No wonder he could deceive the nobles of the Campbell Duchy so easily, it was the first time he felt that those bumpkins deserved to lose.

"What are you waiting for? Go meet the Emperor's servants!"

Upon hearing Luo Yan's voice, Ticky snapped out of his reverie and quickly responded.

"Yes... Prince."

...

In the early morning, before the mist had cleared, the sky was still hazy.

The seagulls had yet to awaken for food, but curious citizens were already gathering outside the port.

Some stood on warehouse rooftops, others climbed street fences, and even the clock tower's terrace was occupied by early risers.

"Did you hear? The Colin family used to be the most venerated Princes by the Emperor!"

"Nonsense! I've never heard of the surname Colin!"

"That's why they're mysterious; it's said their ancestors were as rich as a nation, owning vast lands overseas!"

"I've heard they've been destitute for the last five hundred years, barely affording food..."

"Barely affording food, unlikely. Don't they have good relations with the Lizardmen? Besides, I've heard he's extraordinarily handsome!"

"My cousin said he'd arrive riding a dragon!"

"Nonsense, how could a dragon fly that far?! But I've heard he's brought an entire ship of gold coins back, to renovate the ancestral home!"

"The ancestral home? Where?"

"No idea... As of yesterday, three knights and a Baron have claimed to be branches of the Colin family, but only one matches customs records plausibly."

Among the crowd, voices blended, rumors and fantasies rising like steam in the morning mist.

Just as everyone stood on tiptoe, eagerly awaiting the illustrious figure from legend, a commotion suddenly erupted at the crowd's edge.

"Make way! Make way!"

Sir Edmund Dantes squeezed through the crowd, drenched in sweat, followed by his entire extended family. "We're relatives of Prince Colin, let us through!"

The crowd turned, seeing no royal nobles, just an ostentatious fellow putting on airs, and burst into laughter.

"You're a relative? I'm Prince Colin's cousin!"

"Haha, I'm Prince Colin's grandfather!"

"Look, noble relatives are squeezing themselves, no guards clearing the way!"

"Hahaha!"

The air beneath the royal city is much freer than in cities of the vassal states; in the Ryan Kingdom or any far-off town, no one would dare mock a potential noble so blatantly.

Laughter echoed, Edmond's face flushed, his lips trembled slightly, but he did not bother with the outspoken crowd.

He silently cursed these short-sighted civilians in his heart, pulling his wife Anna along while shielding his darling daughter Emily.

"I said we should have left earlier!" Anna murmured complaint, completely forgetting she took the longest to get ready, even more time than their eldest daughter Sofia.

Sofia hung her head low, attempting a quiet defense: "Mom, it was you—"

"Shut up!" Before she could finish, Anna puffed her eyes like a goldfish and glared at her, then continued complaining to her husband, "Look now, we can't get any closer!"

"Alright, I get it! Less talking... Don't embarrass me later! Damn it, I should've come alone!"

Edmond gritted his teeth, braving the crowd to the closest point to the restricted line, only to find it packed with people.

But he didn't get discouraged, with a slightly ingratiating smile, he managed to carve out a space in the crowd, stuffing his complaining wife and four troublesome kids inside.

Finally, the family stood at their "premium spot," though this premium spot was still a ways from the dock.

They squeezed between a group of street vendors and porters, feet atop morning water and fish scale remnants.

"Quick, kids, follow me, we need to get closer—your Uncle Colin has come from the colonies especially to meet us, we can't let him not find us! Remember, after you see him, introduce yourselves as I instructed... These ancient families really value etiquette, do you hear me, Lucian, I'm talking to you!"

"Got it... You've said it a million times." Eldest son Lucian muttered in a low voice, tucking his sleeve sideways to avoid catching the fishy odor of the port.

The open space in front of the port was cordoned off by the Imperial City Defense Army, this was as close as they could get.

Saber-carrying City Defense Soldiers glanced at the relentlessly pressing family, frowning but ignoring them.

Edmond remained poised, as if any moment someone would call him "Sir," inviting them into the ranks of the powerful.

Yet no one spared him a look.

"Stand still! Emily, stop licking that candy!" Anna Dantes frowned, unable to resist tapping her youngest daughter's hand.

"But mom, I haven't had breakfast yet..."

"Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! Be careful you don't turn into Margery that chubby girl!"

Margery is Emily's classmate at Holy Mother School, a round little dumpling; her family is in the candy business. Though when face-to-face, Anna often praised to her mother how adorable she was, behind their backs it's clearly a different story.

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