She immediately kneels down in front of him. "I am not the Empress any longer. Emily is. The people need a fresh start. They need someone to believe in, not someone who they can't trust to be alive or dead. They have mourned me, so now I am just Jessamine Kaldwin, formerly dead Empress turned advisor to Empress Emily. And in this room, in this place, you are not a servant to me. You are family." She laughs musically, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what that will look like or what our places might be, but fate has brought the three of us together for a reason. Shall we find out together, Jamie?"

Corvo folds his arms across his chest.

"She also wants to name you Lord Protector. Take my place," he adds, feeling his heart pounding loudly in his chest, his throat, his face.