The carriage kept a leisurely pace to the Palace, in direct contrast to the rush that the staff were in to get them ready for the trip.
Trumpets sounded as they arrived at the Palace gates, and Princess Alexis sighed.
"That’s the formal tone for a Duke. They want you to exit first and greet the King’s advisors, then I will exit second."
Now, she was definitely not happy.
As an unwed Princess, she should have exited first. But as a Duke’s wife, she was introduced second, the same way as their children would be. Only if she arrived without her husband would she be introduced ahead of all the other Dukes and Duchesses.
There was no formal announcement of name and title as Dominic stepped down, but the King’s closest advisors, including Morgana, were there to greet him.
"Welcome home." The Techno Witch whispered as Dominic reached her spot in the line.
"For now, at least." Dominic agreed.
Then the trumpet tone changed, and Alexis stepped out of the carriage, radiant in the sun, and the gathered Nobles gasped in awe at the sight.
Dominic’s sigh of appreciation wasn’t missed by the Techno Witch standing beside him, and Dominic realized why the wives exited second. The ranking guests were waiting to meet with the titled Noble. But everyone else was waiting to see how fashionable the Noble Ladies were.
So, while Dominic spoke with a small handful of people, the rest of the crowd only cared about Alexis. If he had actual business to settle, this arrangement not only gave him more time, but a chance to speak without being overheard over the noise of the crowd.
Once the Princess had made her way to him, Dominic extended his arm for her to take, then followed the Herald through the halls to the throne room.
Hundreds of Nobles, nearly everyone of importance in the Capital, lined the aisles, standing and waiting for their entrance. Flowers had been strewn along the red carpets by a pair of young Noble daughters, and the Throne Room was fully decorated for a celebration.
Dominic and Alexis paused as everyone else entered the room, and then the herald ushered them through the door and down the aisle toward the throne.
Dominic noticed that the pattern of the carpet had a mark telling him where to stop, and the assistant behind the King was giving directions by hand signals.
[Stand, military salute, bow. Greet the King.]
Dominic placed his right hand over his heart, clenched into a fist, and then bowed to a forty-five-degree angle.
"Your Majesty, I have come at your call." Dominic announced, while Alexis curtsied.
"Father, I have returned." She finished.
"Welcome home, daughter.
Lord Sorcerer Dominic Wavemates, today we have called you here to recognize your marriage to the Ninth Princess, Alexis Cygnus. The crown blesses this union, and wishes to reward you for your contributions to the war effort.
Today, in the newly acquired territories of the Stansia Province, I do declare that Lord Sorcerer Dominic Wavemates is elevated to the rank of Duke and the title ’Duke of Wistover’.
The Duke is hereby granted a hereditary peerage of twelve thousand acres, with a total Ducal estate of five hundred square Kilometres, to include the lands of twenty Barons to be named at a future date.
For two years, the lands under Duke Wistover will be exempted from Royal Taxes, as a reward for military service.
Kneel now, and accept our blessing." The King declared.
The few who hadn’t already known that this was coming were in shock as Dominic took a knee, and the King placed his hands on both of Dominic’s shoulders, before hanging a badge of office around his neck on a thick gold chain.
"Rise, Duke Wistover. You have much to do."
Dominic rose and bowed to the King, but remained silent, as the advisor beside the throne instructed.
Normally, for a new Noble, there would be an oath of fealty, Dominic knew.
So, this was a statement by the King, that he recognized the Wavemates lineage, and considered Dominic to be a born Noble of Cygnia, now that the territory of his birth was under the dominion of the Cygnia crown.
Dominic hadn’t picked up on that right away, but his sensitive hearing caught all the whispered conversations among the upper Nobility, and it didn’t take long to grasp most of the nuance.
An advisor came forward with a half dozen scrolls on a tray, which Dominic took and placed in his storage cube.
Then the King moved to Princess Alexis and pulled her into a hug.
"Congratulations, daughter. I wish you all the joy in the world with your new husband."
Then he moved back to his throne, and the advisor motioned for Dominic and Alexis to move to the left side of the aisle.
"Will the Princess Josephine and Duke Saldock of Bostoveria approach the throne?" The advisor announced.
The two stepped from the crowd, with the handsome Duke looking smug, and the Princess looking disgusted by his very existence. It had to be something personal between the two of them, Dominic assumed.
The Duke was a young man, not yet thirty. He was handsome, muscular, his hands faintly scarred from combat training, everything that should have been desirable to the Princess.
"The crown would like to announce the betrothal of Princess Josephine to Duke Saldock. Does anyone have a reason these two should not be wed? Speak now, or forever hold your peace." The King asked.
He was about to continue when a man stepped into the aisle.
"Thorvald, heir to Duke North of West Keria, challenges Duke Saldock for the right to the Princess’ hand in marriage." Thorvald declared, voice booming in the throne room.
"By what right?" The Duke snarled as Thorvald swaggered toward him.
"The right of prior claim. I declare that my union with the Princess is a love match, sealed with her first kiss." Thorvald declared.
Both the Duke and Princess Josephine looked horribly offended, and the Princess glared at him when Thorvald winked at her.
The King cleared his throat. "And when did this happen?"
"Just now." Thorvald replied with a smirk, then pulled Josephine into a deep kiss.
Either she was too shocked to respond, or she had actually been holding out for Thorvald, but she didn’t attempt to push him away as the room fell silent at the pure audacity.
{Now, which one of them is going to murder him? Father, or Josephine?} Alexis whispered.
Dominic was betting on the King.
Josephine’s blush as Thorvald broke the kiss said that she wasn’t nearly as likely to kill him right now as her father was.