Chapter 124

Chapter 124

"In the Ares Empire, each coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince follows a similar standard and procedure."

"However, under the silent approval of Emperor Cecil Ronin, the department responsible for managing royal affairs allocated the highest budget for Bai Sha Ronin's coronation ceremony — Cecil Ronin personally covered the additional expenses."

"As long as there is money, things can be easily managed; this principle is universal."

"Now, with only twenty-four hours left before the coronation ceremony begins, there is an opportunity for final touches and refinements to the venue."

"The royal protocol officer, who had a hand in controlling the scene, also hailed from the royal family. Although from a side branch several generations removed, this fact made him proud and gave him a special sense of belonging and responsibility towards the Ronin family."

"The protocol officer himself was extraordinarily skilled in interior design. From the day he received Emperor Cecil Ronin's orders, he resolved to use every means to make this celebration the best."

"The protocol officer's elegance was impeccable even in appearance. He wore a dark teal suit with a crossed front, two straight gold-threaded lines running along the chest and merging into the torso, with amber gemstone buttons at the waist shimmering brilliantly. Both of his hands were covered in soft white gloves, one holding a tablet under his arm, the other gesturing as he made final adjustments to the scene."

"He had reviewed the design plans for the venue countless times, having memorized every detail. Now, he was making final adjustments based on his intuition: for instance, the arrangement of curtains on the stained glass windows, and ensuring not a single wrinkle marred the long red carpet on the floor."

"No one thought the protocol officer was being overly fastidious."

"If he found the curtains unappealing, he personally tied them into aesthetically pleasing and natural shapes; if the wrinkles on the carpet bothered him, he would have his direct subordinates meticulously iron them out."

"In short, he wasn’t all talk or unreasonable demands; he was hands-on in almost everything."

"When the final effect of the venue was revealed, all the staff felt that their days of meticulous preparation were worthwhile."

"According to tradition, the coronation ceremony of the Crown Prince, as well as the Emperor's ascension, are held in the Xiu Ling Hall."

"Xiu Ling Hall is a palace capable of accommodating thousands, primarily used for celebrating major royal events. When not in use, it serves as a historical site open to the public for free — albeit with a daily limit on visitors."

"The dome of Xiu Ling Hall has many layers, with a dark blue base sprinkled with golden specks, and silver lines depicting a large map: the original territory of the Ares Empire."

"The palace is surrounded by huge stained glass windows. Gold and blue intertwined patterns frame these rainbow-glowing glasses, divided into petal shapes. Small petals combine to form larger petals… From the second-floor perspective, these windows appear as a massive passionflower."

"Every inch of the Empire's territory was pioneered by our ancestors. Their pioneering efforts came at a great cost but also brought immense wealth," the protocol officer said reflectively after finalizing all the details, patting his hands satisfactorily. "The art of our forebears is dazzling and grand. In the end, we are only adding a bit of decoration to their foundation."

Bai Sha, arriving for the rehearsal and stepping on the red carpet, looked up at the Xiu Ling Hall, which seemed 'completely transformed,' and raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure this is just 'a bit of decoration'?"

"Well, actually, many of the decorations used for your coronation ceremony will continue to be utilized afterwards," the protocol officer coughed twice, turning his head back with a proper smile. "But His Majesty gave us so much. We found the budget sufficient to refurbish the entire Xiu Ling Hall, so we did just that—trust me, Your Highness. Although I hold the art of our ancestors in awe and admiration, Xiu Ling Hall, due to well-known scientific reasons like the weathering of wood, oxidation of metals, etc., has gathered dust over time. No amount of decoration can match the freshness and vitality of a renovation."

"His Majesty wishes your coronation ceremony to exude a sense of a bright and promising future, not a feel of antiquity," the protocol officer added.

Bai Sha paused, then looked around the palace once more.

The profound and awe-inspiring atmosphere of the palace had indeed diminished somewhat.

Thousands of lights illuminated nearly every dark corner inside the palace. The furnishings and decorations were all new and warm.

She had already walked through many parts of Xiu Ling Hall with the protocol officer. Officially, it was a rehearsal for tomorrow's coronation ceremony, but she felt the officer was deliberately showcasing the results to her.

Bai Sha nodded in approval, catching the protocol officer looking at her expectantly—

Realizing his anticipation, she commented: "Hmm, the effect is quite impressive, I like it."

The protocol officer smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly in relief.

This was one of the royal rhetorics taught to her by Cecil Ronin. As the Crown Prince, she would have many people working for her. It was not necessary to pay too much attention to diligent subordinates, but praise should not be withheld.

"Do you have any comments on the entire coronation process?" the protocol officer earnestly asked, holding his tablet. "We still have time to make immediate modifications."

"Nothing else," Bai Sha shook her head, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Have the special invitations I sent out received responses?"

"Yes. I personally handled those guests and have arranged the most suitable seats for them," the protocol officer replied.

"That's good. Please make sure they are well received," Bai Sha nodded. "Then there's no problem."

……

On the day of the coronation ceremony, at twelve noon.

The official royal livestream room opened on schedule, instantly drawing in numerous citizens.

"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here—"

"Hasn't started yet, right? I haven't missed anything, have I?"

"Everyone, please be calm, the coronation ceremony starts at 2:00 PM."

"Greetings to the 136 million friends currently online with us!"

"Where's His Majesty? Where's Her Highness? I'm so anxious!"

The comments section of the live stream instantly started scrolling like falling snowflakes.

Soon after, guests witnessing the ceremony began to gradually enter the venue.

"People are starting to enter... Those sitting in the front rows, such familiar faces. Seems like all the important cabinet ministers are nearly all here."

"The back two rows are occupied by members of the parliament. There are also royal family members, lords, heads of various families and their heirs... Huh? Even the Greiz family is here! But why have so few of them come?"

The Greiz family's spirit forms are mostly wolves, among them the legendary Silver Wolf is considered the strongest. The current heir of the Greiz family is named "Kaisen Greiz" — for some reason, none of the Greiz family elders appeared at the coronation, but Kaisen himself was seated in the front row with two guards.

Kaisen wore a black and red military uniform, his sharp red eyes exuding an oppressive aura typical of his species.

"You know, since you've come to attend Her Highness's coronation, you might as well stop scowling."

Sino Us, as the heir of the Us family, was seated in the same row.

Sino was dressed in the elaborate attire of a lord's heir, much more ornate than his usual attire, with golden tassels on his shoulders glinting like sunlight.

He leaned in to chat with Kaisen, but Kaisen turned his head away impatiently.

"Don't overthink it," Kaisen Greiz said in a low voice. "The favor I owed you has been repaid. My attendance at this coronation is simply to assess whether Bai Sha Ronin is fit to be the Crown Prince."

"You two have fought more than once, what's there to assess?" Sino chuckled. "Couldn't you come up with a better excuse?"

But as he spoke, he turned his head away.

After that, the two had no further interaction.

...Sino knew the purpose of Kaisen Greiz's visit.

Kaisen himself now leaned towards neutrality. He and the younger generation in his family were inclined to ease relations with the Ronin family, but any such initiative was quickly dismissed by the elders of the Greiz clan.

Attending Bai Sha Ronin's coronation was the greatest gesture of goodwill Kaisen Greiz could show — any more cordiality would immediately raise alarms within his family. Then, whether Kaisen could even step out of the Xizhou Star Region would be in question.

After sitting for a while, Sino, with his sharp eyes, noticed Zhou Xiao and others entering through a side door.

They were dressed in splendid attire and, guided personally by the protocol officer, took their seats in a row with an excellent view on the side.

"Those are the people from the Federation," Kaisen Greiz remarked with an unfriendly gaze.

"Correction — those are Her Highness's friends from the Federation," Sino shifted his position, watching the familiar Federation Military Academy students take their seats. "They were personally invited by Her Highness."

"And yet you were her comrades in arms," Kaisen Greiz sneered. "Don't you feel any jealousy?"

"To say I'm not jealous at all would be a lie," Sino lazily inhaled, his gaze drifting towards the glittering dome. "But it's only jealousy over that attention. Nothing else, and there's no need for it."

"Those are special guests invited by Her Highness, seated in the best viewing spots."

So what?

Sino and Jiya, due to family reasons, already had their designated seats. As for Cen Yuehuai and Yu Yan, the Crown Princess arranged for them the seats closest to the coronation platform. Even if the view there wasn't as good, unable to overlook the entire venue, what did it matter?

They might not have been part of the Crown Princess's past, but in the future, they would surely have their place.

Who should be jealous of whom?

That remains to be seen.