CHAPTER 43: DUCAL FAMILIES

As the Royal Party went on, families continued to arrive one after the other, the hall continued to brim with discussion and laughter.

But Asher noticed something unusual. Within the banquet hall, he hadn’t really seen anyone of true importance. Not a single Duke or Marquis. It was strange.

The sons and daughters of the three Dukes had arrived, but none of their family heads were present, just like in the case of Darissa. She stood here, radiant and poised, but her father, the Marquis, was unavailable.

Asher didn’t believe the Emperor would host such a grand party just to invite a bunch of children and merchants. It made no sense. Even the children of Barons were here, but the Barons and Baronesses themselves were nowhere to be seen.

Although some adults were within the banquet hall, mingling and sipping wine, Asher guessed they weren’t truly high up on the social ladder. Their presence was more like that of chaperones or those on the lower social ladder.

Suddenly, Asher’s head rose as his senses tingled. The ceiling above, from which chandeliers hung like frozen stars, was made of literal glass. Asher’s figure reflected on the glass when he gazed up, his eyes narrowing.

But he was sure, the real banquet was going on above them.

Although he couldn’t see or sense anyone above, he didn’t think his instincts were wrong. He was absolutely convinced the patriarchs and matriarchs of every noble house, and those of extreme importance, were above them, separated by layers of glass and status.

’Separating the adults from the children,’ Asher thought as he sipped the wine in his hand in silence, walking calmly through the hall. He had managed to escape the numerous introductions for now.

After all, the arrival of the children from the three Ducal families had drawn all the attention, making people flock in their direction like bees to nectar.

Asher had read extensively about the three Ducal families during his time in the Wargrave library. All three of them had powerful bloodlines running through their veins, just like the Wargraves.

First was the Ravencroft Ducal family, known for their unique beast-taming abilities. After awakening their bloodline, they were able to summon one beast per major rank they reached in life. Meaning, depending on what Life Rank they ultimately attained, they could summon up to ten beasts throughout their lives.

But that wasn’t all. For every beast they summoned, they would randomly and permanently acquire one of that beast’s abilities. Even if the beast later died or was sealed off, it didn’t matter, its ability remained within the summoner permanently.

They could also tame other beasts and positive Emovirae. However, unlike their natural bloodline summoning that instantly granted them an ability, the same couldn’t be said for tamed creatures. Taming did not grant abilities; only bloodline summoning did.

Then came the Silvershade Ducal family, famed for their bone manipulation abilities. They could harden their bones to insane degrees, increasing speed, durability, and physical strength. They could even create bones out of thin air.

It was said that at its peak, their power allowed them to manipulate the bones within their opponents. They were living weapons. Every inch of their bodies could crush, pierce, or tear through many obstacles as if they were paper.

Finally, there was the Stormveil Ducal family, known for their manipulation of blood. Another terrifying bloodline, they were walking weapons too. They didn’t need external blood sources; their own blood could be weaponized. And with Astra, they could even create blood from thin air, just like the Silvershades did with bones.

With outrageous control, they could manipulate their enemies, freeze them in place as if time itself had paused, or explode them into blood mist before they could even react.

All descendants of these Ducal families awakened the same ability within their lineage. Since it was a bloodline, inheritance was guaranteed. However, their strength still depended on control, talent, imagination, and application.

Just because a group of people possessed the same ability didn’t mean they were on the same level of power.

But none of these families had the same no-marriage rule like the Wargraves did. They could marry into other families, though the Ducal families rarely allowed this, enforcing strict control over their bloodlines. They only considered marriage outside the family when it was to the Prince or Princess of the Empire itself.

As Asher was lost in thought, contemplating the three Ducal families and their terrifying bloodline abilities, a thunderous announcement tore through the air like a blade of authority.

"The Royal twins; Prince Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor and Princess Vaelra Lux Vanthelmor, make their entrance!"

Every gaze turned in the direction the announcement came from, a door. But not the same door through which Asher and the other guests had entered.

The huge golden doors opened widely like the gates of heaven itself, radiant and divine in presence. From it, two beings stepped in with regal bearing and soft, measured steps.

They were the twins of the Royal Family, the ones who had turned seventeen today, the reason why everyone was gathered here in the first place.

Asher observed them silently from the side. They both had chestnut-brown hair and deep brown eyes. Their features were perfect, sculpted almost unnaturally, as they walked forward gracefully.

Everyone else stepped forward to greet the Prince and Princess of the Zarethorne Empire, bowing with practiced etiquette.

But Asher and the children from the Ducal families didn’t rush forward. They waited at the side, unhurried.

’So this is them, huh?’ Asher thought as he moved casually, blending in with the flow.

The Royal Family, too, was a family of bloodline. They possessed the ability to absorb all sorts of energy and release it back in various forms. A frightening power.

A broken family, through and through. You could punch them with all your might, and they wouldn’t even flinch, they would absorb the kinetic force behind the attack instantly.

It was with this ability that they had climbed to the rank of Emperor during the olden days, establishing their rule.

They were walking weapons. Their bodies didn’t even need to actively absorb anything. The absorption was passive, like breathing. Yet they could also choose not to absorb if they so wished.

’Good luck catching them off guard with a sneaky attack,’ Asher thought as he shook his head faintly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

But he knew their weakness. Although they could absorb and store energy, their energy storage capacity could never be infinite. It had a limit, an upper ceiling that, once reached, rendered them vulnerable.

Their second weakness was weapons. Although they didn’t need to block things like punches or shockwaves, attacks from physical blades were different. They had to block or avoid those.

After all, a punch was purely kinetic energy, something absorbable, while a blade caused damage through physical penetration. It wasn’t just force. It was a combination of material density, shape, and razor-sharp edges. That kind of damage was different, bypassing their absorption ability.

So in truth, their ability wasn’t really omnipotent.

Not by a long shot.