Samuel suddenly went pale, a horrifying thought striking him. "Wait. Does the Emperor know about his parentage?"
"No, of course he doesn't," Heena replied, pouring herself a fresh cup of tea.
Samuel let out a massive, shuddering exhale, sagging against the stone table. "Oh, thank God. If the Emperor doesn't know, then maybe we can—"
He stopped. His eyes widened again as the absolute, undeniable reality of imperial politics crashed down on him.
"Wait. No! No thank God!" Samuel yelled, grabbing the edges of his hair again. "That venomous Prime Minister! The Minister of Rites! We just extorted their academy and ruined their sons! Do you have any idea how many people are going to aggressively search into this guy's past right now?! They are going to dig up every single record in the capital! Of course they are going to find out!"
Samuel pointed a trembling finger at Heena, who was currently reaching for a second cookie.
