The Imperial carriage was a sight that demanded subservience.
Forged from white polished stone and inlaid with true gold, it was pulled by four broad-chested gryphons whose talons clicked heavily against the marble cobblestones of the Prim Sanguis courtyard.
Banners bearing the double-headed Golden Sun of the Empire snapped crisp in the morning breeze.
By the time I was escorted down the grand spiral staircase, the courtyard was lined with guards clad in crimson armor.
My siblings stood in a rigid line at the foot of the stairs.
Vespera was at the head, her scythe absent but her presence no less imposing.
Beside her stood Alexis, his face an unreadable mask, and Caelum, who looked distinctly uncomfortable in his formal black silk doublet.
Aura kept a respectful two paces behind me, her hand never straying far from her hilt, while Rook stood at my left like an immovable shadow.
As the carriage door opened, a tall, imposing man stepped out.
His hair was pure golden silk, swept back over a crown of pale gold, and his imperial robes radiated a passive, suffocating pressure—the Aura of Sovereign Light.
Emperor Aurelius Sanguis-Sol.
Beside him stepped down a young girl.
She looked no older than ten or eleven.
Her long, pale-blonde hair was styled in intricate royal braids, and her dress was an elegant masterpiece of ivory and gold thread.
But it was her eyes that caught my perception—sharp, pale-gold irises that swept across the Prim court with a cold, analytical boredom.
Princess Solene.
" ENTITY DETECTED: PRINCESS SOLENE SOL "
" BLOODLINE: DIVINE SUN CORE "
" DANGER LEVEL: MODERATE (SUPPRESSED LIGHT AURA) "
’Ooh, shiny,’ Wren whispered, her phantom wings fluttering around my ears inside my mind.
’Her mana smells like burning incense and high-society arrogance, partner. Be careful, light-type mana is always a pain to chew on.’
’Keep your mouth shut, Wren,’ I thought back smoothly.
’We’re playing the fragile seventh child today.’
"Emperor Aurelius," Vespera spoke, stepping forward and placing a hand over her chest in a formal, military bow.
"The Prim Sanguis family welcomes the Golden Sun to the Northern Marches."
"Lady Vespera," the Emperor’s deep voice echoed through the courtyard, carrying a resonant chime that vibrated in the chest.
"There is no need for grand military formality today. I am merely inspecting the northern border fortifications... and seeing the young survivor of the Crucible with my own eyes."
The Emperor’s sharp, golden gaze shifted down the line, landing directly on me.
Despite the black silk blindfold covering my eyes, I felt the sharp prickle of his imperial scrying mana sweep over my body.
He was testing my core—checking if the rumors of the "blind trash" were true.
I immediately suppressed my dragon heart, letting my mana channels register as faint, sluggish, and fragile.
The Emperor’s eyes softened slightly, a hint of mild disappointment—and relief—flickering across his features.
To him, I was no threat to his daughter’s future throne.
Just a frail, broken child who barely survived his clan’s brutal trial.
"So this is Valerian," the Emperor noted softly.
"To bear such ancient blood yet be denied the light of sight... the heavens are truly ironic."
"He is the heart of our core line, Your Majesty," Vespera replied, her voice cooling by several degrees.
"His eyes may be bound, but his place in this house is absolute."
While the Emperor and Vespera exchanged dry diplomatic pleasantries, Princess Solene stepped away from her father’s side.
Her soft leather slippers clicked against the marble as she walked toward me, stopping barely two feet away.
She tilted her head, inspecting my black silk blindfold and dark noble robes with unabashed curiosity.
"Can you hear me, seventh child?" she asked, her voice light, melodic, and brimming with a subtle, royal edge.
"I hear you clearly, Princess Solene," I replied, bowing my head with timid, delicate grace.
"Welcome to the Sanguis manor."
Solene leaned in slightly, lowering her voice so the adults wouldn’t pay attention.
"You don’t look like a monster hunter. My instructors said the Prim family eats raw beast meat and sleeps on stone."
’Tell her we eat spoiled pastries and drink blood, kid!’ Wren cackled.
I suppressed a smile.
"Your instructors may have exaggerated, Your Highness. Most days, I merely sit in the gardens and listen to the birds."
Solene let out a small, quiet huff, a faint smirk touching her lips.
"How dreadfully boring. You’re far too soft for a border noble."
"Solene," the Emperor called out smoothly, gesturing toward the main estate doors.
"Lady Vespera is leading us to the Mirror Hall for the regional briefing. Come."
Solene gave me one last, lingering look before turning on her heel.
"Do not go anywhere, blind boy. When the politics are done, you are going to show me these ’boring’ gardens."
An hour later, while the Emperor and my elder siblings were locked in high-level border discussions regarding the northern beast migrations, I sat near the central stone fountain of the courtyard gardens.
The air was crisp, carrying the scent of winter roses and damp stone.
’She’s ditching her imperial guards,’ Wren reported lazily from atop a marble archway.
’Two high-tier royal knights are standing outside the archway, but the little princess just used a light-refraction spell to step right past them.’
Sure enough, light footsteps approached my bench.
Solene emerged from behind a rose trellis, dusting off her golden-embroidered sleeves with a small, victorious smile.
"Your guards are blind, Sanguis."
"They are trained to watch for assassins, Princess," I said softly, not turning my head.
"Not sneaky royals."
Solene paused, her pale-gold eyes narrowing as she stepped closer.
"How did you know it was me? I didn’t make a sound, and my light-veil erases my mana footprint."
"The stone pavers under your left boot are slightly loose," I lied smoothly, pointing toward the path behind her.
"They click when stepped on."
Solene looked down at her boot, then back at me, her curiosity thoroughly piqued.
She sat down on the far side of the stone bench, smoothing her dress.
"You’re strange," she observed, resting her chin in her hand as she watched me.
"Back at the Imperial Capital, every noble child my age either stammers in fear or tries desperately to flatter me. You just sit there like an old man."
"Flattery requires an audience, Your Highness," I replied mildly.
"And I cannot see who I am flatteringly addressing."
"Nonsense," Solene scoffed gently.
"My father thinks you’re fragile trash, you know. He told the Grand Chamberlain that the Prim family’s seventh child wouldn’t survive past his fifteenth year."
"His Majesty is a wise man," I said, keeping my tone perfectly neutral.
"No, he isn’t," Solene countered sharp and fast, her royal mask slipping to reveal a surprisingly pragmatic mind.
"He judges people entirely by their raw mana output. He thinks because your core is quiet, you’re useless."
"But a useless child doesn’t sit completely still in front of an Emperor without his heart rate spiking once."
I paused.
Beneath my silk blindfold, my perception shifted slightly, taking a closer look at the ten-year-old girl sitting beside me.
She wasn’t just a pampered royal trophy.
Beneath her golden hair and imperial manners was a razor-sharp observer who paid attention to the microscopic details.
"You’re very observant, Princess," I said quietly.
"I have to be," Solene murmured, looking out over the fountain water, her voice dropping into a rare moment of genuine sincerity.
"The Imperial Court is full of snakes. Everyone wants something from the Golden Sun bloodline."
"My brothers are already fighting over division titles, and the high ministers look at me like a political bargaining chip."
She turned back to me, a sudden, bright spark in her pale-gold eyes.
"I like you, Valerian."
"You don’t want anything from me."
’Ooh, she likes us!’ Wren cheered.
’Quick, ask her for imperial access tokens to the Royal Library!’
’Not yet,’ I thought back.
"I am merely a seventh child, Princess," I said softly.
"I have no power to ask anything of the court."
"Then let me give you something," Solene said decisively.
She reached into her golden sash and pulled out a small, brilliant white crest carved from pure luminescent jade—the Imperial Sun Seal.
She pressed it firmly into my palm, her small fingers warm against my cool skin.
"If anyone in the clan tries to treat you like trash... or if Elder Garren’s faction pushes you too far... bring that seal to the Imperial Garrison," Solene said, her sharp eyes flashing with genuine authority.
"It commands a full legion of royal guards."
"Consider it my personal favor."
I looked down at the glowing crest in my hand, feeling the subtle, high-tier light mana humming within the stone.
"This is too heavy a gift, Your Highness," I noted.
"It is a royal command," Solene declared, standing up and dusting off her dress with a proud tilt of her chin.
"You are my friend now, Valerian Sanguis."
"And the Golden Sun does not abandon her friends."
Before I could answer, a loud, panicked voice echoed from the archway.
"Your Highness! Princess Solene!"
Two imperial knights came sprinting through the garden, their silver armor clanking violently.
Solene rolled her eyes, offering me a quick, mischievous wink that I could feel through her mana.
"Until we meet at the Imperial Academy, blind boy."
"Don’t die before then."
She turned and walked gracefully toward her knights, instantly putting her cold, flawless princess persona back on as she began scolding them for losing track of her.
I sat alone by the fountain, slipping the Imperial Sun Seal into my inner coat pocket next to the Medeis ledger and Lyra’s scrying stone.
’Well, well,’ Wren purred, swirling around my head in a victorious loop.
’A Medeis soul-carver on your left, an Imperial Princess on your right... and a mountain of treasonous evidence in your pocket.’
’You’re building quite the collection, kid.’
"The foundation is set," I whispered, resting my hand on my knee as the distant sound of the Emperor’s departing gryphons filled the morning sky.
"Now... we prepare for the North."