Harem System In A fantasy World

The Royal Court of Nobles in Haven was partially secluded from the rest of the royal palace, but it was still located along the same slope that housed the great castle.

Elion would have recognised that this Haven had developed much more significantly than the one he remembered.

After all, this structure had not existed in the Haven within the trials, and neither had many of the other buildings that could now be seen scattered along the slope.

On this particularly busy day, a couple dozen carriages could be seen rolling up the paved and heavily guarded slope from the city below, most of them converging around the horizontal stretch of land where the grandiose courthouse was located.

Nobles, being who they were and caring as much for their reputation as they did their very lives, liked to make flashy entrances regardless of the event.

A white carriage rolled up the slope with the rest of them, reaching flat land before following the circular pathway built around a large fountain and stopping directly in front of the stairs leading up to the entrance.

A steward immediately rushed over to open the door, and a pair dressed in particularly gaudy attire calmly stepped out.

The carriage was soon led away as the stewards respectfully greeted the pair, a man and woman who were both quite thick, literally.

The man’s head suddenly snapped to the side when he spotted a carriage he recognised.

"Hoho... Would you look at that," the man said in a hoarse voice, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. "Duke Dawncrest, is it? The man is actually here today. As expected, appearing on the very final day of his summons to court."

He scoffed.

"You would think he would have come earlier out of respect for those he offended with his actions in Grimholt, but the man’s arrogance runs deep. How distasteful..."

"Come now, darling," the woman giggled, though her voice wasn’t particularly easy on the ears. "You’re just angry because you’ve been coming here every day while the man everyone was waiting for didn’t bother to show up until now."

She glanced toward the approaching carriage.

"And the moment he didn’t come yesterday, we all knew he was certain to come today..."

The thick nobleman grumbled beneath his breath, but he didn’t deny it.

"That isn’t the point. A summons from the Crown should be treated with the appropriate respect."

"Mhm..."

His wife clearly wasn’t listening anymore.

The carriage she had been watching followed the same circular path around the fountain before gradually coming to a stop.

Just like the extravagantly decorated carriages surrounding it, Dawncrest’s carriage was just as finely made.

It was large and beautifully constructed, certainly, but its dark colours and simple golden crest gave it a much more striking appearance than the rest.

But it was the crest that made it stand out.

The conversations around the courthouse noticeably quietened.

Quite a few nobles had yet to enter, seemingly having spent more time exchanging pleasantries outside than actually attending to the reason they had come.

Now, however, almost everyone’s attention had shifted toward the carriage.

A servant approached.

The door opened.

Cain Dawncrest stepped out first.

He wore a dark formal coat with golden embroidery running along its edges, while the familiar crest of House Dawncrest rested prominently over his chest.

His expression was stern, and judging from the manner in which he completely disregarded the dozens of eyes watching him, he either hadn’t noticed the attention or simply didn’t care.

A young, pink-haired lady stepped out after him, her expression even more placid than his.

A chorus of restrained murmurs immediately spread through the surrounding nobles.

After all, things were bound to reach a crescendo today.

Duke Dawncrest had finally arrived.

The witnesses and interested parties had already gathered.

All that was left now...

Was for Elion to make his entrance.

Cain Dawncrest briefly glanced around the courtyard before beginning his ascent up the wide staircase.

The pink-haired lady followed quietly beside him.

"Your Grace."

A few nobles greeted him as he passed.

Cain responded with little more than curt nods.

Others simply watched.

There was no shortage of people who wanted to approach him, either to show their support or simply to find out what he intended to do today, but very few seemed willing to risk bothering him before the proceedings had even begun.

"He’s awfully calm," the thick noblewoman commented from nearby as they watched him walk past.

Her husband stroked his beard.

"Of course he is. This is Duke Dawncrest we’re talking about. Even after everything that happened, the man still has plenty of allies within the court."

"And enemies."

"Even more of those."

The woman giggled.

"Then today should be interesting."

The pair followed the crowd inside.

Beyond the enormous entrance doors was a grand reception hall built almost entirely from polished white stone.

Tall pillars supported the distant ceiling, while enormous windows allowed the morning sunlight to spill across the floor.

Servants and court officials moved everywhere.

Nobles gathered in small groups, discussing the matter that had brought so many of them here in the first place.

And inevitably, much of the conversation centred around one person.

The other party involved in this matter, and more importantly, the recent news that had reached so many of them.

Elion Nova, the young academy student whom Dawncrest was seeking to have tried, under suspicion of being a demon, had allied himself with the Vampire Clan!

The news had naturally led to plenty of speculation.

Had the rumours been exaggerated?

Of course not; after all, the royal family itself had received a formal, sealed letter informing them about the union, though only those with decent connections had been informed of such.

Most of them were beyond shocked by how such a seemingly insignificant matter had suddenly scaled up because of a simple betrothal, but only those who were uninformed would ever think things were so simple.

And that was why this matter had suddenly gained so much interest, so much so that so many people had appeared today.

After all, there was a possibility that Elion Nova would make an entrance accompanied by an entourage from the lofty Vampire Clan to assist him.

Well, that, and Dawncrest had put quite the target on his own back with his brash actions in Grimholt.

Other than that, there was another disconcerting issue...

The summons had been issued.

Whether Elion had ever personally acknowledged it was another matter entirely, and his absence was becoming increasingly noticeable.

After all, someone had gone through the trouble of making a portrait of him, which most of them here had seen to get up to speed with things, though it was not as accurate as they probably hoped.

Across the hall, Cain continued forward, quietly paying attention to the whispers, while trying with great difficulty to pretend as if he couldn’t hear them.

However, the pink-haired lady beside him eventually glanced toward him.

"Do you think he’ll come?"

Cain didn’t immediately answer.

"He’ll come."

"You sound certain."

"I am."

She studied him for a moment.

"And if he doesn’t?"

Cain’s expression darkened.

"Then this entire affair becomes much simpler." Liora gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t respond.

Unlike most people here, she wasn’t really looking forward to this whole thing.

Soon, a court official approached them.

"Your Grace."

Cain stopped.

"His Majesty has yet to arrive, but the council members are already gathering. The proceedings should begin shortly."

"Good."

The official hesitated.

"I have been told there is still no sign of Elion Nova."

"I am aware."

"Would you prefer that we delay proceedings should he fail to arrive before the appointed time?"