"Judging from the public response, you've gained a great deal of support, Steve Rogers. Especially in the provinces that despise the Euro-American world—when people there learned that the new government had captured Captain America from the United States and put him to work for them... That may sound rather grim, but perhaps it was simply because your new uniform doesn't bear the American flag, making it harder for civilians in those provinces to feel hostile toward you. In any case, those polling companies that were once founded for democratic elections now have new business. The authenticity of these polling reports still needs to be verified. I don't place much faith in the results those companies provide."
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity," Steve Rogers said stiffly, reciting the line.
No special skill was needed for the Emperor of Latveria to see at a glance that something was off about his mood.
"Go on. What else is it?"
"During a previous operation, Sam, the law enforcement department, and I took down a street gang and a small drug-trafficking network in Romania. There was a twelve-year-old child in that gang." Steve Rogers paused. "They used children to sell drugs. Did you know that? The law enforcement department took the child away. I want to know how he is now."
"You came to this office just to ask about the outcome of a petty drug dealer?" The Emperor of Latveria's gaze made Steve Rogers fall silent. He knew the person sitting behind that desk was no longer the teenager he had met at S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, no one knew exactly how old he was. The number Natasha Romanoff had revealed was astonishing.
"I can only tell you that I don't know. I convened a council made up of people from every walk