News of Madame Lula's arrest and Elian's unexpected rise to nobility rippled through the empire like a tidal wave, disrupting the lives of everyone who had once thought themselves untouched by the politics of the court. In every corner, from the most modest households to the grandest noble estates, the talk was the same.
Everywhere, whispers carried the tale: Elian Montclair, once a mere courtesan, was now a nobleman, and the implications of his sudden elevation spread fear and intrigue throughout the empire.
In the Velvet Moon Pavilion, chaos reigned. The once bustling establishment was now locked down under imperial orders. Courtesans who had spent years there, carefully cultivating relationships with powerful patrons, were left in disarray. The absence of Madame Lula, who had ruled the Pavilion with an iron fist, created a vacuum of uncertainty. No one knew what to do or what would happen next.
