Still, he was the Emperor.
He could not openly take sides.
Not here.
Not like this.
So he shifted the topic.
"Kiara," he said calmly, his tone smooth but deliberate, "there is another matter we need to discuss."
A pause.
"It concerns the Kunyu bandits."
Kiara had been waiting for that.
She did not even let him finish.
"Your Majesty," she said, her voice steady, "I have already explained this to them, and I will repeat it to you."
Her gaze remained calm, but her words were precise.
"I have no personal relationship with those bandits. I handed that boy to them because I believed they would be interested."
A faint pause.
"And perhaps that left a good impression."
Her lips curved slightly.
"Which is why they placed a large order."
She leaned back slightly.
"There is nothing more to it."
The Archbishop of the Church of Thanatos leaned forward slightly, his expression tightening as he spoke.
"That order is exactly the problem."
His voice carried weight.
Authority.
