Normal vampires, even the majority of Nocturnals living in the inner circle, believed that the Royal Family was protected by the Level One Knights, aning the Knights of Zenith. This was a commonly held belief, and it seed logical, given that their sole responsibility was to protect the upper four floors of the castle.
However, what most were unaware of was that while the Knights of Zenith ostensibly controlled the tools for securing the upper four floors, in reality, their influence only extended to three floors. The top floor, the personal floor of the Royal Family, was actually protected by a different group of knights.
This was all information I had learned from my mother and father so ti ago, so hearing my father suddenly ntion the Level Zero Knights now intrigued , further deepening my thoughts.
"You an the hidden knights?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued.
"Yes, but a more formal term for them would be Astral Knights. They are responsible for the security of this floor," my father explained.
"Why have I never seen them?" I asked. While I had felt certain things after my awakening the previous night, especially in the throne room where my father greeted , nothing had ever seed substantial.
"Well, they are knights of the highest order. They train from the mont they are born, spending thousands of years honing their skills before they are worthy of being called Astral Knights. If they can be detected, it would be a dishonor to our na and our prestige." He said, looking at seriously before sitting up straighter.
"Do you an they are everywhere?" I asked.
"Everywhere, nowhere," he replied. "They are not allowed to enter private chambers unless there is an ergency."
"Only we, the royal family, along with the Council of Elders, are aware of their existence. However, it is only the royal blood and throne that they follow," he explained.
"There are rumors about their existence—of a hidden force—but no one knows who, when, or where they are. Thus, they remain just rumors as they circulate through the Outer and Inner Countries. We have never debunked or encouraged those rumors," he added, taking a sip of his tea.
"If they are as omnipotent as you say, Father, what were they doing the night Elara and I were attacked?" I asked, genuinely curious.
I saw regret flash across his face as he placed his teacup down. "It was my negligence. Actually, everyone in the royal family knows about the existence of the Astral Knights, but only those of us who sit on the throne are supposed to know the finer details—like their schedules, training areas, and regis," he paused, looking down, as if pondering sothing, before continuing.
"But I was too lenient as a king. I didn't strictly regulate the rules when it ca to my brother, as I saw him as family. So, he had access to the Astral Knights' shift details and actually found the loophole—places not personally accessible by the royal family, such as the garden." He glanced at , conveying his aning, and I had already understood it all.
"So, that's why he chose to hide the assassin in the garden—it was considered a private space of the royal family," I concluded, finishing his thought.
"And it was convenient that an important eting had been called that day, so I was busy and you two stumbled into the garden," he said in a heavy tone.
"I shouldn't have been so lenient. My kind nature almost cost you both your lives. I should have been more careful about such things," he added, a hint of guilt in his voice.
"That's fine, we learn lessons at every stage of our lives," I said calmly, as if we were not discussing the potential loss of my life. My father nodded in agreent.
"But I am still confused about sothing. We have a history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, so I'm sure everything has been planned out for a long ti. How did we miss sothing like the probability of an accident occurring in the garden, especially considering it was thought to be a private space of the royal family, despite knowing that it is not often used?" I asked, hoping for more clarity.
"Well, about that," he began, "the garden wasn't always there. I had it built a few years ago for your mother. It was a place we frequently visited, especially your mother at the ti, and it was added to the list of prohibited areas. We simply forgot to update its status after it beca more isolated." He explained.
"It seems I'm not shaping up to be the ideal ruler in my son's eyes," he chuckled.
"No, it's fine," I said. "You have other responsibilities. It's the negligence of the person responsible for regulating the schedule."
"Well, thank you for your encouragent, my child," he said, though his tone grew more serious. "But I've always believed in the saying, 'As the ruler is, so beco the people.'"
"But more than that, I believe in keeping a firr hand on things," I said, looking him directly in the eyes. "If people are allowed to act like the king, then where lies the distinction between a ruler and his subjects?"
"Or in your words, perhaps, 'Authority fades when Equality reigns.' A king and subject are never on the sa level," I concluded, letting the silence settle between us as my words sank in.
"Looks like you already have your ideology. That's good. A ruler needs firm beliefs in order to write his rule in the annals of ti," he said with a smile. "You're really growing up," he added, chuckling as we exchanged a few more small words before the atmosphere grew serious again.
"Now, I think we should head to the training facility," he said, straightening up and setting his cup down.
"Before that, if I am training with the knights, what about Lucian?" I asked, one final thought lingering in my mind.
"Lucian actually has a history with the Astral Knights, so we can definitely work sothing out," my father replied, making even more curious about the connection he was referring to.
"But let the man enjoy his ti for a few days first," my father added, making us both laugh.
As calmness returned to the room, my father extended his and and on his ring finger was a silver ring which at first glance seed normal matching the silver and white in the surroundings and on his person but as his thumb caressed the dew drop like silver Dimond in the middle , oval in shape. the seemingly simple piece of jewellery seed to co to life as the Dimond in the middle pulsated with silver glow as if alive looking like the heart of the ring itself, the glow making the intricate runes around the Dimond shine with resounding brilliance making them shift and shimr with a power which seed ancient. The whole seed to beco unreal. filled with an untouchable power and all encompassing aura.
"This is an ancient heirloom, passed down from one ruler to the next," my father explained. "It is said to have been forged during the ti of the first ruler, the grand lord of our house, and is imbued with his own remnant power." He explained as a figure materialised before us.
It was dressed in a armour made of dark silver and silver material. The armour seed like a strange but harmonising mixture of light silver clothes that flowed but gave feeling of not being simple clothes as they looked to be indestructible with ancient dark silver runes flowed on then, they mostly covered the joints while remaining was covered by dark silver looking material that looked like unbreakable tal. On it's face the wore a Mask that seed to be made of the sa dark silver material as the one in the armour the mask was engraved with mysterious looking runes which seed alive as the pure blackness behind the mask where the eyes should have been looked at .
"The Astral Knights only listen to the bearer of the ring and their imdiate or allowed family," my father continued. "This ring is the symbol of power and authority in our house. It represents the might of House Aetheris and the dread it strikes into its enemies. It is called 'Aurelian Veil.'" He finished, his gaze resting on the figure before us.
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