Emery thought it couldn't be him, after all, there would be no point in trying to become Giovanni's patron if he tarnished the boy's reputation, which would tarnish his own.
Or worse, Abbot Eurico knew what had happened to Giovanni and had misrepresented everything. Emery was no fool to think the Abbot didn't know about the gossip the priests and novice were talking about. He couldn't believe he didn't have enough power to get the answer if he wanted to.
"He's not the kind of person they're talking about. On the contrary, I worry that it will be taken advantage of by others. So I want to take him so I can take care of him better when I get back to the capital," Emery said calmly and logically. He didn't dare have an emotional intonation in his voice so as not to draw even more attention to Giovanni's importance to him.
