“Stupid cock-sucking faggot.” It was impossible to tell where that angry voice came from.

Darling didn’t react to the insult in any way. Instead, he smiled coldly. “My father always said that you know the absolute second you’ve won a fight. It’s when your opposition has run out of logic with which to battle, and the name-calling commences. But really, how unimaginative of you. There are thousands of other insults that are so much more creative and demeaning. And I would actually respect you if you had the nerve to stand by your convictions and face me when you insult me.” He scanned the crowd with a sneer of contempt. “Homosexual or not, no one can ever accuse me of cowardice. If I’m going to insult someone, I at least have the balls to do it to their face.”

The gerents began shouting in outrage.

Zarya’s eyes widened as fear for Darling tore through her. “They’re going to eat him alive.”

Syn shook his head. “Oh no… Wait for it.”

She was aghast at his nonchalance. “For what? The bloodshed?”

True to Syn’s words, Darling allowed them to scream for several more minutes.

Finally, he rose to his feet. They quieted instantly, with the majority of them scanning the room to see where Darling had positioned his guards. Which made sense since anyone else would have called for their arrest.

Instead, Darling took a deep breath. “I seriously hope that all of you have gotten that out of your systems. We can sit here and you can insult me, my parentage, my lifestyle, hell, let’s even throw in the color of my shoes for good measure, or we can do what we’re supposed to do. Take care of our people.”

With a fierce set to his jaw, he swept the delegates with a condemning countenance. “I know under Arturo’s reign that many of you took liberties you shouldn’t have. I know he arrested or exiled anyone who didn’t agree with him, and confiscated their lands and titles. Those who supported him were given the luxury of his turning a blind eye to all their activities, no matter how illegal or immoral. So long as you paid his fees, he left you alone.”