Elizabeth watched Adrian with narrowed eyes.
'It's a good deal,' she thought. 'He should take it. He's been completely outclassed. A person needs to know when to give up.'
Sylvia took a step forward, her voice soft but carrying easily across the ruined estate.
"Arthur, come back home now," Sylvia said. "You've proved yourself enough. You've struggled enough. We all regret what you've been through."
Jessica followed, her gaze steady.
"The moment you accept the heir position," Jessica said, "I will serve you with all my heart... and give you my loyalty."
She held his gaze.
"Come back," she added quietly. "This is your home, after all."
Arthur's mind filled with noise.
Faces. Voices. Blood. Yuna lying broken in a crater. His friends on the screen, beaten because they had followed him. The Imperius banners hanging above the warships—symbols of a power that had never once protected him.
