Finally, the Imperial siblings' carriage rolled through the reinforced gates of the Lord's Castle. The sprawling structure, once a crumbling ruin, now stood as a formidable, modern fortress. They were escorted through the halls, past tight-lipped, efficient maids and disciplined guards, their every step announcing the arrival of high-ranking, troublesome guests.

They reached the study. The heavy oak door was opened by a grin-faced Hughes, who gestured them inside.

Ravenna stood by her desk, already finished with her urgent war planning. She regarded her young visitors, Gracie in her elegant travel clothes and Benric still dusting snow from his high boots, with a look that was equal parts maternal fondness and predatory scrutiny.

"My niece and nephew," Ravenna greeted them, a sharp, knowing smile curving her lips. "Welcome to Kim Dukedom. I hope my little city did not bore you."

The brief familial reunion was instantly shattered by the urgency of politics. Alice rushed into the study, her usual calm shattered, clutching a sealed parchment.

"Your Highness! There is an urgent letter for you from the Capital!" Alice exclaimed, her voice tight with alarm. "It's of utmost importance!" Without waiting for permission, she performed a swift, small bow toward the stunned imperial siblings and handed the letter to Ravenna.

Ravenna's brow furrowed slightly as she broke the seal, her eyes scanning the official script. Her expression remained unnervingly calm, even as the gravity of the news settled upon her. She looked up at her niece and nephew, her gaze direct.

"It looks like your father had rebelled against the Crown," Ravenna stated plainly, her voice carrying the cold certainty of a judge passing sentence. She then tapped the desk slowly, savoring the shock her words delivered. "He is joining hands with the Council of Vassal States. They demand to instantly instate an Independent Senate with representatives from their nations, specifically to control the Imperial Emperor's absolute power."

Both Gracie and Benric were visibly stunned, their faces draining of color. They had theorized their father was moving toward this end, but the reality of treason, the immense scale of the declaration, was a different matter altogether.

"F-Father had entrusted us with this letter to you… and asked for an alliance," Gracie stammered, her hand trembling as she presented Ravenna with a second, heavily folded parchment.

Ravenna took the letter, her eyes already calculating the angles and opportunities presented by this empirewide earthquake. She quickly broke the secondary seal and unfolded the document.

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The handwriting was Landon's familiar, elegant script, but the content was stripped of his usual mocking facade, revealing the serious depth of his intentions:

"To my sister, Ravenna Solarius, Duchess of Kim Dukedom,

I know we rarely see eye-to-eye, and I recognize that this request, made on the heels of your hard-won victories, may seem audacious. However, this is not a petty squabble for titles; it is a decisive move to secure the future of the Empire against the creeping rot of autocracy, a cause I believe your pragmatic nature would find compelling.

I am now formally dropping out of the Imperial Succession Race. My priority is no longer the throne of Ancorna, but the autonomy and independence of the Vassal States. I will officially endorse and support your claim to the throne in exchange for this alliance.

You must have already understood my true intention going forward: the rebellion is currently framed as an attempt to introduce a Senate, but the goal is to limit the unfettered power of the Imperial Crown. This is a chance to reshape the very foundation of this Empire, Ravenna.

Finally, I ask for a sanctuary. This path is dangerous, and there are few places safe from Father's wrath or the machinations of our surviving siblings. Please let my children, Gracie and Benric, stay in your Dukedom until the dust settles. I trust no one else to keep them safe.

Act decisively.

Landon Solarius, Your Reckless Brother"

The scent of parchment and the weight of treason hung heavy in the study. Ravenna's lips curled into a slow, chilling smile. Landon had finally shown his true colors, and more importantly, he had handed her the most valuable leverage imaginable: his children. The balance of power had just tilted decisively in her favor.

It was clear why Landon had taken this desperate gamble; there would have been no other way to convince Ravenna of his sincerity. By placing his only son and daughter in her hands, he demonstrated a genuine, profound intent to carry out his promise and not betray her.

Ravenna smiled inwardly, a chilling sense of inevitability settling over her. In the original novel, Landon's rebellion occurred later and ultimately failed because he made the mistake of sending his children to the Hilde Kingdom, where William and Eugene were able to travel to and capture them. Emperor Andrew then used his grandchildren as leverage, ending a two-year-long civil war and executing Landon for treason.

But now, the script had been violently torn up.

All the while this internal conflict was happening, the relentless pressure of the Conley War and the brutal internal conflict between the religions for the Saintess were continuing to stretch the Empire thin. The stability of Ancorna was deteriorating so rapidly that, at its absolute nadir, the Witch of the West and the Cult of Absolution would officially make their grand, catastrophic appearance, initiating the final arc of the novel with the continent in chaos against an unstoppable, otherworldly army.

"Everything is accelerated because of my involvement, but… this is exactly what I wanted," Ravenna muttered under her breath, a triumphant smile blooming across her face. The chaos she had created was the perfect storm.

She locked eyes with her wide-eyed niece and nephew, her voice shifting back to her authoritative tone.

"Both of you will be staying here until further notice," she informed them, her words leaving no room for argument. "You are not allowed to travel to the mainland under any circumstances."

"Show them to their rooms and.. " Ravenna turned as she was about to leave the study, when a thought came to her mind as she said. "Have Marie keep an eye on them"

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