Chapter 97: Birth Of A Kingdom

The fated day had finally come, the coronation was soon to begin.

Droves of citizens lined the streets of Hannover to catch a glimpse of their ruler. Soldiers of the local garrison were deployed to keep the streets clear for the passing carriages. They had to make sure that Victor's journey from the palace to the church was unimpeded. There was a tight schedule that needed to be followed, to make sure that the day was perfect.

At midday Victor, Clarisse, their 4-year-old son Anton and their 2-year-old son Henri departed from the palace in a luxurious carriage. Its appearance signified the height of wealth and status, many could say it was fit for royalty. The carriage was strung along by two majestic white horses.

Victor's carriage was pulled along at a nice pace so that the citizens could get a good chance to see him and his family. As soon as the citizens laid eyes on the carriage and the Luxenberg family, they immediately erupted into deafening cheers and applause.

They did not know what was happening at the church, but that did not matter. Victor was a legendary figure to them, what he had accomplished at his young age, made the citizens view him as a great hero of the Luxenberg family. He surpassed all of his forebearers and could be considered the greatest Luxenberg, in their family history.

When the carriage finally arrived at church, they were greeted by hundreds of Victor's French Imperial Guard soldiers. They stood vigil and assisted the future queen in escorting the young heirs. It was a welcome sight for Victor to see many familiar faces among the men. Some had been with him since the very beginning of his journey, while others had joined him in the latest war against the Maldenbergs.

Two huge and sturdy metal doors opened as Victor and his family walked down the aisle. The church was packed full of commanders, administrators, influential merchants and loyal vassals. At the podium, were Bishop Pompallier, Cedric Dupont and Lucious Cassell

Anton and Henri were escorted to their Aunt Veronica and Uncle Jacque, while Clarisse and Victor knelt before the Bishop. With a warm smile, Pompallier looked out into the audience and delivered a powerful and sincere address.

"People of the Grand Duchy of Luxenberg, we are gathered here to witness the birth of a new age. It has been over 200 years since the last king ruled on this continent, during those two centuries, war and greed have plagued Bulgar. Today marks the beginning of a new era, an era in which stability and peace will be overseen by a man more than worthy to be called king."

"Victor of the Luxenberg family has exhibited the qualities a king should have. He is honourable, just, wise and compassionate, these are only a few of the many qualities he possesses. Under his rule, Hannover and all the other cities and villages in his domain have flourished. We have seen him defeat cruel and arrogant rulers who tormented their people."

"If he is not worthy of being a king, then no one is. So by the grace of God and the support of the people, I proclaim that Victor Luxenberg is hereby known as King Victor, ruler of the Luxenberg Kingdom. May his rule bring further prosperity and peace to our continet."

Thunderous applause followed the end of Bishop Pompallier's address. Victor could not help but smile at the beautifully delivered words of the bishop. Although he was sceptical of him at first, the bishop had proven to be the right man for such an important moment like this.

Once the applause died down, the bishop continued to speak. "I now invite, Dukes Dupont and Cassell to crown the new king and queen of the Luxenberg Kingdom." Both of the senior nobles stepped forward holding a cushion each that supported two glamourous-looking crowns.

Both of the crowns were designed similarly to Emperor Napoleon and his wife's crowns. Clarisse's crown was made out of gold, lined with pearls and blue sapphires. It was a more simplistic style compared to Victor's crown. His crown was golden with 8 eagles using their wings to hold up a sapphire marble with a small golden cross coming out of it.

Both of the senior nobles in unison placed the crowns upon the king and queen's head. Once the crowns were placed on their heads, the couple who had been kneeling arose to look out at the audience. They were met with beaming smiles and warm eyes, everyone was in a joyous mood after witnessing such a historic event.

Victor felt a sense of accomplishment as he looked at the people celebrating his coronation. He had officially done it, the dukedom that he had taken over was now a kingdom that spanned across two-thirds of the Bulgar continent. In the heat of the moment, Victor stepped to the edge of the podium and delivered a small speech.

"People of the Grand Duchy of Luxenberg. Sorry, I mean, people of the Kingdom of Luxenberg. It fills me with immense pride to stand before you as your king. When I first took over the dukedom, we were on the brink of poverty, but now we are the most dominant faction on the continent."

"There will be those who will wish to see us fail and others will want to destroy us. But we shall endeavour. We have gotten this far by the perseverance and contribution of every single farmer, artisan, soldier and merchant in these lands. So let us continue to prosper and may we defend our way of life from those who pray on our downfall."

Victor's speech was met with eardrum blowing cheers and applause. Soon enough not only the people in the church, but the citizens waiting outside were celebrating the news of Victor becoming a king. The streets of Hannover were in full-blown party mood, with taverns, restaurants and similar establishments packed with partying people.

Ale was drunk, food was eaten and people danced, they were celebrating without a care in the world. Even at the Luxenberg Palace, all of Victor's subordinates, vassals and family were partying away with a massive banquet. 

As the night was coming to an end, Victor received a golden-illuminated screen from the system.