After talking to the emperor, I felt emotionally drained, like a lemon from which every drop of juice had been squeezed out. My whole body felt numb, and my heart was pounding, as if to remind me that it was still alive and beating, despite my exhaustion.
Yes, this happened every time I had to deal with him. No matter how prepared I was, no matter how hard I tried to control myself, there was always that subtle tremor inside that betrayed my tension.
Even for me, hardened by endless stressful situations and accustomed to tension, it was still difficult to remain completely calm when faced with the most powerful man in the empire. His presence was physically palpable — the tension in the air, his quiet but unrelenting gaze that seemed capable of reading thoughts and intentions as if they were an open book.
