"Send men to capture the Crown Princess of Kaltharion!" the Emperor thundered, his voice slicing through the quiet of the garden.
Lord Morrathen, ever the cautious fox, tilted his head and stroked his neatly trimmed beard. His narrow eyes glinted beneath the torchlight. "Your Majesty," he said softly, "should you not consult the Dowager before making any… irreversible decisions?"
The Emperor stiffened.
He had trusted his mother once, trusted her with everything, but not anymore. Not after tonight.
"Mother need not know," he said coldly.
Lord Morrathen bowed slightly, but his eyes flicked upward, studying the Emperor's expression. Rash decisions were dangerous. And this one… this reeked of desperation.
The Emperor turned from him, pacing before the swaying tree. If Leroy's wife truly is Lazira, he thought, then Mother already knew. She must have known; she, who always had eyes everywhere, who never missed a whisper. And yet… she had done nothing.