When Duke Kiel's name is put forward in the struggle for the throne, Arsinoe sets a condition: he must prove he is not a puppet of the Empire. She raises the Lycan slaves moved from the Fortmeier Strait to Dauphine and the Empire's role in the war, citing the refugees in Phomnos as proof. Then she makes her move: she declares that she will hold the throne herself until the situation calms down and that she knows the cure for the disease that killed the king's children. With the Commander's support, she gives the council one day to decide.