"I've got no defense for what I've done these past ten years, Your Majesty."
Matthias bowed his head, his voice disturbingly calm for a man standing trial.
Dietrich had expected that answer. But it wasn't Matthias's words that made the Emperor's jaw tighten, it was the fleeting twitch at the corner of the Duke's mouth just before he lowered his gaze. A sly smirk, subtle enough that only Dietrich could catch it from the throne.
Matthias lifted his head again, eyes steady, unflinching.
"All I've done is keep Eisthal standing," he said, his tone dropping low, pressing like a weight. "You know damn well that land is forever shadowed by death. Monsters from the snow-choked mountains can descend at any moment to devour the villages, and disasters never sleep. Tell me, Your Majesty, haven't I been busy enough fighting all that?"
