You're correct. [ As if she's offering a reward for the little game they're playing, she releases her hold on the glass and withdraws her hand slightly. ] My ambition is my own. If I did not desire the role, I would remake it to fit my liking.

[ Therefore, the constraints of being empress are ones she inherently accepts. The choices she makes in that capacity are to support her own vision of it.

She arches an eyebrow slightly as she contemplates Waltaquin's pout and their progress through the contents of the glass. She has no intention of becoming fussy now, nor of questioning the effects on the sedatives she's aware Waltaquin must still be taking. It's simply one more piece of information she's gathering. ]

I cherish no illusions about the nature of a nation, let alone an empire. There will be more deaths before I'm finished. And after, certainly. But it would be inconvenient for me if they were carelessly chosen. [ "Careless" is not how she would describe Waltaquin. Neither is "easy to control," however. Which should be stifling her smile, but... ] You would make it more difficult to play another card I've gone through some pains to obtain. How much of an asset do you believe yourself to be, Waltaquin Redditch?