"Sometimes that's not a bad thing. It makes it easier to guide them, for a good purpose," Eric said.
Laila shook her head at Eric. "Lord Eric, you are an outsider and don't understand this place well enough. In this Empire, there has been more than enough 'guidance.'
I have lived in this Empire for twenty years. The Empire's rule has grown increasingly convoluted, and this complexity has brought the people no happiness—only suffering.
The Empire once promised Armenia and every other race that settled within its borders that they would receive equal and comfortable treatment, as well as strong and effective protection.
The rulers of the Empire now increasingly use abstract theories to explain their failure to fulfill these promises. They're just like that Priest I mentioned—full of learned rhetoric, acting as if he knows everything, always able to quote the classics with ease.
