The Emperor raised a confused eyebrow at Prince Yi, lost as to what angle he was working now. How could Prince Yi's lack of tact be his fault?

Conveniently, Prince Yi did not leave him hanging and promptly continued on his vent path, "I used to be the most considerate person? Alright, but you also didn't used to be such a hypocrite either, but yet here you are. You have your Empress and flaunt your happiness in front of everyone's faces, disregarding any and everyone in between yet now here you are scolding me about being considerate of others?!"

Prince Yi scoffed and then his glaring intensified, "You have taken everything from me! Everything I ever wanted, you have! My dreams, my aspirations, my happiness! So why would I believe that you would suddenly allow me this "joy" that I have now settled on when you have taken everything else?!" Prince Yi said it all one breath so took deep breaths both to catch his breath and calm himself as he looked up at the Emperor with an intensely aggrieved expression.

The Emperor blinked at Prince Yi with an even more incredulous expression, then he snorted and looked down at Prince Yi with a bemused smile on his face. His confusion at his brother's aggrieved mindset overpowered the feelings of anger at his brother's blatant disregard, "I have taken nothing from you." The Emperor said, knitting his brows still with that bemused smile on his face, which further angered Prince Yi.

"You took -" Prince Yi caught himself and frowned at the ground, now convinced that the Emperor was simply toying with him but yet, he could not bring himself to simply turn and walk away.

The Emperor studied Prince Yi for a bit. He then let out a weary sigh, got up, and walked down the steps towards Prince Yi, whose frowning intensified as the Emperor got closer. He felt the impulse to shift but he would not give the Emperor the impression that he was cowering. He was not afraid of him... He would not give the Emperor the satisfaction of thinking he feared him.

The Emperor stopped at Prince Yi's side put his hands behind his back and calmly said, "Stand up."

Prince Yi kept his glare on the ground, unmoving. The Emperor lightly snorted with a small smirk and then said, "Alright, keep kneeling then."

And right on queue, Prince Yi in his defiant mood stood up. The Emperor slightly shook his head as Prince Yi rose to his feet. Prince Yi turned and faced the Emperor squarely with a frown and said, "Is it so difficult for you to let me have one thing?"

The Emperor raised his eyebrows and calmly said, "It depends on what that one thing is... What is it that you believe I have taken from you?" He seriously asked, slightly knitting his brows.

Prince Yi blinked and then averted his gaze with a frown. Since he had suddenly lost his tongue, the Emperor decided to help him state his claim, "Is it the throne?" The Emperor asked.

Prince Yi stiffened and glanced at the Emperor with a wary expression, not sure what the Emperor was trying to do now.

The Emperor faced forward, towards the big open doors of the main hall, looking at the sky ahead as he emotionlessly went ahead to state the facts, "As I am sure you are aware, the throne has always been mine from the onset. But perhaps, one could claim that I took it from our eldest brother's, but as you know he ran himself into a wall. And even if I had a hand in his undoing, that still has nothing to do with you. You, yourself, even once said that the throne was not for you...Therefore, it cannot be that. What else is there?" The Emperor finished with this question, turning back to Prince Yi with raised eyebrows.

Prince Yi blinked at the Emperor still in shock, he quickly recovered and looked away, frowning at the ground, "I have no interest in the throne, if that is what you fear, ease your worried heart..." He said with his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He did not understand why the Emperor was bringing this up.

The Emperor glanced at Prince Yi with a raised eyebrow, "Really? My mistake then..." The Emperor lightly said and Prince Yi went to sigh in relief, but that sigh got stuck in his throat when the Emperor continued on to ask, "...Then perhaps it's the support those little ministers?"

Prince Yi stiffened. He already suspected that the Emperor was responsible for that nonsense about a "ghost" attacking his ministers of a few months ago. He knew the Emperor was targeting his supporters, but it was still shocking to actually hear him confirm his suspicions. Moreover, why would the Emperor tell him about it?

{...How much does he really know?...}

The Emperor carried on in his casual tone as if he were unaware of Prince Yi's inner struggles, "As Emperor, I am entitled to the support of the ministers of my court. Moreover, considering you acquired said support through blackmail, it was never truly yours to begin. I am sure you need no reminder of how you came to acquire said support... Therefore, that cannot be counted as taken something from you. I simply reclaimed what belonged to the throne, and as I own the throne, it was naturally mine to begin with...What else is there?" The Emperor asked, again turning to Prince Yi.

Of course, Prince Yi had the good sense not to admit to anything of illegal nature, "I do not understand what you speak of...Perhaps you have made another mistake...Your majesty." He said, cupping and raising his hands with a slight bow with beads of sweat starting to form on his brow. This was getting out of hand.

{...Is he looking for a reason to kill me now?...}

The Emperor ignored his words, faced forward, and answered for him again, "Your dreams...I remember them being about exploring the world. I had heard you used to travel quite a bit in the past but then after our elder brother's tragic end, you became busier trying to handle affairs in my absence. That added to the late Emperor's illness made it impossible for you to travel..."

"...In light of that, I have freed you from the chains of court and given you back the ability to live your dreams again. You have your freedom and the funds so how I have impeded you?... Unless your life's dream has changed in recent years. In that case, it is possible that I may have impeded them in some way...What is this dream of yours that I have taken from you?" He asked, again turning to Prince Yi.

Prince Yi blinked at him and then averted his eyes, gulping. He did not know what to say. What sort of conversation was this? He had no idea where the Emperor was going with this, but it was obvious that the Emperor was trying to goad him into making an irreparable mistake.

The Emperor calmly scrutinized Prince Yi for a bit and then said, "I will take your silence to mean that it remains the same...In that case, I have facilitated rather than taken your dreams from you." The Emperor was quiet for a bit, seemingly in thought, then finally he spoke, "Your mother..." The Emperor paused, frowning, "I had no hand in her demise...but because of her, I have spared you where I would have spared no other. I have given you chance after chance to continue to live rather than to take your life from you..."

The Emperor looked at Prince Yi's frowning face, the aggrieved expression more prominent on his face now. The Emperor sighed and then asked again, "What else is there that you feel that I have taken from you?"