Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

The capital city of Arcadios only recently experienced a graduation ceremony at its royal academy. Yet, the festivities were to continue only a few short weeks later.

Crowds of people swarmed into the capital from all over the kingdom. Each was a member of both major and minor noble families. All of them wished to make a positive impression on the two noble families holding a wedding at the Grand Cathedral.

As promised, after graduation from the academy, Lady Briene and Lord Thomas would be getting married. The original plan had them waiting several months longer, but for some reason, Briene requested to move the date up. Thomas did not mind that, of course, because the timeframe of the wedding did not impact his benefits for their marriage.

Granted, there was still plenty of time between now and when he would take over his Uncle Richard's position as house head. It would not hurt him to have already started the marriage process and gather his allies prior to his ascension to his future station.

So far, many of the important nobles had already arrived and sent word of their presence to Thomas and the other Petra's in the special wing of the Grand Cathedral where the groom waited. On the opposite side of the massive church was a nearly identical wing where Briene was likely being attended to by her bridal party.

Though there were no feelings between them, Thomas had to admit Briene was a very attractive young woman. Add on to that, she was from another of the strongest families in Arcadios. Her potential connections could prove useful to Thomas in the future.

The only thing about the situation that he found odd was Briene having some sort of strange interest in his cousin, Rena. She informed him that she was pregnant with Lucius's spawn. Thomas immediately shared that information with his father and uncle. Richard was furious to find out and was only barely held back from going on a warpath.

Over the last few months, Richard had become withdrawn at his manor. Anyone who interacted with him also noticed that he was quick to anger and lashed out at everyone around him under the slightest provocation. Realizing what his state of mind was, Thomas realized that Briene's rush for the wedding was probably the right play.

"Lord Petra," One of the attendants bowed, addressing him. "I wished to inform you of the arrival of foreign dignitaries as well as members of the royal family."

Thomas blinked slowly. He did not expect that the royal family would attend his wedding directly. Rather, he had assumed they would send proxies for their attendance. Not only that, but foreign dignitaries had arrived. He found himself curious who they might have been.

"Thank you, I shall greet his majesty immediately." Thomas said quickly before leaving the room.

Though it was against normal etiquette to leave the area cordoned off for his preparations before the wedding itself, it was worse etiquette to not immediately address the arrival of the king or his family. Thomas still made sure to avoid any paths that were sectioned off for the movement of the bridal party.

Near the entrance to the main cathedral King Aleksander Arcadios stood with his wife, son, and youngest daughter. Though Thomas could not remember the name of the toddler being held by the queen consort's personal attendant, he immediately remembered Aleksander's daughter's name.

Many members of royal families from other human nations tried to betroth their sons to the unparalleled beauty of Princess Lefae von Arcadios. One of the many reasons for their lack of success was another well-known trait of Princess Lefae which was her constant state of disinterest.

Lefae maintained both a monotone voice and facial expression at all times. No one had managed to spark her interest in any capacity, and because of that, all attempts to court her had failed. No one outside those of other royal families had any willingness to attempt to court her either. Only the brazen personalities of royals could overwhelm the fear Lefae struck within the masses.

Even Thomas found himself gulping as he approached her. Aside from beauty and disinterest, she was a terrifyingly powerful user of Dark, Magma, and Metal Magic. Rumor had it that she also possessed terrifying skills with an unknown Art, though it is unconfirmed. Because of her skill, she was the current runner for the next King Ranker.

"Your majesty," Thomas bowed after he had come to his senses. "It is a pleasure to greet you and your family. It is a great honor that you graced my humble wedding with your personal presence."

"Raise your head, young Lord Petra. This is a momentous union between two of the kingdom's most powerful families. If it is happening within my own capital, how could I not attend." Aleksander smiled, "Please, Lefae greet the groom."

Princess Lefae's unfocused eyes finally landed on Thomas momentarily while she gave a brief curtsy. As she went to open her mouth to provide a greeting, she paused and mechanically turned her head to the side. Approaching from behind, a young woman with an elegant blue dress and long, blonde hair shaped into massive curls. Behind her was an elven man dressed in a fine white shirt and black pants.

On his hand was a black mark.

Thomas momentarily felt the urge to vomit at the presence of a Marked One at his wedding, however seeing as the current representative of the Wisteria Concord seemed to be the one he served, he held his tongue.

"Lord Thomas Petra," Elize al Famyn said, her voice like a song, "What a wonderful wedding you have set up! I hope you don't mind my presence. I happened to be in the kingdom for other matters when I learned of your wedding. By the way I have heard that your cousin would be in attendance? Might I meet her?"

Thomas felt his eye twitch, but maintained a false smile. "I don't know if she has arrived or not. She is my cousin, so if she arrived, I would not have been informed of it. I only receive notice of people of import."

"Oh?" Elize smiled. "Correct me if I am wrong, but as the wife of a major Eroan' noble, she would count as a foreign dignitary. My, my, Lord Petra, it would not do well to alienate the representatives of allied nations. Anyway, my attendant and I shall find ourselves a seat with an excellent view of the services."

The she-devil known as Elize al Famyn giggled as she pulled the elf along with her. Both Thomas and Aleksander frowned at her implication. Not so casually reminding them of Rena's position only served to ensure they knew how aware of her importance she was. Also, by 'finding a spot with a good view,' she would also be in plain view, which meant so would the Marked One she brought with her.

Shortly after she vanished, another group of people arrived. It was a number of women accompanied by an elderly gentleman with a long white beard and bald head. The man was instantly recognized by everyone as Lord Carmichael.

Thomas however, immediately found his own eyes pulled to the familiar red hair of his cousin. She wore a simple, form-fitting black dress that seemed to highlight the tiny bulge in her abdomen. Due to her small size, it was no wonder that she started to experience some showing despite the early stage she was at.

Alongside her were the two Oracles as well as the two maids and the person that Thomas recognized as Rubellia, a maid formerly in Richard's service. He was surprised she was still alive after hearing that his father had…

"Lord Thomas Petra," Wally said plainly. "Congratulations on your wedding. Your majesty."
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Everyone bowed in greeting to Aleksander and his family. Shocking everyone, Lefae approached the group and initiated conversation.

"I am Princess Lefae von Arcadios." She said while giving a curtsy. "Lady Rena Kane, I have been wishing to meet you. Might I join your party when the wedding begins?"

"Lefae!" Aleksander shouted, though his complaints were muted by a lazy glance from his daughter. Though she put no effort into the look, even Thomas felt sweat forming on the back of his neck.

"I do not mind Princess Lefae," Rena said, curtsying deeply.

"Please, just Lefae. Shall we?"

Thomas stood silently, watching the infamous princess of Arcadios walk away with the very group of people that he disliked the most. It concerned him for a moment that the royal family might have been trying to strengthen ties with Lucius and his ilk. Thankfully, Aleksander had a grim look on his face. It seemed he was unaware of his daughter's intentions.

"I am sorry about that, Thomas." Aleksander whispered. "My daughter has a mind of her own and does not appreciate myself or my position. She often acts in ways that place me in a difficult spot."

"Do not worry, your majesty. Please, simply enjoy yourself in today's festivities. If I may be excused? I must finish preparations."

With a nod of approval from Aleksander, Thomas returned to his preparations for the ceremony. Quietly seething. He had hoped that Rena would choose not to appear, however, it was a known possibility. Briene was obsessed with the woman for some reason and asked about her frequently. Were it not for the cold glint in her eyes when she mentioned Rena's name, Thomas would think she was infatuated.

Whatever Briene's goal for Rena was, Thomas did not know, but it was not anything he would concern himself with. Such annoyances now were nothing compared to the possibilities of the future. The Petra domain was well within his grasp. If he played his cards right, then he could create closer ties to the church and increase wealth and power within his domain.

In a few decades it would even be possible that his and Briene's children would hold positions of power within the church and in her father's domain.