"I'm not like my father. I don't have grand ambitions, and I'm perfectly satisfied with the position I already hold. I have no desire to seize your throne or spend the rest of my life fighting my own family. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Lina remained silent, still trying to work out where he was going with this. Carloman didn't seem particularly interested in hearing her response, however, and continued speaking as though he needed to get everything off his chest before he lost his nerve.
"I brought my family with me this time. As you've seen, I have only one son and two daughters. I'm willing to leave all three of them here in the capital as hostages if that will convince you of my sincerity."
He spoke with an intensity that made Lina's smile falter.
