As the end of the Cordon Sanitaire drew closer, the Crown Prince summoned all nobility to the grand hall in the Imperial Palace. The final tally of provinces had not been made, but the Crown Prince took a decision on the matter before the end was made clear. The nobility all lined up in order of rank around the stage as the Crown Prince and the State Chancellor stood at the top, both with some paperwork in their arms. As the last nobility gathered in, the Crown Prince moved to make an announcement to those gathered: "It has been made apparent that the State Chancellor no longer has the broad consensus a Chancellor should have among the nobility, as first administrator of the realm. As such, I have made the decision to remove the State Chancellor Alejandro Anahera from his position. In exchange for this position loss, the Imperial Seat has deemed it appropriate to compensate the Gracious Anahera by promoting him to Viceroy of the Daendroquin Lands. As he will be taking office in Daenshore, I have also deemed it necessary to revoke his titles within the Archipelago and re-assign them where necessary. The Girobalda lands will remain within Anahera hands, Gustavo Anahera being the nearest male Anahera capable of taking over the Lordship. The Lordship title will however be stripped, meaning Ser Gustavo will not have a seat in the Imperial Council, and simply be dual Duke, or Grand Duke. The Lordship of San Cèlen will be reverted to its Ithanian name, Les Pays de Sud, and local barony families will be raised to Ducal status. As my decree drastically changes the political spectrum of the Archipelago however, I deem it necessary to re-invite the Lord Typhonus to the State Council, and welcome Ser Chen Fong as Councillor, as per advice of the Ser Anahera. My decree will officially take effect at the noon hour, which if the clock at the end of the hall indicates correctly, is in 2 miutes." A small silence covered the room, as the nobility had likely not expected the amount of changes that were just announced. In the distance, the ticking sound of the clock ticked away, heralding the moment of victory for the anti-Alejandro group. As the long arm hit one minute left, Alejandro suddenly stepped forward with the grin on his face that many would sorely miss after he would leave. He turned his gaze to Theodora as he spoke out: "As my last prerogative as Chancellor before the hour strikes, for the better interest of the state and the Emperor to be, the Half-Orc slave you have recently acquired is now the property of the Lord-Regent Chen Fong." As he finished speaking, the clock hit the hour and the bells started ringing in the distance of the Imperial city. The Imperial grand hall was as cold and silent as the grave however, Alejandro laying a final grin on the people who had orchestrated his fall from grace, before pacing out of the room trough the center, chin held high and documents of the Daendroquin lands under his arm. The Crown Prince watched him walk down the aisle, before turning back to the chambers behind the grand hall with a slight chuckle escaping him at the last act of the ex-Chancellor. As Alexander exited the room, an Imperial Herald stepped forward to announce: "As the State Council seat is vacant and there are no direct Kade or Anahera successors, the state enacts the tradition of the popular vote. Each realm may cast votes proportionate to their Earldoms owned on their favored candidate for the State Chancellor's position. There are no limitations on entry for said position, aside from being an Earl or up, and being born nobility, not made nobility. If you wish to register your vote, or votes, you are to send a letter to his excellency the Imperial Crown Prince, and then your vote will be set, unchangeable. The tally for votes will be made on the first of November to mark the beginning of the Winter Period. The Crown Prince wishes you all good fortune and good luck in your endeavors to secure the position for yourself, or your allies". As the statement was made, the herald raced back after the Crown Prince, leaving behind the collective nobility to respond to the announcements made.
Leugel stayed stone-faced throughout the entire proceedings and was glad to hear the Crown Prince's words. He was however, quite shocked when he was made a Viceroy although he comforted himself knowing that now no further issues could arise from his presence in the Arch. He merely raised an eyebrow at the mans final act, finding one of pure spite and one that showed his true nature. He then stayed and listened to the Hearlds speech before simply leaving the room. He needed to think, and he hoped some good candidates would come forward soon.
