"Let me make sure I understand this clearly…" Robin's gaze sharpened as he fixed Althera with his full attention, his tone serious, probing, trying to ensure he hadn't misunderstood her. "Your definition of reasonable is that you will not ask me to shut down MY Academy, you will not demand that I dissolve MY empire, and instead, you will settle for a mere one hundred billion pearls per century rather than asking for a full trillion—correct?"
"Exactly," Althera said firmly, nodding once with unmistakable conviction. Her eyes were unwavering, her posture noble, radiating authority, as if she were a monarch issuing a decree rather than making a request.
