"…That wretch leaked information about my father!" Caesar's brows furrowed sharply, his voice booming. "There is no crime greater than this!"
"What did you just say?!" Renara's body trembled, her face pale with disbelief. "That's impossible! Elinor may have strayed from the right path, yes, but everything she did was to protect herself and to safeguard the Nine Paths Empire! She would never—she couldn't—do something like this!"
"Are empires protected these days by spreading their legs?" Caesar let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Choose your words carefully!" Renara snapped back fiercely. "She did all of this to grow stronger, to stand by my side and shield the empire from its enemies! Maybe she sought to continue growing, to gain enough strength to influence their decisions, perhaps even to destroy them from within. Perhaps—"
