Before Duke Kimar could respond, Garius spoke again, smooth and composed.
"Since the ruler's seat is empty, the kingdom stands in a fragile hour. We all know how the currents shift when a throne is without its master. A poisoned cup here, a blade slipped in the dark there… and whispers, far sharper than steel, find their way into men's ears. Who can say where the next strike may fall?"
He let his hand rest on the carved cup, eyes gliding across the long table, meeting noble after noble.
"Precaution is not distrust, Your Grace. It is the natural duty of one who holds land, blood, and legacy in his charge. Would it be folly to entrust everything to unknown hands when one can safeguard what is his?"
His smile stayed faint and measured as he leaned back slightly.
"I bring only what is mine, that I may answer for it. Nothing more, nothing less. If some find fault in that… then perhaps they see shadows where I have lit only a lamp."
