The somber black dress with a Montesoran pin, for the funeral

The morning of the funeral dawned gray and solemn, a fitting backdrop to the day’s events. Isabella stood in her father's office, gazing out the tall windows at the mist that clung stubbornly to Montesoro’s jungles in the distance. The sprawling capital below seemed muted, its usual chaos replaced by an eerie quiet. The city, like the the rest of the country, was in mourning—at least on the surface.

Behind her, the low murmur of voices reminded her she was not alone. Her supporters, handpicked for their loyalty and competence in the previous days leading up to now, waited for her attention.

She turned to them. Her new Cabinet, the men and women who she could trust, who trusted her, stood ready and waiting, their faces grim.

Isabella scanned their faces, seeing her mother Emiko, her uncle Sato, Minister Valdes and...

(Author Note: [Sovereign Armed Forces] was an issue here, so anyone with this trait will have to manually select between Carlos and No one. You can click "Previous Chapter" to reload instead of restarting. Thanks!)