THE NEXT MORNING — Royal Palace:

  Raphael, accompanied by Hallan, walked together through the corridors of the Royal Palace and headed towards the throne room to welcome nobles.

  Raphael was dressed in a black royal garment with certain patterns, decorated with a golden chain connecting his top to his red coat, which proudly demonstrated Ingrissia's coat of arms.

  Hallan, for his part, wore a blue set, with silver motifs.

  As they walked, Hallan noticed Raphael's tired eyes, and said :

  " Say, what did you do last night to have such tired eyes ?"

  " Don't tell me you and Arianne did what I think you did ?" He said with a smirk.

  " I understand your desires, my friend. You are the king, you have a beautiful woman... and you even refused to take mistresses. Respect, but..."

  Before Hallan could add anything else, Raphael punched him on the head.

  " Idiot. If you keep saying bullshit like that... get ready for a series of painful fights," he said in a slightly threatening tone.

  Hallan felt a slight shiver through his body, but he coughed discreetly twice, then added :

  " It's okay, we don't need to get there, you know. But if not, was the aura we felt yesterday... was the one I think ?" He said in a slightly more serious tone.

  Raphael stopped abruptly, his face closed, and replied :

  " Yes you're right, it's the one you think, he's back. "

  After his words, Hallan felt a rage rise in him, but Raphael continued to walk calmly.

  " You don't need to worry for now. Even if he is different than before, he will know how to stand in check."

  A few seconds later, they passed in front of a window, and Raphael gave it a discreet look. He saw Arianne, smiling, walking in the courtyard, with Dayvon, Layna, Lucas and some maids behind them.

  Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on his lips. And as they continued to walk, Raphael looked at Hallan with a smile said in a provocative tone:

  " In fact, I hadn't noticed your new cut, Hallan. You made a beautiful haircut, and you even shaved your beard"

  " What wonderful event pushes my friend to make himself so beautiful ?" He added a smile on his lips.

  " Well, last week I made a mistake, and tonight I invited my wife to the restaurant to make amends," Hallan replied in a slightly shy tone.

  Then Hallan added calmly :

  " But speak for yourself, you know that aunt will make you spend a dirty quarter of an hour if you present yourself in front of her with your long hair"

  Hearing Hallan's remark, Raphael froze for a second.

  " Wait... do you really think she wouldn't like my new style ?" He asked, looking worried.

  Hallan looked at him, a mocking smile on his lips.

  " Raph, you know how your mother is. If you arrive in front of her with this hair, she will throw you a dozen swords before even saying hello. "

  Raphael quickly ran his hand through his long black hair, a drop of sweat running down his temple.

  " No... no no no... I can't risk that, I care about my life, I thought I would come with this hair to the ceremony..."

  He turned to Hallan, almost panicked.

  " Can you invite the person who took care of your hair to the palace ?"

  Hallan burst out laughing, then with a smile he said :

  " Don't worry my brother. He is an expert known for taking care of the nobles. "

  Raphael answered calmly :

  " Perfect. Have him come to the palace tonight, and tell him that he will take care of a very special client. "

  They exchanged a last complicit look, then slowed down their steps.

  In front of them, the two large golden doors of the throne room. Guards stood on each side, straight like statues.

  Suddenly, Raphael's face closed. His gaze became calm and icy. Hallan's too.

  The laughter was volatilised like a trail of dust.

  "It's time," Raphael simply says.

  They advanced and the guards stationed at the entrance slowly opened the doors, while announcing their arrival. And behind his huge doors were strategists, nobles and counsellors were already waiting for them.

  A WEEK LATER:

  A week had just passed, and the day of the royal couple's departure for the Ingriss family estate where Lucas' ceremony will take place, had just arrived.

  On the morning of departure, in a large room of the central palace bathed by the soft light of the sun that filtered through the curtains, Arianne stood in front of Dayvon and Layna. She wore an elegant white outfit, whose golden epaulettes proudly framed a long golden cape, embroidered in white with the emblem of the Ingriss family: two golden wings spread surrounding a sword raised towards the sky, a symbol of their heavenly lineage and their warrior heritage.

  His figure, straight and elegant, gave off a calm warlike aura.

  At his side was a nanny who had Lucas in her arms. He slept peacefully, his head resting against the nanny's shoulder.

  Dayvon and Layna stood a few steps away. Layna's gaze hesitated between admiration and a discreet pain. Dayvon, more reserved, remained silent, his fingers rubbing the back of his hand nervously behind his back.

  Arianne leaned over and gently kissed the forehead of each of them, then whispered :

  " Be wise... and listen carefully to your tutors. "

  Layna hugged her abruptly, a little too hard.

  " You'll be back soon, huh ? "

  Arianne smiled tenderly, and in a soft voice she said :

  " Of course, my princess. We will be back before you even realize it. "

  The doors of the room opened and slight footsteps announced Raphael's arrival. He entered, also dressed in a white uniform adorned with gold. A golden cape floated in her back, embroidered with the same emblem as Ariane. The whole, perfectly adjusted, underlined his imposing stature and the quiet authority he gave off.

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  " It's time," he said simply.

  Arianne placed one last kiss on Dayvon and Layna's forehead. Nine-year-old, the young boy stood upright and calm, while his four-year-old little sister could not help but cast a worried look at his mother's gold cape

  Although she was not Dayvon's biological mother, the look she put on him showed no difference. She had raised him as her own son, since the death of the first queen.

  The young boy looked at her as one looked at a mother with her bright red eyes. He has a long white strand that crossed his black hair, contrasting with his young face, already marked by a certain maturity.

  Arianne took Lucas from the nanny's arms, then smiled tenderly at them before walking away.

  Raphael, for his part, approached the children and crouched at their level.

  " Don't worry kids, mom and dad will be back very soon," he said with a smile on his lips, while slightly ruffling their hair.

  After that, he straightened up and joined Arianne, and the royal couple gave the children one last look before leaway.

  Around them, five royal knights followed them in silence. They wore a beautiful black uniform, decorated with golden touches. Their shoulders were covered with golden epaulettes, and on their straight collar, we could see the symbol of the kingdom sewn with golden thread. A black cape bordered with gold floated slightly behind them when they walked.

  They went to a lower floor of the central palace, where the royal teleportation portal was located, a unique artifact hidden in a secret room.

  As they passed, the guards moved away with respect. The hooves of the boots on the marble, the rattling of the swords in their sheaths, and the wrinkling of the capes gave the procession a silent importance.

  In front of the gate, a magician was waiting. He put his hands on the stones engraved with old inscriptions and pronounced a brief formula. A bluish light rose in a breath and revealed a stable vortex.

  Raphael held out his hand to Arianne.

  " Let's go. "

  With a sure step, they crossed the gate together.

  SOUTHWEST OF THE KINGDOM - CITY OF ESDRELLIR (TERRITORY OF INGRISS):

  On the other side, the light dissipated to reveal a vast white room, decorated with banners in the image of Ingriss.

  As soon as they arrived on the other side, about twenty knights formed an alley and were on guard. They wore a black uniform with silver borders, and a long white cape engraved with the Ingriss family emblem in gray. They all had silver gloves, a sign of their loyalty to the Ingriss house.

  At the end of the aisle, a knight advanced. She wore a uniform similar to that of the others, but adorned with additional details : fine embroidery on the collar and cuffs, and a white cape hanging only on her left shoulder, leaving her right arm free. Her long black hair fell down her back, and a thin scar his left cheek, but far from altering her beauty, it accentuated her determined and noble air.

  With a firm but elegant step, she knelt before the royal couple and lowered her head.

  " I greet the patriarch of the family... and the sun of the kingdom," she said in a deep and confident voice, before straightening up.

  She then turned her head slightly towards Arianne, a glimmer of sincere respect in her eyes.

  " And I pay tribute to his royal highness. You are welcome, Mrs. Arianne. "

  Arianne simply nodded, touched by the formula, while Raphael replied in a calm tone:

  " Rise up, Captain. We are counting on you. "

  The signet ring executed, then took a step to the side and showed the exit of the building with a solemn gesture.

  " A carriage is waiting for you outside. The knights of the domain will escort you to the fortress. The roads have been fully secured. "

  The royal couple followed the captain. Leaving the building, they discovered a large white carriage with Ingriss's coat of arms painted on the flanks: the famous golden wings surrounding the celestial sword. The vehicle was imposing, with metal reinforcements elegantly hidden under the noble decorations. Four bright white horses were hitched there.

  Around the carriage, about twenty knights got on horseback and got into formation, ready to hit the road. Their eyes scanned every corner of the surroundings.

  The captain opened the door of the carriage herself and waited for the couple to go inside.

  Arianne got into the vehicle without a word, putting her cape back on her knees gracefully. Raphael followed her.

  Once installed, the procession began to move.

  The carriage advanced slowly through the cobbled streets of the city, accompanied by the escort. The horses' hooves regularly hit the paved ground, forming a reassuring cadence. Through the window, Raphael watched silently the lively streets of the city of Esdrellir scroll, while Ariane kept Lucas against her, gently stroking her hair.

  The passage of the carriage raised a murmur of respect as it passed. The citizens bent slightly, recognizing the meaning of the presence of this carriage.

  At the exit of the city, on the horizon, stood a massive and familiar silhouette: the ancestral domain of the Ingriss, dominating the entire territory.

  Its black walls, obsidian turrets and gigantic white doors were erected a few tens of metres above the foot of the mountain.

  It was not a simple domain, but a true ancestral heritage that seemed to defy time.

  That's where the story of their lineage began.