"You drive a hard bargain, Van Dijk, indeed…they are," the Emperor said. "Everything under this land is my subject. But as my subjects have rights, they also have duties. Their right is for me to protect them from external forces and to guarantee them good living."
Van Dijk drew breath to remind him, succinctly, how that had gone; the raised hand-shadow behind the veil stilled his tongue.
"And their duty," the Emperor continued, "is to guarantee the safety of the empire. As you know, we are upon a great war with the Kingdom of the Sands. We have recognized that Tulmud's royals have been in cahoots with the enemy. Thus their elimination."
"Fair," Van Dijk conceded, grudgingly, "if that's what your intelligence is telling you. Still, too many died."
