Humanity's Hero Of Despair

The entrance to the Pedgas Castle is interesting, to say the least.

It is elegant but not overly grand. It looks refined and carefully designed but somehow still remains modest. The lack of gold shown in the castle hints at the fact that Grand Duke Pedgas prefers silver and other modest but valuable metals. It seems to reflect his personality as well.

Cold. Calculating. Full of ego but does not outlandishly show it.

The opposite of the late Grand Duke Lancaster, who was too confident and very much a show-off. I have to do some remodeling when I get back there, I think to myself as we are all led inside the Pedgas Castle. The staff took our luggage from the carriages and brought it to our rooms.

The Grand Duke stops all of us as we enter the castle. We are in what seems to be the main lobby. The Grand Duke gestures to the space around him.

"Welcome to the Grand Duchy of Pedgas! This is my castle, which houses me and my attendants. Occasionally, I have relatives who visit here as well or really good friends, such as yourselves. Feel free to explore the castle after you are situated in your rooms."

Grand Duke Pedgas says to all of us with a warm smile on his face. Though it seems fake. He walks closer to all of us and raises his voice slightly.

"The only thing off-limits is the third floor, simply because it contains restricted information only meant for the Grand Duke of Pedgas. I apologize if this hurts anybody's feelings, but it's meant to protect you from the unknown. Everything else, though, you may readily explore and investigate. A staff member will come find you when it is time for dinner."

With that, the Grand Duke turns around and walks up the staircase, supposedly to the third floor. The attendants, who have our suitcases in the lobby of the castle, gesture for us to follow them up the staircase to our rooms.

I say see you later to my friends as we enter our rooms.

Wow.

The room looks completely different than the one in the Imperial Palace but also the one in my own castle. The room is still quite spacious but lacks a lot of the fancy and luxurious elements. The bed is certainly not as soft as the one back in the Imperial Palace, but at least the closet size is reasonable.

I head to the bathroom and see that it is a lot smaller than the one in the Imperial Palace as well.

It could be that the Grand Duke either doesn't spend too much time investing in the guest rooms, or he is just very minimal and likes to try to be lowkey. I unpack my suitcase and travel bag. My folded clothes are straightened out as I place them on hangers in the closet.

All my toiletries, I place on the bathroom counter.

Why does the Grand Duke not want us going to the third floor?

I think to myself as I finish unpacking everything and placing my wands on the nightstand. It just seems a little suspicious to me, especially because he has guards guarding the staircase leading up to the third floor. I would bet you there are magic enchantments as well as added security.

I notice my room has a nice small balcony. That is a nice surprise. I slide open the balcony door.

A cool breeze wafts into my room as I step outside to immerse myself in the Pedgas nightlife. The city below is lively, with citizens going out to dinner and chatting with each other. The soft glow of the lanterns lights up the streets and sky.

In the distance, mountains stretch into the horizon, adding to the scenery.

It would be a very beautiful moment if I didn't know what was at stake. My grip tightens on the ledge of the balcony. A rapid knock on the door startles me.

Once I open the door, an attendant is there to greet me.

"Your Imperial Highness, please follow me to the meal room for dinner with the others."

The attendant guides me to the meal room, which is a lot smaller and more modest than the imperial dining hall. Though it is still grand in its own right. The Grand Duke is already sitting at the table as I walk in with my friends, who were waiting for me by the entrance. Platters of food are spread out across the table.

Attendants stand on either side of the meal room with more platters of food as well as drinks if we want any. The dinner was honestly delicious, as the Grand Duke provides us with good hospitality.

We keep the conversation to basic small talk, as the Grand Duke can hear all of our conversations since he is sitting at the table with us.

After dinner, we thank the Grand Duke, and we all head to our rooms. I have everyone take a moment and gather in my room when nobody is looking.

"Guys, are you thinking what I am thinking?"

I say to them all. They all exchange glances and nod. Quillen speaks up.

"We are referring to the restricted third floor, right?"

Estes responds to Quillen's question.

"Yes, it is possible the Elemental Sphere of Earth might be there."

We all agree. We talk for a few more minutes about what we should do and then head back to our rooms so as not to seem suspicious. If anything, we will have to investigate what is on that third floor, whether or not the Elemental Sphere of Earth is indeed there.

He is obviously hiding something from us and the Oriventh Empire.

Once a rebel, always a rebel deep down. Let's do our best to make sure he doesn't have a secret weapon up his sleeve. Who knows if he has been in contact with the Ryndoria President or not as well, since Pedgas borders Ryndoria.

Only time will tell for sure, I think to myself as my head melts into my pillow.