On a cold morning, the assembly hall was full of nobles. No one was missing. There were murmurs as the men tried to understand why they were called for a meeting on their day off. The emperor only called for emergency meetings in the event of an absolute emergency.
"The emperor, His Majesty Reign Caelan Valerian, is here. All rise!" a big voice called, and everyone in the hall shuffled to their feet.
Reign walked with firm footsteps to his throne. "All be seated," he commanded in a deep voice. "Thank you all for coming on your day off and on such short notice. I have something urgent to discuss," his voice boomed through the big hall.
"A month ago, we received a letter from the Astonville kingdom seeking a marriage alliance with our kingdom. As you are all aware, Astonville is rich with mineral resources, and it would be beneficial for our empire to agree to their demand," he said.
