Read Novel Full Chapter 483: Offending Empress??
Chapter 483: Offending Empress??
"And what is that truth?" Razeal asked, his voice remaining calm and controlled, almost as if he didn’t already know the answer. His expression didn’t change, his eyes still locked onto hers, but there was something deeper behind the question. It wasn’t curiosity. Not completely. He wasn’t asking because he was unaware of what she would say. He was asking because he wanted to hear it from her own mouth. He wanted her to finally speak the words she had avoided for so long.
Merisa looked into his eyes silently for a few moments, and the longer she stared at him, the heavier the feeling inside her became. There was no escaping it anymore. No hiding behind misunderstandings, no hiding behind doubts, no trying to convince herself that things could have been different. She had finally reached the point where she had to face everything she had done.
"The truth..." she slowly began, her voice quiet but clear, "is that I was a failure as a mother."
Those words left her mouth with a strange heaviness, as if admitting them hurt more than any punishment could. Her eyes never left his, even though they were already filled with pain and guilt. She wasn’t trying to gain sympathy. She wasn’t trying to make herself look like the victim. She was simply saying the truth she had finally accepted.
"I am sorry..." Her voice trembled slightly.
"I failed you..."
For a moment, she hesitated, her throat tightening as she reached the last word. A word that once felt natural. A word that once carried warmth.
"Son."
The moment that word left her mouth, something inside Razeal reacted before he could even control it.
"Don’t." The word came out instantly.
Cold and Sharp.. His vampire crimson eyes slightly intensified as he looked at her, his expression changing for the first time. It wasn’t just anger. It was something more complicated. Something that had been buried deep inside him and had been touched by that single word.
Son?
That word.
A word he had heard from her before. A word that once meant something. He hates it to very core. Disgusting..
Merisa’s body slightly trembled at his sudden reaction. The coldness in his voice and the disgust that flashed in his eyes hurt far more than she expected. It wasn’t first time but hearing him reject that word so strongly still pierced her.
Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to explain something, wanted to say something that could somehow reduce the pain between them, but no words came out. She slowly closed her mouth again and swallowed everything back.
Because what could she even say?
She knew why he reacted like that. She understood it. And that made it hurt even more.
The atmosphere between them became heavier, filled with emotions that neither of them knew how to handle. Razeal’s eyes remained cold, while Merisa continued standing there, carrying the weight of every mistake she had made.
But then suddenly, another voice entered the silence.
"Oh, also, I have some good news for you, nephew."
Nerrisa’s voice came from the side, breaking through the tense atmosphere between them.
"I am sure you would like it."
Both of them turned slightly toward her.
Nerrisa had a small smile on her face as if she had deliberately chosen this moment to interrupt. Whether she was genuinely trying to cool down the situation between them or whether she simply had her own reasons, it was hard to tell with her. She was always unpredictable. But seeing the heavy emotions between Razeal and Merisa, she clearly understood that if she didn’t step in, things might only become worse.
Razeal’s bright crimson eyes slowly dimmed as he turned his head toward Nerrisa. His expression returned to its usual cold calmness, though the previous emotion was still buried somewhere underneath.
"The truth has been revealed throughout the entire Empire," Nerrisa said, her voice carrying a bit of happiness. "It won’t be long before the news of your innocence reaches the entire world."
She looked at him with a satisfied smile, clearly expecting a reaction.
After everything that had happened, after all the hatred and misunderstanding he had faced, this was something that should have made him happy.
At least, that was what she thought.
Sofia, who had been standing nearby, almost jumped in surprise when she heard those words. Her eyes widened, and for a moment she couldn’t even believe what she was hearing.
"Is that really true?" Her voice carried obvious excitement and disbelief. Because this was something huge.
Razeal’s name had been stained for so long as she had found out. The image people had of him, the things they believed about him, the way the world looked at him, all of it had been affected by those accusations. She had thought as how she could correct this but really unable to find any solution afterall.. Whatver she does what proof does she have?
But now... It was finally being corrected?
Sofia felt happiness rising inside her because she knew how much this mattered. She knew how unfair it had been. She didn’t know how Nerrisa managed to make it happen, but if an Emperor-level existence was saying it, then it had to be true.
However, while Sofia reacted with shock and happiness, both Merisa and Nerrisa were focused entirely on Razeal.
Especially Nerrisa.
She was watching him carefully, waiting. She wanted to see his reaction.
She wanted to see his expression change.
Maybe he would finally smile.
Maybe he would finally show happiness.
Maybe he would ask how it happened, who revealed the truth, and what exactly they did.
Honestly, she was looking forward to that.
Because she knew his personality. She knew how much he had suffered because of the world’s misunderstanding. So she expected this news to affect him deeply.
But...
Razeal didn’t react the way they expected. Actually his expression barely changed.
His mouth slowly twisted into something closer to quiet contempt than happiness. He looked at their faces, at the way they were watching him, at the expectations written clearly in their eyes, and it almost seemed like he found it strange.
They expected him to be excited?
Happy?
Overjoyed?
As if he would suddenly forget everything because people finally decided to believe the truth?
For a moment, he just stared at them. Because yes, logically, this should have mattered.
This was his reputation.
This was how the world viewed him.
This was the stain that had followed him.
But somewhere along the way... He had stopped caring.
Not because it didn’t hurt.
It did.
But because he had spent so long hearing hatred, insults, and judgment that eventually it became something normal.
He had just started ignoring it im all honesty.
People hated him.
People looked down on him.
People cursed him without knowing him. And what had they really done besides that?
Nothing.
They didn’t try to understand.
They didn’t care about the truth.
They simply chose what was easier to believe.
And after experiencing that for so long, Razeal had stopped expecting anything different from them.
Even if one or two reasons behind their hatred disappeared, would they truly change?
Would they suddenly accept him?
Would they suddenly regret everything?
He doubted it.
Because once people decided to hate someone, they always found another reason.
So hearing that the truth was finally revealed...
Yeah. It happened and that was all. It didn’t feel like the victory they expected. It didn’t feel like some great relief.
It was simply something that happened. Something that should have mattered more than it did.
And that realization itself was probably the saddest part.
People wouldn’t suddenly jump in happiness. They wouldn’t cry and regret everything they had done. They wouldn’t suddenly start loving him or realize the way they treated him and completely change overnight. Razeal understood people too well for that. Most likely, when the truth reached them, they would simply become awkward. Some would feel uncomfortable because they realized they were wrong, some might feel a little pity for him, wondering how cruel his fate had been, and some might simply say that life was unfair and that he had suffered too much.
But would they truly care? Would they suddenly see him differently? Maybe some would, but most wouldn’t. Because people were complicated. It was easy to judge someone when everyone else was doing it, but accepting that they had been wrong was a different matter. And honestly, after everything, Razeal didn’t care anymore. Their opinions had already stopped having meaning to him a long time ago.
"Are you not happy?" Nerrisa’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She frowned slightly while looking at his expressionless face, clearly confused. She had expected something different. She expected at least a little happiness, maybe a smile, maybe some reaction that showed how much this mattered to him. After everything he had gone through, after carrying that false reputation for so long, this should have been something that finally gave him relief.
"I am happy." Razeal replied calmly. His face remained completely blank, without even the slightest change in expression.
But inside, somewhere deep in his mind, he admitted it.
Yeah.
He was happy. Just not in the way they expected.
The problem was that happiness wasn’t always something loud. Sometimes it was just a quiet acceptance. Sometimes it was simply knowing that something wrong had finally been corrected. It didn’t erase everything that happened before. It didn’t bring back the years he spent being hated. It didn’t change all the things people had said about him.
And Nerrisa immediately gave him a look.
A look that clearly said she didn’t believe him at all.
"Right..." She dragged the word slightly, staring at him with obvious disbelief.
"And now I wonder what face you make when you’re actually unhappy."
Her tone carried a little disappointment, almost as if she was genuinely curious. She had expected more from him. She wanted to see him react, wanted to see that cold expression finally break for once.
But even then, she didn’t give up. Her lips curved upward again, returning to her playful expression.
"So do you want to guess what happened? I am sure you will be shocked."
Razeal slowly turned his eyes toward her.
The look he gave her was almost like he was saying, Seriously? Woman?
Did she really think he would play along with guessing games right now?
"Does it really matter?" He asked plainly.
Nerrisa paused slightly, but her smile didn’t disappear.
Because that answer itself told her something.
He wasn’t completely unaffected.
He just wasn’t the same person anymore.
"The truth is..." she began, her voice becoming slightly warmer, "Selena and Celestia confessed your innocence in the Grand Plaza."
Razeal’s eyes moved slightly.
"In front of the entire public."
She continued, watching him carefully.
"They told everyone the truth. Themselves."
For the first time, a tiny change appeared in Razeal’s expression.
His eyes widened slightly.
Not much.
Just enough to show that the information had actually reached him.
But a second later, his expression returned to normal.
However, Nerrisa noticed.
She noticed that small reaction.
And she smiled slightly.
Because even though he tried to hide it, he was surprised.
Very surprised.
Selena.
Razeal had expected many things from her, but he honestly never believed she would actually go through with something like this. She had promised him before that she would reveal everything, but promises were easy to make and difficult to keep. Especially when keeping them meant destroying everything she had built for herself.
Selena wasn’t just some ordinary person.
She was a symbol.
A Saintess.
Someone who represented faith, love, purity, and truth itself in the eyes of many people. Her entire identity was built around that image. The world looked at her as someone perfect, someone righteous, someone who could do no wrong.
But admitting the truth publicly?
That would damage everything. It would destroy the image she had spent years creating.
And yet... She did it?
Razeal was genuinely surprised. But what shocked him even more was the other name.
Celestia??
That was something he never expected.
Because Celestia was someone who cared deeply about her image. Someone who had always worried about how others saw her. Someone who had protected her reputation even when it came at the cost of others.
Especially him.
She had literally chosen to sacrifice him because she believed standing beside him would ruin her own image. She thought being connected to someone like him would make her look weak. She feared people questioning her, mocking her, looking down on her because of him.
She had held onto that fear for years. And because of that, she let him suffer.
Razeal had even thought after Sofia slapped her back in the Empire, her pride would burn completely. He expected her to become furious. He expected her to hate him, to believe he was the reason she was humiliated, and maybe even try to take revenge.
Because that was how serious Celestia was about certain things.
If something touched her pride, he believed she would go to extremes. But instead... She did this?
She stood in front of everyone and destroyed the very image she cared about so much. That was something Razeal couldn’t understand.
For a moment, he simply stood there silently, processing it.
Nerrisa looked at him with a small smile, noticing the silence. She could tell the news had affected him even if he wasn’t showing it. She had expected this reaction. She wanted to see what kind of expression he would make when he realized what those two women had done for him.
Meanwhile, Sofia stood beside him and watched his reaction carefully. Her expression became slightly complicated.
Because she saw it too.
The silence.
The slight change in his eyes.
The fact that he was actually affected. And a thought appeared in her mind.
Did he still have feelings for them? Her eyes moved toward his side profile, watching him without blinking.
But before she could think any further, Razeal’s next words slightly changed everything.
As Razeal simply shook his head after hearing Nerrisa’s words. His expression remained the same as before, calm and unreadable, as if the information she had just given him wasn’t something that carried any special weight anymore.
"It doesn’t matter," he said simply. His voice wasn’t filled with anger or bitterness. He didn’t say it to reject what they did, nor was he trying to act indifferent on purpose. It was just the truth of how he felt. After spending so long being hated, judged, and looked down upon by people who never even tried to understand him, the thought of finally clearing his name didn’t create the feeling it should have.
The moment those words left his mouth, Nerrisa’s small satisfied smile slowly disappeared. She had been waiting for this reaction. She had been expecting to see something from him, even if it was only a small change in his expression. She wanted to see him acknowledge it, wanted to see that the burden he had carried for so long had finally become lighter. But instead, he just dismissed it with two simple words.
"It doesn’t matter?" Her eyebrows raised slightly as she looked at him in disbelief. "What do you mean it doesn’t matter?" she asked, her voice carrying obvious confusion. "That’s it? You are not going to say anything?"
She stared at him as if she genuinely couldn’t understand his reaction.
"That was always what you wanted, wasn’t it?" she continued, her voice becoming slightly more emotional. "Your image being cleared. The truth finally being known. Getting the justice you deserved after everything that happened to you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly while looking at his emotionless face.
"And this is your reaction?"
She almost sounded disappointed now. Not angry, not because she wanted to force happiness out of him, but because she knew what this meant to him once. She knew how much he had suffered because of people’s misunderstanding. She knew how many times he had been blamed for things he didn’t do. So seeing him react like this felt strange.
"Not even a little happiness? Not even a little emotion?" Her voice softened slightly.
"They chose to do this kido. They made that decision themselves. Do you even understand how difficult it was for them?"
She looked at him seriously.
"Those girls had to sacrifice a lot to reveal the truth. Their reputations. Their images. Everything they built for themselves."
She paused.
"They deserve little recognition for what they chose. Dont they?"
But before she could continue, Razeal interrupted her.
"This isn’t justice." His words cut through hers immediately.
"This is just a confession."
The interruption was so sudden that Nerrisa’s lips remained slightly open for a moment, frozen in the middle of speaking. Her eyes twitched slightly because of the unexpected cut-off. Even among powerful beings, very few would dare interrupt her like that, not even those who stood at the highest levels of existence. Most would hesitate. Most would carefully choose every word around her.
But Razeal didn’t.
He simply said what he thought.
And for a brief moment, Nerrisa’s pride naturally reacted. A small spark of irritation rose inside her because she wasn’t used to being interrupted, especially not while she was speaking. But that feeling quickly disappeared when she looked at him.
Because it was Razeal.
Her nephew.
Someone she was genuinely fond of right now. Someone her daughter cared about as well.
So instead of becoming angry, she let it go.
Still, she looked at him with a slightly narrowed gaze.
"I will forgive you for this once," Nerrisa said, tilting her head slightly to the side. Her voice was calm, but there was still a warning hidden beneath it. "Don’t cut me off in the middle of speaking again."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Or I will kill you." She said it so casually that it almost sounded like she was talking about something ordinary.
Razeal looked at her.
"Oh?" His expression didn’t change.
There was no fear in his eyes, no nervousness, no hesitation. He simply stared at her as if her threat was just another sentence.
And at that exact moment, another presence changed the atmosphere.
Merisa, who had been standing beside Nerrisa silently until now, suddenly released a small amount of killing intent.
Not enough to attack. Not enough to destroy. It was completely controlled.
But it was there.
Focused only on Nerrisa.
Her eyes moved toward her from the corner, her expression becoming extremely cold.
"You dare threaten my son?"
The words came from Merisa’s lips in a quiet voice, but the temperature around them seemed to drop.
Nerrisa slowly turned her head toward her. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Merisa.
Her eyes became strangely emotionless.
Dangerously calm.
"I will kill you too."
She said it without hesitation. Without anger or excitement excitement. Almost like she was simply stating a fact.
Merisa’s expression changed slightly, and then she fully turned toward Nerrisa.
Now they stood face to face.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them looked away. The atmosphere instantly becoming heavier now.
Sofia, who had been standing nearby, felt her body naturally straighten. A sense of pressure filled the surroundings. The terrifying presence radiating from both women was enough to make even strong beings feel fear.
Yet neither of them was releasing their full power.
They were controlling it.
Suppressing it.
Because if they allowed even a small part of their true aura to spread freely, the entire battlefield around them could be destroyed.
The ground.
The space.
Everything. Just from their presence alone.
"You know you won’t be able to resist anything if I truly decide to kill you," Nerrisa said calmly, looking directly into Merisa’s eyes. There was no arrogance in her tone because to her, it was simply reality. She wasn’t trying to prove superiority. She was stating what she believed was an undeniable fact.
Merisa didn’t deny it. She knew.
She understood the difference between them. But instead of lowering her head, she raised her chin slightly.
Her eyes remained firm.
"And what happens after that?"
The atmosphere became even more delicate.
A single wrong movement.
A single wrong word.
And everything could change.
Merisa didn’t step back.
She didn’t show fear. Because even if she knew the gap between them, she still stood there.
Not as someone who wanted to challenge Nerrisa’s strength.
But as someone protecting the person she had already failed once.
Before either of them could continue, Razeal’s calm voice suddenly entered the silence.
"I don’t need protection from anyone." His words were quiet.
Controlled. But they carried more weight than any shout.
"And definitely not yours..."
His eyes moved toward Merisa.
"...Virelan Matriarch."
"And as for killing me...?" Razeal suddenly spoke, his calm voice breaking apart the tense atmosphere that had formed between Nerrisa and Merisa. Both women instinctively shifted their attention toward him. "Empress, trust me. There will be consequences."
His tone wasn’t loud. He wasn’t trying to sound intimidating. In fact, he sounded almost casual. As if he was merely stating an obvious fact rather than speaking to the most powerful person currently alive. Yet somehow that made the words even heavier. The moment he spoke, the dangerous tension between Nerrisa and Merisa weakened. The invisible pressure hanging in the air slowly withdrew back into their bodies as both women unconsciously focused on him instead.
Nerrisa slowly turned her head toward him. Her face was completely expressionless.
Gone was the amusement.
Gone was the teasing smile.
Her platinum eyes looked directly into his face, cold and unreadable.
For a few moments she simply stared at him.
Then she spoke.
"Is that a warning?" Her voice was delicately calm.
The kind of calmness that usually came before something dangerous. Her gaze remained fixed on him.
"I can’t even remember when was the last time someone dared to warn me."
There was no arrogance in her voice.
No need for it. Because it was simply true.
People didn’t warn Nerrisa.
People feared her.
People obeyed her.
People carefully measured every word they spoke around her.
Yet this young man standing in front of her continued speaking as if none of those things mattered.
"No." Razeal shook his head slightly.
"That wasn’t a warning, Empress." His crimson eyes met hers directly.
"It was a threat."
Silence.
A complete silence fell over the surroundings.
"Threaten me again and I shall have your cut off head beneath my feet." His voice remained calm.
Emotionless.
As if he was discussing the weather.
As if he genuinely didn’t care who he was speaking to.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of fear on his face.
No hesitation.
No nervousness.
Nothing.
For a moment nobody spoke.
Sofia’s entire body stiffened. Her eyes widened so much they almost hurt.
She slowly turned toward Razeal, genuinely unable to believe what she had just heard.
Did he really just say that?
To this monster lf a women?
Even Merisa’s eyes widened her heart almost stopped. The first thing she felt wasn’t shock.
It was fear not for herself
For him.
Extreme fear her body instinctively tensed. Her gaze instantly snapped toward Nerrisa as her mind was already preparing for the worst.
If Nerrisa attacked... If she became angry...
If she decided to punish him...
Merisa was prepared to throw herself in front of him.
Even if it meant dying. Even if she knew it was pointless.
She wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she stood any chance against Nerrisa.
Nobody understood that gap better than she did.
To the rest of the world, Nerrisa was simply ranked first while Merisa was ranked second.
Only one rank apart.
Only one position apart. But Merisa knew the truth.
That gap wasn’t one step.
It was an abyss.
A difference so large that even she couldn’t properly measure it.
The distance between the strongest and everyone else was terrifying.
Which made Razeal’s words seem even crazier. The sheer audacity behind them was unbelievable.
Yet before anyone could react...
Merisa froze.
?
Because Nerrisa wasn’t angry. She wasn’t smiling either.
Nor amused neither mocking.
Rather... She was frowning?
A genuine deep frown?
And that confused Merisa far more than anger would have.
Why was she frowning?
Why did she look... puzzled?
The confusion on Nerrisa’s face.
The lack of fury.
Merisa found herself unable to understand what was happening. Inside Nerrisa’s mind, however, something very different was happening.
Because unlike most people, she possessed an ability very similar to her daughter’s.
She could perceive truth.
Enough to know when someone truly believed what they were saying.
Enough to distinguish empty bravado from genuine conviction.
And looking at Razeal right now... She became confused.
Because he meant it.
Every word of it.
He genuinely believed he could do it?
He genuinely believed he could kill her.
And that made no sense.
Absolutely none.
Her frown deepened.
Does he not understand the difference between us?
The thought appeared in her mind immediately.
But she dismissed it just as quickly.
No.. Razeal wasn’t stupid. If there was one thing she knew about him now it was that he wasn’t stupid. He had literally witnessed her power firsthand just now.
He had seen what she was capable of.
He had experienced the gap himself.
There was no way he could be ignorant of it
And yet... The conviction inside his words remained real.
Which left her with a problem.
Where exactly was that confidence coming from?
"I would prefer not to use certain methods." Razeal suddenly shrugged.
His expression remained completely relaxed.
"Some things can go wrong for me if I use them."
He paused briefly.
"But if someone truly pushes me far enough..." His crimson eyes looked directly at her.
"...I won’t care anymore."
Nerrisa’s eyes narrowed further.
Again? Truth?
He wasn’t bluffing. And that only made her more confused.
Methods?
What methods?
What exactly was he talking about?
For the first time since meeting him, Nerrisa found herself genuinely curious.
Not amused.
Not entertained.
Curious. Because the confidence he possessed wasn’t normal.
And somehow... She felt he wasn’t speaking nonsense.
"What kind of methods?" The question escaped her mouth before she even realized it. But a moment later she shook her head.
"No." She dismissed the thought.
"It doesn’t matter." Her expression softened slightly. Not because she was backing down.
But because she honestly felt the conversation had become ridiculous. She looked directly into his eyes.
"You know..." Her voice became calmer.
"I’ll give you a little advice."
The atmosphere relaxed slightly.
"Never risk something important over something small."
Her words carried genuine sincerity not mockery or arrogance. Just an actual advice.
Because despite everything, she liked him a little .
"I only warned you not to do something I dislike."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That’s all." A small sigh escaped her.
"The smart choice would be to laugh it off, take a step back, and avoid making the same mistake again."
Her platinum eyes remained fixed on him. Because in her eyes, this entire situation was absurd.
"You are talking about risking your life over something so insignificant."
Her voice remained calm.
"That isn’t worth it."
And for perhaps the first time since meeting him... Nerrisa wasn’t speaking as an Empress.
She was speaking as someone genuinely giving advice to a younger person she found interesting.
Razeal slowly nodded his head at Nerrisa’s words as if he genuinely understood what she was trying to say. There wasn’t any mockery on his face this time nor did he look offended by her advice. Instead he simply stood there quietly for a few moments, his crimson eyes lowering slightly as if thinking about something. Then he looked back up at her. His expression was strangely calm.
"Would you answer one question for me, Empress?" he suddenly asked.
Nerrisa narrowed her eyes slightly at the abrupt question. Looking at his face she could tell this wasn’t something random. There was meaning behind it.
"What is it?" she asked back.
Razeal looked directly into her eyes for several moments before finally speaking.
"Do you cherish your life?" The question caused a brief pause.
Nerrisa looked at him silently, not fully understanding what he meant. Was this another threat? Was he trying to imply something?
Before she could answer, however, Razeal simply shrugged.
"Because i don’t." His answer came so naturally that even Nerrisa was slightly surprised.
"My life doesn’t interest me. There is nothing in it that I particularly cherish. I’m only still alive because there are people who want me dead and i dont want to let them have it that way. And my life? Also because I don’t really have a reason to end it myself." His voice remained completely calm as if he was discussing something ordinary. There was no sadness in his voice. No self-pity. No dramatic emotion. And somehow that made the words even heavier because everyone present could tell he genuinely meant them. His eyes looked tired. Not broken. Not hopeless. Just tired. As if life itself had become something he carried around simply because it existed.
"At this point I think I’m someone who might gamble his life away over something stupid if I felt annoyed enough," he continued with another small shrug.
"There really isn’t anything precious enough for me to desperately protect. I could attack your Empire right now on a whim if I wanted to. Not because I hate you. Not because I have some grand reason. Just because I felt like it. The only reason I don’t is because I choose not to, not because I’m afraid of your power or scared of the consequences." His dead crimson eyes met hers again.
"So don’t give me ideas, Empress. Trust me. My life is the last thing I care about."
At those words complete silence fell over the area. Sofia’s expression stiffened because she could immediately tell he wasn’t trying to sound cool. He wasn’t bluffing again? He truly meant every word he said.
Merisa felt something twist painfully inside her chest because listening to him speak so casually about his own life made her feel a guilt she could barely describe.
Meanwhile Nerrisa remained staring at him, her platinum eyes fixed firmly on his face. Unlike the others she could sense something deeper. Truth. Every word he spoke carried genuine conviction. There was no lie in it. No exaggeration. And that confused her.
"I might aswell be willing to risk my life over something as small as a few words that might offend you," Razeal continued calmly while looking straight into her eyes. "But tell me, Empress... are you willing to risk yours over the same thing?"
For the first time since the conversation began Nerrisa went silent. A slight hesitation appeared on her face before quickly disappearing again. It was tiny, almost impossible to notice, but it was there. Because she understood exactly what he was saying. She valued her life. She valued her Empire. She valued the people and things her ancestors had built. Razeal didn’t?
Or at least he believed he didn’t. And that made him dangerous in a completely different way. Seeing that brief hesitation, Razeal didn’t smile or mock her. He simply nodded his head slightly.
"And this might be the time for you to take your own advice.. Empress." The atmosphere immediately fell silent afterward.
——