"I, Jennie Ruby Jane of House Asteria, pledge my loyalty to his royal highness, Taehyung Ares Delrico, The Crown Prince of the Valorian Empire.
"How far does your loyalty lie, Princess Jane?" He stalked towards her, unrelenting even as her back co...
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The atmosphere in the Valorian imperial palace buzzed with anticipation as preparations for the official knighting ceremony reached their climax.
The sun cast a warm glow as it broke through the stained glass murals lined against the walls, creating an ethereal backdrop for the impending ceremony.
Excited prospective knights who were now set to become officially knighted littered the room, surrounded by family and friends as the most exciting moment of their lives was soon to commence.
Draped in a resplendent attire adorned with the symbols of the Asteria Dukedom, Jennie stood composed in the banquet hall, surrounded by a sea of nobles and distinguished guests.
She politely conversed with those who congratulated her on reaching the ceremonial stage while politely ignoring those who questioned or berated her choices.
She simply chose to not give any non-progressive minds a fraction of her time, and it seemingly worked out well, for her.
Her knighting ceremony was finally here. On top of that, she was sharing it with new knights who would be joining her command.
The crowd suddenly hushed as the banquet hall doors slowly opened, presenting the emperor and the crown prince.
Jennie froze as her eyes met Taehyung's, the memories of last night still freshly ingrained in her mind. Thankfully, he was the first to look away, as she let her eyes wander to the older man next to him.
The sickness was evident in the emperor, his frail body adorned with lighter clothing to lift the weight off of his frame.
His eyes sunk into his skull, the fatigue presenting itself. She noticed how the rest of the nobles chose to ignore that image and let the emperor be remembered as a mighty figure instead, their eyes darting anywhere other than him.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall shifted palpably as the ceremony began. Jennie, standing tall and poised, could feel the weight of history upon her shoulders.
She was not just any noble; she was the crown princess of the Dukedom of Asteria, the empire's beacon of strength and determination.
As soon as the emperor's speech was over, Jennie's turn to be knighted approach.
As the crown princess of one of the golden Dukedoms, she was to lead the ceremony. Her knighting was monumental after all, as now she would succeed to be the first female commander of an army under the Valorian Empire, and would be initiated as the new face of Asteria.
She would also be the first sorceress to possess knighthood. Her knighting was about to be etched in history.
The room was silent, all eyes fixated on her. She stepped forward, her heart pounding yet her face a mask of serene confidence.
Taehyung, the crown prince, stood before her, his expression unreadable. As his succession had begun, he was set to lead the knighting ceremony this time.
