The Old Guard of Hispalis was perhaps one of the oldest royal guard units in the continent or even the world. Tracing its lineage to the personal bodyguards of Hispalis tribal chieftains, the Old Guard were formally established during the reign of King Theo I and continued to guard the royal family for the past millennia with distinction and fidelity. Today, the Old Guard welcomed via an honor guard, a delegate from the Kingdom of Kehsi, a bit of an odd sight since the island nation had little to do with the matters of the continent typically. Yet, King Charles XII Philip in the back of his head suspected that the Kingdom sought a continent ally to deter any aggression from the Empire of Grimhout. King Charles didn't want to wantonly join in a pointless war that would only harm the Kingdom of Hispalis. The Kingdom of Kehsi, without a doubt, only sought to protect their holdings in the New World and desired to have a continental ally to split any aggression between the colonies and the mainland, yet it was obvious that the mainland was more dangerous and that war on the continent, more deadly. However, complete neutrality on the matter would only leave the Kingdom of Hispalis isolated in the international stage. 

King Charles XII, with measured circumstance, welcomed the delegate to his court. The Kingdom of Kehsi, despite their self-interested demeanor, was a helpful ally to have in order to secure the seas and particularly the Strait. The Kingdom of Kehsi likely understood that Hispalis control over the strait could be a major boon to them in the great game of Empire. Between Hispalis army units and coastal forts, and the Kehsi navy... any attempt at seizing the strait would be a daunting challenge. Thus, King Charles XII and his statesmen would soon work diligently to propose a suitable agreement to the Kingdom of Kehsi with the end goal of continued peace and prosperity in mind.

Yet, the Kingdom of Kehsi was not the only nation that the Kingdom of Hispalis wished to improve relations with. King Charles XII also sent a delegation to the Kingdom of Arhan to speak with the Queen. The two Kingdoms had long been entwined since history with many Hispalis and Arhan natives having relatives and shared heritage. Long ago, the lands around the northern mountains were a part of the Hispalis domain, yet circumstances would see those lands drift as their remoteness and sheer distance made it impossible to govern effectively while being permanently threatened by the Caliphate. Yet, that did not mean that the two peoples could not get along now and join together in fraternity. Thus, with the goal of furthering relations, the delegate was sent to see if a treaty could be made with the Arhan as well.

Beyond the affairs of diplomacy and foreign relations, the Kingdom of Hispalis saw a surge of activity in the bay of Cadiz where the port had been ordered to be expanded by order of King Charles XII. It had become obvious that the Kingdom sought to expand their own naval capabilities, and was working on the facilities and infrastructure to support a larger and more modern navy. With the recent treaties and marriages, King Charles hoped to leverage them to attract talent to help expand the Hispalis navy, and indeed the nation as a whole as the Kingdom focused on civil research to expand the capabilities of the Kingdom. Regardless, one thing was clear, progress required time and money. Two things that the Kingdom of Hispalis would diligently labor to obtain if they did not have enough already.

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King Charles XII watched the parade grounds of the newly founded Royal Artillery Academy and watched the procession of the first class of students. As they finished marching into formation, the class were soon addressed by a speaker. Speaking to this class was General Fernandez, an eclectic man, who was, without a doubt, one of the best to oversee the founding of this Academy. Behind General Fernandez was General Michael, a dashing figure, who was accompanied by several other officers, likely some of the new assistants and staff officers. Today seemed to be a calm and rather cheerful day until a messenger arrived with a report. Tensions between the Kingdom of Dorist and their eastern neighbor, the Kingdom of Stevata, seemed to be escalating. Not surprising, yet war was always an ugly matter. The Kingdom of Hispalis didn't have any reason to get involved in the conflict as none of its interests were represented by either side. Thus, opting to remain neutral on the matter, the Kingdom would not offer an official statement on the conflict other than offering to serve as a neutral mediator in any arbitration, urging the two sides to come to peaceful terms.