Fillmore slammed the edict onto the council table.
"The edict names three women for the Criminal Bureau—who dares disagree?" he said.
A clerk near the back stood immediately. "Minister Michel—this is unprecedented. The Bureau handles investigations, prisons, and matters men of experience—"
"Experience is not a family name," Fillmore cut in. "Read the names."
"Assistant Clerk Dani Graham of Westford County," the clerk read, voice wavering under the hall's gaze. "Assistant Clerk Juliana Wagner of House Wagner. Assistant Clerk Lucy Murray of East Gate."
There was a ripple through the hall, quick and sharp.
"Assistant Clerk?" a retired commander scoffed. "We are turning the Criminal Bureau into a training ground for novices. We have patrols, interrogations, prisons. This is dangerous."
Fillmore did not flinch. "Dangerous when incompetence is left to fester. Dangerous when relatives shield the guilty. The emperor ordered reform. The edict stands."
"He is asking us to risk the Bureau's reputation for a political experiment," another voice said. "The Three Courts are delicate."
"Then prove it wrong by work," Colton said from where he stood near the doorway. His tone held the hall's attention. "If they are to serve, let them stand trial by work."
Whispers slid into silence. Colton's gaze moved across the crowd and landed on the young woman in the second row—thin, practical tunic, hair pinned like a provincial clerk. He did not smile. He did not condescend. He only watched.
"Work," Fillmore repeated. "Not favor. Not pedigree
