[His own hand mirrors Dimitri's, rubbing his chin as he thinks. He has no reason to hide anything--and it already seems like most of the...well, bad news, so to speak was broken to him in some way, so it hopefully wouldn't be any more traumatizing to his psyche than it already had been.

...hopefully. Dimitri at least deserved the truth as well as he could give it.]

From what I've heard from Sylvain, the differences aren't too stark from my version of events to his version of events in regards to the Empire's march.

[He lowers his hand, resting it on his hip.]The Empire invaded the Kingdom--or I should say they were let in after powers exchanged hands from the Blaiddyd line to Cornelia, who immediately bent a knee to the Empire. After you were tried for the death of your uncle, the Empire claimed to have you executed...

[He lets out a huff of air--it just felt weird to talk about someone's future trial right in front of them.] ...well, it seemed like a set-up to me, that you could be so conveniently tired for something without any multiple accounts or cross-examination. And with how quickly the Kingdom allowed itself to be a subject under the Empire, it was obvious that it was being used as both a scapegoat and propaganda for the rest of the continent.