The empire was in chaos. The news had spread like wildfire, igniting both fear and fury across every province and city. The people could hardly comprehend the magnitude of what had happened.
Prince Lucian, once thought to be an untouchable figure of the royal family, had committed unspeakable crimes. His atrocities, paired with Lord Cedric's evil deeds, had shaken the empire to its core. But the arrest of the empress? That was the most shocking blow of all.
No one knew exactly what role the empress had played in this dark chapter, but rumors swirled. Some claimed she was the mastermind behind the kidnappings, others whispered that her crimes were even darker, her involvement woven into the blackest threads of treachery. Whatever the truth was, the empire's imagination filled in the blanks. As a result, their outrage grew fiercer.
