The Royal Todoroki palace was nothing short of splendid. Of course, the same could be said about all buildings in the capital of the Khassai Empire, but the palace was by far the grandest of them all. An ancient and beautiful building with marble floors, redwood pillars, and gold inlay within the very walls.

Your own kingdom had its fair share of riches, but nothing like this. You felt a little overwhelmed as you sat on the throne next to Shoto, your betrothed. His face remained as stoic as always, and you wondered if you could learn to be that calm. He was a beautiful man; cold, pale, and serious... You could never tell what he was thinking, or whether he was happy with the marriage arrangement.

The sunlight shone down on both of you through the round window overhead, illuminating your royal circlets like angelic halos as you both sat there, greeting the nobles who approached the dais with gifts for the young couple.

Suddenly, the large red doors burst open, and in marched a people unfamiliar to you. Their clothes seemed primitive compared to yours, made of fur and leather. They had tribal paint on their faces, and wore chunky beaded and animal teeth jewelry. Still, they did not seem to care about how out of place they looked in the Todoroki palace, marching right up to the dais with their heads held high.

You realized that these must be the people of the Dragon Kingdom in the Fyren Mountains, which would make the fierce blonde woman at their head Queen Mitsuki Bakugo, and the timid man beside her must be her husband, King Masaru. Which meant the young blonde man on her other side must be her son, Prince Katsuki. He was strikingly handsome, though in a different way from Shoto. Tall, tan, and muscular... He gave off an aura of strength and fearlessness, and he met your gaze head-on.

You had read about the Barbarian kingdoms while you were sailing here. They had a reputation of raising fierce and proud warriors who never lost a battle, but they usually didn't care to meet with the other kingdoms.

The Queen bowed respectfully to you and Shoto, her husband and son mimicking the action.

"Prince and Princess, may your marriage be long and prosperous!" She began, her voice strong and clear. "Please accept our wedding gift!" One of the Warriors behind her stepped forward to present a large sack full of raw gemstones.