Sigil Online: I became the duke's third son
Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Chapter 88

The following day, nobles from all over the empire and other important figures from other countries arrived at the capital. All the gates were jam-packed with people, nobles, well-known merchants, and even commoners.

Word got out that an imperial engagement was going to be announced in the evening, and this was a huge deal. The Alderon Empire was one of the superpowers on the planet, and there weren’t many members of the imperial family left that weren’t engaged yet.

The only ones were the empress’s children, her daughter and son. So this announcement would be a huge deal, so everyone wanted to be a part of it.

Religious leaders from the Zekari Theocracy arrived as well. They were a rather particular bunch, and once they entered the capital, the common people kept their distance from their carriages.

They were all white, except for a large crest on the doors and flags of a person praying toward a golden crown. Symbolizing their reverence for the creator God Sigurus.

That was also the only god they acknowledged as real, so the people in the empire, who all had various different beliefs, tended to stay away from those people.

Inside the luxurious carriage sat two beautiful women and an older gentleman; they were situated in the central carriage. Around them were other carriages housing other people, and surrounding those was the holy order guarding them at all times.

The leader of the Holy Order, Elliot, approached the central carriage. "Your holiness, will we go to that accursed palace?" he inquired, with a deep bow.

Camren looked at Elliot. He was wearing a pure white gown and a tall, ornate hat, both embroidered with the sacred symbol of their faith in golden thread.

"Yes, may Sigurus guide our souls," he said, his eyes looking at the sky in reverence.

Elliot and the two women followed suit, whispering their own prayers.

"Thank you for your guidance, your holiness," Elliot replied and urged his horse to run back to the front, where he had come from.

Camren looked at the two women now with a serious expression. "Eva, make sure Jasmine isn’t influenced negatively during this short time."

Eva looked at him with a complicated look on her face. She was a beautiful woman wearing a pure-white ceremonial garb, covering every single bit of skin on her body. She had vibrant golden eyes and long brown hair.

"You heard his holiness; make sure you behave and keep the teachings I taught you in mind, Jasmine," Eva said.

Jasmine looked at her mother and just nodded, sharing the same features as her beautiful mother. Most people assumed they were sisters, which annoyed her greatly.

Jasmine was wearing a pure-white robe, but unlike her mother, it wasn’t covering up her whole body. But it was still very conservative, only showing a little bit of her forearms and hands.

While her mother, as the saint, couldn’t show anyone her skin except her daughter and his holiness. The ones currently inside this carriage.

"Understood, Mother," Jasmine politely said, and then she shifted her attention to his holiness. "Your Holiness, do you know anything about this engagement?" she eagerly inquired.

The moment she heard she would be leaving the country, she was stoked, as she had never even left the country, but when she heard it would be only for a couple of days to attend an engagement announcement, her enthusiasm vanished.

While other thoughts popped up in her mind, like why would Mother and Father go for something like that unless it’s in the Alderon Empire or the Vael’thorin Dominion?

But they would never go there because they did not believe in Sigurus, and the elves were hated inside the theocracy.

Camren looked at Jasmine with an indifferent look. "You’ll see when we get there. Now be quiet and recite your prayers," he sternly ordered her.

Clapping his hands together and closing his eyes while mumbling all kinds of prayers, her mother followed right after, joining him.

Jasmine looked annoyed but still pretended to do the same, although she was way too busy imagining all kinds of wonky scenarios that could happen during the upcoming engagement party.

In another carriage sat the royal Solvayne family; they came from the neighboring Solvayne kingdom.

"Father, will it be me?" Joel Solvayne asked.

His father, a well-built man with short silver hair and silver eyes typical for the Solvayne royal family, sighed softly and, with a somber look on his face, turned toward his wife seated next to him.

Keira shook her head a couple of times, indicating that he needed to deal with this predicament.

"Maybe, but most likely it won’t be you," Charles stated.

When Joel heard that, he leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with an empty look on his face.

"Why not? Aren’t I the best possible candidate for Liana’s hand in marriage?" He grumbled.

"There’s nothing we could do, son; you know how the Emperor and Empress are. They do whatever they want, but they put a lot of thought into it, and they must have found a better match for that girl."

Charles tried to console his son, but he was having a hard time as well. The invitation only mentioned Liana getting engaged; it didn’t say to whom. Which pissed him off immensely.

He and his wife had been trying to get their son engaged with Liana for years, ever since they had returned from an evening party years ago where Joel had accidentally bumped into a young Liana and he had fallen head over heels for her.

And he had been pestering them to get him and her engaged, but the empress and emperor didn’t even spare them a glance when they sent letters, so they requested an audience, which was also denied without any proper reasons.

As he clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white, Keira laid her own hands over his.

"Don’t worry, dear. You did your best; not everything can go the way you want it to in life," she softly said, trying to get him to calm down.

"He’ll get over it. And just maybe, you never know, it could still be him."

Charles looked at his wife with a bitter smile on his face; while he didn’t refute her claim, they both knew it was highly unlikely, even though Joel had been training and studying like crazy to try and spread his good reputation to have more chances.

If they weren’t contacted beforehand, it was almost guaranteed that it wouldn’t be him.

Just like that, their carriage made its way through the capital and went straight toward the imperial palace, where hundreds of other carriages were also heading.

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