It took a full week for Lanark to round up and find its way back to a semi-normal state. However, this new normal had little to do with the usual operations of the Archduchy. The already stringent security measures were now intensified tenfold.
The official story circulating the streets was that there had been a second raid on some rebel factions who had abandoned the forest and established a dormant cell within the Archduchy. These rebels had planned to sabotage the festivities but were intercepted by one of the allies directly connected to the town square. The situation was so sensitive that the Archduke himself had to intervene, accompanied by the magnificent King of Varinthia, who was seen suspended mid-air at the spot of the interception.
But that wasn't the sole focus of the gossip.
