Chapter 467: Velmora’s Market Square

Bam!

Damain’s doors swung open and he stepped out in his elegant black and white robes, his handfan covering the lower half of his face as he entered the corridor. The robes had been fitted perfectly to his body, the dark fabric flowing around his legs while the white sections created a sharp contrast that made him stand out even within the luxurious halls of the royal palace. Intricate fox designs ran across the sleeves and edges of the garment, giving the ceremonial attire a distinctly royal appearance.

There was a strange childish amusement in his eyes as he scanned the corridor, as though he had woken up that morning with a secret no one else was aware of.

Kor and his royal guards were already in place, their armor polished and their weapons secured neatly at their sides. Alice was there as well, dressed in fine blue robes appropriate for the occasion. Her eyes were fixed on Damian, slightly dilated with stunned fascination as she silently observed him.

She wasn’t sure why, but the feeling coming from this man was completely different from the Damian who had shattered the dinner table the previous night because of a letter. That Damian had been surrounded by a suffocating rage that made even those closest to him instinctively retreat. The man standing before her now seemed relaxed.

The playful look in his eyes gave the impression of someone who had decided to play a game with people, and the thought left Alice strangely unsettled because she couldn’t tell whether she was looking at a calmer version of Damian or something far more dangerous.

Despite the difference in hair color, facial features, height and dressing taste, Damian resembled Lin Qui closely at that moment. It wasn’t his appearance that reminded her of the former prince, but the strange confidence surrounding him. Lin Qui had always seemed as though he could see several moves ahead of everyone else in the room, and for the first time since Damian had entered her life, Alice felt that same sensation coming from him.

Her heart began beating faster than usual, and she felt warmth rise into her face before she could stop it. She quickly lowered her gaze, hoping no one had noticed the faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Sire!" The royal guards bowed alongside Kor.

"Your Majesty." Alice said nervously as she lowered her head as well.

Damian’s eyes merely glanced at her for a fraction of a second, and he gave a nonchalant nod in response to her bow before moving past the moment as though nothing unusual had happened. He then turned toward Kor and casually placed his arm around the commander’s shoulder. The sudden gesture caught Kor off guard, and even the twenty or so royal guards lined across the corridor raised their eyes slightly in surprise.

"Are you ready for today?" Damian asked.

Kor quickly recovered and straightened his posture. "Of course, Sire. I have personally made sure the city square is secure and ready for your arrival. Every entrance has been reinforced, and the royal guards have been positioned throughout the surrounding streets."

Damian simply chuckled and began walking. "Good. Then let’s hope nobody does anything stupid."

Kor didn’t know whether to laugh or take the words as a warning. Judging from the strange amusement in Damian’s eyes, he decided it was safer not to ask.

Almost immediately, the doors behind Damian opened again and five women stepped into the corridor. Hazel, Racheal, Ruby, Rah and Mary were all dressed for the occasion, each of them carrying themselves with an excitement that contrasted sharply with the tension surrounding the royal guards. The moment they spotted Damian, they naturally flocked toward him, surrounding him with the familiarity of people who had long stopped caring about formal appearances whenever they were alone together.

Hazel immediately moved to his right while Racheal walked beside him, and Ruby began talking about something that had happened while they were getting ready. Rah and Mary followed closely behind them, occasionally joining the conversation, while William emerged from the room shortly afterward and quietly took his place behind the group.

Alice watched the entire scene for a moment before finally following them. The royal soldiers joined several seconds later and maintained a respectful distance behind the prince and his entourage.

As they walked through the palace, Alice could only watch as the others spoke to Damian openly. They laughed together, interrupted one another and occasionally teased him without any visible fear of how he might react. It was a strange sight to her because the atmosphere around Damian didn’t feel like that of a prince walking with his subordinates or even a man walking with his wives. They genuinely looked like one large and unusually complicated family.

She couldn’t help wondering how something like this was possible. Racheal, Hazel and Ruby had always been known to be extremely greedy when it came to keeping their husband to themselves. Stories about the three women were well known among the higher circles of Velmora, especially their hostility toward anyone who attempted to gain too much of Lin Qui’s attention.

Several women who had been considered potential demigods for Lin Qui had quietly disappeared from consideration after coming into conflict with his wives. It was one of the reasons Alice’s family had never aggressively pushed for her marriage to Lin Qui despite technically possessing the right to make such a request.

Yet under Damian, all those rules were changing rapidly.

Alice could see it clearly now. Damian wasn’t as indecisive as Lin Qui when it came to matters of the heart. Where Lin Qui had often allowed circumstances, politics and hesitation to determine how close people could get to him, Damian seemed willing to make his own decisions and deal with the consequences afterward. Somehow, that had allowed the women around him to create a relationship that should have been impossible considering their personalities.

The thought remained in Alice’s mind as they finally exited the palace.

Outside, several royal carriages stood lined up across the vast courtyard. The largest among them was a magnificent carriage prepared specifically for Damian, while several smaller carriages waited behind it for his wives, ministers and other important officials. Guards stood around the vehicles in organized formations while mounted soldiers waited farther back with their weapons already prepared. Ministers and officials spoke quietly among themselves, occasionally glancing toward Damian as he emerged from the palace.

Jugo’s eyes narrowed the moment he noticed Alice walking behind Damian alongside the Grand Chamberlain. Everyone else appeared to be around the prince in unusually high spirits while Alice remained slightly behind them, maintaining a more reserved position.

"This girl will not be the end of me," Jugo whispered under his breath.

The man beside him glanced over. "Did you say something?"

Jugo immediately shook his head. "Nothing."

Without any ceremony, Damian followed William toward the largest carriage. Two massive black foxes stood harnessed to the front, their bodies larger than ordinary horses and covered in thick dark fur that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Their crimson eyes shifted toward Damian as he approached, but neither creature made a sound. Hazel, Racheal and Ruth joined him inside the carriage while the other girls entered the remaining vehicles. Soon afterward, the officials and ministers took their places as well, while the guards began organizing themselves around the procession.

The signal was given, and the carriages began moving.

Damian sat beside one of the windows, resting comfortably against the seat as he casually watched the scenery pass by. At first, the view consisted of the palace grounds, with their enormous gardens, statues and carefully maintained roads. Then the carriages passed beyond the royal district and entered the city streets, where the atmosphere changed almost immediately.

People had gathered along the roads despite the presence of guards directing them away from the procession. Some stared openly at the royal carriage while others whispered among themselves. Damian could sense their emotions even without hearing every conversation. Fear, curiosity, anger and anticipation blended together until the entire city felt like a sea of conflicting desires directed toward him.

Damian quietly watched them through the window for several minutes before finally turning his attention toward William.

"The armies of my allies are yet to arrive, correct?" He asked calmly.

William nodded. "Moving such a large force requires time, Sire. For now, we are filtering in your loyal soldiers while gradually removing those previously loyal to the former Minister of War and the Grand Chancellor. The first batch of three legions has already arrived and is being distributed across key positions throughout the capital."

Damian nodded thoughtfully. The information was reassuring, although it didn’t completely remove his concerns. The capital had spent years under the influence of powerful figures who were now gone or weakened. Their soldiers, officials and supporters couldn’t simply disappear overnight. Some would be watching him. Some would be waiting for an opportunity. Others might still be loyal to enemies he hadn’t even identified yet.

It wasn’t that Damian was worried about his personal safety. At his current level of strength, he doubted anyone in the capital could easily threaten him directly. What concerned him was the possibility of something unexpected happening in public and undermining his authority before his position had fully stabilized.

"I’ll just have to trust Kor on this," Damian muttered.

William heard him but didn’t respond.

Damian leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. He didn’t completely fall asleep. Instead, he allowed himself to drift into a half conscious state where the voices outside became distant while his senses remained alert enough to notice anything unusual. The rhythmic movement of the carriage continued as they traveled deeper into the city, and the conversations inside gradually faded as Hazel, Racheal and Ruth realized he wanted silence.

Time passed quietly.

Eventually, the movement beneath him stopped and Damian’s eyes slowly opened.

"We have arrived, Sire," William’s voice confirmed what he already knew.

Even from within the carriage, Damian could hear the combined whispers of thousands of people gathered outside. Their individual emotions pressed against his senses like waves. Anger. Fear. Curiosity. Animosity. Excitement. Suspicion. Every possible desire seemed to have gathered in one place, all of them focused directly or indirectly on the prince sitting inside the carriage.

Damian remained seated for another moment, staring at the closed door. This was certainly the biggest public event he had attended since becoming the Prince of Lust.

His fingers slowly tightened around his handfan before relaxing again.

"Let’s get this over with," he muttered.