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After a few more anxious days, the bureau member I had sent to find Cecil returned to Senges.
He even bypassed the usual formalities and knelt before me, exclaiming "Your Majesty, Count Pargos has started a rebellion!"
"A rebellion? Where are the rebels and how large is their force?"
"The thing is... Philander has fallen."
I jumped up from my seat. The news of Pargos starting a rebellion was shocking enough, but to hear that Philander had already been captured was beyond belief.
Feeling ominous, I had been anxiously waiting for the member's return these past few days, but I never expected such news.
"Has the Imperial Palace fallen into Pargos' hands?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Count Pargos led his soldiers in an attack on the palace, and it fell without much resistance. His force is estimated to be around two thousand men."
