After the court meeting ended, Hudson returned directly to his territory. The purge within the imperial capital had also begun.
The unlucky nobles who had followed Alpha I were thrown into prison one after another. Even some members of the royal family were invited in to assist with the investigation.
Realizing that the Conservative Faction was making an example of others, Duke Affierro and Duke Newfoundland, both of whom had hoped to compete for the position of regent minister, decisively claimed illness and withdrew from public view.
As the investigation deepened, more and more people were implicated, and many newly risen great nobles were dragged into the case against their will.
Though there was no direct evidence, in a matter this deadly, even the slightest connection could bring disaster.
To protect themselves, many of the implicated nobles chose to pledge allegiance to the Conservative Faction.
The Conservative Faction, already dominant on its own, became even more powerful after this round of political reshuffling.
Its internal composition also changed from its original simplicity into something far more complicated.
Caesar IV, still recovering from illness, continued agonizing over the choice of regent minister, completely unaware that the world outside had already changed.
It was not that he lacked loyal subjects. It was precisely because they were too loyal that everyone chose to keep the truth from the emperor.
He was already close to death. Any further shock would only hasten his end.
"Madeline, His Majesty's body cannot withstand any more strain. What should we do now?"
The emperor had been kept in the dark, but the empress had received the news.
In a matter this serious, her trusted subordinates were too low-ranking to have sufficient say. She could only discuss it with Madeline, whom she considered trustworthy.
Ever since Caesar IV