On one side of the palace, at the hall where the banquet was being held, carriages came and went as they dropped off the nobles one by one. The carriages were then taken to a special place where the coachmen could wait for the event to finish comfortably.

Elves dressed in lavish noble attire could be seen entering the hall. The elves themselves were already blessed by the heavens with their handsome and beautiful looks, but with fine attire added, their charm reached even higher.

All of them went about their own business once they arrived inside the hall. Besides meeting with Sylphia, this was also a chance for each noble to chat and build closer relationships.

However, the atmosphere could be said to be quite strange. If someone looked at the entire hall in detail, they would notice that the guests were divided into two groups. One of them was the faction that supported the imperial family, while the other was, of course, the opposition faction. From one of the balconies on the higher floor, where the entire hall could be seen, the separation was obvious.

The nobles interacted only with others within the same faction, and the tense relationship between the two factions could also be seen, as they seemed unwilling to interact with each other.

At one side of the hall stood Luren, the young master of the Cloris family, a house led by Duke Cloris. He was together with other young nobles from the opposition faction, conversing among themselves. Yet one could see that Luren still seemed upset about something, and these young nobles knew the cause.

"Hahaha, to think that Empress Vilena did that to you. Luckily, I'm not the one tasked with following Princess Vaeril," one of the young masters said with a slight mocking tone. He was also the son of a duke's family, so he could say such things without restraint.

As for the others, who did not hold status as high as these two, they could only remain silent. One of them was Luren, son of Duke Cloris, and the other was Urasis, son of Duke Demin. If they offended even one of them, their families could be impacted, and none of them wished for that.

Luren gritted his teeth as he looked at the young man beside him who mocked him.

"Quite funny, huh? Let's see if you can still laugh like that after my family rises in status once Grand Duke Freindor takes the thro—"

"Shh! Are you an idiot? Don't say something like that here, not at this time," Urasis quickly hushed Luren with his hand, whispering in an irritated tone.

"I heard that we are already in a very disadvantageous situation with the visit of Aldrian the Great's fiancée. If someone hears your words here, it could trigger an unknown and undesirable situation for our already bad position. Fool!" he added in an irritated whisper.

Luren snorted, realizing that because of his emotions he had almost slipped and said something outrageous in the middle of enemy territory. They still needed to maintain a good front before Sylphia and not cause any disturbance during tonight's event.

Suddenly, the nobles in the hall turned their heads toward the entrance as someone stepped inside. The moment they saw the figure, two very different expressions appeared between the factions. The supporters of the imperial family seemed far more confident, while the opposition grew tense.

That was because the one who entered was the grand duke supporting the imperial family—Grand Duke Vreiris, a middle pseudo-immortal stage existence. He was a famous figure in the Verdyn Empire and one of the three grand dukes of the empire.

As one of the empire's revered figures, it was only natural that wherever he went, he received respect, even from the opposition.

At this moment, he came with his son, Orlan lyn Vreisis, a handsome elf with silver hair and cultivation at the low pseudo-immortal establishment stage. The young ladies in the hall looked at Orlan with glimmering eyes, admiring him for both his appearance and his reputation. A genius cultivator and the successor of his father, there was nothing lacking about this young man.

As the two walked inside the hall, another voice suddenly resounded from behind them.

"To think that I have to see someone unpleasant the moment I arrive at this place."

Grand Duke Vreisis and Orlan turned their heads and saw Grand Duke Freindor entering with a young man at his side. The young man wore a calm expression, yet his gaze locked onto Orlan with clear battle intent. Orlan did not shy away, he looked back with confidence on his face. The young man beside Grand Duke Freindor was his son and successor, Brein lyn Valian.

Grand Duke Vreisis's expression did not change much upon hearing Freindor's words.

"Is that so? Then you could take another path. For example, that small door over there. Maybe you wouldn't have to see anything unpleasant," he said, gesturing with his head toward the side doors near the main entrance of the hall. If the main doors were prepared for nobles to pass, the small doors were meant for the imperial staff or anyone other than nobles.

Those from the imperial family's faction who heard it almost burst out laughing but held themselves back. By suggesting that Grand Duke Freindor use those doors, Grand Duke Vreiris was basically telling him to lower himself to the level of imperial staff.

Hearing the jab from Grand Duke Vreiris, Freindor frowned, but then his expression eased, and a smile even formed on his lips.

"Sharp and irritating as always, I see. But that's fine. It would not be good to lash out on such an occasion. We don't want to embarrass our empire in front of Aldrian the Great's fiancée, do we?" he replied as he walked past Grand Duke Vreiris. Brein said nothing more and did not look at Orlan again as he followed his father.

Grand Duke Vreiris narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Grand Duke Freindor passing by. He could not help but feel that something was wrong with Freindor's reaction. Normally, that man would be more expressive after being humiliated. At the very least, he would grit his teeth and his face would turn red, as if he were about to explode with rage.

The much calmer reaction, of course, raised Vreiris's suspicion and concern. Was Freindor truly being sensible tonight because of Aldrian the Great's fiancée's visit? Or was he planning something?

"Father, I think there is something strange about him," Orlan said beside him, which made Vreiris nod.

"I know. I will keep an eye on him, while you keep an eye on Brein. If he does anything suspicious, tell me immediately. This occasion is far too sensitive for something to go wrong, and we cannot allow the imperial family to be affected by it," he said, to which his son responded with a nod.

"I will, Father."

"Oh, Grand Duke Vreiris and young master Orlan, it's good to see you here," another voice suddenly came from behind them. When they looked back, they saw another elf enter the hall. He wore even more lavish noble attire than the others, and though he was smiling, it was a cunning smile that left others with a sense of unease.

Seeing this man, Grand Duke Vreiris smiled back and nodded.

"Grand Duke Iskar, you are here. I thought you would not attend this event, as usual."

The one before him was Grand Duke Iskar. As one of the three grand dukes, Iskar held immense influence. Unlike the others, he was an elf who specialized in commerce. His family focused on developing business across the empire and beyond, which made them the most powerful force in driving the empire's economy—even more so than the imperial family itself.

In the conflict between the imperial faction and the opposition, Grand Duke Iskar maintained a neutral stance. That was only natural, for as a businessman he would choose only the winning side. If he saw that one faction had a certain chance to prevail, he would likely make his move.

Securing his support would greatly strengthen either faction, which was why his backing was so crucial.

"Of course I had to come. This is the welcome banquet for Aldrian the Great's fiancée, after all. I would be a fool not to attend and try to build a connection with her. It would also not look good if I stayed away without a reason, that would be disrespectful to Aldrian the Great himself," Grand Duke Iskar said.

Grand Duke Vreiris nodded. "Well, that's true."

They entered the hall together. Vreiris understood that the man beside him now seemed closer to him because he saw a great chance for the imperial family to emerge as the victor after the visit of Aldrian the Great's fiancée.

Grand Duke Vreiris smiled at this development.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention. Her Majesty will be arriving shortly."

Suddenly, a voice from one of the imperial staff echoed across the hall. He stood on the balcony that connected to the two curved staircases leading down to the hall's floor.

The guests instantly fell silent and after a few moments, the staff's voice rang out again.

"Her Majesty, Empress Vilena lyn Silvarin, entering the hall!"