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"You are prepared to give me all that I could wish to ask for, and your generosity in this situation is appreciated. It is thus with some embarrassment that I find myself forced to refuse your offer." The young boy would lean back into his chair with a sigh. "Politics, you see, has a way of complicating matters that should be simple and straightforward. Were it not for politics, this would be an easy decision, and I would readily accept it. But because of the existence of such an institution, I find myself refusing based on a single condition you have presented me: the pledging of Jaedaxia's allegiance to the Empire." An exasperated snort. "The wording is the principle of the matter. The single condition that could preserve the welfare of Jaedaxia, but is unacceptable for Jaedaxia to accept. That, Kestor Verilius, is the true face of politics."

The Lord Protector rested his cheek on his fist, turning his chair around so that he was no longer facing Antonius and looking out of the window. "Anti-Imperial sentiment still exists within Jaedaxia. It has been mollified by the economic security that I have established in the city, and the social freedoms that I have given the people. In the face of a stronger and revitalized economy as well as certain social rights, the people have grown complacent. They are willing to turn a blind eye to political actions on my part that would have resulted in open dissent and riots even just a few eras ago." He would hold up a series of fingers, counting off a list of points. "When I decided to leave the dilapidated Second Legion be in Chateau Rose, instead of invading and driving them out in their weakened condition, the people allowed it. When I decided to leave the Imperial Navy be, even though the Jaedaxian fleet currently outnumbers the Imperial fleet, the people allowed it. When I decided to allow the dracons banished from Sacrum to settle within Jaedaxia, the people allowed it. When I quietly began putting down the resistance movement within Jaedaxia, the people allowed it. This trust can only be built up over time, and I have acquired small, incremental gains through careful maneuvering."

He would wheel around, facing Antonius again. "Something so blatant as pledging allegiance to the Empire would topple over this castle built of sand. The question is not whether I am loyal to the Empire, for I am. I have absolutely no intentions of promoting a Third Rebellion. As stated, I have actively diverted resources in order to ensure that rebels and anarchists within Jaedaxia are not allowed to instigate any issues. The problem is that the people still retain their hatred and fear towards the Empire. Their ancestors were, in their opinions, wronged by the Empire. Sacked after the First Rebellion, over which they had no control. Forced to endure generations of hunger and poverty due to the blockade unleashed upon the city. Those generations of suffering led to a Second Rebellion, just as brutally put down, and that hatred has yet to leave the Jaedaxian people, not in such a short amount of time."

He would throw his hands up in frustration. "Trust is the underlying issue. The people do not trust the Empire, an entity that has done almost nothing to help them, and much to harm them, from their perspective. They have suffered through an occupation by the foreign Second Legion and Imperial Fleet, and have been oppressed by a Church of Faith whose beliefs were not in line with the majority of Jaedaxians. And, of course, the problem has been exacerbated by the Cencoris who acts as if he is backed by thousands of legionnaires but only had half a dozen."

"As far as I can tell, you trust me. And I trust you. But what we represent, the Empire and Jaedaxia? They do not trust each other. So we find ourselves in an intolerable situation."

Description
"You are prepared to give me all that I could wish to ask for, and your generosity in this situation is appreciated. It is thus with some embarrassment that I find myself forced to refuse your offer." The young boy would lean back into his chair with a sigh. "Politics, you see, has a way of complicating matters that should be simple and straightforward. Were it not for politics, this would be an easy decision, and I would readily accept it. But because of the existence of such an institution, I find myself refusing based on a single condition you have presented me: the pledging of Jaedaxia's allegiance to the Empire." An exasperated snort. "The wording is the principle of the matter. The single condition that could preserve the welfare of Jaedaxia, but is unacceptable for Jaedaxia to accept. That, Kestor Verilius, is the true face of politics."

The Lord Protector rested his cheek on his fist, turning his chair around so that he was no longer facing Antonius and looking out of the window. "Anti-Imperial sentiment still exists within Jaedaxia. It has been mollified by the economic security that I have established in the city, and the social freedoms that I have given the people. In the face of a stronger and revitalized economy as well as certain social rights, the people have grown complacent. They are willing to turn a blind eye to political actions on my part that would have resulted in open dissent and riots even just a few eras ago." He would hold up a series of fingers, counting off a list of points. "When I decided to leave the dilapidated Second Legion be in Chateau Rose, instead of invading and driving them out in their weakened condition, the people allowed it. When I decided to leave the Imperial Navy be, even though the Jaedaxian fleet currently outnumbers the Imperial fleet, the people allowed it. When I decided to allow the dracons banished from Sacrum to settle within Jaedaxia, the people allowed it. When I quietly began putting down the resistance movement within Jaedaxia, the people allowed it. This trust can only be built up over time, and I have acquired small, incremental gains through careful maneuvering."

He would wheel around, facing Antonius again. "Something so blatant as pledging allegiance to the Empire would topple over this castle built of sand. The question is not whether I am loyal to the Empire, for I am. I have absolutely no intentions of promoting a Third Rebellion. As stated, I have actively diverted resources in order to ensure that rebels and anarchists within Jaedaxia are not allowed to instigate any issues. The problem is that the people still retain their hatred and fear towards the Empire. Their ancestors were, in their opinions, wronged by the Empire. Sacked after the First Rebellion, over which they had no control. Forced to endure generations of hunger and poverty due to the blockade unleashed upon the city. Those generations of suffering led to a Second Rebellion, just as brutally put down, and that hatred has yet to leave the Jaedaxian people, not in such a short amount of time."

He would throw his hands up in frustration. "Trust is the underlying issue. The people do not trust the Empire, an entity that has done almost nothing to help them, and much to harm them, from their perspective. They have suffered through an occupation by the foreign Second Legion and Imperial Fleet, and have been oppressed by a Church of Faith whose beliefs were not in line with the majority of Jaedaxians. And, of course, the problem has been exacerbated by the Cencoris who acts as if he is backed by thousands of legionnaires but only had half a dozen."

"As far as I can tell, you trust me. And I trust you. But what we represent, the Empire and Jaedaxia? They do not trust each other. So we find ourselves in an intolerable situation."