The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 800: For Everyone

The meal came to an end, and the King rose to his feet.

"Thank you all for coming to attend my birthday. I have one surprise request for you all today. Please remain here in the main hall while we redecorate for a moment."

Even the staff seemed shocked, but Advisor Morgana quickly collected every single table into a storage item, leaving Katerina standing and holding a small plate with the remains of the Duchess’ pie.

The last bite vanished into her mouth before the plate disappeared, and the old woman winked at Advisor Morgana, who was smiling at them.

Then, a brand-new throne was placed at the head of the room on the raised platform where the King and Queen traditionally dined with their closest guests. That was when Dominic noticed that something was clearly off.

The other Kings rarely came for the birthday parties, and this wasn’t a decade or centennial party, which would normally be a bigger event.

They didn’t look as shocked as everyone else, but even Prince Claudius looked confused.

"Today I have gathered you all to announce that I will be passing the throne to my designated heir. Prince Claudius, please join us on stage."

Claudius walked up the steps, and the King led him to the centre of the stage before taking on a rigid and official looking pose.

"As of today, I do hereby name my son Claudius, King of Cygnia. King Claudius, first of his name. Once the coronation ceremony is complete in three days, I shall abdicate my duties as Regent and retire to a country estate to finish my days."

Claudius looked stunned.

The King was in excellent health, and his hair still had natural tones of blonde left. He wasn’t even old enough to be fully grey haired.

Yet, he was stepping down.

"Why?" Claudius asked simply.

"Because it’s time. The younger generation is ready to take over, the older generation is stuck in their old ways, and the best way forward for Cygnia and its people is to let those with a modern vision lead.

Not just in practice, but with the authority to back up their edicts.

Congratulations, King Claudius. You have worked hard for many years to take over this role, and you’ve got two reliable heirs in the Royal Mages Academy now.

With your family healthy and strong, I have no fears for the future."

The crowd erupted with cheers, and Katerina turned to watch her mother so that she knew what to do in this situation. She had a pretty good grasp of all the Royal etiquette, but that was from reading. She had never actually done any of it.

The King formally presented Claudius with his sword, passing it over sideways.

Her memory told her that was the right way for inheritance, as it was neither aggressive nor submissive to the receiver, more like a gift.

Once Claudius had it, he hung the scabbard on his hip and drew the blade to hold it point to the sky as the whole room knelt or curtsied.

"You curtsy and bow level with the ground," Dominic whispered as Alexis curtsied, but only tilted halfway, unlike the others nearby.

Dominic went to one knee, with one hand on the ceremonial blade at his hip and the other in a fist over his heart. He was a Royal Mage, a military vassal of the King. The military address was proper for him, but his daughter had no titles or official positions yet.

The deep curtsy for Noble ladies was incredibly awkward, and most kept their hands on their knees, or simply opted to kneel, depending on their age. However, Katerina was five years old, and had physical enhancement magic. There was no reason she couldn’t do the formal curtsy.

"Rise, my people." Claudius announced, as his wife cried happily in the front row of the crowd.

"Long live the King!" She called, her voice cracking.

"Long Live The King!" The room repeated.

The handover wouldn’t be official for three days, and that meant nobody was leaving, while even more people would arrive soon. It was both devious and brilliant at the same time. The ones who had arrived for the King’s birthday already had rooms, so those who came for the coronation would have to struggle to find somewhere to stay.

In a subtle but clear way, it highlighted how the King would reward those who were most open in their devotion to him.

Of course, it would also remind those on the outskirts, and those who couldn’t afford to take the time off to visit, that they weren’t high on the King’s radar or favour list. About half the Barons from Wistover had come to the event, while the other half were either on patrol or too busy to attend.

That was normal, and they would likely not attend a coronation either, under normal circumstances.

However, Wistover had enough mages that a mass portal transfer was possible for those who were not actively patrolling the region. That had become the most time intensive activity for most Barons.

The biplanes remained the patrol vehicle of choice, despite the fact that the Capital now had twenty of the highly advanced fighter bombers with the gull wing design.

That had been deemed "enough" for the city’s defence, and for ocean missions.

Not that they had seen much action. In the past five years, the whole region had been relatively at peace, and even Dagos was beginning to recover. The nation was still considered to be impoverished, but it was stable, and the crops had actually been growing the last three years, so they were at far less danger of starvation, and less reliant on the constant supply of food that was mostly coming from Stansia and Kinewen Provinces, the former breadbasket of their nation.

Many in Dagos were still upset that they had lost the territory, but none disputed the fact that things were finally beginning to get better after what they were calling the "Lost Decade" of struggles and droughts.

It truly was a good time for the handover of power.