The item remained in Arthur's palm, bearing a symbol known only to the most elite inner circle of Caldera's royal history.
The king whispered. "They were disbanded so long ago!"
"Not disbanded," Arthur corrected quietly. "Hidden."
The king's eyes snapped to Arthur's face. "You expect me to believe you're a..."
"Yes...I have inherited it" Arthur interrupted.
Understanding dawned on the king's face. "The purge..."
The king stepped back, reassessing everything about the young man before him.
The king paced, mind racing. "If you're telling the truth—"
Arthur inclined his head. "I prefer to think of my history as... loyal to the true crown."
The king's eyes narrowed. "The true crown?"
"The Ashbornes," Arthur clarified. "Not the Four Families who seek to control."
Something shifted in the king's expression, calculation giving way to hope. "So your appearance now, your guild..."
"Is exactly what it appears to be," Arthur said. "A statement of loyalty. A return of old allies."
The king did not take the item, it was clear that the item was real.
The king nodded. "Keep this hidden. if anyone discovers your lineage... you will really be in deep trouble."
"They won't. Hence, the reason I showed it only to you my king."
"Good." The king's eyes moved toward the doors. "We'll speak again. Soon."
The doors opened, and Elara stood there, tea tray in hand, clearly trying to appear as if she hadn't been attempting to eavesdrop. But unfortunately, her attempt was flawed due to the nature of the room.
"Your tea, Father," she said sweetly.
The king's lips twitched. "Thank you, daughter."
He turned to Arthur. "Guild Master, the princess will show you out. We'll continue our discussion at another time."
Arthur bowed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
"Elara, explain to him the details of his council duties." The king paused. "Also, you will be joining Azarel's guild."
Elara's jaw dropped. "What?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she replied, voice tight with controlled shock.
As he followed Elara through the palace corridors, she waited until they rounded a corner before spinning to face him.
"What did you speak about?" she demanded.
Arthur smiled but said nothing.
Her eyes narrowed. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Elara studied him for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. Keep your secrets."
She started walking again, faster now.
"The council meets every six months, the next meeting is in three days. You'll present your guild, its capabilities, and your territory requests."
"Territory requests?"
"Every guild gets assigned territory to manage. Resources, monster hunting rights, taxes."
They reached an ornate courtyard. A fountain sparkled in the centre.
"The other guild leaders will probably make things difficult for you," she continued.
"I can handle difficult people."
Elara stopped suddenly. "Can you? Because one wrong move in that council chamber could undo whatever favour you just curried with my father."
Arthur met her gaze. "Why do you care?"
"I—" She caught herself. "I don't. But since I'm apparently joining your guild now, your success affects me."
Before Arthur could respond, a servant approached.
"Princess, your afternoon studies await."
She nodded. "Cancel the studies today."
The servant bowed and retreated. "As you wish."
Elara fell into step beside Arthur. "I'm coming with you."
Arthur kept his face neutral. The princess joining his guild hadn't been part of his plan, but it opened intriguing new pathways.
They passed through the palace gates, citizens bowing as the princess walked by. Anna followed them, her eyes constantly scanning for threats.
The walk to Power Guild wasn't long but drew stares from everyone they passed.
[Elara is now a core member of Power]
The notification flashed before his eyes.
Elara froze, her expression shifting from curiosity to pure shock.
"What kind of manifestation abilities are these!" She stared at something only she could see.
Anna stepped closer to her charge. "Princess?"
"The abilities... it's showing me..." Elara's voice trailed off, her eyes wide.
'For the princess to lose her composure , they must really be terrifying,' Anna thought, hand drifting to her hidden blade.
"You're seeing the abilities that only core members are able to use," Arthur explained calmly.
"But it's..." Elara struggled for words. "The skill sharing. The experience bonuses. The storage. This shouldn't be possible!"
Arthur shrugged. "The manifestation granted certain privileges."
"Privileges?" Elara laughed. "These aren't just privileges."
Inside the Ashencroft family mansion, Sauron sat at his desk.
"Come in," he called, not looking up.
His steward entered, bowing low. "Master, the princess was seen with the master of the new guild, Power."
"What else?" Sauron's tone made it clear this wasn't enough to warrant an interruption.
"Our connection inside the guild registration office says that..." The steward hesitated. "She is part of the guild's members."
Sauron's head snapped up. "What! How is that possible?"
He paced, mind racing. "Does Ash know?"
"Keep it that way." Sauron grabbed his formal robes. "Ready my carriage. I'll speak to the king directly."
"Also, summon Lucas. I need to talk to him,"
The steward bowed and hurried out.
Sauron turned to the window.
At the Draketower Fortress, General Raemund received similar news.
"The princess, you say?" He nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting."
"Should we intervene, sir?" his captain asked.
"No." Raemund studied the war table between them.
"The king has made his move. Let's see how the others respond."
Lady Seraphina Gilderhaven was bathing in rose water when her assassin reported the news.
"The princess?" She laughed, the sound echoing off marble walls. "Oh, this is delicious."
Her assassin waited, expressionless.
"Follow them," she ordered. "I want to know everything about this guild's capabilities."
Seraphina's smile turned predatory. "There is finally something interesting to do."
Arch-Healer Thornwyck approached the news differently.
"Observe only," he told his apprentice. "This isn't our battle,"
"Is making her own moves." He smiled faintly. "Let the Three Families fight amongst themselves. We'll tend the wounded."
"And prepare extra healing potions," Thornwyck added. "I suspect we'll need them soon."