It was no wonder Minister Brodaya hated Dyon. This was all the fault of him.

Dyon didn’t, not even for an instant, blame Michael. And, in truth, neither did the previous owner of this body. If it wasn’t for Michael’s insistence, Dyon would have pretended like it hadn’t happened at all. However, this was something that only Dyon and Michael knew… To everyone else, Michael was sent away in a fit of his own anger.

Now that Michael was dead, even if Dyon told this story, it was hard to say how many would believe him. It would only seem like he was trying to cover his own tracks doing such a thing.

From these memories, Dyon realized two things.

For one, Michael was banished. Therefore, Dyon was wrong about him being a scout. He likely just caught wind of something he shouldn’t have and ignored his banishment to rush back to the clan to inform them.

Secondly, the reports he asked for weren’t perfect. Not a single one had anything about these events within their pages. That meant that, in all likelihood, this was something the previous King had ordered to never be talked about again. Or else the ministers who put together the report would have never missed something so important.

So, the question was whether or not there were any other things of importance that were left off of the reports. It seemed Dyon needed to be wary. He was too naïve in believing he would receive a perfect accounting.

At the moment though, Dyon ignored this. He was facing his first major dilemma as a King. Before, everything had been smooth and logical, one plan just made sense in flowing into the next. However, now, he was dealing with emotions much too complex to make a quick and assertive decision on.

On one hand, Minister Brodaya had to be made an example of. He was a member of the upper echelon of their society. If he could break the rules and get away with it, what kind of precedent would that set?

On the other hand, Brodaya had every right to blame him. This King was much too incompetent. He couldn’t even understand the feelings of those closest to him, how could he understand the feelings of the people he ruled then?

Luckily, though, it seemed Amphorae wasn’t willing to allow Dyon to carry this burden all on his own. She didn’t ask Dyon for permission to speak. Much like a real Queen, she simply stepped in when she deemed it appropriate, causing Dyon to inwardly nod with satisfaction. The Amphorae of a day ago would definitely not have done this. It was clear she wanted to take this opportunity to place a stamp on the hearts of the ministers before Dyon left.

“As a father,” She began, “It is important for you to protect your son. As a family head, it is important for you to protect your honor.”

Minister Brodaya looked up at Amphorae with complex emotions, it was likely, and maybe irrationally, that the person he hated the third most in this world was Amphorae. The first was Dyon. The second was Luna. And the third was her.

To him, if Amphorae had accepted his son’s invitation, how could his son be dead now? Instead, she decided to side with an inferior man. Was his son not good enough?

“However,” Amphorae’s eyes became sharp, radiating the Presence of a Queen, “You’ve failed in both aspects.”

Minister Brodaya’s feature twisted with an ugly expression.

The minsters were shocked by her words. Many of them thought that Amphorae would take a softer approach. After all, many of them had deeply engrained biases against women. They knew that Amphorae had a cold exterior, but did that also come with a strong heart?

Dyon couldn’t help but shake his head in disdain for such thoughts. Amphorae weathered through humiliation for decades, all in the name of doing her duty – a duty she was born into and had no choice about. And yet, in the face of temptation, in the face of a better man and a better life, she turned it all down.

With Michael’s talent, how could they not flourish elsewhere in the universe? With her talent, how could she not be a pillar to his growth? Together, they could have become something great. Yet, Amphorae turned it all down for the life of a humiliated and neglected concubine.

If anyone had the rights to say the words she was saying, it was her.

“Michael was young and naïve. He was kind hearted, and thought what he was doing was for the best. However, the truth of the matter was that he was blinded by his emotion, something that you, as an elder, should have been able to help him through.

“And yet, not only were you not there for him to avoid this mistake of his, you actually tarnish his memory by betraying the people he so fervently wanted to protect?

“You’ve failed as a father by not understanding the heart of your son. And you’ve failed as a clan head by not protecting the honor of your family? Is this what you wanted? For the successor of the Brodaya family to be dead and for its current head to be labeled as a traitor?

“Tell me, how is it that you haven’t failed?”

Silence reigned over the throne room…