Magic towers.
They were organizations within the kingdoms that were never disturbed until a huge war that could threaten the kingdom was happening.
They had enough power to clash with a ducal house, but since the magic towers worked on the Ringed Throne Rule, they were never involved in any conflict.
[The Ringed Throne Rule is a rule where the throne (the tower master) can't make any weighty decision until the Ring (the elder council) agrees to it.]
However, the magic towers still came under the king's jurisdiction. The elders of the towers were also politically active.
Thus, they needed to treat royal guests with the utmost respect.
Now, the Velmoria Kingdom, unlike other kingdoms that had one magic tower each, had two magic towers.
One was Red Magic Tower, known for fostering genius fire mages.
The other was White Tower, known for housing exceptional ice mages.
Once in a while, the mages from the magic towers would also visit the Velmoria Royal Academy to recruit talents.
