A Rebellion?

As the day wore on, an unsettling disquiet gnawed at my every thought. Whispers wound through the palace corridors—rumors of Lyle's sudden departure from the Imperial Knightage and furtive murmurs of noble factions stirring in rebellion. These tidings, dark and portentous, were a far heftier concern than even the threat of war.

A storm of questions swirled behind my eyes. Would this rebellion, born of clandestine alliances forged by Lyle in years past, come to fruition? I could not sit idly while the noble's influence, so steeped in contributions to the empire, outweighed my own meager inheritance.

Mere birth had made me Archduchess—a title meted out by fate rather than valor—and as the truth of his intrigue pressed upon me, I knew I must unearth who these conspirators were and why they dared challenge the Imperial Family.