The chamber fell into silence after Kiara's question.
Emperor Alexander rested both hands upon the table before answering in an even tone.
"Because of House Drake's poor governance over Western Phoenix, the Imperial Court has decided to remove them from the position." He looked toward Arceus. "Naturally, such a vast territory cannot simply remain without a governor. The court discussed several possibilities. After considerable deliberation, only two major noble houses remained under consideration — House Silver and House Wolf."
Quenric quietly added, "House Wolf already governs too much land and commands tremendous influence over the western military. Should we hand Western Phoenix to them as well, the balance among the great houses would be broken. And also, there were discussions of merging Northern and Southern Wolf Duchies before elevating it into an Archduchy instead..."
The Emperor nodded.
