The breakfast had ended. One by one, the royals filtered out of the hall, their footsteps echoing faintly against the marble floor. The excitement of the dragon eggs still echoed through the walls.
Only the Emperor and the Patriarch remained in the hall.
They stood across from each other, silence stretching long between them.
"You planned this," Dimitri said finally, his voice low but sharp. "You don't just show up with dragon eggs unless you have an agenda."
A smirk formed on Magnar's lips. He stepped down from the platform and faced him calmly. "So now you're afraid of gifts?"
"I'm not afraid," Dimitri said coldly. "I see through you. You want the throne. You want to use those dragons to control the empire."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Magnar's mouth. "If I wanted the throne, I would have taken it a long time ago. You sit on it only because I let you."
