Doge Leandro Contarini of Italy was the first to stand, his face flushed, carrying the look of a man who had suffered a grave injustice. "Thank you, Your Highness Louis, for opening my eyes," he said. "Your words have enlightened me and revealed the truth. If not for you, I, along with millions of Italians, would still be trapped in darkness." As he spoke, he offered a slight bow, relief clearly visible on his face.
"As Your Highness Louis has said, it was because the people of the Cross were being oppressed and massacred en masse that the former Doge of the Italian Federation and the Venetian Republic, His Excellency Giovanni Morosini, made the decision to support the Bharatiya Empire."
