Homecoming

After having cleared a tour of the nation on our way towards the Roserun capital, Yuri and I finally made it to the capital city on the 8th day of our journey.

Now typically when entering the capital city, Roserun operated like most kingdoms in that commoners would be required to line up and be inspected before entering the city while nobles could head straight for the front of the line, however...

When Yuri with myself trailing a half horse step behind attempted to do such, riders quickly rose out and demanded we join the queue.

Yuri wanted to suppress them but if this is the ruling then we should abide by it.

It has been quite some time since Yuri was here, so the kingdoms laws may have changed since.

The issue came with how long the inspection process seemed to be taking.

The day ended, and night fell the capitals gates were closed up at night, but upon dawns first light they opened once again, people slept in shifts to keep their place in line without setting up tents.

Considering I'm a neighboring royal, and Yuri is a noble of this country the treatment is ridiculous but since this is also being done to the commoners it's just plain stupid, how paranoid have the rulership become?

The deadline given was 10 days, and ironically enough we were kept waiting until the 10th day before we finally managed to enter the capital, since Yuri was now fuming, and the deadline approached we had a quick discussion after having just passed through the gate.

"A runner took off for the castle, should we just head straight there, or keep my brother and his cronies waiting while we make ourselves more presentable?"

"Hmmm, well that depends on what we are looking to achieve really, we could show our grandeur by cleaning up and making the King wait on us, or appease him slightly by heading straight there, as we are and taking the criticism for our appearance, but the second would give us the ability to rebuttle about the conditions of the exterior of his nation along with the unreasonable entry policy for getting into the capital."

"As much as I hate to say it, I wish to go before him as I am now, I already cast aside being a princess so appearing before all those bastards like I was a muddy mercenary should drive home that point, and I do wish to deliver a swift blow upon my brothers chin to remind him that a king is meant to support his people not be supported by them."

And so after securing boarding for their horses Yuri and Julius still showing signs of their travels upon their person and clothes began their slow walk towards the castle.

Their route was not the most direct, choosing to take a detoured route through the streets to make the king wait just a little bit, the pair watched the goings on as they walked.

The capital like most was bustling however the commoners were fairly downtrodden, while the number of soldiers present on patrol or visibly training was overwhelming.

This was like a city preparing for a siege or one that was being occupied by an enemy force.

A few times along the journey they were stopped by citizens or soldiers to recognized the princess and by the time they'd reached the palace a small parade of people could be seem trailing after them.

The crowd lingered for a while while Yuri and Julius climbed the steps, above looking out at the city groups of nobles could be see watching the proceedings.

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- - Roserun POV - -

"It seems the Princess has arrived per the invitation, per your instructions she and her escort have been detained to the commoners line preventing their entrance into the city for now."

"Good, she cannot be allowed to arrive earlier than the appointment date, then she will be met with scorn or spurning the King!"

"But would we not be spurning the Grand Duke if he is the man escorting her?"

"Pah! his reputation is inflated, Roserun was the one who fended of Bridget and that brat merely took the credit for our victory and then led the attack on a weakened kingdom. Same for how he took Lunan, he waited till their strength was sapped fighting Visigoth whom he was supposed to be defending them against."

There were meeting occurring all over the palace, Nobles from all over the kingdom had gathered, this invitation to the Princess and Grand Duke was known to all.

However unknown to Julius or Yurasia, the kingdom was split into to factions right now.

The Royalist faction led by the King, and Prime Minister contained the majority of the nobles and were borderline insane in their belief that Yuri was plotting against them to bring Roserun into the fold of Julius's nation as a gift to obtain his hand to become his Duchess.

Then there was the Nationalist Faction with most lesser nobles and commoners belonged to, they felt the king was going to far, desiring more war when their nation was not even close to having recovered from the last war, and should he continue pressing for it, they'd push for his abdication and evaluation of his sister as their Queen, with close ties to Latinium they'd be secured both from land and sea as a vassal state to this powerful nation.

Once news arrived to both factions one side was pleased to hear things were going their way stalling the entrance and stacking the deck in their favour, while the other was incensed that such dirty politics were being used when it was they themselves who asked the pair here.

The insides of the kingdom had become rotten, by this time in the original timeline Roserun should already be a part of Visigoth, however it was allowed to survive thanks to Julius's intervention however that only allowed it to limp on, the Kingdom it seems was fated to fall as it's weakened state, further weakened from the war, how allowed a diesese to fester.