“Telling the truth would only have caused a panic,” he says. “Think about it. A magical poison that kills within seconds, with no remaining doses of antidote, and no other cure? Imagine the paranoia that would have ensued—a pointless panic, because I eradicated both the toxin and the rebels. The threat was gone.” “But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?” I ask softly. “Your cousin.” “Yes, I wanted to protect his name. To keep anyone from knowing what he did, who he had become. My aunt believes that I killed her sons, and she hates me. Moved out of the palace the day after I returned,
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