In Backlund's West Borough, inside the Upper House building that had survived the Feysac air raid.
Following King George III's sudden, bizarre death during his speech at Anniversary Square, all the nobles and members of parliament present had been gathered here for protection. Military troops and Beyonders from the Three Great Churches surrounded the building in layer upon layer, braced for a formidable enemy.
Compared to those outside searching fruitlessly for the murderer, the atmosphere inside parliament was rather peculiar.
Nobles and parliamentarians gathered in twos and threes, discussing various topics in corners of the hall or small conference rooms, exchanging opinions and changing conversation partners from time to time.
Audrey Hall wore the plain black dress she had prepared for today's mourning ceremony and speech. Leaning beside the railing on the second floor of the assembly hall, she coolly observed the various discussions below.
Her brother was deeply concerned about who would succeed George III. He had previously been close to the eldest prince, but Gowenton had already died on the front lines in the Ammantha Mountain Range. The second prince, William, had died in an accident years ago, while the third prince, Edessak, had "committed suicide" after last year's Great Smog. The two elder princesses ranked far down the line of succession because the Augustus family worshiped the Church of Storms.
According to the order of succession, Loen's new king would be the fourth prince, Delac. He represented the old guard among the nobility and had always opposed aggressive environmental policies. His ascension would be extremely unfavorable to Hibbert's political career...
Her father was more concerned about changes in the war. Whatever George III had been plotting in secret, his death undoubtedly meant something had gone terribly wrong within Loen. Infighting had broken out between the military, the