Winter was hitting hard. The icy wind now came with a gentle snowfall.
A week had passed, and Mako's training consisted of being buried in paperwork, trapped in an office sorting through expenses and taxes to declare.
Just then, Ana burst into the office, wearing an elegant green cotton suit.
"They replied to our letter!" she said with enthusiasm.
"Seriously?" Mako replied, shaking off the drowsy haze that had settled over him.
◇◆◇
Mako, Ana, and Polifemo were back in a carriage, heading to a meeting at none other than the royal castle.
The journey was long, practically from one end of the city to the castle at its center.
"Ugh, this cold is really starting to bite!" Polifemo grumbled, more restless than usual.
Which was saying something.
"Stop whining, will you?" Mako said without looking at him, staring out the window, lost in thought.
"Oh, now I get it," Polifemo shot back. "You think this'll go like yesterday's meeting?"
Mako turned from the window to meet Polifemo's single amber pupil.
"It'll be way worse! I thought with all your newfound motivation, you'd aim for something better," Polifemo continued as the carriage jolted over a bump.
Polifemo started bouncing uncontrollably, eventually flying out of one of the carriage windows.
"Are you okay?!" Ana shouted from her seat, watching Polifemo emerge from a snow pile.
"It can't be that bad. Meetings between Houses are public in the eyes of the King and other nobles," Mako said, opening the carriage door to let Polifemo back in.
Once Polifemo was inside, Mako continued, "They won't try anything. It's in the royal castle—if they pull something, they'll be condemned."
"Naive! Naive! Naive!" Polifemo screeched as the carriage resumed its journey. "Crime lords play cleaner than those people."
Ana looked nervous, but Polifemo's words left her more deflated than anything.
"He's right," she said. "We did everything we could, but even so, Erick was always pushed back in the trials, even with a system."
Mako's brow furrowed at the mention of his younger brother, Erick.
"That's not the worst of it!" Polifemo exclaimed. "That's just how nobles are. The real kicker is who the Lunar House does business with."
Polifemo paused dramatically, but neither Mako nor Ana took the bait. Sighing at their lack of curiosity, he blurted out, "Angels! They make deals with angels!"
◇◆◇
Finally, the trio arrived at the castle.
Imposing, the royal castle stood at the city's center, its countless polished stone towers soaring high. With towering walls, they could see a wide moat separating the outer ramparts from the rest of the castle.
Ana, Mako, and Polifemo passed through the grand entrance in silence, guided by a servant who was already waiting for them.
Two towering figures in gleaming armor stared down at them, vigilant and menacing.
"They must be over twenty feet tall," Polifemo murmured, awestruck.
Ana and Mako didn't seem as fazed.
"This way," the servant said, leading them through vast hallways adorned with ornate columns, vibrant murals, and an air of grandeur that felt otherworldly.
The moment of truth had arrived.
Inside the castle, the three reached a massive set of dark oak doors that swung wide open.
Beyond the doors, a grand tribunal came into view.
Before they could take their seats, Mako was summoned to the center of the podium by the authoritative voice of the High Judge. The bearded, somewhat balding man, well into his later years, struck his gavel as Mako stepped forward.
"We welcome Mako Sol, firstborn of the House of the Sun!" a servant announced, reading from a long scroll in his hands. As he spoke, a fanfare of trumpets blared to herald Mako's arrival.
Ana and Polifemo were guided to seats in the massive stands surrounding the podium.
Mako's heart raced.
'I never saw the tribunals when I came to the castle with my parents,' he thought nervously.
Now, not only was he in this colossal hall, but he stood before nobles of every rank, from the highest echelons to knights and servants of other Houses. Behind him, the High Judge sat as the ultimate authority atop the jury's dais.
Mako spotted Ana and Polifemo in one of the front rows. His heart calmed slightly.
But the clamor returned. The trumpets sounded again.
"We now announce," the servant declared, "the arrival of the Lunar House."
After the trumpets' blare, Mako saw them enter: a group of nobles dressed in various shades of gray and blue, adorned with silver necklaces, earrings, and pendants.
It was the Lunar House, eternal rival of the House of the Sun.
Among them, one figure caught Mako's attention.
A blonde woman with a delicate smile on her painted lips, hard to tell if it was mocking or something else. Still, she carried an air of elegance.
"Step forward, the representative of the Lunar House," the High Judge commanded.
Until that moment, the trumpets and whispers from the stands had filled the grand hall with noise, but when the High Judge spoke, everyone fell silent.
Mako, still standing in the center of the podium, watched as only one person rose from the group of nobles.
It was the blonde woman.
As she stepped onto the central podium, a servant introduced her: "Catherine Moon of the Lunar House."
Though charming, Mako couldn't shake a bad feeling about her. It was almost as if he knew her from somewhere but couldn't place it.
◇◆◇
Several meters from the podium, Ana and Polifemo watched the proceedings with mounting nerves.
They sat in the front row, in a spacious section that should have been exclusive to the House of the Sun, but it was just the two of them.
The High Judge began explaining the reasons for the meeting. Typically, these were tedious governmental affairs: hours of debate over which noble would secure a coveted position or title.
But this was much more.
"So many people…" Ana said, slightly intimidated.
"It's no small thing. Normally, this many people show up for executions or knights' duels. But if you think about it, this isn't much different," Polifemo whispered to Ana.
"Yeah. The House of the Sun is still important because of its legacy. Without a position in the castle, we'll only have the chance to chase after lowlife investors like Fox," Ana replied, still scanning her surroundings. She felt like the entire city was gathered there.
Just then, both Ana and Polifemo noticed someone approaching.
At first, it seemed like a tall person, perhaps over six feet. But Polifemo was the first to realize, thanks to the figure's robe, who—or rather, what—it was.
The white wings shedding delicate feathers from its back gave Ana the final clue.
'An angel! I've never seen one in person,' Ana thought.
But her shock grew even greater when, behind that angelic being that made Polifemo's ears steam with fury, Erick appeared.