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The warm afternoon sun spilled over the majestic Shalem Palace.
Lanci slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze fell upon rows of carved wooden doors set ajar, forming a long corridor, where the scent of classical furniture mingled with the fragrance of fresh flowers in the air, and the sparkling crystal chandeliers refracted a kaleidoscope of colors, alighting on the gold-rimmed porcelain and silver cutlery on the dining table.
"..."
Lanci leaned back in his chair, gazing intently at the unfamiliar yet familiar dining room.
He had returned to the Polante Empire of the North, where he once served as Prime Minister.
This was the official residence of the Emperor of Polante, the Shalem Palace.
Initially constructed for a certain Duke, the large city-state dwelling was later acquired by the royal family and gradually expanded into the present-day structure.
The dining room of Shalem Palace was the very place where he had once had lunch and conversations with Empress Kexiya.
Having just experienced a kind of chaotic darkness, like the first ray of dawn piercing through layers of night, his vision gradually returned to clarity, revealing such surroundings.
Cat Boss was on his lap, and the ace Servitor, the Mad Love Demon King, still clung to him, not forcibly separated.
"It seems that the timeline in the Shadow World is quite long; I have spent a considerable time in the Polante Empire? Can I now summon Little Black Coal, the Servitor, at any time?"
Lanci murmured to himself.
"Who are you calling Little Black Coal, meow!"
Cat Boss exclaimed.
Little Black Bread tolerated it, not expecting that the name Little Black Coal, given by Lanci during his last stay in the Polante Empire, wasn’t just a casual moniker but one he had sincerely remembered and attributed to the cat.
"Where is this?"
Talia’s mind-voice quickly reached his heart.
"Shared lunch with the royal family and Prime Minister... It is not a fixed tradition of the Empire, but one of the informal means of interaction within the democratic constitution of the Polante Empire, providing an informal environment where the Emperor and Prime Minister can discuss matters of state and policy issues in a relatively relaxed atmosphere," Lanci informed Talia.
In the constitutional system of the Polante Empire at that time, Empress Kexiya played an important ceremonial role, while the actual executive powers were mainly concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister and his parliament.
Lanci’s head didn’t move; only his gaze traveled across the dining room, noticing details laden with the marks of time.
His vision wasn’t broad, as if something obstructed much of the light.
Oil paintings depicting even more brutal historical battles hung on the walls, as if etching the nation’s past glory and suffering.
Judging by the changes in the dining room’s details, many years must have passed, but everything in Shalem still resembled his memories.
Even the meetings remained the same.
Empress Kexiya still held a profound interest and influence in national affairs, and it was a part of the Polante Empire’s political tradition for the Prime Minister to periodically report governmental affairs to the Emperor.
Only this time, there was no smell of tobacco on him, neither a pipe nor matches to be found.
More importantly, he was no longer dressed in the Prime Minister’s black suit.
Instead... a white garment he had never seen before?
After a while, Lanci’s eyes were drawn to a piece of wall decoration.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a painting.
It was a newspaper from three years ago.
Despite the passage of time, it had been cherished by the Empress and framed on the walls of Shalem Palace—
[Holy Polante Theocracy Year 611, November 8, "Polante Morning Post" front-page headline: "The Huo Ning Empire surrenders, the end of the Century War."]
[Polante news, yesterday at the Iron Fortress headquarters Oberon in the North, General Alex Osborne, Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, accepted the unconditional surrender of the Huo Ning military.]
[Nine years after the Northern Polante Empire joined the war, the south’s totalitarian regime of the Huo Ning Empire crumbled, bringing a dawn of peace to the Seville Continent.]
[Prime Minister George Tewifre said in a speech: "After countless sacrifices and fierce struggles, we have finally welcomed the dawn of victory. The threat of the Huo Ning Empire has been utterly crushed, and justice will ultimately triumph over evil. Let us, with hearts of gratitude, pay the highest respect to all the warriors and civilians who participated in this great struggle."] 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
[Emperor Rukvik II of Huo Ning committed suicide on the 30th of last month, and following this, the Allied forces advanced from both the east and west fronts into the Huo Ning heartland. The Huo Ning forces retreated step by step, with a large number of officers and soldiers captured, and ultimately they were forced to surrender due to the overwhelming advantage of the Allied forces. Huo Ning Foreign Minister Hansen Hoffman signed the surrender document on behalf of the Huo Ning military.]
[This marks the end of the Century War that lasted nearly thirty years.]
[Massive celebrations erupted in places such as the Capital Hershalraym and the Allied stronghold Xin Xinuo Kesen, with people singing and dancing, cheering jubilantly. Hershalraym Imperial Palace Square was filled with celebratory crowds, where people sang the national anthem, congratulating her majesty Empress Kexiya and the homeland on their victory. Prime Minister Tewifre and members of the Royal Family waved to the people in the square, and the Saint Polante Pope also attended this grand event.]
[After this unprecedentedly brutal war, the Polante Empire paid a heavy price to defend freedom, justice, and humanitarian values. But the wounds of war will need time to heal, and the task of rebuilding homes is long and arduous. It is hoped that under the principles of the "Oberon Convention," the post-war order will prevent the recurrence of such tragedies and that the flower of peace will forever bloom on the Seville Continent.]
Lanci scanned the walls, lined with newspapers and paintings treasured by the Empress, slowly piecing together this entirely new timeline.
Twelve years had passed.
In the ninth year after the Polante Empire officially declared war on the Blood Clan Honing Empire in alliance with the Demon World and other northern nations, they had attained a narrow victory.
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