Golden-tasseled banners fluttered at every turn of the path leading to the fortress, welcoming guests with grandeur.
Leonardo, the mastermind behind the magical decor, was now fully focused on one thing:
The crown.
For the crown's base, he had melted down the gold passed down through generations of the Crassus family.
Around its edge, he embedded rubies and lapis lazuli.
The gold itself had been taken from the previous royal crown of Xerxes, now reforged into something new.
It was a symbolic act—a tribute to the efforts of Michael's ancestors, who had once tried to revive their fallen house.
At the center of the crown shone a massive diamond, nearly the size of a child's fist, dazzling with brilliance.
But the crown's true value lay not in its jewels.
Leonardo was infusing it with every protective enchantment he knew.
"No matter what happens... no one will lay a finger on my lord."
His eyes now burned with intense, near manic focus.
