In the quiet depths of his private archive, Lucius methodically added another document to the growing case file against Archduke Orlov. Tonight's addition: a comprehensive inventory of Orlov's crumbling infrastructure, documented by observers who had risked much to gather this evidence.

  "Three centuries of records," Valerian noted, examining the meticulously organized shelves around them. "You've been preparing for this since before he fully embraced medieval regression."

  Lucius nodded, his fingers tracing the constitutional text open before him. "The removal of an Archduke requires absolute adherence to procedure. The precedent is clear but rarely invoked—only three times in our history."

  He pced a marker beside the relevant passage: An Archduke who fails to maintain territorial dignity, proper resource management, and physical appearance befitting the position may be removed through unanimous vote of remaining Archdukes.

  "Dante will require scientific evidence of mismanagement," Lucius observed, adding a note to the file. "Seraphina will need ecological impact documentation."

  "And Valerian?" his brother asked with the hint of a smile.

  "You require nothing beyond what you've already witnessed," Lucius replied, "but your military assessment of his defensive colpse will complete the file."

  Valerian examined the constitutional volume. "His removal would clear the path to kingship."

  "Eventually," Lucius agreed, his voice carrying the patience of millennia. "But the process must be impeccable. The constitutional requirements must be met with such overwhelming evidence that no future challenge could possibly succeed."

  He closed the volume with characteristic precision. "For now, we continue documenting. We cultivate retionships with the other Archdukes. We establish precedent through smaller cases."

  "And we wait," Valerian concluded.

  "We wait," Lucius confirmed, filing away another page of evidence. "As we have for centuries."