He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering.
"An entire kingdom just exhaled, Bruce. They do not know why but they feel it. The tension in their shoulders has loosened. The background dread they could not name has lifted."
He gestured vaguely toward the streets below.
"Relief creates loyalty. Stability breeds opportunity."
His smile softened, not playful this time, but thoughtful.
"And opportunity is the seed of the future."
Bruce studied him in silence. For a long moment, the lecherous eccentric vanished completely. The exaggerated perversion. The theatrical indulgence. All of it peeled away like a discarded costume.
What remained was something older.
Measured.
Sharpened by time and long observation.
"You're still hiding things," Bruce said calmly.
Duke's grin returned immediately. "Of course I am."
He spread his hands lightly.
"If I revealed everything at once, you would grow bored. And I cannot allow my favorite ally to become bored."
Bruce exhaled quietly.
