Julius found himself dressed up in some of the most extravagant clothes he had ever worn. If he thought the Tier 5 had some nice clothes, this was on an entirely different level.

However, it took everything he had to fight for something simpler. The tailor had done her best to dress him up in colorful clothing with gold embellishments. That wasn't his style, and he insisted on wearing something a little more… subdued.

She kept on insisting quite firmly, something he didn't really appreciate. He was forced to use his aura to make his point. It was only then that the pushy woman finally relented. Or rather forced to concede. In the end, he walked out wearing a black suit and a white button-up shirt. He still ended up with some silver embellishments, but he found them actually tasteful, so he didn't mind.

Afterwards, they were briefed on some of the details and then whisked off to the event in short order. He barely had time to talk with his friends and ask some of the questions he had for them.

The event was officially hosted by the Royal Family, which is why they were led into the most central part of the capital. He saw several other noble Houses arrive in overly complicated fashions.

To be fair, he couldn't make fun of them too much because he arrived with House Zenith. They didn't have the flair that many of the other houses did, but they didn't need to. The moment they arrived, he noticed that most of the people around them turned to look.

It was somewhat expected since House Zenith was a Ducal House, but the amount of chatter he heard around the entrance was quite overwhelming. Thankfully, most of the attention was on Duke Zenith, Darius Zenith, and, to some extent, Derek.

Julius was able to fade into the background, as people likely assumed he was some retainer or extended family member. He wasn't the only one who was ignored. Lily, Edgar, Aubrey, Cain, and Freya were all right beside him and equally ignored.

Julius was somewhat surprised that Lily's family hadn't come along as well. He had half expected them to have their very own entrance. Even Marcus had stayed behind.

Upon entering the venue, Julius had to admit that he was very impressed. Although they weren't in the actual palace, the area was clearly meant for these kinds of events. Massive arches of pure white stone inlaid with golden threads were placed all around the atrium. Tables filled with delicious-smelling food filled his nose, and despite there being so many people inside, it didn't feel too cramped.

As much as he wanted to head straight for the food, he held himself back and immediately started to look for Reinera. When he had heard that this was an event held by the Royal Family, he thought it was likely that the princess of said family would be in attendance. He stretched out his spatial senses to see if he could find her.

There were a lot of people, but since she was a princess, he hoped that she would be in a spot that stood out. His assumption was correct, and he soon spotted her standing on an elevated balcony that overlooked the atrium with several other members.

Right away, he frowned. There was something different about her. It wasn't just the fact that she looked different. No, that was just the most apparent change. Her face had matured, and she had grown a few inches, from what he could tell.

But what concerned him was that he had never seen such an expression on her face. Even when she was wearing her princess mask, she still maintained this feeling of kindness and empathy.

However, now he only saw… nothing. It was completely blank, and there was this tired quality to her eyes. If he didn't know her like he did, he didn't think he would have noticed. But he did, and it bothered him.

"You notice something as well, right?" Lily silently whispered to him, noticing his gaze.

"You think it's just an act?" He asked without taking his eyes off Reinera.

"It's hard to say in a setting like this. But I don't think the Reinera I remember would have that kind of face even if she was standing in front of all the Empire's citizens," Lily commented.

"What are you guys looking at?" Aubrey interjected, noticing their quiet tones.

Julius simply tilted his head toward the balcony.

"Oh, there she is," Aubrey said happily, but her smile quickly faded. "What's wrong with her?" She asked, clearly noticing what they had, and was just as bewildered as they were.

Julius didn't know if something had happened to her or with her family. He recalled that she had been forced to take part in some kind of task for her family, but she hadn't been able to tell him. He hadn't pushed because he respected her privacy, but now he was thinking that it would have been a good idea to do so.

His attention was so focused on her that he barely noticed the other people near her or the man who walked out onto the balcony. However, he did notice that everyone fell quiet when they saw the man appear and felt him release some of his aura to draw the rest of the people's attention.

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It was only then that Julius looked over and examined who he assumed to be the Emperor. The man was quite… unimpressive. At least that was Julius's honest initial opinion.

The man had a strong aura; he was most definitely Tier 6 at the very least. However, what made Julius's opinion of the man drop so much was how he displayed such an aura. It was purposefully grandiose and felt more of an intimidation tactic than anything else.

It didn't even have the weight or depth that he had learned to associate with powerful Tier 6s like Cain and Freya. The two of them exuded a sense of stability in their aura. If he were to compare it to something, it would be like gravity.

Cain and Freya felt like massive celestial objects that people naturally gravitated toward. However, in the Emperor's case, underneath the veil of power, his aura felt like a small moon in comparison.

It could be an item or a technique that hid the Emperor's aura, but Julius didn't see a reason to do that when he was displaying his aura so openly. He was about to keep on judging the Emperor, but he held himself back. He should know better than to make assumptions based on one look at someone's aura.

Perhaps he was just being a little too critical and unfair to someone he had just seen for the first time. If he were being honest, his feelings of seeing Reinera in such a state might have influenced his opinion.

On another note, Julius was impressed by the crown on the man's head. It felt like it was made entirely of mana and aura. If he were to take a guess, he would say that the crown was some kind of skill. It radiated something very similar to what he had sensed from Reinera's skills.

This led him to believe that it might be based on light magic or maybe even something related to the Imperial Bloodline.

He was roused out of his thoughts when he heard the Emperor begin to speak, now that the crowd was focused on him. His rich voice boomed out in the hall for everyone to hear.

"Honored guests, nobles of the Empire, masters of sects and guilds, envoys from distant lands—welcome.

All of you are gathered here, beneath the banners of the Empire, not merely to witness contests of strength but to share in a celebration of skill and spirit in these upcoming weeks. The Tier 3 Tournament is more than a clash of steel and magic—it is a stage where our young can prove their worth.

You, our guests, are the lifeblood of this occasion. Your presence lends weight to each victory, honor to each defeat, and meaning to the legacy we forge together. May you see not just fighters, but the rising of a new generation—guardians who may defend your halls and heroes who shape your regions.

Raise your cups, let the drums resound, and take your place as witnesses to history. In the next few weeks, courage and honor will be put to the test. And you, our guests, will carry these stories beyond these walls, so that the Empire's glory may echo far and wide," the man proclaimed, his voice ringing throughout the entire hall with a resounding boom.

The speech sounded impressive, but it felt rehearsed and somewhat plain.

He kicked himself; he was doing it again. He shouldn't be judging too harshly. He knew way too little to be doing that. He should sit back and let everyone else do their thing.

In the meantime, he saw a tasty-looking table of roasted meat calling his name. He may not have a lot of duties at the moment, but he believed that he should, at the very least, make the sacrifice to taste test some of these unknown items. It might not be easy, but if he gave it his all, he might prevail.

***

"What are you doing?" Lily asked him.

He paused from his eating and looked at her with a shrug. "Eating, what do you mean?"

"No, I mean, why aren't you eating from the tables?" She asked while pointing at the tables of food.

He grimaced. Honestly, the food wasn't that amazing. It was good, but for something thrown by the Royal Family, he expected something a little better. That was why he had chosen to eat out of his own new lunchbox. However, he didn't think she was reprimanding him for not eating the food that was already out.

He believed she had ulterior motives.

"You want some?" He asked as he discreetly passed over a hand pie, something his new soul-bound item had created for him. It wasn't as powerful as the glass of milk, but it was still tasty and had a bunch of life mana infused into it.

She quickly glanced around her and snatched it out of his hands. "Thanks," she said happily.

"I thought the food would be, you know…" he whispered.

"Better?" She finished for him.

"Yeah, kind of."

She shrugged her shoulders. "They probably had one of the other Houses help organize this. It's less work for the Royal Family, and they can use it as a political offering."

"They don't have their own chefs?" He was puzzled by the explanation.

"Oh, they do. But I doubt they would use them for all of these people. Probably don't think they are worth it," Lily shook her head.

Julius was about to say something else when he felt people walk up behind them.

"Ah, Lily, it is a wonderful surprise to see you here. How is Rose doing?" A woman suddenly asked out loud.

Julius turned back to see who had spoken, and he was greeted by the sight of a woman with elegantly curled blonde hair that was held up high and supported by countless pins. A group of several people followed her.

"Lady Willow, it is such a pleasure to see you again," Lily said with a deep bow. "My mother is doing well, thank you for asking."

Julius hid a frown. He recognized that name. Willow was the name of House Willow, one of the five Ducal Houses in the Empire. However, he didn't know if this was the duchess he had heard about or simply one of the other family members. He wasn't able to feel anything from her. Not a single smidge of power.

"Who is this handsome young man?" The lady asked, looking at Julius with a curious gaze.

"This is Julius, he is a good friend from school," Lily introduced him, and he gave a polite bow to the woman.

"Oh, a friend? Is he participating in the tournament?"

Lily nodded proudly. "Yes, he will be fighting."

The lady smiled at him. "Congratulations, it is quite the accomplishment for a first year at Goldencrest to receive a spot."

Julius had a good-natured smile on his face, but that abruptly changed into a more wary one. He hadn't said anything about being a first-year student. This led him to believe that this woman already knew who Julius was.

The woman simply smiled at him, not showing an outward reaction to his wariness.

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