Villain's POV: The Heroines Want Me!

Since the last time he came here, the Royal Palace district had changed a lot. There were many new buildings and places he hadn't seen before. It made the place appear even more majestic and otherworldly than it already is.

'I've heard from Geralt that there was a project going on in the Royal Palace… I guess it's already taking good shape.' He stared left and right.

Soon after, Rize arrived at the first security checkpoint. Immediately, several guards aimed their weapons at him, which made him frown. 'They really don't mess around. If I do anything suspicious, they would probably shoot me to death.'

Rize could easily count several dozen; most of them were hidden so well that most average people would never even notice them, and that was the scary part.

"Stop right there." A guard said as he approached the car and stared at Rize. The moment he saw him, he frowned. "What is your purpose in coming here?"

"I am here to meet the king," Rize replied as he showed his necklace to the man.

The man didn't seem fazed when he saw that necklace, as if he was anticipating Rize's arrival. Inspecting the sigil with his eyes, he nodded.

"Welcome, Mr Rize. We have been awaiting your arrival." The man said with a respectful tone. "Let him in."

The gates opened slowly for him, and he was able to drive inside. The guards also stopped aiming the guns at him.

"Damn, this place is really heavily guarded. Maybe even more than 9 years ago. I guess the situation hasn't improved much ever since that incident." Rize rubbed his head as he finally reached the parking lot. "Fuuuh, ok…" He waited for a moment as he closed his eyes, sucked a deep breath, and finally gathered the strength to leave the car.

The moment he stepped out, Rize saw a man standing at the gates of the parking lot. His face was instantly familiar.

'Hm, isn't that the man who introduced the Royal Family back in that ceremony?' He frowned. 'He really didn't change one bit.'

The man was clad in a butler's suit, and his arms crossed behind his back as he waited with a smile on his face.

Rize approached him slowly.

"Uuuh, are you…"

"Oh! Welcome, Mr Rize!" The man said when he saw Rize, as he shook his hand with a smile. "It's my pleasure to meet you on this great day."

"Uh, nice to meet you too, Mr…"

"Please, call me Rob."

'Oh right, his name is Rob in the story. I forgot that they mentioned that.' Rize thought to himself.

"Nice to meet you, Rob. Are you the one who was supposed to welcome me?"

"Yeah, I was tasked with bringing you to the Royal Palace myself. His Esteemed Self has been awaiting your arrival."

"Really?"

"Yes, absolutely. He had been very excited to finally meet the young man who would protect his daughter."

'That's a bit nerve-wracking. I'm about to meet arguably the most important man in the world, and he is looking forward to seeing me… First impression will be key.' Rize thought to himself as he looked behind him while walking after Rob.

"So, ummm, is there anything I should know or…"

"Well, I will show you around the palace, and then you will head to your assigned room to change your attire into something more appropriate. After that, His Esteemed self will be receiving you."

"Sounds straightforward enough."

"Do you need water, food, or perhaps anything else, sir?" Rob asked.

"No, I've eaten some snacks while driving here."

"How was your trip?"

"Uuuh, not bad, I guess." Rize shrugged.

"Good, good, that's good to hear."

'This guy is really nice, but I can't tell if he is faking that persona or if he is actually such a ball of energy.' Rize squinted his eyes as he watched the man walk ahead of him.

However, soon enough, when they emerged from the beautiful garden and the trees, Rize found himself standing before the main palace. The most beautiful place in the entire capital, and perhaps the entire nation.

The Royal Palace was a masterpiece carved out of jade, marble, and shiny stone. It looked like something straight out of a myth. It stretched over a hundred meters in the air and covered a large piece of land.

Beautiful carvings and statues decorated the outer parts. Rize felt the sheer history and power that this place exuded, being the home of the greatest family in the world. Standing there for a second, he simply admired every detail he could see.

"Sir?"

"Huh?"

"Are you coming?"

"Oh, right, yeah…" Rize nodded as he started walking again. 'Such a beautiful place.'

The gates to the palace were large and made out of expensive-looking oak wood with beautiful runic decorations across their large frames.

As they walked in, Rize found himself in what seemed to be a gigantic hall, stretching for hundreds of meters. The ceiling was so high, Rize almost questioned how they were able to even build it.

A large red carpet paved the path for them, while butlers and maids went left and right in front of them.

"This is the main hall. It leads to every other part of the palace, except for a few." The man said as he walked him through the hall. "It is also where we receive most guests who arrive at the palace. There is a lounge area with a full bar, a cafeteria, and also an entertainment area for them."

"That's very nice…" Rize peeked at the lounge, and his jaw almost dropped. However, he quickly shook his head and followed Rob.

"From these stairs, we head to the second floor. There are exactly 5 floors in the palace. Each one is for different purposes." The man said. "His Esteemed Self is on the highest floor, which is where we are heading after you get ready."

"..."

'I remember hearing about the different floors. If this is what the main floor looks like… I can only imagine what the other ones look like.'

Taking the stairs up to the second floor, Rize found himself in a cozier area filled with rooms and corridors. It was a lot more humane-looking than the hall, but it also gave off a sense of superiority that he couldn't quite understand.

He was then led through the corridors, going left and right until he reached a particular door.

"This is the room assigned to you," Rob said. "We have already prepared your attire, which you will find inside. You could also take a shower if you wish."

"Thank you…"

"I will come to pick you up in 30 minutes." The man said.

Then, Rob walked away, leaving Rize behind. The boy sighed and then stepped inside. The room was quite spacious and cozy, with a nice king-sized bed, a shower area, and even a small kitchen.

"Wow, they were able to build something like this within this palace? How long did it even take to build it…"

Walking around the place, Rize finally sat down and threw himself on the soft mattress. He felt like he was living in a dream and not reality.

Everything looked so mythical and out of this world.

'No, it isn't out of this world… It is this world.'