While unrest continued growing inside the palace, Griswold quietly began creating even greater unrest beyond its walls. Rumours spread through taverns, marketplaces, and village squares until they became impossible to contain, and before long the people no longer knew what to believe.
"Is it true the king plans to kill his own nephew?" one man whispered.
"I heard Julian and his mother have been locked inside the palace and are being tortured," another answered with certainty.
"There hasn't been a single peaceful day in the palace lately," someone else murmured uneasily. "If all these things keep happening, doesn't it mean something terrible is about to happen?"
The whispers spread from one person to another, growing louder with every retelling until fear itself became another weapon in Griswold's hands.
Meanwhile, Rowan had to devote even more time to dealing with the unrest among the people because none of the rumours spreading across Eryndor were true.
