18 AUG 3309
Lady Florence Lavigny is recuperating from a serious illness, but the experience has prompted her to call for changes within the Imperial Family.
Official sources confirmed that the Imperial Mother remains under constant medical supervision at her home on Topaz, following a successful surgical procedure. Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has now returned to the Imperial Palace on Capitol, and is being regularly updated about her mother’s condition.
Countess Guinevere Lavigny, cousin to the Emperor and niece of Lady Lavigny, also visited Topaz. She told a local reporter:
“My aunt is now able to communicate properly for short periods, and is dwelling on the past a great deal. She talks about wanting to bring together our entire family, and resolving minor disagreements which have lingered for too long. This is something that my brother Lucius and I have always felt is long overdue, so I hope she gets her wish.”
The Imperial Herald’s royal correspondent Gudrun Vestergaard speculated:
“Uniquely, Florence Lavigny has earned the respect of everyone connected to the Imperial Family over the past decade. She alone could heal the rifts between Emperor Arissa, Princess Aisling and Hadrian Duval, which have become more pronounced in recent months. Minor members of the Empire’s ruling dynasty might also find their fortunes changed by the Imperial Mother’s plans.”
“It’s worth remembering that the details of Lady Lavigny’s illness were never made public. Are her calls for unity prompted by thoughts of mortality? Perhaps time is of the essence if she seeks to make lasting changes to the House of Duval.”