the shimmering barrier vanished.
Festival sounds returned immediately. Children laughed somewhere below. Music resumed. Neither man acknowledged the transition.
"Enjoy the festivities Cardinal."
Rivas said.
Ljudevit inclined his head with a thin smile.
"And you Lord Rivas."
The Cardinal turned and walked away, his robes billowing behind him. Rivas watched him go, then after a while he left alone. After a few steps he paused and turned his gaze to the Zeppelin banner hanging on a wall. The golden crown embroidered upon it seemed almost alive beneath the sunlight.
'The fragment... It has to be somewhere within this palace. I will find it. No matter the cost.'
He thought of the plans he had made, the connections he had cultivated. He had a deity on his side. He would not lose.
Rivas arrived at the balcony where the other officials were gathered.
Lord after lord had already taken their seats.
Most conversed politely.
Others watched in silence.
One chair remained conspicuously empty.
Alaric Dukker's.
Instead, standing behind it with perfect posture, hands folded neatly before her and eyes peacefully closed was Alaric's personal assistant, Gyan.
Rivas' gaze lingered.
Almost immediately her crimson eyes opened and they met his.A chill crawled down his spine and he looked away first.
'Ridiculous. She's only an attendant.'
He took his seat. The other chairs were empty—the King, his queens, and his children had not yet arrived. But they would come soon. And when they did, the festival would officially begin.
Rivas's thoughts turned to Alaric. The Lord of Blackwood was a dangerous variable.
Rivas folded his arms.
'Alaric...What exactly are you preparing?'
For a brief moment doubt touched him. Then vanished.
'No. That is how defeated men think. I carry my Savior's will. I cannot lose.'
The herald's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Presenting His Majesty, King Aldirk Zeppelin VII, Greatest of His Name, The Keeper of the Crown and Sceptre Ruler of Aerthos, The August Monarch of the Sixteen Regions!"
The Lords and officials rose to their feet as the doors opened.
The King had arrived.