"W-wait!" he uttered desperately. "I can explain! This… this isn't what it looks like!"
Julian stepped closer, his aura pressing down on the commander.
"You really thought you could play both sides and no one would find out?" he said, his cold, mocking tone sending shivers down the commander's spine.
"You have been caught red-handed, and now you think there is room for excuses?"
The commander turned his eyes towards Alden and started pleading.
"Your Grace! I swear I was only acting under pressure! I was forced—"
"Enough!" Alden shouted, silencing the room. Both disappointment and fury glowed in his eyes as he glared at the commander. "How dare you betray the very people who trusted you? You have put us all in danger for your own greed."
Julian's aura flared once more, pressing down even more heavily on the commander.