Translator: 549690339
Only when he heard Veraâs âAunt,â did Colin come to his senses.
The Queen of the Glorious Empire was none other than Duke St. Hildeâs biological younger sister.
There was a rumor that before she married, the Queen was already admired for her exceptional beauty in the North Territory, luring hordes of nobles into a feverish pursuit of her.
However, the most charming flower of the North Territory was eventually picked by the Emperor of the Glorious Empire himself.
Queen Midela had a good reputation in the Empire â noble, elegant, kind to others, devout in her faith, and she even bore the Emperor a son and a daughter. She was truly a model queen.
âHurry, Colin, letâs go greet Aunt!â Vera lifted her skirt and scampered towards the entrance.
Colin quickly followed and, upon seeing her unbridled excitement, curiously asked, âAre you and the Queen very close?â
âYes! In my mind, Aunt is a perfect noble lady and she is my idol!â
By the time they reached the main castle gate, a large gathering of nobles had already assembled.
Duke St. Hilde also came personally to greet his younger sister.
The clip-clop of horse hooves was clearly audible as a procession of perfectly align carriages appeared before the crowd.
Eight knights in full red armor rode at the front of the procession.
Each of them held a white flag bearing a flame, the crest of the Royal Family of the Empire â the St. Lorenzo family.
Unlike the general nobles who typically used animals as their family crests, the symbol of the Empireâs royal family was a raging flame.
Over a thousand years ago, this flame swept across the continent like a prairie fire, burning down each and every human kingdom, ending the fragmented history of the humans, and establishing one unified great Empire.
A luxurious carriage slowly proceeded into the castle gate.
A knight personally opened the magnificent gold -wood door of the carriage and welcomed a beautiful noblewoman out.
For a moment, her radiance seemed to illuminate the entire castle.
âYour Highness the Queen!â
The welcoming nobles all bowed in unison.
Colin sneaked a glance at the enchanting Queen.
She was dressed in a red low-cut gauze long gown. Her waterfall-like golden n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
hair loosely draped over her fair shoulders, and her beautiful eyes were as deep as bottomless pools- reflecting every manâs deepest and unspeakable primal desire.
Colin quickly lowered his head, scared to look again.
âBrother, youâve gotten fat again!â
The Queenâs voice was sweet and had a touch of playfulness, as if teasing her lover.
âHa-ha-ha!â Duke St. Hilde laughed heartily, patting his round belly, âI can no longer compare my achievements with the former Northern Dukes, so I have to strive in maintaining my weight.â
The Queen smiled, then turned towards Vera standing behind the Duke, âVera, come here.â
Vera immediately held the Queenâs extended hand, smilingly said, âAunt, youâre still so beautiful!â
The Queen stroked Veraâs hair and shook her head, âAunt is old now, unlike you in your prime. I bet after this coming-of-age ceremony, hordes of noble boys will go crazy pursuing you.â
In reality, the Queen was not that old, just slightly past thirty, and she was in the most splendid period of a womanâs life.
The immaturity of a young girl had not completely faded away, but the charm of maturity was quietly blossoming.
She stood next to Vera, looking more like sisters than an aunt and a niece.
âNot at all.â Vera blushed, gently shaking the Queenâs arm, âI donât want to marry so soon!â
âAlright, if you donât want to get married, then donât. Let those eager men suffer for a few more years.â
The two beauties chatted and laughed as they walked into the castle. Colin covertly watched on, marvelling at the superb genes of the St. Hilde family.
Arriving in front of Marquis Garcia, Queen Midela slightly tilted her head and joked with a smile, âBrother, why are you still so serious?â
Marquis Garcia pulled up the corners of his mouth, and somewhat helplessly replied, âYour Highness, I am smiling.â
The Queen shook her head, somewhat at a loss towards this straight-faced man, having no choice but to change the subject:
âI heard you have won another victorious battle recently. An entire troll army of three hundred thousand has been annihilated. A victory like that has not occurred in the North Territory for a long time.
When His Majesty heard this, He was also overjoyed and specifically instructed me to bring his reward for you.â
âHowever, tomorrow is Veraâs coming-of-age ceremony. Letâs keep the reward for after the ceremony.
After all, we canât outshine our little princess!â
âAlright.â Marquis Garcia casually nodded his agreement.
âAuntie! I am not a princess. And I am not afraid that Uncle will steal all the attention,â Vera protested shyly, swaying the queenâs arm.
The queen gently tapped Veraâs little hand, soothing the coquettish young girl.
Then, she glanced around the crowd and asked surprisingly, âHow come Charles isnât here?â
The atmosphere momentarily stiffened.
Duke St. Hilde chuckled lightly and explained, âCharles is defending the border.â
âSo he cannot even return for his sisterâs coming-of-age ceremony?â
âNo.â The Dukeâs voice was as hard as steel, âHe must pay for his mistakes.
Without toppling the trollâs royal city, he canât return to Winterfell City.â
The queen sighed and turned to look at Adams behind the Duke, âWhat do you think about your fatherâs punishment of your brother?â
Marquis Adams quickly straightened his back and declared loudly, âI think father is doing this for the best interest of my elder brother! What he needs most now is redemption.â
The queen laughed softly, a complex look in her eyes.
She gently raised her hand, brushed Adamsâ cheek, and whispered, âSo you should also be careful. The greater the power you desire, the greater the responsibility you need to bear. The position of Marquis is not that easy to hold.â
âDonât worry, Auntie! I will try my best to do well! Besides, as a member of the St. Hilde family, I have long been prepared to endure any hardship and tempering! â
The Queen smiled and turned to the Duke again, âAdams is indeed the son who most resembles you.â
The Duke also smiled, but made no comment about this remark.
Marquis Adams, hearing such praise from the queen, became visibly excited, standing even more upright than before.
âWow, our Joyce has grown so tall already?â exclaimed the Queen, astonished, when she looked at the Dukeâs youngest son.
âYes, Auntie. Welcome back to Lion Roar Castle.â Joyce was still a bit stiff.
When Midela had married into the Royal Family, Joyce was still not old enough to remember, hence he found his beautiful aunt somewhat unfamiliar.
The queen smiled as she touched Joyceâs hair, and then proceeded to greet the remaining nobles:
âThank you for your welcome!
As a member of the St. Hilde family, I also welcome you all to Lion Roar Castle!
I hope that you will enjoy your time here!
And together, witness the coming-of-age ceremony of my nieceâ Vera St. Hilde.â
Having spoken, the queen walked in front alongside Duke St. Hilde, heading into the castle.
All the principal guests had arrived.
The ceremony was about to begin..