"Y-Your Highness."
Or maybe," he began, voice a smooth, practiced calm, "if there's even the slightest whiff of suspicion… we could send them all to the gallows. A touch dramatic, wouldn't you say? Actually, on second thought, perhaps a public execution is in order. Stone them to death in the square, a gruesome display for all to see. Eileen, of course, would need a front-row seat. A valuable lesson in the consequences of disrespect, wouldn't you agree?"
"They even put severed heads on display in taverns, I heard. And later, they even went as far as to stand in a row and do disgusting things, I mean, huh? But I'm supposed to let those kinds of b*stards live."
Senon and Diego exchanged a worried glance. The specifics of Cesare's accusations remained unclear, but the raw fury behind his words left no room for misunderstanding. The impending slaughter of the Traon citizens loomed large in the stifling silence.
