Caelen's eyes finally turned to me. They burned.
"That you were the fire. That every cry, every corpse dragged from ash is your doing. That the people who whisper you are cursed are not liars, but witnesses."
The chamber shifted. A few heads lowered, others stared openly.
"And what would that achieve?" I asked coolly. "Would my confession rebuild the market? Feed the merchants? Bring back the dead?"
He leaned forward, knuckles white against the table. "It would tell them their queen is not so cruel as to pretend ignorance."
I smiled faintly, though nothing in me was amused. "Pretend? I do not deny the flames came from me."
Gasps rippled, sharp intakes of breath cutting the silence. I let them have their moment before continuing.
"But neither will I stand here to weep like some penitent child. What is done is done. My task is not to wallow in blame but to restore order. That is the duty of a ruler."
