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Chapter 148 - The Shark in Silk

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."

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