He gave the Emperor respect without kneeling in gratitude.
"Now, for the second purpose of this visit… Andre, come forward." The Emperor said.
The phrase second purpose carried weight.
Everything before had been judgment and theater. This was now a controlled pivot into something else: reward, test, or demonstration.
The guards remained rigid, but their shame now mixed with curiosity, because a craftsman summoned to court usually meant a symbol was about to be unveiled.
Suddenly, a large, burly and old man came out. He had a beard that reached all the way to his chest. Clothes that felt far too noble and cumbersome for his size and presence. His arms were thick, and the calluses on his fingers were thicker than some of these nobles' thumbs.
