I don't flinch. I don't look away. I meet her gaze with the absolute confidence of a woman who knows her worth.
"I will hold the keys," I state firmly, straightening my back.
The Empress sets her quill down completely now, her full attention locked on me. "And why," she asks, her voice dropping to a dangerous, silky low, "do you think the Empire should fund something this massive and risky—something that is entirely 'yours'?"
I don't hesitate. I've rehearsed this in my head until it was burned into my brain.
"There are many benefits to doing so, Your Majesty," I begin, laying the first parchment out on her desk.
The Five-Point Proposal
I. Territorial Expansion: "This project is being built on the territory of our Guardian, Rhaegor. By developing the Dragon's Land under an Imperial patent, that territory effectively becomes a functional part of the Empire's mapped and managed domain."
