There was a flash of guilt in the Emperor's eyes, but he didn't apologize to me or reassure me.
"You,..." he took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair as he stared blankly at me. "...you would not be here if I didn't respect you and your heritage. I don't dislike the people from your homeland, Talia... what my own men do is through necessity, not through malice or a lack of respect for your culture."
I laughed and shook my head in disbelief as I walked a little closer to him.
"How the hell am I supposed to respond to that? Is it supposed to be reassuring? Am I supposed to tell you that I forgive you and I understand why you had to kill everybody I have ever loved?"
Caius looked at me coldly, and I felt my heart race because it reminded me of exactly who he was and how dange
