Patrick and Kael'thas stared at each other for a full several dozen seconds without speaking.
There was no point in sounding each other out. They were both intelligent men and understood that, so Patrick simply asked the question he most wanted answered. "Why did you choose Kil'jaeden?"
Without the slightest evasion or hesitation, without even sparing the prince any dignity, Patrick's words made it clear that he already knew about Kael'thas's relationship with the demons. The four advisers' expressions changed. They had never imagined Patrick would ask so directly about Kael'thas's cooperation with Kil'jaeden.
A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Kael'thas's face, but he did not answer Patrick's question directly. "Do you also think I've become a demon's lackey? That I've pursued power by any means necessary and betrayed all the people who trusted me?"
Patrick gave an involuntary chuckle. "If I thought you'd joined the Burning Legion, I wouldn't have come here at all." That simple sentence made his position clear.
The reasoning was simple. If Patrick wanted to do something, or wanted to replace the Sunstrider family outright, why would he come here? Kael'thas had already allied himself with demons, so Patrick would have moral justification. He could simply send his subordinates to join Shattrath and work with the Sha'tar allied forces to bury Kael'thas in Outland, while he sat comfortably in power in Silvermoon City.
"If I'd truly betrayed my people and become a demon's lackey, why would I lead my troops to attack Tempest Keep?" Kael'thas looked utterly helpless. "Having already made contact with Kil'jaeden, I had all the more reason to stay in the Black Temple and secretly seek an opportunity to replace Illidan. Kil'jaeden no longer trusted Illidan because of his failure at the Frozen Throne and his actions. In the entire Black Temple,