Chapter 43. Welcome home, king and queen
AT THE SAME TIME
ALEXANDER
The corridor stretched endlessly before us, nobody wanted to be first. Unfortunately, everyone kept looking at me.
"Why are you all staring?" I asked.
"Because the corridor appeared when you touched the key." Michael replied.
"That seems unfair." I groaned
"Life is unfair." Michael said immediately.
Fair. So naturally, I became the first person to step forward. The moment my foot touched the red carpet the entire corridor lit up. Golden chandeliers burst into life, ancient runes glowed across the walls. The castle had noticed.
"Oh no." I said.
"Oh yes." The sword replied.
I hated that sword. The corridor seemed endless but after several minutes the darkness ahead finally opened. Then everyone stopped. Because an entire castle city appeared, not ruined, not broken, but perfect. Massive towers pierced the sky. White stone walls gleamed. Royal banners fluttered in a wind that shouldn’t exist. Fountains flowed, gardens bloomed. Everything looked alive yet there wasn’t a single person visible.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"How?" Reynold whispered.
"This place is older than most countries." Michael looked horrified.
Then the castle doors opened by themselves. Slowly. CREEEEEEAK. A giant entrance hall waited beyond. The moment we entered system became alive again.
"Royal castle recognition complete. Welcome Home. King Identified."The system announced.
Everyone immediately looked at me.
"No."I said instantly.
The system ignored me, then something impossible happened. Golden particles appeared throughout the hall. One, ten, hundreds, thousands. The particles gathered together, taking shape. forming bodies. People, servants, maids, butlers, knights, chefs and gardeners. An entire royal staff appeared from thin air. The academy students screamed and Victor screamed louder. The servants immediately lined both sides of the hall. Then every single one knelt.
"Welcome home, Your Majesty." The synchronized greeting echoed through the entire castle.
"No."Michael looked ready to pass out.
One elderly butler stood. His uniform looked impossibly pristine, silver hair, sharp posture and polite smile. The man walked directly toward me..
"We have awaited your return for seven hundred and eighty three years."He bowed deeply.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"That sounds unhealthy." I said.
"It has been a very long wait."The butler smiled.
Then he looked beside me, toward Iris. The smile immediately widened.
"Oh."He said.
That single word frightened me. The butler’s eyes became emotional, very emotional. Tears emotional.
"My Queen."He said.
Iris blinked. Once. Twice. The butler immediately dropped to one knee and every servant followed.
"My Queen has returned."The butler said.
The castle exploded.
"WHAT?!" Scarlet shouted.
"EXCUSE ME?" Rosalia nearly dropped her rifle.
Noa’s blade appeared instantly. Victor fell over, Michael physically aged five years while Iris looked surprised which was rare.
"I believe there is a misunderstanding." Iris said politely.
"Your Majesty?"The butler looked confused.
"I am not a queen."Iris said calmly.
The butler froze, then the system appeared and everyone groaned.
"DING. Royal castle analysis complete. Queen candidate detected. Highest match found. Entity: Iris. Compatibility: 98.7% Castle conclusion: Queen located."The system said.
"NO IT HASN’T!" I shouted.
The system ignored me. The butler looked at the screen, then looked at Iris, then immediately began crying.
"We found her."He said.
"STOP FINDING THINGS!" Michael screamed.
The servants became emotional. One maid fainted another started crying. A third began writing wedding plans.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE THOSE READY?!" I pointed.
"We have had seven hundred years to prepare."The servant said.
That answer somehow made sense, which made it worse. Meanwhile Iris was turning red, actually red. The ancient vampire queen looked genuinely embarrassed.
"I..." She started.
The system wasn’t finished. Of course it wasn’t.
"DING. Historical records retrieved. Original queen profile comparison. Searching... Searching... Match found."The system said.
Rosalia was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Scarlet looked like she was considering holy intervention. Noa looked ready to challenge the castle itself. Then a maid suddenly appeared beside Iris. Nobody saw her move, one second she wasn’t there. The next she washolding a crown.
"..."
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"..."
"No." Iris said immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."The maid smiled.
The crown appeared on Iris’s head.
"THAT IS NOT HOW CROWNING WORKS!" Michael argued.
The servants immediately applauded, the knights saluted, the maids cheered, the butlers cried harder. Iris slowly touched the crown, then looked at me, then looked at the servants, then looked back at me.
"Master."She said.
"Don’t." I said.
"Master." She said.
"No."I said.
"They appear happy."She said.
"THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM!" I groaned.
The system flickered then displayed a new message.
"DING. Royal residence activated. King quarters unlocked. Queen quarters unlocked. Special note: quarters are connected."The system said.
I had expected many things from an ancient royal castle. Deadly traps, cursed knights, ancient monsters, possibly a dragon. What I had not expected was dinner. Not normal dinner, a royal dinner. The servants moved with terrifying efficiency. Tables appeared, chairs appeared.
Silverware appeared. At some point an entire banquet hall appeared and nobody knew where it came from.
"I am beginning to suspect the castle is cheating." Michael said.
"That is a reasonable conclusion." Aiko nodded.
The banquet hall stretched across what felt like half the castle. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, golden decorations lined the walls, ancient paintings watched us eat. The servants moved like a military unit and within minutes the table was covered. Roasted meats, fresh bread, soups, vegetables, fruit, desserts. Food from every kingdom imaginable, even the academy students looked overwhelmed.
"How much does this cost?"Victor stared at the table.
"One does not calculate the cost of welcoming home one’s king."The old butler looked offended.
Michael immediately began calculating the cost. Then stopped, then looked pale,then started calculating again.
"No."He said.
"Sir?" Reynold asked.
"This dinner costs more than my yearly budget."Michael groaned.
Meanwhile Zavier was crying, not because of danger. Because the steak was perfect.
"Masterpiece."He said happily.
"It’s meat." Rosalia said.
"MASTERPIECE."Zavier nodded again.
The old blacksmith refused further discussion. Meanwhile the servants treated Iris exactly like a queen. Every five seconds someone appeared.
"Your Majesty, would you like tea?"One asked. "Your Majesty, would you like dessert? Your Majesty, would you like another crown?"
"Why do you have another crown?" Iris asked.
"Emergency crown."The maid looked confused.
Nobody wanted to know.
Across the table Scarlet looked annoyed, Noa looked annoyed, Rosalia looked entertained and Victor looked confused, Michael looked exhausted and I looked hungry.
Then the system appeared.
"DING. Hidden event triggered. WELCOME HOME, MY KING. Difficulty: Unknown. Reward: Unknown. Penalty for Refusal: Refusal impossible."The system said.
"..."
"..."
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"I do not like those words."Michael slowly lowered his fork.
"Ancient castle restoration protocol active. Verification complete. Event conditions: Reside within castle territory for 7 days. Restore royal functions. Explore castle grounds. Recover historical records, unlock Throne Room. Current progress: Day 0 / Day 7."The system said.
Dinner somehow lasted two hours not because anyone was eating slowly. Because every five minutes another servant appeared carrying another dish.
"I believe this is the eighteenth dessert." Michael said weakly.
"The nineteenth, guild master." The elderly butler corrected politely.
Michael simply accepted defeat. When the final plates were finally cleared away, every servant stood in perfect formation.
"Your Majesty, your chambers have been prepared."The old butler stepped forward.
"Oh, good." I sighed in relief. "Can you show me where they are?"
"Certainly." He snapped his fingers.
Several maids immediately surrounded Iris. Several butlers surrounded me. Before I could ask why, they gently, but very firmly began escorting us through the castle.
"Wait." I frowned. "Where is everyone else staying?"
"The Royal guard wing has been prepared for your companions."He said. "The Academy guests have been assigned the eastern residence. The guild master has been assigned the Administrative Suite."
"Finally, something normal."Michael nodded.
"And the King and Queen shall reside within the Royal chambers."He said.
Michael froze.
"What?"He asked.
"I am not staying with anyone." I said immediately.
The butler smiled.
"You already are."He said.
"We are not." I answered.
"We are."He repeated.
"We’re not."I groaned.
"I don’t think this conversation is progressing." Reynold whispered.
"I object."Scarlet suddenly stepped forward.
"So do I." Noa added.
"I definitely object."Rosalia folded her arms.
"Why?" The old butler looked genuinely confused.
"Because Master should have his own room." Scarlet replied.
"The castle records indicate otherwise."He said.
"DING." The system appeared. " Royal accommodation confirmed. King suite: assigned. Queen suite: assigned. Status: Connected royal residence. Modification request denied."
"STOP DENYING THINGS!" Michael shouted.
The servants politely ignored him. Large golden doors slowly opened. Beyond them was an enormous suite with a fireplace, bookshelves, a balcony overlooking the castle, and enough space to fit several ordinary houses.
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"This is one room?" Victor whispered.
"It is the royal chamber." The butler replied proudly.
I looked around then I noticed something.
"There is only one bed."I said.
The maids all smiled and the girls all stared.
"I officially refuse to acknowledge this castle’s interior design."Michael covered his face with both hands.
"If it eases Your Majesty’s concerns..."The butler bowed.
"It won’t."I groaned.
"...there are also three sitting rooms, a library, two studies, a dining room, four bathing rooms, and separate dressing chambers attached to the Royal suite."Buttler explained.
"So this place is basically a palace by itself."I blinked.
"Correct."He said.
Iris looked around quietly before giving a small, apologetic smile.
"It appears... the castle has already made its decision."She said.
Before anyone could argue again, the enormous doors closed behind them with a soft click.
"DING. Day 1 of the hidden event has begun. Objective: spend the first night within the royal castle. Progress: 1/7 days."The system chimed one final time.