Snippet #2815943

"His troubles began far earlier than that, you know," Drulović said, her tone calm, her gaze steady. "The Emperor, it seems, did not die a natural death. Of course, your son, would-be despot that he was, must have ensured the destruction of any obvious evidence. It was like to have been some type of poison, carefully chosen to mimic natural illness, but that he had been in good health and far younger than when he ought to have passed." The old woman shook her head, though the movement was lethargic and enervated. "You did no wrong. He was long lost to you. Had he known his half-brother Yosho yet lives, I'm certain he'd have ensured his untimely demise too. Even now, I have no doubt in my mind he plots and schemes still. Enough shoguns must unite to have a chance at ending his reign. Else, he'll make sure of all of our deaths." Drulović brought her hands up to the table, only the one with three fingers moving, the other still and atrophied. There was never much of a point to handcuffs, she'd thought. Not now. "But let him try. I've proven quite difficult to kill."