The towering Bureau of State Security in the heart of Elysee was a grim fortress of information. Its black stone walls were lined with guards and watchtowers, while inside, operatives moved with cold efficiency. In one of the many high-security chambers, Minister Emilia Voss read a top-priority report delivered just that morning. The document bore an urgent seal from an intelligence officer stationed in the southern provinces.
Prince Bruno had landed.
Voss's thin lips pressed into a tight line. She set the report on the table before her and rang a bell. Within moments, General Hector Bellerose and Jean-Paul Lafayette, the Minister of Trade and Finance, entered the chamber. Both men knew from Voss's grim demeanor that the news was not in their favor.
"Minister Voss," Bellerose said, his tone clipped, "what is the situation?"
