Chapter 66: The Grandest City

Victor Luxenberg, his marshal and their 120-man escort of Royal Scots Grey cavalrymen had arrived at the port city of Osterbon.

Victor sat in his lavish carriage alongside Bessières, both of them peering out at the bustling streets of Osterbon. The city was a blend of old charm and modern life, with cobblestone roads and elegant buildings. Victor was slightly on edge as he went to meet Grand Duke Fontaine, a man who was shrouded in mystery.

As the carriage rolled past markets filled with colourful goods, Victor noticed children playing, their laughter ringing in the air. His heart warmed at the sight; he remembered his childhood days spent with Veronica, although it was tough for them growing up, he remembered their time playing together as kids before the twins could terrorise them. I

When the carriage finally stopped in front of the grand palace, the party was struck by the architectural beauty. The palace stood tall, with golden domes shimmering in the sunlight. A grand fountain danced in the courtyard, its water sparkled like diamonds. 

Victor and his marshal stepped out, greeted by the sight of grand banners bearing the Fontaine family's coat of arms, waving in the breeze while many soldiers stood tall like trees in a forest.

As they entered the palace, they were met with opulence. The walls were adorned with rich tapestries, and the floors were smooth marble. Victor felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. This visit was an opportunity to strengthen ties between their realms.

In the grand hall, Grand Duke Fontaine awaited them. He was an imposing figure, despite his short stature. With a warm smile that put Victor's uneasiness to rest, they shared a firm handshake, and soon after, the two dukes began to converse.

"Welcome to Osterbon, Grand Duke Luxenberg, it is an honour to meet the continent's rising star. I hope your journey was not too arduous," Simeon Fontaine said in a welcoming tone. His voice was smooth and easy on the ears. 

"I too am honoured to meet you, Grand Duke Fontaine, the man beside me is the commander of my guard Jean-Baptiste Bessières. We must be honest when we say how extravagant this city is, we have never seen such a grand place quite like Osterbon. My wish is to make Hannover this prosperous." Victor kindly replied. Both men shared heartfelt smiles, their first meeting was off to a good start. 

"I am happy to hear that. When I received your letter expressing your intent to visit, I was overjoyed. Personally, I have found you quite interesting ever since you became a duke and with each new accomplishment, you continued to make me more interested in meeting you. We must save those stories for dinner, I am sure you are exhausted right now, My servants will show you to your rooms and we will meet for dinner in an hour." Simeon said in a warm tone.

Simeon was not wrong, both Victor and Marshal Bessières were tired from their journey. Once shown to their rooms and settled in the pair began to join the Fontaine family in their dining hall.

Like the Maldenberg family, the Fontaine's had a lavish dining room, and similar styles as well as furniture, it was almost like a replica of each other. Victor was thrown off by it, he could only think of the depraved acts that were committed by the Maldenberg family.

Inside the dining room, the entire Fontaine family had assembled. Victor and Marshal Bessières introduced themselves to Simeon's family. They were received warmly and politely. With introductions out of the way, the group sat down and began to converse while they waited for the food to be delivered.

Starting with simple small talk, the dinner progressed smoothly. Simeon and Stetson were curious about Victor's recent war with the Maximillian family. As he did with Grand Duke Maldenberg, Victor recounted the events of his war against the Grand Duchy of Maximillian.

Victor's tale invoked oo's and ah's from Stetson and his father. However, one person who was unamused was Grand Duchess Helen. Given her deep hatred for the Maximillian family, Victor thought she would show some form of contentment at the downfall of her nemesis. In reality, she was annoyed.

"You should have killed the rest of that dreaded family instead of letting them live in a cell. Just be done with it, and make their bloodline extinct," Quipped Helen, obviously frustrated that some of the members of the Maximillian family still lived.

Victor chose to ignore Helen's slight and managed to brush over her bitterness. Dinner finally arrived, and the group stuck into their delicious food. They ate quietly and dignifiedly.

Thinking the dinner had been a success Victor lowered his guard, the Fontaine family seemed relatively normal, yet one member of the family had an issue with Victor's presence. Helen had spent the majority of the dinner acting coldly to Victor and shot him the occasional dirty look.

It was evident how she felt about him, but he could not figure out why she would hold a grudge. Victor had not done anything to commit offence towards Helen nor had he flaunted the fact that her ancestral was now in his possession. 

Hoping to avoid any drama with the grand duchess, Victor tried to ignore her obvious disdain for him. It was not just Victor who had noticed; Harrison, who had been drinking heavily throughout the evening, had managed to pick up on his mother's cold attitude.

Harrison may have been a troublesome son and drunkard, but he still had good qualities about him, like being observant and understanding people. In his drunken state, he stood from his seat and began to float accusations at his mother.

"Dear Mother, what is up with you this evening? All I can see is you shooting disgusted looks at our honoured guest, Duke Luxenberg. You have been so cold to him and his adjutant. Please do not tell me you are angry that he now holds Kreighelm."

Everyone in the room fell silent at Harrison's question. Stetson had his head in his hands and Dahlia tried to restrain her laughter at such a scene. Victor and Marshal Bessières tried to downplay their feelings and awkwardly smiled, hoping the situation would resolve itself.

Simeon was preparing to speak, but Helen beat him to it before the words could escape out of his mouth.

"So what if I am."