Leila almost laughed in sheer fury at his shamelessness.
"You're using my efforts to protect W-0 to defend your approval of torture?"
"I'm asking for the same principles of responsibility to apply to both of us."
"You have far more power than I do."
"Are you sure?"
"You're the Regent of Great Han."
"The Regent, not the emperor."
Lin Cuo raised his right hand and counted them off on his fingers.
"The Son of Heaven of Great Han holds legal succession and the final countersignature authority; the Secretariat controls a vast range of administrative procedures; Li Xingke holds central military command and a professional veto; Cao Yuanming has the Liaodong Military Region and his own military and administrative system; India has autonomy under treaty; the Area 11 Government-in-Exile isn't a department under me; the Palace Television Bureau may look like nothing more than a media outlet, but it actually handles national mobilization, the Son of Heaven's public image, and global communications. Even Dietrich dares to hook the Tactical Channel into a worldwide broadcast without my knowledge."
By this point, a trace of genuine grievance had even crept into his voice.
Leila did not immediately argue back. She did know the institutional differences between the three great powers, but for a long time, she had instinctively understood the Regent to be Great Han's de facto supreme ruler.
Lin Cuo caught that moment of hesitation and immediately pressed on.
"And I'm only sixteen."
Leila's gaze turned cold again.
"Your age doesn't absolve you."
"Of course not. Neither does yours."
"I haven't used my age to absolve myself."
"But you'll emphasize how limited your authority is under the committee and orders from your superiors, while refusing to acknowledge that my power has boundaries too. Because you're a young female officer, you can be