Getting to Fernus took several days.
Draven had already visited the demon kingdom on other occasions, mainly because of Zenash, but it had never stopped feeling strange to compare the real place with what he remembered from the videogame.
In Valkaen and a New Rebirth, Fernus was presented in a fairly straightforward way.
There were casinos, betting houses, nightlife spots, merchants willing to sell practically anything as long as you could pay, and demons trying to take advantage of naive travelers.
That existed, but reducing the entire kingdom to that was ridiculous.
As the Valdegrim carriage advanced through the streets of the capital, Draven looked out the window.
The city was full of activity.
The main streets were wide and paved with dark stone.
There were multi-story buildings constructed around avenues where carriages, merchants, and groups of demons circulated.
Demons are usually distinguished from other races by two main things: Their horns, which were pointed and tilted upward, and their tails, which were always thin and ended in a heart-shaped tip.
Among the demons also walked members of other races, such as humans, elves, some demi-humans.
Draven even managed to make out a dragon in demi-human form arguing with a merchant.
Taliah looked out the other window.
"There’s too many people."
"Because it’s the capital."
"There are also too many gambling businesses."
"That’s also normal here."
Taliah discreetly pointed to a huge building decorated with magical lights.
"Is that another casino?"
"That’s right."
"But there’s already one across the street."
"That too."
"And we passed another casino two blocks back."
Draven smiled.
"Welcome to the capital of Fernus."
Taliah shook her head.
"How does the economy of this kingdom work?"
"Better than you’d expect."
Draven knew the real answer.
Fernus had a bad reputation outside its borders, but its economy was powerful.
The demons controlled a good part of Valkaen’s entertainment industry with their casinos, the betting, the theaters, and the trade of goods considered too controversial in other kingdoms.
They also had good trade routes, and several demon families maintained businesses in other kingdoms.
It was a strange kingdom, but it worked.
The carriage continued advancing.
The closer they got to the center of the capital, the more the buildings changed.
Huge residences, government offices, barracks, embassies appeared, and finally they could see the palace.
Draven stayed watching it.
In the game it had been an important location; he had fought inside, infiltrated, negotiated with characters, and there was even a mission where the player had to escape the palace without being detected.
Seeing it from a carriage was different.
The royal residence was protected by several walls with towers full of guards watching the accesses to the gates, which were enormous, and the emblem of the royal family appeared over the main entrance.
Taliah adjusted her sword and Draven looked at her.
"You don’t need it."
"I always need my sword."
"We’re going to request a permit."
"In a palace full of demons."
"You know Zenash lives here, right?"
"All the more reason I’ll go with my sword."
Draven sighed.
"Just try not to argue with anyone."
Taliah looked at him.
"That depends on them."
"That means you’re going to argue."
"I didn’t say that."
The carriage stopped, at which Draven got down first and Taliah followed him.
Two demon guards approached and one recognized the Valdegrim emblem.
"Identification."
"Draven Dunvyr."
The guard’s expression changed slightly, which Taliah noticed, and Draven added.
"And she is Taliah Valdegrim."
The guard’s gaze shifted to her.
"We’ve come to request an audience with Zenash Varzometh."
The second guard spoke.
"Do you have a scheduled audience?"
"No."
Taliah looked at Draven, who smiled.
"But tell her I came..."
The guard remained silent and Draven added.
"...her fiancé."
Taliah closed her eyes.
"That’s unnecessary."
"It’s so it goes faster."
The guard exchanged a look with his companion.
"Wait."
One went inside, but it didn’t take long and he returned accompanied by an official.
"Lord Dunvyr."
Draven nodded.
"Yes."
"Miss Zenash is currently in a meeting."
"We can wait."
The man made a small bow.
"Follow me."
Draven and Taliah entered.
The interior of the palace was much busier than Taliah had expected.
Officials walked with documents, military personnel conversed near several halls, servants moved objects, and representatives of noble families waited in different areas.
Taliah moved slightly closer to Draven.
"I thought it would be quieter."
"It’s the political center of Fernus."
"I know."
"Then it shouldn’t surprise you."
Taliah looked at him.
"I was just making a comment."
Draven smiled.
The official led them through several corridors to a wide room, where the doors were open and Draven heard voices before entering.
Then he saw her, Zenash, who was seated at one of the ends of a long table.
She had changed a lot since that little girl who decided that Draven would be her husband.
Her hair was perfectly arranged, she wore formal clothing of the royal family with several pieces of jewelry and ceremonial elements that made her position clear.
But what most caught the attention was her expression, since it was serious, controlled, and there was no smile at all.
A demon man was speaking in front of her.
"...the commanders of the western sector consider that we should increase the military presence."
Zenash listened without interrupting.
"Is there evidence of an immediate threat?"
"Movements near the border."
"That doesn’t answer my question."
The man fell silent and Zenash continued.
"I asked if there is evidence of an immediate threat."
"No, my lady."
"Then we will not mobilize troops spending resources without sufficient justification, so just increase surveillance and present a new report within three days."
"Understood."
Another official spoke.
"We also need to decide what to do regarding the Orzha’Mek family."
Zenash rested a hand on the table.
"That will be discussed after reviewing their accounts."
"But..."
"Not before."
The man closed his mouth while Draven observed in silence.
’This is the Zenash that Fernus knows.’
He had seen that version many times and even when they were younger, Zenash changed in front of other demons.
Over the years, that difference had become much more evident.
In front of officials she was strict, with the military she was direct, and with the nobles she controlled every word.
The future queen could not afford to behave like an ordinary young woman in front of them, and even less so with Fernus’s political situation.
Draven knew part of that thanks to the videogame.
The royal family had opposition, not enough to provoke an open war yet, but several noble families were not satisfied.
Some wanted more power, others questioned certain decisions of the crown, and there was another matter that Draven knew all too well.
"It’s him."
He heard a murmur, but Draven did not react.
Two nobles were talking near a column and did not know that he could hear them.
"The human."
"So it seems."
"Does she really intend to keep that engagement?"
"The heiress has never denied it."
Taliah also heard them and Draven noticed because her expression changed, so he discreetly touched her arm.
"Don’t pay attention to them."
She looked at him and Draven shook his head, since they didn’t need problems.
One of the nobles continued.
"Fernus has never had a tradition like that."
"Her mother chose a human."
"That doesn’t mean the nobility is going to accept it."
Draven looked away, since that was not new information and Zenash knew it.
Her engagement had always been problematic.
When they were children, many nobles had treated it as nonsense, a promise between two families that would probably disappear with time.
But Zenash never annulled it; on the contrary, the more they grew, the more publicly she spoke of Draven as her fiancé.
That had begun to bother certain families.
A future queen marrying a human from a rural family of Aster was not exactly what they had imagined.
Zenash raised her eyes, saw Draven, and for an instant her expression changed, but it was minimal.
Then she looked back at the table.
"We’ll finish here."
One of the officials seemed surprised.
"My lady, we still need to review..."
"Tomorrow."
"But..."
Zenash looked at him and the man fell silent.
"Yes, my lady."
The officials began gathering their documents, the military withdrew, the nobles as well, and some observed Draven as they passed.
He recognized several faces.
’Those appear in the game.’
Not all were enemies, but some were related to problematic routes.
Draven memorized who looked at him with the greatest dislike, since it never hurt.
A few minutes later, the room was almost empty.
Yruza remained near one of the walls; she had grown as much as they had, and her posture remained just as serious as always.
She looked at Draven and then at Taliah.
"Hello."
Draven said and Yruza nodded.
"A pleasure to greet you, Lord Draven."
Then she looked at Taliah.
"And you, Miss Taliah."
"Likewise, Yruza."
The cordiality between the two was impressive, as long as one completely ignored their expressions.
Draven felt the usual tension between them.
Zenash stood up with her expression still serious.
"Yruza."
"Yes, Lady Zenash."
"I want to speak with Draven alone."
Yruza nodded immediately and then looked at Taliah.
"This way."
Taliah frowned.
"I came with him."
"I know."
Zenash answered.
"And now I want to speak with my fiancé."
Taliah observed her for a few seconds and then looked at Draven.
"I’ll be outside."
Draven nodded.
"That’s fine."
Taliah left together with Yruza and the door closed.