The hall fell deathly silent. The emperor stared at the crown prince as if he were looking at a stranger wearing his son's face. The disappointment in his eyes ran deeper than anger, deeper even than betrayal.
"…So that's it," the emperor said quietly. "That is what you truly think."
The crown prince spread his hands slightly. "It's the truth. The hidden orders were power. Real power. Not this fragile balance you clung to."
"If you had cooperated, if you had used them instead of fearing them, the Great Western Desert would already stand above the other empires. We could have owned the entire light faction. We could have been the rulers of this whole continent and not just this measly, dry, useless land."
"And what would it stand on?" the emperor asked. "Bones?"
The prince smiled thinly. "Every empire is built on bones. You just refused to admit it."
"I don't see any point in continuing this conversation." Damon finally spoke up.
