"Even if you say you want freedom, I can't allow it now," the Emperor barked. "We could have discussed that if you hadn't gotten the reporters involved."
Aaran couldn't help but chuckle at the Emperor's method of deflecting blame. They both knew why Aaran informed the press about his identity, yet the emperor was twisting the tale.
"Would we be here negotiating if I didn't inform them?" Aaran scoffed, shaking his head. "Besides, demanding freedom would take all the fun out of this, won't you agree?"
The Emperor stared at Aaran, wondering what was going inside his head. Despite being at the odds, he knew the boy's mind worked in strange ways. He must have planned everything since the beginning, perhaps even from when he was studying in Excellence.
That's why the Emperor was extremely wary of his former son. After all, he had fooled the entire empire.
"What do you want, then?"
"Two things," Aaran said, lifting two fingers. "First one is a public trial."
