Finally, the day came when the Holy Ordanian Army returned to the capital. A warm sun smiled down from a cloudless sky and the city gates stood wide open as the victorious troops were passing through them back into Meglarsbruck. Some passers-by, who had already heard the good news from Camenia, ran up to the procession and joyfully shouted religious battle slogans at them. It was not yet a victory parade, just a homecoming. Theodor, who was leading the army, looked tired and not in a particularly good mood. He immediately hurried into the palace to check on his family. He walked past Petra, who just looked after him stupidly while the guards saluted his arrival.

  There was great joy when his wife saw him again and they embraced and were left alone by the others for a while. Soon, however, there was a knock at the door. Wenzel came in, who also wanted to talk to Theodor about the situation in the empire. He could have gone to August at any time, but the Chosen One was, to put it mildly, not on good terms with him in view of what had recently happened. "The Kingdom of Camenia is ready subordinate itself to the Holy Ordanian Empire," the field marshal informed him. "King Vincenzo II didn't seem to fully understand the matter anyway. He had completely underestimated us and seemed to believe that the Holy Empire would now simply be a successor to the Confederacy. We'll make sure to explain to him, that all the lands of Kaphkos now have only one sovereign!" The mage didn't say much and simply listened. He could also tell from Theodor's tone and behaviour that he was still very bitter about the loss of his hand. Later, Wenzel also had a conversation with Irnfrid about it. The lad assured her that Theodor was irreplaceable and that his injury had not diminished his standing with anyone.

  Just a few days later was the "Day of Remembrance". It was an old religious holiday on which the dead were traditionally commemorated. This year it would be the biggest occasion in centuries, as not only would the countless martyrs who had lost their lives in the revolution be commemorated, but St Elizabeth would also be laid to rest. Preparations had been underway for some time. Now the time had come. All the important military officers and representatives of the state, including Wenzel, took part. All were cloaked in black dress, women and men alike. The guards wore specially tailored black mourning uniforms. The funeral procession began along the main avenue in front of the Melgarion Palace and would make its way through the streets to the cemetery of the metropolis with over a million inhabitants. Huge crowds of people had come to pay their last respects to the martyrs and Her Majesty. The procession was led by Elisabeth's coffin, on the lid of which was placed the old imperial crown of the Melgarions. It had been transferred back here from Greifenburg together with the crown jewels. When everyone was present, the signal was given to begin the procession.

  The long column now marched very slowly along the broad avenues of the imperial capital. Everything was quiet, so quiet that it felt oppressive. Everyone was aware of the gravity of the event. No instruments were playing, except one: Bells. In Teleiotism, these were a symbol of death and, according to the Holy Testament, signalled the transition to the afterlife, which is why they were only played at funerals. Wenzel and all the important dignitaries followed directly behind the coffin of the Melgarion Empress. Its was wrapped in the banner depicting the old coat of arms of the imperial house. This would be the very last occasion on which it would be displayed. The Melgarion dynasty was now history. Reverently and without any interjections, the funeral procession slowly made its way to its destination.

  Once there, a eulogy was delivered by the patriarch and then by August. Wenzel had decided not to say anything, especially as he did not want to give a speech in front of so many people. The saint was buried in her family mausoleum. Afterwards, the mourners made their way over to the newly erected memorial to the fallen of the revolution. Everyone laid their flower wreathes here and speeches were made again, which included the usual platitudes. Only those who had fought in the war themselves understood how important this memorial was. Then the official event ended and the representatives of the empire returned home. For the rest of the day, however, countless people flocked to the huge cemetery to pay their last respects to the martyrs. In the end, such mountains of flowers had been brought to the graves that their huge piles toppled over several times. It was an endless sea of flowers.

  But then something happened that Wenzel had not expected and had almost forgotten. One fine day, a man just as young as him suddenly stood in front of the palace portals. He had a slight accent and wanted to see "his friend". The guards turned him away, but he persisted, and after a long wait, the future emperor was finally informed. Wenzel flew down over the colourful marble tiles of the palace to see who might want to see him. When he caught sight of him, his face began to beam with joy. He let out a loud laugh and immediately rushed over to him. "Peter! How are you?" The boy, who was now wearing glasses, was also visibly delighted and the two of them exchanged a handshake. "Everything’s alright with me. I think that's the most important thing, don't you?" Afterwards, they sat down together and caught up on what they had missed out on.

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  When they started talking, however, Peter was looking deep into his eyes. "Is there something wrong?" the wizard asked, somewhat irritated. "You've changed. And I don't mean that you've got older and more muscular, which is of course true. No, there's a sparkle in your eyes that's really different. And I can almost sense an aura around you," said his friend. Wenzel didn't think much about it and simply replied: "Yes, there is more, that has changed about me. I can do a lot more with magic now, too. Want to see?" The conversation turned in a different direction and Peter let the magician show him his telekinesis by making furniture fly around. Wenzel also created flames from his palms, although he tried to be careful not to start a fire. The former model student was very impressed by his abilities.

  Then they talked for a while and told each other what had happened to them over the past year. Peter listened with fascination as his friend told him about the battles he had seen and was particularly surprised that Amalie was now also here in the palace. "So, are you two together now?" he asked the obvious question. Wenzel was a little embarrassed by the question and had to answer in the negative. Afterwards, his old schoolmate had another request for the future ruler. "My parents are still in hiding because they had connections to the old regime. Could you help them out, please?" - "Sure, I can do that. I'll have them pardoned. Peter was relieved to hear that.

  "Hey, do you want to join me in a round of sword fighting?" Wenzel now enquired. Peter made a strange grimace and replied: "I'm afraid I’m unable to do that." - "You are? Okay, then I'll at least show you a few moves!" Thus, the two of them did so. Unfortunately, Peter was a bit of a nerd and wasn't very good at fighting. The magician threw him a one-handed sword, which he could neither hold properly nor swing with any strength worth mentioning. His friend at least showed him the basic stance, but even that was really difficult for Peter. They exchanged a few sword blows, but predictably Wenzel dominated him. They ended the duel relatively quickly. But now the young emperor wanted him to stay with him, so he suggested that the lad should become his advisor. The straight-A student reacted hesitantly and said: "I'm not done with school yet. When I'm done, okay." Somewhat disappointed, Wenzel accepted his decision.

  Later, the two of them had dinner together with Amalie, Brahm and Ferenc. When the Camenian saw, that they were only eating a simple meat stew, he was surprised, but tried not to let on. This was normal for Wenzel and the Martyrs. They were used to living simply and without luxury. Now they were just sitting in the halls of the rich and powerful, but they didn’t shed their habits. This was also reflected in Wenzel's bedroom, which, apart from his sword and his clothes, only contained the items that had already been there and which the boy didn't use anyway. Amalie could barely remember Peter and they hardly spoke to each other. After dinner, however, the girl had something she wanted to talk to Wenzel about. Therefore, they sat down together alone.

  "What's the matter?" the boy wanted to know. She scratched the back of her head nervously and finally said: "Do you think we're getting on well?" Not sure what to make of this question, Wenzel simply answered what he felt to be true. "Yes, of course. Do you feel differently?" Amalie shook her head. The two of them actually did get on well. "But that's all there is to your feelings, isn't it?" This statement made the mage quite embarrassed. But the way she had communicated this question felt strange. So, the young man now asked: "Why are you asking me that? Do you like me?" It was really difficult for him to say this, but the girl obviously felt the same way. She replied: "I ... I don't really know. I do definitely like you a lot."

  Now all sorts of things were going through the guy’s head. Then it came to him. "Ah, this is coming from your parents, isn't it?" She nodded. "Because you're in such an important position, they want me to be, us to be...." Wenzel had already understood and replied: "Don't let them put you under pressure. You can stay here in the palace as long as you want. Whatever our relationship is does not have any influence on that." The girl was clearly relieved. The two of them didn't want to build a relationship under duress. Amalie added: "Let's give it time. I think that would be better." Wenzel agreed with her. "But just to be clear. I really like you," the young man confessed. His counterpart replied: "I like you too." This had been a very important conversation for them. They would decide on their relationship themselves, even if others wanted to see a future dynasty already. Looking back, Wenzel could hardly believe that things had turned out this way for him. Exploring his own feelings, he realised, that he was still in love with Amalie. After all, she was a beautiful girl. He just hadn't wanted to tell her that today. It would have been the best opportunity he'd ever had to do so, but it felt wrong. For him, the pressure that her parents were exerting on her was a major factor. He decided to soon confess his love to her. But it wouldn't have been right under the current circumstances, because Wenzel felt that such a decision ultimately had to come from the heart. Amalie should want it too.