**[BALLROOM - POST-ANNOUNCEMENT, CONTINUED]**
The Grand Hall had settled into what Riyan privately categorized as "productive chaos"—not the explosive shock of the initial announcement, but the sustained processing phase where political operators began calculating their new positions in a fundamentally altered hierarchy.
Riya remained at the grand staircase's base, Rai beside her. Both women radiated the kind of calm authority that came from knowing they'd just detonated a controlled explosion and watching it work exactly as planned.
A cluster of Department Heads approached. Not the angry S-rank from earlier—these were the calculators. The ones who'd already run the numbers and recognized which way the wind was blowing.
"Councilor Descartes," the lead Department Head began. Her voice was carefully neutral. "The implementation timeline. Thirty days for re-evaluation—that's extraordinarily aggressive for a complete system replacement."
