The speech Henry had prepared was completely derailed by a single sentence from the Emperor.
He stood frozen, torn between taking a seat or first explaining what had just happened. The Emperor seemed to notice his hesitation. Shaking his head, he pointed to the chair beside him. Henry had no choice but to go over and sit down.
The Emperor first asked Henry a series of questions: how his feoff was developing, if he was encountering any difficulties, whether he was applying what he had learned at the academy, and, as an outstanding graduate, if he felt the curriculum needed any additions or improvements.
This left Henry a little flustered. The Emperor had always been like a true mentor to him, and this level of personal concern made him nervously tug at the corner of his clothes.
"Headmaster, the development of my feoff is proceeding smoothly, it's just..." Henry paused. He didn't know how to bring up the recent chaos and his own suspicions.
