The two surviving guards hurry Eden up the restricted corridor, past sealed alcoves and torchlight that shakes on polished stone. Their fear is plain, and the heavy oak doors of the High Council Chamber loom ahead, already half-framed by her leveled musket.
The Guard on the Landing
It is there, Princess. We were ordered to hold everyone back from these doors.
A Second Guard
Please, just let us stand aside. She is inside.
Princess Eden Siranteos
The lock on those doors is newer than the hinges.
One guard fumbles for the iron ring and pulls the doors open. Cold air spills out, carrying the murmur of assembled nobles and the scent of ink, wax, and old wood.
Queen Araneidan
At last. Bring her forward.
Inside the chamber, the queen stands at the council table beneath a crown of candlelight, with maps spread before her and councilors rigid along the walls. The hidden order, the hidden passage, the dead captain, all of it points to this room.
The guards stop at the threshold, shaken, as Eden’s musket steadies on the queen and the conspiracy comes into full view.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront the queen about the hidden passage conspiracy
“You all knew about the weakspot on the hidden passage, didn't you? Thus was all a betrayal of the kingdom. I expected better from you, mother, i thought your loyalty was to father and our kingdom.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Princess Eden Siranteos
You all knew about the weak spot in the hidden passage. This is betrayal of the kingdom. I expected better from you, mother. I thought your loyalty was to father and our kingdom.
The chamber goes still at the accusation. Candle flames gutter in the cold draft, and every councilor along the walls turns toward the queen instead of the maps.
Queen Araneidan
Loyalty is not blindness, Eden. I knew of the weakness because I ordered it watched.
A few nobles stiffen. The queen’s hand rests on the table edge, and her gaze does not leave her daughter.
Queen Araneidan
If the passage is a wound, I meant to know how deep it ran before the kingdom bled.
The Guard on the Landing
She is saying it aloud... in front of everyone.
The guards at the threshold flinch as the truth settles over the room, and Eden stands with her weapon aimed into a chamber that now has a witness, a culprit, and a queen who answers directly.
Quest Complete
Expose the architect of the hidden passage conspiracy
New Gift: Conspiracy Insight
Quest Complete
Confront the queen about the hidden passage conspiracy