"What a grand reception this is. Emperor, if I knew you were missing me so dearly, I would've brought gifts!"
"You! How dare you speak to His Majesty so crassly?!"
An immediate voice of protest rose from among the officials.
Damien sneered, ignoring the man and walking over to one of the two empty seats near the Emperor and taking his place.
Astoria followed after him and took a seat as well.
As they did so, the Emperor sent a glance at the previous official, warning him to not speak carelessly.
At the same time, a transmission entered Damien's ear.
"Brat, you should at least respect my status in front of a crowd like this. It will only make things more troublesome for both of us if you do not."
Damien shrugged. "I can call you 'His Majesty the Emperor' as much as you want me to, but if you want me to change my demeanor, it'll be much harder than that."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
