The weight of Ashok's words rippled through the classroom, leaving many students stunned by his sheer bluntness.
In a single sentence, he had not only insulted Daniel, but had also grouped Lilia alongside him, referring to them as the same kind—a comparison that carried an unspoken but undeniable sting.
While some students were taken aback, the nobles observed with keen interest rather than shock.
Within the Empire, power was a delicate construct, carefully layered. At its pinnacle sat the Imperial Family, but beneath them, the Four Ducal Houses reigned as the greatest ruling forces, each controlling vast territories.
However, that did not mean the nobility below them were insignificant.
Every Ducal House maintained a network of vassals, a necessary hierarchy for governing an entire Duchy—lesser nobles who managed the smaller territories yet still held influence within political spheres.
Daniel belonged to one of these noble families—a County under the Northern Duchy.
