Chapter 258 The King
"Alton is right," Rosalind said. "The royal family of the Northern Ice Empire doesn't equal supreme power. It's just that the Powell family has no interest in politics. Otherwise, the king of the Northern Ice Empire should be someone from the Powell family."
Isabella was stunned. "King?"
What a strange title.
"Yes, here we call the leader of our country the king."
"The current king of the Northern Ice Empire is Efrain Hubbard, and the previous king was his father, Conrad Hubbard."
Isabella was a bit surprised. "So the Northern Ice Empire still has a hereditary system?"
A hereditary system meant that after a king died, the king's eldest son would inherit the throne, passing down power through bloodline.
But Rosalind shook her head. "Not exactly. To be precise, not completely. The king is elected by several major families led by the Powell family. It's just that Conrad performed well during his term, and Efrain, as his eldest son, was also excellent. So after Conrad died, the Powell family directly nominated Efrain as the new king."
It had now been twenty-seven years since Efrain took the throne. Based on the current situation, after Efrain retired, the major families would very likely continue to nominate Efrain's eldest son as the next king.
What outsiders saw as the supreme position of king was, to these major families, actually just a doormat for managing the country.
Isabella asked, "Don't these major families led by the Powell family have too much power? They can directly decide who becomes king. Doesn't the king resent this?"
Surely no ruler in any era would allow such a thing to exist?
Rosalind smiled. "So what if they mind? The Northern Ice Empire's economy, military, ancient martial arts, technology, and other powers are all in the hands of these major families, not the royal family. So most kings can only accept this situation."
"Of course, there have been cases where kings weren't happy about it. King Jake Sherman from three hundred years ago is an example. He actually tried to use the royal family's power to suppress the Powell family. The result was that the very next day, the Powell family pulled him down from the throne and directly kicked him out of Novaria."
Isabella was shocked. "..."
"Anyway, no one dares to challenge the Powell family's authority. Even if you're the king, the consequences are severe."
Just as Rosalind finished speaking, an announcement came through the cabin: "Dear passengers, our plane has arrived at Starlight City Volmer International Airport in the capital. Thank you for flying with us, and we wish you a pleasant trip in Starlight City."
William stroked Isabella's hair and said gently, "Let's go."
Isabella got up and followed him, joining the line to leave the cabin.
Arriving at the airport terminal was eye-opening.
Although the airport's exterior didn't look particularly special, everything inside—from the layout and planning to the space design and smart systems—looked much more advanced.
There were even humanoid robots walking around the airport, there to help travelers.
Isabella was curious about how smart these robots were. She walked up to one and asked questions like "Where's the bathroom? Where's the airport exit?"
The robot could accurately point out directions for all of them.
Isabella tested it further: "I'm blind. Can you show me the way?"
The robot scanned her up and down, but its response surprised Isabella:
"You are not blind, but if you need it, I can show you the way."
Isabella: "..."
William walked over and smiled. "The robots here don't just give directions. They can also handle emergencies. Last time, a passenger suddenly collapsed at the airport, and a robot was the first to rush over and give that passenger CPR."
Isabella looked at these robots walking around in an orderly fashion and felt amazed.
She had always thought that a country that valued strength and ancient martial arts would look down on technology, but she didn't expect the technology here to be more advanced than Lumaria.
Isabella followed William out of the airport. Rosalind led them to a black business van.
It was the Waverly family's car.
"It's getting dark. You'll stay at my place tonight, and the auction doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon," Rosalind said.
Isabella nodded and got in the car.
Half an hour later, the car arrived in front of a castle.
Like the Powell family, most families in the Northern Ice Empire built their homes to look like castles—it was the main architectural style here.
The Waverly family's castle was built to look very solemn and dignified. There was a two-person-high wall around the outside of the castle, and along the wall, every few meters stood a guard. They stood in standard posture with serious expressions, holding rifles.
Isabella had learned before that in Novaria, carrying guns was allowed.
Past the wall's gate, there were also guards patrolling in formation inside the castle grounds. Looking up, there were guards standing on the second floor and the balconies above.
The entire castle was protected so tightly that there had to be at least a hundred guards.
"Something happened recently—a family's treasure was stolen. This incident has put a lot of families on alert."
As Rosalind led them forward, she explained, "The castle's security wasn't this tight before. After this happened, they strengthened the guard."
After all, a family's treasure was extremely important to the family.
They arrived at the castle's main entrance—an arched door at least three people tall, tightly sealed.
"This is the main entrance. Going through it leads to the main hall, where the family patriarch and elders discuss matters. It's also called the council hall. The council hall contains the family's important confidential documents and valuable items. Under normal circumstances, it's not open to the public, and outsiders aren't allowed in."
Rosalind led them around the main entrance to an arched door on the side.
This door was about two people tall. You could tell it connected to a completely different area from the main entrance.
"Through this door is the central hall. Besides this, there are two other doors that lead to the guest hall and the side hall. The guest hall is for receiving visitors, and the side hall is for the castle's off-duty guards, chefs, and servants to rest. The central hall, guest hall, and side hall are all connected."
In other words, going through the central hall's door, you could still reach the guest hall and side hall.
But the main hall they'd seen earlier—the council hall—was completely separated from these three halls. You couldn't get there from here; you could only enter through that three-people-tall arched door.
The group followed Rosalind and walked straight through the central hall's entrance.
"Ms. Waverly." The butler Elijah came out from inside and nodded to Rosalind.
The group followed Rosalind's lead and walked dozens of meters inside, arriving at a large hall. A woman sat on the hall's sofa with the same chestnut, slightly curled, shoulder-length hair as Rosalind—it was Rosalind's sister, Seraphina Waverly.
Two servants stood in front of Seraphina. She was coldly giving them instructions, her expression not very pleasant.
Hearing people arrive, Seraphina paused and glanced over casually. "Rosalind, are these your guests?"
Rosalind nodded. "I'll take them to the guest hall first."
Rosalind led the group away along the left corridor.
Seraphina watched Isabella's retreating figure, frowning. It took her a long time to look away, her expression cold.
Was Rosalind out of her mind, actually letting a woman from Lumaria stay in their home?