For once, he betrayed his thoughts in his expression. There was a moment where he realized she too could gain power to take back. The thought pleased him little and his expression became a hard line. Yet, his boast spoke the truth of it. Power he gained here would not be lost when he took his leave of the place.

"So long as you retain your shard," he answered icily. "And that is a feat that can prove most challenging."

There was an implied threat there. If she rose too high, he would swat her down if he had to. Laws of the monarch be damned.