I'm not sure about lordship, but council, definitely. Maybe it's a low chance?
The way this would make sense is if rumors got strong that this guy was dead. Since the guy's dead, might as well vacate the position. Even though he's not really dead-dead, because that doesn't happen due to infiltrator attacks, the invisible NPCs who influence BM in all aspects behind the scenes (You know, game code manifested as the minor nobility, the peasants, the court advisors, etc) don't know that. Even if the act isn't seen, the body's still there and someone is going to find it. Rumors will spread about what happened to that person, and if they get blown out of proportion and among the right audience, then the nobility might really think that guy's dead and find a new guy to replace him.
Later, the guy can come back and say he's alive and well and wants his position back.
