As the looming feeling grew, Abrial thought to ask at last:
"Hey, White Mask. You still haven't told me why I'm being detained as a criminal in the Emperor's palace. What does the Emperor want from me, anyways?"
Silence from White Mask. He simply sat there, very still, hands politely in his lap, like he hadn't heard her at all.
"...Hey, White Mask! What does he want, huh? I swear I don't have anything to give him, so if you think I have some big secret to share that'll give him a ton of power or something, someone told you the wrong thing! Does he want to punish me for being a part of the Wei camp, like a representative? Am I going to be…" Her voice faltered suddenly at the thought. "...Am I gonna be…tortured?"
Finally, an answer:
