Winter had officially come to Ereno, and night fell earlier than before. By around five in the evening, darkness had swallowed the sky.
At 7:20 that evening, inside the palace in Ereno, the night-shrouded Imperial Capital...
William sat alone in his study, wearing a dressing gown. The lights were off.
Pine resin crackled now and then as the logs burned in the fireplace.
The orange flames lit the dim room and cast their glow across William's somber face.
His blue eyes rested on the desk before him. Long, pale fingers tapped its surface, producing a low, steady rhythm.
"Knock. Knock."
Three reports delivered by the Inspection Forces lay open across the desk.
Any senior member of the Upper House who saw the names in those reports would have been struck speechless.
Every person listed wielded enormous power in the Empire.
And what the Inspection Forces had recorded about them was enough to make anyone's scalp crawl:
The first document, on the left, was titled "Navy Loyalty Assessment":
Absolutely loyal (4):
First Fleet, Marshal Carlos: One of Ostan's former subordinates. Chose to support the Imperial House because of Ostan's will.
Second Fleet, Marshal Lisanna: A pillar of the Reformist Faction. Loyal to the Empire, not to a party.
Third Fleet, Marshal Bob: One of Ostan's former subordinates. Persecution by Old Guard Party legislators had forced him to join the Imperial Navy when he was young. Fifteen direct members of his family had also died in a raid on their territory. No possibility of defection.
Fifth Fleet, Marshal Reynard: His family had supported the Perus Imperial House for generations. Absolute loyalty was in their blood.
Undecided (2):
Fourth Fleet, Marshal Bamsi: Ability S+. Loyalty? Ambition SS+. Had contact with an Old Guard Party attendant after the duke's death.
Sixth Fleet, Marshal Claudel: