Vienna was colder than usual.
The winds of old Europe carried more than frost—they carried whispers. Whispers of titles being reclaimed, of old families reuniting, of monarchies no longer sleeping.
And Aurora Valenhardt, once the discarded jewel of a dissolved throne, was at the center of it.
Target: Aurora Celeste ValenhardtAge: 26Title: Former Princess of the Valenhardt Line (Austria-Hungary royal bloodline)Status: Publicly disavowed, lives under diplomatic asylumSecret: Maintains ancestral ties to 16 royal families across Europe and Middle East
Domain Assignment: Aristocracy, Royal Influence, Nobility Networks
Loyalty Probability: 89% → 100% (Post-Vow)Empire Worth: Reclaimable diplomatic legitimacy + soft control over 40% of elite heritage schools and royal trust funds
Arthur knew this step wouldn't gain him direct money.
But it would buy him something far more durable—historic legitimacy.
The Ball of Ghost Crowns
The event was secret.
Deep beneath Prague Castle, a masked ball of nobility played out under golden chandeliers and whispered German. Every guest held a forgotten title: Dukes of lands that no longer existed, Queens of vanished states, Lords of paper crowns.
Arthur entered with a custom-made velvet mask.
Aurora spotted him instantly.
"You're late," she said in a sharp English accent, glass of Riesling in hand.
"I'm never late," he replied. "The world bends time when I need it to."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're not royalty."
"I'll be the only kind left standing when this one collapses."
Royal Games
Over the next hours, Arthur was tested.
Not with weapons or finance—but with etiquette, language, old blood games. Chess in Latin. Toasts in eight dialects. He spoke with former Kings of Malta, Sheikhs from the shadow lines of Jordan, and aristocrats from Portugal to Transylvania.
Aurora watched it all.
At 2 a.m., she pulled him into a hidden chamber lined with old tapestries.
"I need to know you're not here just to use me," she said quietly.
"I am here to use you," Arthur said, "but I use everyone the same—I give them more than they could ever have without me."
Aurora hesitated.
Then—nodded.
"Then make me yours."
Coronation Without a Throne
By morning, they stood atop a mountain estate she had inherited in secret.
There, she opened a vault containing royal seals, uncirculated bonds, and charters dating back centuries.
Arthur placed his ringed hand over hers.
"You won't just be a duchess," he said. "You'll be the queen of crowns—the woman every monarchy still standing turns to before breathing."
Unbreakable Vow Initiated
Loyalty: 100%Domain Assigned: Global Aristocracy, Royal Legitimacy, Noble Lineage Alliances
Rank: Dame
System Update
Arthur Ashford → Duke
Aurora → Dame (Royalty & Aristocracy)Summer → Viscountess (Marine World)Bianca → Countess (Economy)Vivian → Countess (Politics)Yesenia → Marchioness (Faith)Carmen → Marchioness (Diplomacy)Candy → Duchess (Sports)Nora → Duchess (Underworld)Roxy → Duchess (Stock Market)Bella → Duchess (Food World)
Skill Unlocked: Bloodline Override
Grants immunity to political slander, legal heritage disputes, and grants influence over all royal trust boards and historic elite academies.Children born of empire now qualify for international royal protection protocols.
Rewriting the Legacy
That night, Arthur and Aurora sat under a starlit glass dome at the highest point of her estate.
"Why are you building an empire?" she asked.
"Because nations are illusions," Arthur said. "Empires last in memory—even when flags change."
Aurora touched his hand.
"Then let us be remembered in every language."
He kissed her knuckles.
"With you beside me, we will."