My Seven Wives Are Beautiful Saintesses - Chapter 204

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Banners of Choice
Lord Vahn’s influence no longer moved like a conquering army. It moved like gravity.

It was not domination by force.

It was dominance by inevitability.

Within half a year, Astralis Border Seven had become an echo chamber. Even worlds technically outside Vahn’s jurisdiction began structuring their defense, economy, and administration based on Crimson Hawk frameworks. Some did it out of admiration. Others did it out of fear. Most did it because resisting the current felt pointless.

Renka reviewed the compiled reports late into the night, her expression unreadable.

“Direct command covers only three continents,” she said, projecting the data into the air. “But indirect influence now touches nine worlds and counting. Trade dependency alone puts at least twelve more in your shadow.”

Zutian whistled softly. “That’s not a lord anymore. That’s a gravitational well.”

Vahn stood with his hands behind his back, eyes fixed on the star map. Lines of light pulsed across it, representing supply flows, intelligence exchanges, and economic pressure vectors.

“It was never my intention to control everything,” he said calmly.

Renka looked at him. “But you understand why it happened.”

“Yes,” Vahn replied. “Because the Immortal Realm is tired.”

“Tired?” Zutian echoed.

“Tired of instability disguised as tradition,” Vahn continued. “Tired of sect wars that solve nothing. Tired of empires that rule by distance rather than responsibility.”

He turned slightly, his gaze sharp.

“When people are given a system that works, they will gravitate toward it. Even if they pretend they chose it freely.”

Renka felt a chill at that. Not fear. Recognition.

That was when the alert came.

Not a threat alarm.

Not an invasion warning.

A priority arrival notice.

Renka frowned as she read the transmission. “A galactic-class vessel just exited fold space above the capital.”

Zutian straightened instantly. “Imperial?”

“Yes,” Renka replied. “High-tier. Personal envoy grade.”

Vahn did not move.

“Clear the reception hall,” he said. “No guards beyond protocol minimum.”

Renka hesitated. “That could be dangerous.”

“If he came alone in a ship like that,” Vahn said calmly, “he is not here to assassinate me.”

The skies above Crimson Hawk’s capital rippled moments later.

A vessel descended slowly, elegant and restrained, forged from materials that shimmered with imperial authority rather than raw power. Its hull bore the sigil of Astralis Empire, unmistakable and ancient.

The city below grew quiet.

When the vessel touched down, a single figure emerged.

He was young by immortal standards, though his presence carried cultivated confidence. Dressed in layered imperial robes of deep sapphire and gold, his aura was refined, controlled, and unmistakably royal. Behind him, space itself seemed to align, subtle law patterns stabilizing with each step he took.

Renka’s breath caught. “That aura… he’s no ordinary imperial noble.”

Vahn nodded once. “No. He is blood.”

The figure smiled as he approached, his expression open, practiced, and sharp.

“Lord Vahn of the Eastern Continent,” he said, inclining his head just enough to acknowledge authority without conceding superiority. “I am Prince Kaelen Astralis. Third Prince of the Astralis Empire.”

The name carried weight.

Zutian stiffened visibly.

Renka remained composed, though her eyes hardened.

Vahn met the prince’s gaze calmly. “You traveled far for a courtesy visit.”

Kaelen laughed lightly. “Courtesy is rarely the reason princes travel. But respect is.”

He glanced around the capital, taking in the ordered streets, the disciplined patrols, the subtle hum of Void-stabilized infrastructure.

“I wished to see it myself,” Kaelen continued. “The lord who turned a border world into a functioning dominion without imperial oversight.”

Renka stepped forward. “State your purpose, Your Highness.”

Kaelen’s smile sharpened. “Direct. I like that.”

He turned back to Vahn. “I am here to invite you.”

“To what?” Vahn asked.

“To the Empire,” Kaelen said smoothly. “Officially.”

Silence settled over the hall.

Kaelen clasped his hands behind his back, pacing slowly.

“The Astralis Empire does not ignore power,” he said. “It incorporates it. You have demonstrated governance, restraint, and force beyond expectations. Frankly, some within the court believe leaving you independent any longer would be irresponsible.”

Zutian muttered under his breath, “At least they’re honest.”

Kaelen continued. “Join the Empire under my banner. Become an imperial lord. Retain your territories. Gain access to core-world resources, imperial fleets, and political protection. In return, you offer allegiance. Nothing more.”

Renka narrowed her eyes. “Nothing more is never nothing.”

Kaelen smiled at her. “Spoken like someone who understands court politics.”

His gaze returned to Vahn, more serious now.

“The timing is important,” Kaelen added. “The imperial succession trials begin in weeks. Alliances forged now decide who sits on the throne in the next era.”

There it was.

Vahn understood immediately.

This was not merely an invitation. It was a move on the imperial chessboard.

Before he could respond, the air in the hall shifted.

Not violently.

Not aggressively.

Authority descended like a curtain falling.

Space stilled. Sound softened.

And a familiar presence stepped into the chamber as if she had always been there.

Celestine.

She wore simple white robes trimmed with silver, her long hair flowing freely, her expression composed and unreadable. No guards accompanied her. None were needed.

Prince Kaelen stopped mid-step.

His smile froze.

“…Sister,” he said carefully.

“Third Prince,” Celestine replied, her voice calm and cool. “You move quickly.”

Renka felt the temperature of the room drop.

Zutian swallowed.

Vahn did not move, but something within him tightened.

Celestine’s gaze passed briefly over him. Not recognition. Not warmth. Only assessment. And yet, it lingered a fraction longer than necessary.

“Inviting independent lords without court sanction,” Celestine continued. “During an active succession period. That borders on opportunism.”

Kaelen recovered his composure, chuckling lightly. “Says the Executor who observes rather than acts.”

Celestine turned her eyes fully on him. “I act when imbalance threatens the Empire.”

“And does he threaten it?” Kaelen asked, gesturing toward Vahn.

Celestine did not answer immediately.

Instead, she asked Vahn a question.

“Do you intend to join the Astralis Empire?”

The directness caught even Kaelen off guard.

Vahn met her gaze steadily. “Eventually.”

The word echoed.

Kaelen frowned slightly. “Eventually is vague.”

Celestine’s eyes sharpened. “And honesty often is.”

She turned to Kaelen. “You did not come here to stabilize the Empire. You came to secure a weapon.”

Kaelen’s expression hardened. “And you did not come here merely to observe.”

Celestine did not deny it.

The tension between siblings was palpable now, thick with years of rivalry, ideology, and unspoken competition.

Vahn watched them silently.

And in that silence, he formed his decision.

He had already understood the truth during his travels. Remaining independent in a backwater sector would eventually suffocate him. The Empire would tighten its net. The Sovereigns would continue ruling from unreachable heights. And Celestine would remain an enigma, distant and opposed.

If he wanted answers, if he wanted leverage, if he wanted to move closer to the truth, he needed a foothold inside the system.

But not under just any banner.

Vahn stepped forward.

“I will join the Astralis Empire,” he said calmly.

Kaelen’s eyes lit up.

“However,” Vahn continued, turning slightly, “not under yours.”

Silence fell like a blade.

Kaelen stared. “What?”

Vahn looked directly at Celestine.

“I will enter the Empire under the banner of the First Princess. Imperial Executor Celestine.”

Kaelen’s face darkened instantly. “You dare choose sides in a succession conflict you do not understand?”

“I understand enough,” Vahn replied evenly. “You want my power. She wants balance. I require access.”

Celestine’s expression did not change, but something deep within her gaze shifted.

“Explain,” she said.

“I cannot challenge the Empire from its fringes,” Vahn said. “Nor do I intend to destroy it. I need legitimacy, reach, and proximity to truths buried in its core. Aligning with you grants me that, while aligning with principles rather than ambition.”

Kaelen laughed sharply. “You think she will protect you?”

“I think,” Vahn replied, “that she will use me.”

Celestine studied him in silence.

Renka held her breath.

Zutian forgot to breathe.

At last, Celestine spoke. “You are honest to a fault.”

“Yes,” Vahn said. “It saves time.”

A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched Celestine’s lips.

“Very well,” she said. “I accept.”

Kaelen’s composure shattered. “You cannot be serious!”

“I am,” Celestine replied calmly. “Lord Vahn enters the Empire as an affiliated sovereign under my oversight.”

She turned to Vahn. “Know this. I will not shield you from consequences.”

“I would not respect you if you did,” Vahn replied.

Their gazes locked.

Something passed between them. Not memory. Not affection.

Recognition.

Kaelen clenched his fists. “You are making an enemy of me.”

Vahn met his glare calmly. “You arrived as one.”

The Third Prince turned sharply and strode toward the exit, his robes snapping with suppressed fury.

“This is not over,” he said coldly. “Succession is war, whether you admit it or not.”

When he was gone, the hall felt strangely empty.

Celestine looked around once, then back at Vahn.

“You have placed yourself at the center of imperial conflict,” she said. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” Vahn replied. “I regret waiting.”

She studied him for a long moment.

“You remain a mystery,” she said quietly. “And mysteries rarely end well.”

Vahn inclined his head. “Then let us resolve it.”

Celestine turned to leave, pausing only briefly.

“Prepare yourself, Lord Vahn,” she said. “The Empire does not forgive half-commitments.”

When she vanished, Renka finally exhaled.

“You just chose the most dangerous path possible,” she said.

Vahn looked out toward the stars beyond the capital.

“Yes,” he replied. “Which means it is the only one that leads forward.”

The Void within him stirred, not violently, but with anticipation.

The game had changed.

He was no longer merely a lord of a continent.

He was now a player in imperial succession.

And somewhere far beyond empires and thrones, six sovereigns ruled galaxies, unaware that the seventh piece had finally stepped onto the board.

The Immortal Realm would never be the same.