The Gale Emperor's eyes were uncontrollably twitching when he saw the Krisen King downplaying his authority with the pretense of being concerned about his reputation.
But in essence, this audacious king was trying to challenge his authority indirectly.
And seeing some of the powerful noble families supporting the Krisen King's words only made him regret not crushing the Krisen Kingdom long back before even Yuria was born.
However, even if the Krisen Kingdom was becoming powerful over the years, most of the powerful noble families standing behind the Krisen King weren't really allies until what happened today.
The Gale Emperor also knew this since he basically confessed to using the Krisen Kingdom, which was known to be prosperous and loyal to the imperial family.
And since he confessed, it only made him seem like an ungrateful wretch of an emperor who wouldn't hesitate to turn on his own loyal allies.
Coupling this fact with how he even killed the scions of some of the noble families that were completely loyal to him only made the matter even worse.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Now, no matter what he says, will the people forget what he did?
He was planning to bring down the Krisen Kingdom using 'betrayal to the state' as an excuse which was proven in history to be quite efficient in bringing down any possible contender to the throne.
But now, how could he execute such plans when he himself was stuck in a very tight position with the Krisen King breathing down his throat with his newfound support.
The Gale Emperor used his willpower to calm down his nerves since he knew that if he acted wilfully anymore in front of all these people, he would only be destroying whatever chances he had in making a comeback.
"King Krisen, I understand you might have some misgivings against me, but what I said before Damien was all just to make him hear what he wanted me to say. After all, the last thing I wanted was that terrorist to harm those two girls and also for your sake, especially since your daughter was one of the girls," The Gale Emperor said in a loud voice with a straight face as if he really didn't commit any wrongs but just a victim who did his best to save the hostages.
King Krisen almost gnashed his teeth upon seeing how thick-skinned and shameless this Gale Emperor was being.
He had thought that after everything that happened, the Gale Emperor would immediately hide in his palace till things calmed down, and by that time, he would have gained enough support in his absence to make sure that his kingdom wouldn't face any threats.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})But now, it seemed like the Gale Emperor had no intentions of giving up but was trying to turn around this whole thing to make it look like he was innocent.
And so the King Krisen couldn't help but ask with a narrowed gaze, "Your Majesty, I am not sure how I have wronged you or when, but we saw that Damien had recorded some solid proof which made you step forward and kneel before him. So forgive my words, but why would Damien hand over that recording if whatever you confessed to was just Damien making it up?"
The moment King Krisen asked this, everybody felt the tension in the air becoming palpable to the point some of them could feel their body becoming heavier just by looking at the Gale Emperor's back.
However, most of them agreed with what King Krisen said.
If the things Damien said the Gale Emperor did were lies, then why did he hand over that recording, and why did the Gale Emperor step forward if not to save his own skin just like what Olivia did, though nobody had any idea of what kind of dark secrets contained inside those recordings.
The Gale Emperor slightly frowned, thinking when someone as powerful as he was getting questioned by people weaker than him in every sense. He felt even more infuriated when the Krisen King purposefully mentioned him kneeling before Damien.
This made him realize the gravity of the situation and that he should not let the Krisen King gain any more momentum.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Who said I stepped forward to save myself when I was, in fact, trying to save our empire. Are you willing to believe the words of a terrorist or someone who not only looks after the people of the entire empire but also has shed blood and sweat for it?" The Gale Emperor said with his hands behind his back.
King Krisen felt that this cunning bastard was up to something and asked, "What does Your Majesty mean?'
"The recording Damien gave me contained deep secrets of our empire which can put our empire in jeopardy in case our enemies come to learn about its contents. This was why I, as an emperor, had to take responsibility and put forward the safety of our empire rather than my own dignity. This is why I kneeled before that terrorist. But that doesn't mean I haven't wronged. I committed an unforgivable sin by letting my anger get the best of me and bringing disaster to my loyal subjects. For this, no amount of words can convey how sorry I am
"But since words are not enough, I am going to grant 1% of our empire's annual revenue to the noble families I have wronged, equally divided among them all. I know even this isn't really enough, considering that no amount of wealth can bring back the lives I have wrongfully taken. But I can only ask you all to not lose faith in me and that I would definitely bring Damien to justice for the terror he caused today. That is my solemn vow!" The Gale Emperor said passionately as if he meant every word and was keen on righting his wrongs.
The entire hall suddenly descended into pin-drop silence as they could hardly believe what the Gale Emperor had just said.
And the most shocking part was none other than the offer of 1% of total revenue being distributed to the bereaved families equally.
But even if it was just 1%, even a tenth of that amount was enough to let a noble family carry on with their lives for at least decades!
