The carriage stopped in front of the Palace, and the doorman helped them down. There was clearly a party in progress, with a band playing and dozens or hundreds of Nobles in the Palace Gardens.
Trumpets started to play, and the crowd clapped as the staff escorted the returning Royals into the Garden.
"Everyone, we welcome the victorious return of the Second Prince and the Ninth Princess!" The King called, loud enough to be heard from across the garden.
The garden erupted in applause, and the Royals bowed politely from the top of the steps.
Nobody said anything about Dominic’s presence as he followed them toward the main crowd, but as soon as he was off the stairs, he found himself swarmed with lower ranking Nobles.
"Advisor, congratulations on your victory. I heard that the Techno Wizards under your Command came up with a new Orb design. Any word on when that will be available to the Nobility?" A Baron whose name Dominic did not know asked.
"Unfortunately, I haven’t been given any clues on that front. Should the armistice fall through, it is possible that they will be spread to the Royal Airship Corps quickly, but whether they will make their way to every city is beyond my pay grade." Dominic replied.
The Barons around him smiled and nodded in understanding.
They had just been fishing for information, and hadn’t expected that anyone would have made a solid decision yet.
An older man with his hair pulled into a tight ponytail shook Dominic’s hand as he approached. "I don’t suppose that you have one of those mana revolvers for sale, do you? I saw the ones that the Ninth Princess’ Royal Guards are wearing, and they’re magnificent. It’s not easy to come across Rare Grade pistols."
The man turned his lapel to show a brooch on his shirt holding a Gunslinger’s Trade Skill Core, identifiable by the pistol marking on the magitech orb.
"I can certainly come up with at least one rare pistol to sell to a qualified user. Should we step aside and work out a deal?" Dominic asked.
The other Barons frowned. That would be the end of their easy chance to get to know the new Advisor.
"Perhaps later. I will ask for you tomorrow if you’re available. My duties keep me at the Palace now, so it’s not an urgent request." The gunslinger relented, keenly aware of the displeasure of his peers.
One after another, every unranked Noble, minor Baron or Baronet, or Palace staffer with an affinity for Magical Engineering or firearms came to visit Dominic.
While the Royals were surrounded by many more Nobles, the ones who came to Dominic were all ones who shared similar interests.
And there were a lot of Nobles who shared his interest in firearms.
Two hours into intense discussions of what would make for an even better military standard issue weaponry, Dominic caught Princess Alexis’ eye, and saw her laughing at him. She had managed to hide behind her brothers, who were taking the brunt of the public’s interest in their recent activities, and had managed to obtain her own server with a whole tray of snacks.
The beverage trays made their way through the crowd every few minutes, but Dominic knew that he was going to be too busy to be excusing himself to the privy, so he was going light on the beverages.
Eventually, the crowd around him did fade, as all the lesser Nobles had social obligations to either visit with allies or the higher Nobles who oversaw their region, and Dominic managed to sneak away to one of the tables full of snacks for a moment.
He had managed to load a small plate, carefully balanced on his left hand when Dominic found himself cornered again.
"Crown Prince Claudius. I have heard great things about your gallantry." Dominic greeted the powerfully built Noble.
"As have I about yours. But I heard a few other things as well. Walk with me a moment." The Crown Prince replied, not waiting for Dominic’s answer.
The Crown Prince led the way up the stairs and into the Royal wing of the Palace, where his quarters were.
He motioned for Dominic to take a seat in the common area of his suite, what Dominic would have called a living room in a setup less grand than this one.
"First off, wonderful job with the Magitech Orbs, and the airship defence of Burton. I had thought that we would have to negotiate to get my sister back after the war, so that is a most pleasant surprise.
However, it does bring us to the most pressing matter of the evening.
What exactly are your intentions toward the Ninth Princess?" Claudius demanded.
He was in full protective older brother mode, and Dominic wasn’t sure how to answer that question, much less answer it safely.
"I am not sure that I follow the line of questioning, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince rolled his eyes. "Now isn’t the time for political niceties. I know that mere days into the siege of Burton, both yourself and the Princess moved into the suite next to the Strategy room, and remained there for the remainder of your time in the city.
I know from my loudmouthed younger brother that she has grown accustomed to reading and napping with her head in your lap.
So, I will ask again, what are your intentions for my little sister, and am I going to have to arrange an emergency wedding?"
Dominic froze. When you put it like that, it really didn’t sound like an advisory role that he was taking, did it?
"I can assure you that nothing happened which might necessitate an emergency wedding. Though I will admit that the line between close friend and Advisor may have become blurry." Dominic offered, hoping that might calm the Crown Prince’s growing rage a little.
Claudius nodded. "Well, that is a relief. But in a way, it is also problematic."
Dominic frowned. "Because I am her advisor?"
The Crown Prince shook his head. "No. Because our Royal Father intends to ask for the lands formerly of southern Wavemates as reparations for the war damages.
You are one of the few known surviving Wavemates Nobles.
If you were, just by chance, to have gotten yourself involved in a scandalous situation with my most beloved sister, it would have given him the perfect excuse to claim that the lands were rightfully property of the Cygnia Crown."
"How much of the land was His Majesty intending on asking for?"
Claudius smiled at Dominic. "The entire Stansia province, half of the total land of the fallen nation, including three major cities. Those cities have all fallen to our troops, by the way. I don’t know if you ever got updates, as it was impossible to get messengers to Burton for most of the battle."
Dominic frowned. "Lympsbury and Causter fell to Cygnia forces?"
"Nearly the moment that we arrived. The locals turned on their Dagos Lords, and our militia increased by tens of thousands in an hour. With all of the new recruits already inside the city walls.
The gates of Lympsbury and Causter were never even closed, and Wistfield assassinated the Earl in residence and presented his head as a gift for our troops when they arrived."
Dominic nodded in understanding. Like the manor he grew up in, Wistfield was not a walled city, but rather a sprawling metropolis that had emerged from a trading stop at the junction of two major roads.
There was no way to defend it. If he hadn’t died, the only other options would be to battle in the open fields or flee.