This section is new, but I will insert it later. For now, I will leave it at the end. I will move it to the proper place later.
The Forgotten Kingdom had a capital city located right next to the Lake of Oblivion. Located on the lake's shore, the capital city had an important source of drinking water, making its importance obvious. Therefore, many years ago, the first king of the Forgotten Kingdom, who had invaded the area, decided to make it the capital. The outskirts of the city were located at a higher elevation than the city itself, and low walls rose in the area far from the city center. When entering the city, visitors might wonder why the royal palace was built at such a low elevation, but they won't wonder for long when they look up. After all, the palace clearly surpasses the height of the walls in length.
And inside this palace, the owner of these vast lands, one of the most powerful figures in the realm himself, the King of the Forgotten Kingdom, sat on his throne in the throne room, looking down at his children and ministers below him, projecting an image of strength but also an old man.
"My lord, after what happened in the World Empire, many powers have begun to question your approach. I'm not sure we can maintain a neutral policy any longer. We now have a new emperor."
The speaker was a man with a white beard clad in gold and silver armor. He was Lord Commander Jiao, the old commander of the army and the teacher of the current emperor when he was a prince.
People stirred within the throne room. Recent events were highly unexpected and endangered everyone. A great revolution had taken place in the world empire. Now, the entire Third Ferua had to play by Lameon's rules.
"What do you think about these events, brother?" a man in his early thirties asked the man beside him. They seemed to be around the same age, but their facial expressions and features were very different. One was relaxed and smiling, while the other was stern and emotionless, seemingly indifferent to his brother's question. He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to his father, the distant figure sitting on the throne.
"The third prince is still missing. The treasures of the world empire are with him. Both the emperor's rebel friends and the imperial army are trying to find him. They have more important things to do than deal with the surrounding kingdoms. There is no need for us to rush in this matter," said the crown prince.
After these words, a heated debate erupted in the throne room. Everyone tried not to speak too loudly so as not to offend the king, but their whispers merged and turned into noise. Amidst all this noise, some sentences could be picked out:
"...The crown prince is right. Lameon won't come after us. First, he needs to control the men in his hands..."
"...Just as expected from the crown prince. His talent and intelligence are indicative of what he will do in the Star Path Tournament..."
"...Don't say you heard it from me, but without his mother's help, the Noble Prince might not have been able to compete with his brother..."
Hearing this, the prince beside the crown prince didn't change his expression, but everyone could see a thick vein begin to throb on his forehead.
"Hmmm..."
The king grunted, and the sound echoed in their ears. They all fell silent. They all bowed their heads and sank into thought, not daring to look at the king. Only the noble prince and the crown prince were unaffected by their father's noble sentiment. This demonstrated their potential to become king.
Nobility was born with and sustained by blood. It was an expression of existence that was completely independent of cultivation. The king's expression was neither stern nor calm. It was as it had always been.
TAAAAKK!!
Suddenly, the doors to the throne room opened, and life spread through the silent room once more. A majesty no less than that of the king radiated from behind the door. Yes, a nobility that rivaled the king's!
But behind it was neither a noble knight nor an old man with a title. Not even one of the royal ancestors! It was just a young girl in her early twenties. She held her head high, and her face was so attractive that it would fill countless people with envy and desire. With a slight movement of her hand, she touched the door. Only her pinky and ring finger touched the door. Her middle finger only touched the door halfway. When she raised her head and looked toward the throne room, her captivating gaze caught an inexperienced clerk who almost lost himself on the spot. At that moment, his elderly colleague slapped his back and bent his head down. The inexperienced clerk still hadn't fully recovered.
"Don't look into Princess Syrine's eyes. Don't look at her face either. The moment you notice her coming, bow your head. Seeing her face will only cause you pain."
This was entirely true. Princess Syrine drew people to her like a beautiful monument, but she was still a princess. She was the king's youngest daughter. Seeing her but not being able to touch her would only cause you pain. She could enter your dreams and get you into trouble. Such occurrences were not unprecedented.
The princess had inherited her beauty from her mother. She was the lady of a small noble clan in the city and had many suitors. However, the prince, who is now the king, fell hopelessly in love with her the moment he saw her. Due to the political situation at the time, the king could not marry her first, but he loved her more than his other wives. Perhaps it was this love, nurtured by the king, that killed her. Maybe the other wives were jealous.
"Princess Syrine, why are you interrupting the meeting?"
No matter how much he loved his daughter, the king was stern by nature, and his simple words instantly cut through her authoritative air. There was still a noticeable difference between the king and the princess.
Syrine smiled. Then she turned toward her two brothers. The noble prince could see that she was looking at Crown Prince Yaila.
"I listened at the door before entering. I want to say that my brother's plan isn't bad. But, honestly, it's just running away from the situation, not taking advantage of the opportunity."
Yaila's eyebrows seemed to knit together at these words, but he immediately returned to his usual serious expression. The noble prince watched this with great interest. The king also fixed his eyes on his daughter. Perhaps he was the only one immune to her charm. Syrine truly resembled the woman he loved, but she also bore traces of herself and her mother, the former queen.
"I'm listening."
Princess Syrine stepped forward, moved away from the door, and bowed slightly to the king. Everyone but the king and princes looked at her. But everyone was listening to her.
"Everyone knows that when Emperor Lameon rebelled to take the throne, the third prince fled the capital, seriously wounded."
The princess turned her head and chuckled.
"Perhaps dead."
"But more importantly, this little prince holds the treasury palace of the World Empire in his hands. Maybe his dead body holds treasures far beyond what we possess. The teleportation device he used should have taken him out of the empire."
The princess raised her index finger and waved it in the air as if pointing to the idea she was implying. Her nobility and sweetness were intertwined. It wasn't the rabid rats around her that she needed to convince. They were already trying not to look at her. Instead, she had to convince her father, who was affected by her sweetness.
"The possibility of the prince having fallen into our country is high. We are far from the Empire, and we have regions that lack the power to threaten the prince. Of course, the prince could have fallen into the hands of the Empire's old allies, but I don't believe that's the case. Remember, the empire didn't fall—only the emperor changed. There's no point in sending the Third Prince to those people."
"What do you mean, Princess? If we attack the treasury palace now, the Empire will become our enemy. You should know how bad that would be for us," said the Lord Commander. The old man raised his head and spoke briefly with the princess. He was old, even for a cultivator. Although the princess was beautiful, the old man was not affected by her looks. He only bowed his head out of respect.
The princess looked at Old Jiao. Then, smiling, she said,
"They don't need to know. The prince couldn't have been sent to a powerful region. We can search for him secretly in small towns and villages. Besides, if the prince is alive, he won't risk his life wandering around big cities."
Suddenly, she turned to her father, the king.
"Even if we're caught, you can say that you accepted Lameon as emperor and that you'll support him as king. Say that you captured the Third Prince for him. He has to accept that. Of course, you know best, Your Majesty."
With that, Syrine finished speaking.
The king tapped his finger on the throne and thought for a moment. No one interrupted his thoughts. Shortly after, the king spoke. "It's not as easy as you say. The chances of us not finding the prince are high, but it's still a plan worth trying. We'll discuss the more important details later. You may withdraw now."
Upon hearing this, the princes and princesses left first. The princess turned her head and stuck her tongue out at her brothers as she left. The noble prince smiled and shook his head. Even the serious expression on the crown prince's face cracked for a moment.
And so everyone left. The king of the forgotten kingdom sat alone on his throne, gazing into the distance through the open window.