[Imperial Palace—Throne Room]
The air was thick with tension. Whispered rumors slithered through the knights and remaining nobles like shadows: "I heard the grand duke wiped out all the traitors."
"Yes, and now they are replacing new nobles in their place?"
"The message was clear...if you commit treason...there's only death. No forgiveness."
Silas stood rigid beside Emperor Adrein's throne, his crimson cloak brushing the polished floor, eyes cold and unyielding. Before them, shackled and trembling, sat the man who had dared betray the empire: Adrein's own uncle, his chains clinking with every shallow breath. A knight held the parchment aloft, reading in a voice tight with dread.
"...he… he also shook hands with a neighboring kingdom, which led to chaos and death in the North. Children were kidnapped, sold as slaves… and yet, he showed no remorse, only arrogance. This… this ultimately sparked war."
