At this moment, when the group of lords heard Duke Barlow's words, their hearts jolted in shock.
'Duke Barlow had actually invited someone to stay at his home!?'
This was a level of treatment that not even former kings had ever received.
And now, for Princess Aurelian, he had broken that precedent.
But thinking about it, it was fairly reasonable.
After all, Aurelian was Duke Barlow's granddaughter.
With that kind of blood relationship, no matter how well he treated this Princess Aurelian, it didn't seem strange.
It was just that it had been a long time since anyone had seen Duke Barlow show such behavior.
Ever since the death of his daughter, no one had seen this grand duke show closeness to anyone again.
That's right, this wasn't exactly a secret.
Many people knew that Duke Barlow had a deceased daughter.
She had married Emperor Aubrey of the Empire.
In the end, it was said that she died from complications during childbirth when giving birth to Aurelian.
But many people didn't understand.
Everyone knew that Duke Barlow was a legendary necromancer, possessing terrifying magic capable of reviving the dead.
Yet when his daughter died in childbirth, he had simply watched as she was buried.
Even after she was completely dead, her body decaying and disappearing from the world.
This grand duke had remained as if numb.
No one knew what kind of attitude Duke Barlow held toward the Empire.
Whether he resented the Empire because of his daughter's casual cause of death.
Or perhaps, he simply didn't care about his daughter's life or death.
After all, a necromancer who toyed with corpses and souls might have long grown accustomed to life and death.
But no matter what, the blood relationship between Aurelian and the grand duke was an undeniable fact.
At this time, after hearing Duke Barlow's words, August was slightly stunned.
But very quickly, a smile returned to his face.
"That would be wonderful. I was just worrying about what kind of residence to prepare for the princess and the council members."
"Thank you very much, Duke Barlow."
After that, he turned and said to Aurelian, "Your Highness, if you have no objections, you may lead your people to Duke Barlow's estate."
"Please rest assured, it is large enough to accommodate all of you."
Aurelian nodded with a smile.
"I have no problem with that."
She had originally been curious about this grandfather she had never met.
And if she didn't have to leave her teacher, she naturally didn't want to leave.
"Then it's settled for now. We'll arrange a banquet in a few days."
Afterward, August turned to Viktor and said, "Councilor, regarding the matter I asked about earlier, I hope you'll give it some thought."
"After all, I'm very interested in mages."
Viktor looked at August with a calm gaze and said, "Of course, this is also part of diplomacy."
August nodded, then continued chatting warmly with Aurelian.
Their relationship seemed to grow closer instantly, like old friends reunited.
Seeing August move away from Viktor's side, Count Laurien seemed to casually approach Viktor.
There was a kind smile on his face, but in his eyes, there was a hint of pleading softness.
"Councilor Clavenna, regarding the matter between us, please give it some attention."
Just now, he had noticed Duke Barlow's attitude toward the princess.
After all, the grand duke had already taken the initiative to let the princess stay in his residence. His stance was very clear.
Perhaps, under this bond of family, if the princess were to make a request to the grand duke about that matter, he might really agree.
A trace of hope flashed in Count Laurien's eyes. Viktor only nodded slightly and continued walking with the ministers toward the outside of the academy.
Along the way, the diplomatic ministers enthusiastically conversed with the king and the nobles.
They constantly praised the kingdom's outstanding construction, wise systems, and magnificent scenery.
Aurelian walked silently beside August. Although she had a smile on her face, it looked somewhat stiff.
Anyone familiar with her could tell at a glance that she wasn't at ease.
Duke Barlow, leaning on his ornate cane, walked steadily at the front of the group.
And no one noticed that at this moment, Viktor, as if lagging behind, was leisurely walking at the back of the group.
Above the sky, a pitch-black crow circled before slowly landing on Viktor's shoulder.
In the dark night, no one noticed its departure or return.
The crow stretched its neck, shook its body, and spoke in a voice only Viktor could hear, "It's about time."
Viktor knew what Vega had gone to do, but he still maintained that indifferent expression.
It wasn't until the group was about to leave the academy that Hilda came running over in a hurry.
"Please wait, Princess Aurelian."
Hearing the voice, Aurelian couldn't help but stop and turn around.
Behind Hilda, more than a dozen academy instructors followed, forming a small formation.
Hilda was slightly out of breath from running. After catching her breath, she spoke, "I heard from His Majesty that you're heading to Duke Barlow's estate."
"The journey is long. Let us escort you there."
The noble lords had to escort the king back first, while Aurelian's group would separate from them, taking a different route.
So Hilda's arrangement actually made sense.
However, she had forgotten one thing.
Aurelian smiled and declined Hilda's kindness.
"Thank you, but we really don't need it."
Hilda thought the princess was just being polite and was about to speak again when the group happened to walk out of the academy gates.
Suddenly, she was stunned by the sight before her and couldn't help but fall silent.
Outside the academy gates, both sides were already lined with soldiers.
On the left stood a knight order wearing silver armor and iron helmets.
They stood there like immovable stone, slender blades hanging at their waists, their expressions solemn.
Upon seeing Aurelian, they all knelt on one knee, performing a knight's salute with utmost respect.
On the right was a special unit of demi-human soldiers.
They wore light armor made of beast bones, their tails and animal ears swaying with the wind.
Their faces were covered with various animal masks, revealing only half of their features.
Their gaze was as sharp as blades, as if piercing through the air.
The powerful aura they exuded immediately caused the academy guards and many noble lords to feel shaken.
Looking at these two groups of guards, even the king and his entourage couldn't help but stop and observe.
Seeing the knights clad in cold iron armor, the nobles were greatly surprised.
They knew that this was the Empire's exclusive knight order.
But the group on the right…
When they looked over, their minds were filled with confusion.
'Aren't those… demi-humans?'
'Since when could demi-humans serve as guards?'
'Aren't demi-humans supposed to be impossible to tame?'
But the pressure they gave off, along with that imposing presence, was like arrows nocked on a bow, ready to be released at any moment.
This level of discipline left everyone astonished.
"Those are… demi-humans?", Even August asked in curiosity.
Aurelian nodded and said with a faint smile, "Yes, these are demi-human guards trained by my teacher, Councilor Clavenna."
"You need not worry about their discipline or obedience."
Hearing this, the other noble lords were no longer surprised.
Some even stepped forward, observing the motionless demi-humans closely.
After all, these were demi-human guards personally trained by Councilor Clavenna.
Compared to the demi-human slaves they could only use for menial tasks, this was an entirely different matter.
Although demi-humans possessed extremely strong physical abilities, it was a widely accepted fact in the Cant Kingdom and other nations that they couldn't be trained into warriors.
At the root of it, demi-humans were like beasts. They simply didn't obey orders and were difficult to tame.
So they could only be used as slaves, driven by whips.
But these demi-human guards in front of them were clearly different.
Their small bodies were lined with taut, well-defined muscles.
With just a glance, one could feel the explosive power contained within them.
And their discipline could be seen from their uniform stance. Their order was astonishing, clearly well-trained.
Many of the noble lords present were tempted, and quite a few began to consider privately seeking advice from Councilor Clavenna.
Hilda and the instructors finally understood.
It seemed that this imperial princess truly did not need their protection.
Just as this thought formed in Hilda's mind, suddenly, from within the knight order, a female knight stepped forward.
Her face was cold as frost, clad in icy iron beast-faced armor.
Each time her foot touched the ground, it seemed as if frost spread from beneath it.
Her chilling and unyielding aura made the surrounding air feel as though it had frozen, piercing straight into the hearts of those present.
This was an extremely powerful knight.
The noble lords present were not weak.
Even the lowest-ranked among them, a two-star lord, possessed the strength of a third-tier warrior.
Yet Gwen's mere presence, just her aura and gaze, was enough to make these third-tier warriors feel short of breath and chilled to the bone.
That alone was enough to prove the strength of this female knight.
Hilda gradually came back to her senses. Facing the cold aura, she couldn't help but look up at Gwen.
At this moment, Gwen walked up to Aurelian, knelt on one knee, and performed the most respectful knightly salute.
With a slight smile, Aurelian introduced her to everyone, "This powerful knight serves as the captain of my escort for this journey."
"At the same time, she is also a count of the Empire, and another one of my teachers."
"Grand Knight Gwen Delin."