Stephano's POV
Stefano's been acting independently.
He's still using legacy frameworks.
He may be destabilizing coordination unintentionally.
By afternoon, concern became explanation.
By evening, explanation became consensus.
I watched it happen in real time, not from a distance, but from inside the rooms where people lowered their voices when I entered - not because they were afraid, but because they were embarrassed.
Embarrassment is the prelude to erasure.
A formal notice arrived just before nightfall.
No charges.
No suspension.
Just a statement of procedural misalignment and temporary loss of advisory confidence pending review.
Pending review is where inconvenient truths go to starve.
I signed the acknowledgment without protest.
That mattered.
Resistance would have complicated the narrative.
Compliance sealed it.
I was called into a council chamber I hadn't used in weeks.
Smaller.
Neutral.
Designed for resolution without spectacle.
Catherine wasn't there.
