Villain: The Play of Destiny

Chapter 553: Chapter 553

The Crystal Palace, standing atop the cliff with the Zamzerian ocean at the back and the entire Crystal City at the front, was truly a sight to behold.

Fiona really felt like she had stepped into an enchanted city where everything was made out of crystals, and everything was so unique and mesmerising that she did not even realise that they had spent an hour and a half on their journey to reach their destination.

As soon as they entered the gates of the palace, they saw dozens of luxurious carriages entering from the other gates or already parked in the carriage parks.

The servants and members of the City Lord’s Family were busy receiving the guests, and Keith’s eyes focused on the carriages which bore the flags of various forces of the Vulcan Kingdom as well as some of the most famous Guilds.

He smiled a little as he sensed a lot of powerful signatures lock onto their carriage when they got close.

The security tonight was on high alert, and given the occasion, it was justified.

Once their carriage stopped under the porte-cochere, the old Nemerus coachman got off to open the door for them.

Harud stepped out first, followed by him, and then he helped his two ladies out without paying attention to the people who were standing there to receive them.

"Welcome to the Crystal Palace, Master Argus." A young man, with dark hair and bluish-grey eyes, wearing a blue brocade robe, stepped forward to courteously bow to him. "I am Darian Crystol, second son of the City Lord, Armin Crystol. We are glad that you accepted our invitation and could make it here on a short notice."

"It’s fine. We did not have anything planned for the evening." Keith smiled at him and then offered him his hand, which the boy shook with a smile, not scared in the least despite his current reputation as a Poison Master.

Darian did not seem to care about the fact that he had not given them his family name, but the lady behind him was curious, and she finally stepped forward to greet him as well.

"This is my mother, Enid Crystol." The boy informed them when he sensed his mother come to stand by his side.

The woman, who shared the same features as her son, smiled at them and even curtsied to him.

"Master Argus. May I ask who the ladies by your side are?" There was a hint of genuine curiosity after seeing the dresses that they were wearing, having immediately recognised them as the finest in the world.

It was a feminine curiosity, and she wanted to know exactly who these ladies were as they carried themselves with the grace and elegance of nobles.

"Lady Enid," He nodded to her and then smiled at Ayesha, who stepped forward to greet the wife of the City Lord. "This is Noor. Adopted daughter of our family and my wife," He informed them, and his dear lover chose to shake hands with the lady than to curtsey to her. "And this is Fiona, my personal maid."

Enid seemed to have already heard about Noor, but she was surprised when Keith informed her that the lady was also his wife. From the information they had received about him and his companions, Noor was supposed to be one of his daughters.

However, the real shock came when she learnt that the second lady, who was also dressed like a princess, and was remarkably beautiful, was actually just his personal maid.

"My Lady." Unlike Ayesha, Fiona curtsied to her politely, and the woman nodded to her before curiously looking again at the mysterious man they had been waiting for.

She wanted to comment about how generous his family was to their maids but kept it to herself.

Enid proceeded to have a polite chat with Ayesha, where she inquired why the rest of her sisters did not come.

She accepted the excuse that they were busy that evening and commented how beautiful she and Fiona looked tonight.

Afterwards, she quickly ushered the maids behind her, instructed them to lead the guests to their gallery, and then excused herself to greet the other guests who were about to exit their carriage.

"Master Haru." Darian, however, stayed for a moment longer and shook hands with Harud, who smiled back at the City Prince.

"Prince." The young Mir said with a hint of playfulness, earning a hearty laugh in response.

"Not yet." The Crystol said and then excused him to rejoin his mother.

"It’s hard to believe that they are brothers," Harud commented when they entered the Palace, not masking his voice from the maids, who perked up their ears at his words.

"Even siblings born out of the same womb can be very different from each other. Fabian and Darian are but half-siblings." Ayesha commented, and her words did tense up the maids, who found them accusatory to their Eldest Lady and future Queen. "Perhaps the eldest child was spoiled just a little too much."

A minute later, they climbed up a Tower before they entered a hallway, where a lot of people were gathered, talking with each other.

"Haru!" An excited voice suddenly called out, catching everyone’s attention, and they all watched in curiosity as the daughter of the famous Zarion Nemerus rushed over to meet her fiancé and hugged him publicly.

Reha did not forget to bow to Keith as soon as she let go of Harud, and he smiled at her before looking at the hulking man, who was walking over with his nephew.

"Master Argus." Zyron greeted him with a smile, and he nodded to the man.

"Looks like a lot of people were called on short notice. I wonder what this Dinner Conference is about?" He expressed his curiosity, and both the Nemerus men furrowed their brows.

"Let’s talk inside the gallery," Zarion said and then opened the door which bore the name of Kiara, Ingrid, Ingvild, and Alana’s Guild, Archon Elaryon: The Wings of Nirvana.

Zyron dismissed the maids, who bowed to them, and then took their leave.

Once everyone was inside the room, Keith and Ayesha curiously walked out on the balcony, and they were surprised at how much this place resembled an Auction House.

"It’s just like an Opera House," Fiona commented, looking at all the galleries that were above and below them on the sides, focusing on the one gallery, the largest of them, which stood alone.

There was a Golden Platform, connected to the biggest gallery, surrounded by the other galleries at 270 degrees, giving them an unhindered view of it.

"The City Lord sent everyone a letter after lunch. Even the Four Families were not informed about this event," said Zyron. "The Emissaries of the Vulcan Kingdom are here, and also the Prime Minister. It looks like they are officially going to announce the merger."

"So soon? Weren’t the negotiations still ongoing?" Keith turned around and raised his brow at him.

"They were. We are just as clueless about it as everyone else." He honestly said, and Zarion frowned but kept his words to himself.

"Lord Zarion?" He insisted that the man speak his mind, and he did after creating a sound barrier, preventing anyone from eavesdropping on them.

"The City Lord is no longer a City Lord. He is a King, and wants to act like a King." He meaningfully said, and Zyron seemed to have had the same guess about this situation.

"He wants to free himself of the control of your Four Founding Families." Keith smiled.

"Yes," the Martial Emperor nodded. "It was to be expected, but his decisiveness raises many questions."

"Was he already prepared for all of it? Was everything already planned? For how long has he been keeping the Four Families in the dark?" He playfully raised those questions, and the bearded man nodded his head again. "Do you believe that he still has the best interests of the City in his heart?"

"Yes," Zarion unhesitantly nodded his head. "He is not kind, but also not someone who would betray his people and family."

"The kindest of people are the easiest to manipulate, and by what you have said, he sounds quite an ambitious man," Ayesha offhandedly commented, and both men curiously looked at her, having never met her before, but then respectfully averted their eyes.

"Indeed." Zyron sighed and nodded his head, agreeing with her. "He may be doing what he believes is the right thing to do. Or... perhaps he truly has kept everyone in dark about his true intentions and goals. Only time will tell if his decisions prove right or wrong. Hopefully, things will turn out fine."

"It’s unwise to put this much faith in a mortal man." Keith lightly said and then walked over to the couch, taking his seat.

He took out several glasses and bottles of Wine, and a large decanter of Barbarian Ale, which caught Zarion’s attention as he unhesitatingly sat down to fill his glass with it.

"We are all Mortals, Master Argus. If people stop holding faith in each other just because of their mortality, the world will crumble and get infested with anarchy." Zyron said as he took his seat. "But I understand that you are asking us to prepare for the worst."

The man filled up his glass with the wine that was already on the table.

"All four families are prepared for it. We are waiting to hear what the City Lord has to say to us tonight."

"I see." Keith smiled and sipped on his own wine. "Any notable people in the Vulcan Delegation other than their Prime Minister?" He asked, and the Lord of the Nemerus Family nodded their heads.

"All of them are big names, but there is one who is the trickiest of them all. Perhaps you know her, she’s from Aventine, but has family in Arcadia as well."

The words surprised Ayesha and Harud, but Keith kept his smile.

"Who?"