Chapter 002: Honors Shared

That day, Du Fan was sipping tea in the garden.
Counting the days, seven days had passed since the national funeral. All the matters that Prince Fischer hadn’t dealt with before probably needed to be addressed now.
Although it was possible the benefits from the coup had already been divided up, Du Fan wasn’t worried at all… As long as he stayed alive, he would surely retain his ducal title. Even if it was just a nominal position, it still brought many advantages…
However, something strange had happened these past few days—the Magic Guild had said they would come to visit, but no one had shown up.
Though Du Fan didn’t know what schemes old fox Edward was plotting, he had no intention of going to visit him first.
Hmph… In the past, his weak strength had made him vulnerable to Edward’s threats, but now…
As he was lost in thought, a servant rushed over, bowed before Du Fan, and said, “Third Young Master, there’s news from the palace… Prince Fischer and the other nobles have returned… They’ve chosen Prince Fischer to summon you for an immediate audience.”
Du Fan smiled slightly, not really surprised. He had expected this—Prince Fischer must have taken care of many matters during the national funeral. Whether he truly wanted to reward Du Fan or just show off to his ministers, such actions were necessary!
He had been waiting for this day for a long time.
As for why his parents hadn’t returned yet, it was probably also a deliberate arrangement by Prince Fischer…
With that thought, Du Fan stood up and gave the servant a few gestures.
The servant understood and led Du Fan to a side hall, where several maids who had been waiting rushed over to help him change clothes.
The clothes were prepared in advance—formal wear designed for various noble gatherings. Created by a famous master from the capital, they were cut impeccably. Although Du Fan was originally quite thin, wearing these clothes made him look vigorous and heroic.
After thinking for a moment longer, he also hung Frost Snow around his waist, making him appear even more imposing.
Once all preparations were done, he followed the servant outside the Duke of Green’s residence.
Outside the gate, a group of imperial guards was already waiting. When they saw Du Fan come out, one of the leaders glanced at the sword at his waist before stepping aside to reveal the carriage behind him. Bowing, he said, “Lord Du Fan, please get in.”

Du Fan was equally unreserved; he simply nodded and sat down. The carriage was exquisitely beautiful, clearly custom-made for the royal family, with unique craftsmanship evident everywhere. Though somewhat surprised, Du Fan showed no outward reaction and remained seated quietly. In the capital city, since the imperial guards who had been outside had returned, there were more soldiers patrolling the streets. Yet upon seeing this convoy, they all knelt on both sides of the road without exception. Soon, the carriage arrived inside the imperial palace. The palace was no longer what it used to be. Due to the uncleaned area in front of the main hall, Du Fan’s reception took place in the rear halls of the palace. These rear halls were lavishly decorated. According to imperial tradition, a large number of imperial guards in golden armor stood on both sides of the halls, their battle axes gleaming with a cold light. Inside the rear halls, some noble young men and women were already there, whispering among themselves. Apparently, they had also come back from the western suburbs’ imperial tombs before entering the palace. Some of them were clearly visiting the palace for the first time, so even though it was just the rear halls, they were extremely excited. Du Fan stood outside the rear halls for a moment before couldn’t help but sneer slightly. It seemed Prince Fischer had brought all these people here—obviously, a grand show was about to be staged… Whether he would cooperate or not was his own decision. With that thought, Du Fan didn’t care anymore. He coughed lightly and strode into the rear halls. Normally, subjects were not allowed to bring weapons into the palace, but for some reason, today Du Fan entered the rear halls with his long sword, and the imperial guards pretended not to see it. After thinking for a moment, Du Fan realized he seemed to have the title of court guard, so bringing a weapon was perfectly justified. With this in mind, he entered the rear halls, immediately drawing countless gazes. Du Fan was already handsome and stylish, and his current attire made him even more heroic. Those who recognized him immediately exclaimed in surprise. Apparently, the events that had taken place on the day of the coup had already caused quite a stir among the nobles.

Those noble ladies, knowing that Young Master Du Fan was still unmarried, cast even more passionate glances at him, while the noble gentlemen looked at him with a mixture of resentment and jealousy. After all, what Du Fan had accomplished was something many people present could never achieve in their entire lives, and being granted the title of duke at such a young age was an honor beyond what ordinary people could attain. With a smile, Du Fan nodded to a few nobles he had met before, then went to stand alone in a quiet area at the back of the hall, hands behind his back, carefully studying the various artworks on the walls. Some nobles who had initially wanted to approach him hesitated after seeing his demeanor. After standing there for an unknown length of time, a loud noise suddenly came from the large bell in the main hall, and everyone who had been whispering to each other immediately stood up straight. Then, a door in the back hall slowly opened, and two groups of nobles emerged from it. Du Fan watched closely—they were all high-ranking nobles and their wives. After searching the crowd for a while, he finally spotted Duke Green and the Duchess. When Duke Green saw Du Fan, he merely nodded from afar, but the Duchess, upon seeing her son, wanted to approach him, only to stop as if remembering something, offering only a sweet smile. Under such circumstances, Du Fan couldn’t just go over and meet them rashly, so he simply nodded as a greeting. Shortly after, Redcliffe stepped out of the door, glanced around, and then loudly announced, “His Royal Highness Prince Fisher has arrived!” Everyone fell silent, not making a single unnecessary movement. In the quiet, Prince Fisher slowly emerged from the door. That day, he wasn’t wearing any fancy clothes but a white robe, which gave him a very elegant appearance. His face showed no trace of gloom, and though his smile was mild, it couldn’t hide the enthusiasm in his eyes. Everyone in the hall quickly knelt down upon seeing Prince Fisher appear, and Du Fan also knelt halfway down in a knightly salute, thinking to himself that this Prince Fisher really carried himself with great arrogance!

“Everyone, stand up,” Prince Fischer said calmly. “I’m not the emperor yet… There’s no need for such formalities…” After saying that, he glanced around again, his gaze finally settling on Du Fan. A spark of intensity appeared in his eyes as he strode toward Du Fan. When he reached him, he personally helped Du Fan up and then declared loudly, “My dear Lord Du Fan… oh no… it should be Duke Du Fan now… It’s been some time since we last met, and I never expected you to have fully recovered. This is a blessing for the royal family and for the empire!” At that point, Prince Fischer hugged Du Fan tightly before whispering, “You were assassinated that day? Are you alright? Don’t worry, I’ve already issued orders to hunt down that Rakou. I believe justice will be served for you soon.” Du Fan was slightly stunned. He never expected Prince Fischer’s attitude to change so drastically, seemingly returning to being the kind prince he had been before. Though puzzled, Du Fan still had to respond, saying in a low voice, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern!” Prince Fischer released Du Fan and examined him from head to toe before saying, “Good. I’m relieved you’re fine… Come, my friend, my Duke. Today is the day you receive all your honors!” Without waiting for Du Fan’s consent, he pulled him toward the center of the back hall. Once there, Prince Fischer pointed at Du Fan and declared loudly, “This is Lord Du Fan, whom many of those present must know. Even those who don’t… after hearing the rumors these days, must surely admire him greatly. I want to tell you all… the rumors you’ve heard are true. Even that Silver Sheath Sword Saint Francis was defeated by Lord Du Fan… Such a person is truly a talent that the Gavin Empire hasn’t seen in a hundred years. In the name of the Austin family, I declare that Lord Du Fan’s honor will forever be tied to the Gavin Empire.” Du Fan was slightly stunned—his honor tied to the empire… What exactly was Prince Fischer planning?