The country has lost its master.

The suicide of the 17th Grand Duke of Hessenguard was often described like this in most history books. Sometimes it was also described as 'The Master abandoned the country', but there was no big difference in the details.

Scholars were divided over his death.

Some said he was cursed for ruthlessly killing his brothers to get the position of the Grand Duke. While others refuted this by saying people who bore grudges against him succeeded in poisoning him and so on. There was a lot of speculation about his death, but none of it was clear. But what was certain was that he had no children to succeed the Great Duchy.

When the continent's richest land lost its master, its neighbours, the Kingdom of Haband and the Kingdom of Aether reached out to take Hessenguard.

The two kingdoms argued that they deserved to be the new masters of the Grand Duchy, citing how closely their royal blood and the blood of the ancestors of Grand Duke of Hessenguard were mixed.

Eventually, these arguments led to an all out war. The armies of the two kingdoms spilled each other's blood in Hessenguard. The war over the Great Duchy lasted for more than three years. During that time, Hessenguard's land was soaked in blood and reeked of death. Countless young lives died without being able to even close their eyes.

In the end, the two kingdoms realised that they couldn't bear anymore damage and tried to compromise. After several months of negotiations, the two kingdoms signed the following treaty:

The Duchy of Hessenguard will remain in the form of the Duchy.

A member of the royal family from both kingdoms will be sent to serve as a common Grand Duke.

And the child born between the two Grand Dukes will take over the Grand Duchy of Hessenguard.

That's how Hessenguard came to serve two masters.