By Jeanne Dupris, Nor Eastern EIC

20/9/282- The Imperial court of Nor Eastern is in an uproar today and a prominent Duchess finds herself under heavy scrutiny after her son was arrested this weekend.

The teenaged Lord Rodahn Despartes, son of  Duchess Amelie Despartes of Amaranth in Sau Anoit, was discovered on palace grounds Saturday night, dancing on the grave of Sir Rigel Rinkenbach. Witnesses to the offense paint a damning picture.

“I came across the boy, under the influence of spirits and perched upon Sir Rinkenbach’s headstone, which he had defaced with slander most foul concerning the deceased and Her Imperial Majesty,” said the palace guardsman who found Despartes. “He was surrounded by empty bottles, and when I approached he stood up and began dancing, or something like it, and yelling obscenities at the deceased. He very nearly fell off. I was more concerned with the boy’s safety at that point than with the crime, as Sir Rinkenbach’s headstone is over three meters high.”

This wouldn’t be the first time the young lord has run afoul of the law. He was arrested two years ago when he stole a motor carriage from a salesman. He made it half a kilometer before the carriage broke down and listed into a tea shop, sending patrons running for cover and cracking the storefront fenestration.

Empress Bastian is said to be livid at the incident, ordering Lord Despartes to be held in the palace cells until a trial can be held, which she will oversee personally. Duchess Amelie is said to have sent several entreaties to the Empress for mercy, but we are told the Empress has not responded.

The incident has already caused great scandal within the Imperial court, with several other Dukes and Lords demanding Despartes be stripped of all titles and lands. The monarch of Sau Anoit has yet to make a public statement on the matter, though it is said there is no love lost between the Queen and the Duchess.