When Edward woke up, he was still resting on Eliza's lap, but now the room was full of strangers.
Four women, each more beautiful than the last and dressed in increasingly luxurious gowns, were seated in front of the bed.
Behind them stood nine children and teenagers. All of them resembled the Duke and one of the four women.
Those were probably his wives and children.
Edward was excited. All those kids wore on their faces the signs of a good life. If that was to be his new reality, he was satisfied.
The only one seated among the women was the one who looked the oldest, probably the heir, a younger version of the Duke, almost like a clone.
The lying aunt stood in the background. The rest of the family didn't like her presence.
"I don't understand all this secrecy these past few days," said the eldest of the women. She was likely the first wife.
"Given the circumstances, we preferred to wait a few days to make sure the boy was truly well," the Duke replied.
The woman wore a triumphant smile. A smile that said: "I caught you in a lie." Little did she know that was exactly the Duke's plan.
She seemed about to say something else when a knock on the door interrupted her.
A servant opened the door, and another servant announced the arrival of an important figure.
"His Excellency Bishop Edgard is waiting in the antechamber, My Lord," the servant said.
"Let him in," the Duke replied.
That phrase broke protocol. The four women's disapproving expressions made it clear. It seemed the Duke did not have a very happy marriage with those four.
Edward was anxious about what would happen next. His adoptive parents had seemed worried when the aunt mentioned the Bishop's visit.
The Bishop entered the room and greeted the Duke with a reverent gesture.
The Duke returned the greeting with a more discreet nod, then bent to kiss the Bishop's hand and receive his blessing.
Before the others in the room, the Bishop kept his nose held high, making it clear where the hierarchy stood: the Duke was above all, and the Bishop came next.
Then came a seemingly endless procession, at least to Edward, of hand-kissing and blessings, where each of the nobles had to pay their respects.
Of course, only those of noble birth; servants might as well have been invisible.
Edward almost fell asleep during the whole ordeal. But then it was Eliza's turn to greet the Bishop.
She didn't have to stand, of course, but she still bowed and kissed the Bishop's hand before receiving his blessing.
"So this is the new little one who has just arrived in this world," the Bishop said, directing a smile toward Edward. That man gave Edward no sense of trust.
He still didn't know what religion this world followed, but the Bishop's robes looked a lot like those of a Catholic bishop, except instead of a rosary with a cross, he wore a necklace with a dragon-shaped pendant.
Edward had come from a predominantly Catholic country. Of course, the rotten apples were a minority, but that minority in the Church's upper ranks had caused real harm in the lives of many poor boys.
He had nearly been a victim of one of those predators in priestly robes, so he had developed a certain disgust for men in such clothing.
The Bishop was no exception. Even though Edward knew this was another world, another religion, another reality altogether.
"Have you chosen a name yet?" the Bishop asked the Duke.
"Yes, Edward," the Duke replied.
"Ah, of course." The Bishop disapproved of the name.
The other wives and some of the children didn't seem to like the name either. What had his biological father done to deserve such scorn?
"Then we may begin the naming ceremony," the Bishop announced.
A priest, one of the Bishop's attendants, took Edward from Eliza's arms and brought him to a small altar that had been set up beside the bed.
On the altar was a basin, likely filled with holy water.
The Bishop dipped his fingers in the water and began drawing a circle on Edward's forehead while reciting a chant.
It was a different language, but for some mysterious reason, Edward could understand it clearly, as if it were being automatically translated in his mind.
"Oh Great Dragon God. He who ruled the skies and lands. Who blessed mortals with the gift of magic. This humble servant interrupts your eternal rest to announce the birth of a new child. Please receive Edward von Demetria, Son of Duke James Von Demetria and his fifth wife, Eliza Von Liechtenstein Demetria. And if you find him worthy, grant him your protection."
The circle the Bishop drew with the holy water transformed into a magic circle that began to glow, floating above Edward's head.
No one else could see that circle but Edward. Though, of course, he didn't know that.
To the others, it was just the golden glow typical of such rituals, shining from Edward's head.
The Duke's four wives didn't hide their discontent.
That glow meant the child had been accepted by the Dragon God and had received his blessing.
The Bishop then brought his hand closer to Edward's forehead, and the light moved from Edward's head to the Bishop's hand.
To everyone else, it still seemed like the same ritual they had seen countless times before when a noble child was born.
But Edward could see much more.
He could see the Bishop taking control of the magic circle, how its patterns changed as soon as the Bishop took hold.
After "capturing" the light from Edward's forehead, the Bishop placed his hand on a stone slab that had been prepared in advance and rested on the altar.
When the Bishop's hand touched the stone, the golden light intensified, preventing the onlookers from seeing what was happening.
But Edward could see everything.
The magic circle changed once again and began engraving magical runes into the stone.
The symbols were unfamiliar, and Edward couldn't read them. The automatic translator didn't work this time.
But as soon as the process finished, Edward had a new surprise:
[Ding!]
[Registration complete. New player added]
[System ready to initiate...]
Edward was in awe of the magical screen suddenly floating before his eyes.
Could no one else see it? Why wasn't anyone else gaping at it like he was? Was this something so normal that no one cared anymore?
While Edward continued to marvel at the floating magical screen, the Bishop began reading the inscriptions the golden light had left on the stone slab.
After reading a crucial piece of information, the Bishop pulled a magic wand from an inner pocket in his robes and began chanting a spell.
Edward was so distracted by the screen that he almost missed the next magical spectacle unfolding before him.
"Te invoco, o vox orbis."
Edward didn't need a translator for that phrase. It was Latin, and for some reason he'd never quite understood, he'd been forced to study that language in the military academy.
The phrase meant: "I invoke you, voice of the world."
Why did this world have a language identical to Latin? Hearing it from the Bishop's mouth sent shivers down Edward's spine.
That man was becoming more and more like the bishops from his old world.
What followed left Edward breathless.
The tip of the Bishop's wand began to emit a golden thread, which extended toward the sky.
He couldn't see past the ceiling, of course, but once again, he could feel it.
A massive magical circle was forming far above, kilometers above the surface.
Many other golden threads connected to the huge circle. Those were clearly its energy sources.
Edward couldn't feel where the threads came from; their sources were too far away.
At the tip of the Bishop's wand, a small magical circle formed. He then touched the wand to the side of his neck, and another circle appeared in front of his mouth.
Suddenly, the sound of bells echoed. To everyone else, this was routine.
But to Edward, these were marvels that made his mind burn with wonder.
"Let it be known throughout the Empire. A child of royal blood has been born and welcomed by the Dragon God in House Demetria. Hail, Prince Edward Von Demetria."
Wait, prince? Wouldn't that ruin the Duke's plan? Wasn't the point to hide his origin? Questions began to flood Edward's mind.
But his adoptive parents' expressions told a different story. They looked relieved. Apparently, this was exactly what they'd hoped for.
The faces of the other wives showed the opposite; they didn't like Eliza, and they were frustrated that she'd gotten exactly what she needed to save her marriage with the Duke.
The strangest expression was the first wife's. She looked frustrated, but also relieved.
The Duke's eldest son looked pleased, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe the first wife's conflicted look meant that, somehow, this news would benefit her son.
Edward had no way of knowing yet. He also had no idea what consequences this announcement would bring across the Empire.
At that very moment, multiple forces across the Empire began to move, seeking to benefit from the news.
Some would bring good tidings to Edward, but others were extremely dangerous.