"You hid your fangs quite well at the Academy, Cadet Lucien," Rumina murmured, letting the silence stretch before delivering the killing blow. "Or would you prefer I address you by the title my Intelligence network has been chasing? The Executioner?"
'Here we go again,' I sighed internally, suppressing the urge to rub my pounding temples.
"I don't know what you are implying, Your Highness," I replied, keeping my voice perfectly even despite the exhaustion weighing down my bones. "I have said it from the start, and I will say it again—I have absolutely no relations with the fallen Holy Empire."
Rumina let out a rich, echoing laugh. It wasn't a laugh of amusement; it was the sound of a predator cornering its prey.
